The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-12-05
TILE NAVY DEPARTMENT.

/ states lne movements hl tue Nuliuuo SHuds'
rons during the year, in home and foreign
waters, where our officers and seamen
with such ships as weposses have continued
/ to illustrate the high character aud excel
! lent discipline OF the naval organization.
On The "a of December, ISL, Information
was received that the exploring steamer
Jeanette had been crushed and aban-
doned in the Arctic ocean. The officers aud
crew. after Journey over the ice, embarked
| in three boats for the coast of Siberia. Oae
of the parties, under the command OF Chief
| Engineer George W, Melville, reached the
land and, falling in with natives, was saved.
Another, under Lieutenant Commander
belong, landed in barren region, near
the mouth of the Lena river. Al
ter six weeks had elapsed all
but two OF the number had
died from fatigue ana starvation.
No tidngs have been received from the par
ties in the third boat under the command
of Lieutenant Chip, but long and fruit.
less investigation leaves little doubt that all
its members persisted at sea. AS a slight
tribute to their heroism ! give in this COM
munication the names OF gallant men who
sacrificed their lives in this expedition:
Lieutenant Commander George w. De
Long, Surgeon James Amber, Jerome j.
Collins, Hans Halmer, Erickson, Heinrich,
Ii. Kaache, George w. Boyd, Walter Lee,
AdoIph Dresser, Carl A. Gortz,
Nelson Iversop, the cook, Sam Andechein,
Alexy. The officer and men in the missing
boat were Lieutenant Chas. W. Chipp,
commanding; William Dunbar, Alfred Sweet
man, Walter Spartell, Alkert c. kuohne,
Edwin Star. Henry d. Warren and Peter T..
johnson, Lieut.. Giles, b. HARDER and
Master William IL. Schentzekesch are now
bringing home the remains OF Lieut. De
Long and his comrads, in pursuance OF the
direction Of congress. The Rodgers, htted
out for the relief of the Jeannette,in accord
ance with the act of congress, OF March ID,
1881 sailed from San Francisco June 10th
under the command of Lieutenant Robert
NJ. Berry. On November Goth she was
accidentally destroyed by fire while in win
ter quarters in St. Lawrence bay, but the
officers and crew succeeded III escaping to
the shore, Lieutenant Berry and one OF
his officers after making u search lor the
Jeanette along the coast of Siberia, TELL in
with Chief Engineer Melyille's party and
returned home by way OF Europe. The
other officers and the crew of the Rodgers
were brought from st, Lawrence bay by the
whaling steamer North Sta. Master
Charles +. Putnam, who had been placed
in charge of depot OF supplies at Cape
Verde returning TO his post from ST.
Lawrence bay across the ice IN
binding storm was carried out to sea aud
lost, Notwithstanding all efforts to rescde
him.
1t appears by the secretary's report that
the available naval force of the United
States consists of 81 cruisers, III single tuu-
neled monitors, built during the rebellion,
u large lumber of smooth bore guns and
PARROT rifles and 81 rilled cannon. The
cruising vessels should be gradually re-
placed by iron or steel ships, the monitors
by modern armed vessels and the
armament by high power rifle guns.
| The reconstruction OF our navy,
which was recommended III my last
message, was begun by congress authorlz'
ing in its recent act the construction OF two
large steel vessels OF the character recon-.
mended by the late naval advisory board
and subject to the final approval OF u new
advisory board, to be organized as provided
by that act. ! cal your attention to the
Recommendation of the secretary and the
board that authority BIO given to construct
two more cruisers of smaller dimensions
and one fleet dispatch vessel, and that al
appropriation be made for high
power riled cannon, for the tor.
pedo service, and for other harboI
delenscs. Pending the consideration by
congress of the policy to be hereafter
adopted in conducting the eight large navy
yards and their expensive establishment
the secretary advocated the reduction Of
expenditures. They refer to the least pos
sible amounts.
For the purpose of allording the officers
and seamen of the navy opportunities o.
exercise and discipline i'll their profession
under appropriate control and direction,
| the secretary advises that the lighthouse
service and coast survey be transferred, as
now organized, from the treasury to the
navy department, and he also sug
gests for the reasons which ht
assigned, that similar transfer
may wisely be made Of the cruising reVe
nue. vessels. The secretary tOrcibly depict.
the intimate connection and the interde
pendence of the naval and the Commercial
marine, and invites attention to the cont
ued deCadenCe of the latter and the CORES
ponding transfer of our growing commerce,
to foreign bottoms. This subject is one o
the utmost importance to the national wei
fare. The methods of revising American
ship building, of restoring the United State
flag i'll the ocean carrying trade, shoul(
receive the immediate attention of con
gress. We have mercantile interes
still, and abundant material Tor tn,
manufacture of modern iron stean
ships in fair competition with our CONNER
cial rivals. Our disadvantage in building
ships is the greater cost of labor, and il
sailing them higher taxes and greater inter
est on capital, while ocean highways ar
already monopolzed by our formidable
: competitors. These obstacles should il
some way be overcome, and with our rapi,
communication with foreign lands W
should not continue to depend wholly upol
vessels built in the yards of other Countrio
and sailing under foreign flags. With n,