Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-01-05
OUR NAVY.
Extraordinary Appropriations Requested
Some Interesting Figures

Some Interesting Figures.
| The naval appropriation bill has moi
yet been framed, and some of the pa
pers express alarm at Secretary Chal
dler's estimates. The Washington
correspondent of the New York Time,
calls attention to the fact that the ma.
val &c rotary asks for $27, 750. 900. OF
nearly double the expenditure for the
year ending last July, which was $lS,-
936,OO0. The secretary's report, how
ever, shows that this large sum is the
total OF the estimates submitted by the
| chiefs OF bureaus, and he fol-
lows it with statement that these
estimates may be revised as fol-
lows, "-thereupon cutting down the
| ilgures, making the total revised es-
Inmates SO, S36,000.o Unless he has
put some later statement before the
naval committee of the house, this
must be considered the estimate on
which he wants n bill framed. This
revised estimate includes 81 900 900 for
building the hulls of two new cruisers.
81 900, 900 for their machinery, 81 900
900 for finishing the hulls of four mon
ltors and $o02 $50 for their machinery.
But ifoniy $500, 900 is to be spent
ON new construction, it is difficult to
see what Mr.. Chandler wants of
nearly $2l 100000. 1t is singular that
SO little Roadway is made in loppinp
OF the expensive leeches of the depart,
ment. The secretary's report shows
that on the 18th of November 1850
there We're 4,4e4 officers, marines and
men employed in the eight navy
yards at daily pay roll OF $l1 ,3lS.
Az three of these yards, employing
4oo men, no work was being done on
ships OF war, according to the score
tary's own report. At Portsmouth the
Omaha and Plymouth were being re-
paired-the Omaha is second. rate
vessel, the Plymouth is not mentioned
al all in the secretary's list of the
available cruising war vessels.u n
Is probably good subject for navy
yard repairs, therefore. At Boston
and New York, they were repairing
the Shenandoah and Trenton. nj
League Island the Ossipee, at WASH
ington, Norfolk and Pensacola ssnone y
and AT Mare Island the Mohican and
the Alert. Fearly S., 900, 900 has been
spent ON these three navv-yards in
hiteen years, but Mr.. Chandler clings
70 them all, although il is clear that
they Will not be required by any
present or prospective wants of the |
country" AT least he thinks |
IL diificult TO decide what
ones to SELL and has appointed "a n !
commission TO settle that question |
commodore Luce, Chief Engineer Io.
ring and the celebrated ex-architect
OF public buildings, Mullet.
The appropriation for the current
year was Sl5, 575, 900, and as Mr.. Cbands
Ter ie,r has some S2,SS6,00o available from
me uneXpended appropriation of the
previous year, it would be his '.stronS
card TO 20 ahead and build one of ths
new Vessel authorized with that fund
INSTEAD OF loading down .his estimates
Iof next year. He must know that he
anu hoheson are strongly suspected of
pAtrsvagant tendencies. He has nearly
money enough left over to build tha
Iiisl vessel contemplated, an unarm.
lreu cruiser of 4 900 tons displacement
win four eight inch guns on The nm,
per ueck and ten or twelve 6-inch gnns
below, equal in speed to the best oesan
''eaiiish ips.--Sprinafetd Republican