The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-11-30
me Defense.

WsRB1ysroS, November 29.-Admiral
Porter las submitted 10 the Secretary
of the Navy a report embodying sugse
hoas for promoting the efficiency Of the
navy. de says that in rehabitating
the navy. there Is no subject worthy Of
more consideration than that Of home
defense. He considers /, OF vastly more
| lferes ( at the pre- ent moment thau y e
C l,structiSnCfthe cruisers ana lrOnci
now laid up at City Point. We require
f.r the navy, the Admiral said. the tOl
loving clas. es OF vessels, which wall at
least enable US 10 show that We nave d
system. even If orr ships do not eqnal
in speed those of foreign powers: II g
firsJclass should be represented by
vessels Of not less than sou nor more
than 500 tons and be able 70 make Tor a
few hours, q speed of nineteen aud one
half knots. The second class should he
vessels of not less than !, 100 no. more
than 5000 tons, able 10 make, for few
hours. a sOeed of nineteen Knots; vessels
OF the secOnd-class 70 serve as hagships
on foreign stations. The third class
should be vessels OF 5000 tons, able TO
make. for a few hours, a speed OF eight
cen knots. The Admiral remarks that
it IS proposed TO construct q thirteen
knot gunboat, carrying four guns.
Ibis vessel. he says, could not oEerta6e
any thing, and pOSerful Chinese gun
boat would be less tnan match ior
her. It is said that European powers
have built iron clads without regard 10
10 future uniformity, so that II would
be q difhcllt matter 10 make any for
nation lines of battle. The United
States is making mistakes OF the same
oh krrh TrNn a. m nFffETpuN
classes OF vessels at the outset without
knowing whether any Of them will
meet the requirements OF cruiser Of
the present day. No nation, he says, |
can dispense with forts, but il is better |
TO depend upon the navy TO protect our |
coasts instead of maintaining so small |
q force of iron clads as we have at |
present Every year We should con
struct three or four double turreIed |
monitors, no matter il We do not build |
any cruisers in the meantime.
Turning his attention to the subject |
OF torpedo boats, Admiral Porter says
that he has seen enough of tor !
psdoes to know that 20J or sol
pounds of gun cotton exploded
under a ship, no matter what b T
her hors de combat Yankee ingenuity, |
if stimulated by the prospect of suffic- |
lent reward, would no doubt soon give |
us a superior torpedo. He commends |
the Erickson torpedo and says what /
we require to fire such a torpedo |
is the fastest vessel in tue /
world = something that the tor
peGo destroyers can't overtake. The /
report treats of the reorganization of /
different branches of the navy, and /
of the Navy Department.
This reorganization, he insists, must /
take place sooner or later, and whoever J
achieves so great a victory will deserve
the thanks of the country. The Admiral |
takes strong ground in favor Of govern
ment encouraging private ship yards in
the country by giving them all the
work possible, to enable them to- i'm
prove plants, so that in time of war
they can aid government in building /
and repairing vessels. He also advo-
Gates government iron shipbuilding |
yards.
BIDS FOE THE NEW BOATS.
WASHINGTON, November 29.-The SEQ
rotary of the Navy to day accepted the 1
bids for the construction of
the new cruisers and gunboats: Cruiser
No. ., Charleston, Union Iron Works of /
San Francisco, at 81 OH SOC; cruiser
No. 3. Baltimore. Cramp & Sons, of Phil
adelphia, 81 $4,000; gunboat No. .. the
Columbia Iron Works & Dry Dock
Company, of Baltimore, S247 600. In
the case of gunboat No. / no decision
has vet been reached as between
the bid OF Reeder & Sons and
the bid of Cramp & Sons.
Although the Union Iron Works,
of San Francisco put in the lowest bid
on Cruiser No. 1, the NetCdrk, yet, as
the figures exceeded the maximum
amount fixed in the appropriation
bill, the Secretary was unable to accept /
their bid. He will probably refer the
matter to Congress, with q statement of
the facts. and recommend that the ap-
for the construction of |
Cruiser No. be increased, or that the
government be authorized to build the
vaSsaI AZ ona NJ the navy uarda