Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-11-22
THE NAVY.
Annual Report of Naval Constructor
Wilson.

w AsHlNGTON. NOV. Il.
The annual report of Naval Constructor
I. ID. Wilson, chief of the bureau of con-
struetion and repairs, says that the steel cruis-
ers atlanta and Boston, both at Brooklyn
navy yard, have been docked and their bot
toms cleaned and painted. alterations and ad-
ditons being made TO them. The Chicago is
still at Chester and work on her is beng
pushed rapidly. The appropriation of S95,-
SOL, made under act of July 26, 1886, will
not be sufficient 10 complete the work on
these vessels and al additional appropriation
of ,0c0 has been asked for.
The Lackawsnna now at Mare Island navy
yard, Cal, while vet not condemned cannot
be repaired for active service and it is pro-
posed that she be converted into receiving
ship to replace the old line of battle ship In
| dependence, which is unfit for further use as
a receiving ship. The Tenness is the only
| first class wooden vessel in active service, is
in very bad condition and cannot be kept in
service much longer. The Shenandoah also
has been surveyed and found to be beyond
repair. The number of serviceable vessels
IN the navy has thus been reduced to two
first rate, 10 second rate, 20 third rate and
seven fourth rate vessels, the latter class in
Guiding two torpedo rams, the Franklin,
Washington, Minnesota and New York.
! All first rate vessels are set down as requir-
ing extensive repairs, and thirteen ironclads
require more or less repairs. In addition to
these vessels the naval list comprises thirteen
tugs and twelve wooden sailing vessels used
for receiving and training ships. The new
vessels completed, building, or authorized to
be built are summed up follows:
The Dolphin, complete; two, Boston and
Atlanta, armament incomplete; five, Chicago
and monitors, incomplete; FIVE, Baltimore,
Charleston and Newark, aud two gunboats.
under Advertisement; and four srmored
cruisers; battle ship Pneumatic, dynamite
boat and torpedo boat, not yet ready. To
the above list of iron and steel vessels can be
added the Alert and Ranger, tour guns each
Monacsey, paddle wheel gunboat, six guns
Alarm, on gun: Intrepid, yet to be compet-
ed, gunboat, two 13-inch guns. The re
mainder of the iron built vessels now in ser
vice consists of thirteen river and harbOr
monitors, with single screw, rated as fourth
rates, FIVE of which have a displacement of
2l00 tons each, and eight of them 1875 tons
each. They are built without double bot
toms and with lamenated armor on the sides,
turrets, smoke stacks and ventilatOrs, and
are armed with old fashioned guns They
could not be got ready for service without an
expenditure of 5000 900 under this bureau
alone. The Sangus, another of this class of
vessels, now laid up at Washington Navy
Yard. has been condemned as unfit for fur
| ther service.
Besides these there are nine iron built tug
boats, two of which, the Palso and Pinta, are
classed in the register as 4th rates, the for.
mer carrying howitzers and the latter two
! howitzers. As batteries of second rates the
Trenton. Omaha and Vandaiia can probably
| be continued in the service ten years longer,
! Lancaster and Brooklyn six years, Hartford,
| Richmond and Pensacola five years. OF Sd
rates the MOhican can be continued in SER
vice ten years, Adams, Alliance, Essex En-
terprise, Tallapoosa, Yantie and Nipsie SIX
years, Juniata, Ossipee, Quinnebang, Swata
ra, Galena, Marion, Kearsarge and Iroqui.
five years longer.
| The chief constructor recommends that il
the event of only one of the large vessel,
provided for at the last session of Congress
being built at the navy yard, it should b,
built at the Brooklyn yard, as that yard il
now in condition to commence on any sucl
vessel and carry on the work with some rap
iditv
Appropriations for repairs of vessels at tn,
navy yards, the purchase of stores, etc, wer
found to be too small and an additional ap
preparation of $4,000 is said to be absolute
ly necessary to carry on the work without in
terruption for the remainder of the hsca
year.