Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-11-25
PREPARING FOR CONGRESS.

PREPARING FOR CONGRESS.
Ss.racts From the reports OF the Heads Of
the Post-Oaice and Navy Departments.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 22.-In his annttal
report concerning his department, Postmas-
ter General Villas gives the figures pre-
pared by the ocean mail superintendent
showing how far this country is ahead of
all others in the extent and perfection Of
the American system. Turning next to the
postmaeters, Mr.. Villas declares that at the
close of the last fiscal year there were
53,G14 postofices III America. The number
OF Presidential Offices with which the cpr-
rent year began was 2,244, 4 gail of IL; of
these, Is of the first class, 400 of the second
class and 1869 of the third class. In the
fourth class, comprising on July 1, 81, $40
Offices, there was gain of 2,35l, the new
establishments having been 3,4s2, those
discontinued 1870. and ii be.
came Presidential The increase
in the number OF establishments
over the previous year was 1861. The
number discontinued during the past year
also Increased by ga over the preceding.
me Western States gained sol, and the
Southern States and Indian Territory, l,444.
The money order Offices numbered 1865.
The appointments OF postmasters during
, the lrcs fiscal year numbered altogether
~2,747, of which 9,112 were made to fill!
vacancies occasioned by designations or ex-
pired commissions; 5s7 to vacancies caused
by death; s,iS2 OIL the establishment of
new Offices and D,568 upon removals OF
the total number OF appointments, 1,O39
were made by tho President, the vacancies
having occurred from the following causes,
| respectively: by expiration of commission,
46S; by designations, 253; by death, 24t BY
removals or suspensions, a47, and to offices
which had been assigned ffom the fourth TO
the third class, a.
TIE NAVY,
WASHINGTON, Nov. 22ZThe Chief of
the Bureau OF Construction and Repair in
his annuai report, states that the steel
cruisers Atlanta and Boston are In the navy
yard at Brooklyn, N. y. They have both
been locked and their bottoms cleaned and
painted, and independent IF the work
which had tc be done by The Government
to tit them for sea, alterations and add.
lions have been made and are being made
to them as called for from time to time by
the Advisory Board. The Chicago Is still
at Chester and the work on her is now
being pushed rapidly towards completion.
Inc Chief Constructor says the apprnpia-
ton of S95, S8l, made hnt!cr the act of
July &c, 1885, will not be sufficient to
complete the work on these vessels, and in
order That no delay in Its prosecution may
30 occasioned by lack Of funds, he has
asked for an additional appropriation of
$50, coo, whiclb Il is expected, will complete
the vessels, provided no further alterations
Ut extra work involving any considerable
expenditure OF money and time are recon-.
mended by the board. The Lackawanna,
now Mt the Mare Island navy yard, Cali
forn!a, while not yet condemned, can not
be repaired for active service, and it is sug-
gested that she be converted into a receiv-
ing ship to replace the old line of battle
ship Independent, which is now unfit for
further use as receiving ship. The Ten.
neSsec, the only one Of the first wooden
vessels in active service, can be kept
IN service but a few months
longer. She is undoubtedly in very bad
condition. Her main maStheads arc so
badly decaycd as to preclude their being re-
ca!ked, and her lower mastheads nre so
badly decayed that it Is not considered pr,l.
dent to carry press of sail upon them.
The Shenandoah also has been surveyed
and found to be beyond repair. The mum.
Der of servIccabe vessels in the navy has
thus been reduced to two first-rate, ten sec.
Ond.rate. twenty third-rate and seven fourth.
rate vessels. The latter class including
two torpepo rams. The Franklin, Wabash,
Minnesota and New York, all first-rate YES.
seis, arc set down as requiring extensive re-
pair, and thirteen ironclads require
more or less repairs. In addition tn
these vessels, the naval list comprises
thirteen tugs and twelve wooden
sailing vessels, used for receiving and train
ing ships. The new vessels completed,
building or authorized to be built are
summed up rs follows: One, the Dolphin,
complete; two, the Boston and Atlanta,
armament incomplete; five, the Chicago and
the monitors, Incomplete; five, the Balti
mOre Charleston and Newark and the two
gun boats under advertisement and four, an
armored cruiser, battle ship, pneumatic
dynamite boat and a torpedo boat not yet
designed. 10 the above list of iron and
steel vessels can be added, the Alert and
the Ranger, four guns each; the Monaccy
paddlewheel gunbOat, six guns; Michigan,
paddlawheel gunbOat, four guns; Alarm,
one gun; Intrepid, yet to be completed, gun
boat, two thirteen-inch guns. The re-
mainder of the iron built vessels now in tile |
service consists of thirteen river and harbOr |
monitors with single screws, rated rs fourth |
class. They could not be got ready for SER |
vice without All expenditure of 100000 |
under this bureau alone. OF the second |
rates, the Trenton, Omaha and Vandalia !
can probably be continued in service ten
years longer, the Lancaster and Brooklyn
six years; the Hartford, Richmond and |
Pensacola, five years. The third rates
The Mohlcan can be continued in the SER
vice for ten years; the Adams. Alliance,
Essex, Enterprise, Tallapoosa, Yantic and
Nipsic for six years; the Juniata, Ossippe,
QuinnebaOg, Swatara, Galena, Marion,
kearsage and IroquOis, five years longer.
Female school Commissioners.