Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-12-12

WAsHINGToN, Dec. 5.-The annual re-
port of the Secretary of the Navy was
made public to-day. The report says that
the despatch steamer Dolphin, has been
launched Her speed is III knots. \ frac-
ture of her shaft delays formal acceptance.
The Chicago is seven-tcnths completed.
The report says that it has been shown
that our steel makers can readily furnish
excellent material in large quantities, its
high quality being assured by the tests
adopted. As to the want of full sail power
and the absence of sheathing it appears
that the British admiralty is now building
steel cruisers absolutely without masts or
sails and unsheathed. The objections to
the machinery of the Chicago are met by
the satisfactory performances of the
Louisiana, Il vessel with machinery gencr-
ally similar As to the peculiar features
of the Boston, it is to he noticed
that the same features are to be found in
the new Chilean vessel, the Esmcralda
the latest development of naval COnstruc-
ton in England. Both vessels are lunar
mOrcd steel cruisers with protected decks
and water-tght subdivisions and without
wooden or copper sheathing. They have
the same dimensions, being 30 feet long.
~ feet beam and Of 1000 ton, displacement.
In both the top gallant furecaste ami GOV
cred poop have been done away with.
Apart from this fact, even if there were
any weight to the objections advanced
against the design of the Boston and At
lanta, they are offset by its overwhelming
advantages in giving an extensive and I'M
an increased efficiency to the battery. Com
PARSONS of speed between the new cruisers
and the great Transatlantic "Reminiscences
are unfair because the latter attain their
speed only Dyth sacrifice of qualities eS-
sential to Il ship of war. They are unprO-
tected, unNieldy and of enormous draft
and dimensions The number of them
possessing very high speed is small and
the new cruisers could Overtake % per
cent of the merchant steamers of the
world. The rates of speed assigned to the
new ships are based on very conservative
calculations of their probable perform
anCc, and they Will undoubtedly exceed
the estimates: but the first unarmored
cruisers Of the new American fleet are not
intended for comparison in speed with un-
protected racing ships of enormous size or
in defensive power with modern iron
Clads. The steel fOrgingS for the SiN-inch
guns OF the new cruisers are being made
at the MidNale steel works, Philadelphia,
and those for the S-inCh guns in Eng
land There heinz mo ulnnt in tins conn
try capable of producing S-inCh fOrgings
forpinn mnnnfnrturers The armor Of he
NIinnfnnnmnh il Nearly rnmnIntnd and in
nIncn Tho m,cbinr,,.nf ia innhitrit,.
and Terror is about Onc-half completed.
while that of the Puritan is finished. No
work has been done upon the hulls of the
monitors. Common prudence demands
that immrtli1tr stems lie taken tn remedy
the defencnlna. cnnditinu nf otu. rno.t
and hnrhor.. and thr most rnnid and
economical measure Which can he ,,dnntrd
nj rho nrnSnnt tiunn j. nt,sL
the pnrtinlly constructed monitors tn
COMPLEXION The rpport states The CON
cllsion of fine advisory honrd recnmmend-
inc the construction of one crrIisnr nf
400 tons. one cruiser Of 1000 tons one
despatch vessel of 1900 tons. two heavily
armed run boats of 1900 ions eoch one
lirht run boat Of $50 tons one steel ram.
one cruising toppdo bout two hnrhor FOR,
urdo bonts and one ormored vessel NOT ov
ceeding 1000 tons The department in
adonting fine observation-disclosures rolls snncini
attention to the necessity for torpedo
boats, In general the srcretnrv rnrom-
mrnds the cHr,truc,ion Of seven madam
cruisers annually fn,. n nnrind Of IN vanr.
Snrh a Man he saws whiIr cnnfnrnin" tn
the conservative demands of orr nntinnnI
policy and nlTnrdinr amIlr ,Imr for adni,t.
inc new device in st ruct ion
wn1ld "iyn thn conntry, nt ,,nLnr,t,. ,.nut
navy ~ train its officers nuJ maintain lis
eafrtv and hnnor 80
In rernrd tn tho nxi.,in,, navy. S.,,,
taI.v thnndlcr saws ..It ,,nn,.. IRON,
tho conditinn If fhn nnnt NH ~ tbe AND
~ tiftrrn vnnrS thn ONLY crm.r,, ', H...,I,
of the nrosnnt list rau,ni,im,r viii I,n
three small iron vessels thm NIommrocv
Alert and Rnnrar The rsnI .ynInnotic,r,
of the dispronortion between re p e%nrn'
Jitnres and thn rennltS nccnn,i iE bnd j.,
naval ndministr,tion iS tn he fn,ir,I il, tI ~.
,oIicv If ntte,nntina M ,,re,t nn,t - 70 ' rn
bahilit,tn Worn ni,t S1r,tc1nraS ,,,,Ior ~ ia
naInn If rnnairs ma nrantic. ~ ro, ,,,
.tr,ntinI, ,.dnssnl ,,niiop ~, , W. 'f ~
nairS iu ha only nratavt ,,no, u,h;oh n',
rvergroyn navv GARD pot,l'Iiuhmo ~,
conl1 ha in.titind' anil II ,nnanru th,t ~, 10
stead If m1ointainimm ~ppris ~. tha a ~
yant,0a and hnmndt ~ - sh;ns , va. %,'
bavo Jr,',,rad nn't =, nrntrnntiI' NY t,,iIo
fnr tba henati+ nf IVA Ipnrd. '''' 'N'''o''c
roncerniul, nn, WV yyar,is tbo ,,,.ro+.,,.,.
holds tbat Noniv ,y1 o,,a o' ,rii'hA
should hn n,ni,,tnimed mn q" th W., f nioruPn
'H''''' w hi''''''t'IiiN'i WI 'iI' .NlittllllN