The Delta independent., 1888-11-13
DEFECTS OF NAVY YARDS.
The Brooklyn EstabIihment the Bes,
OF All.

GStS OF NAVY YARDS.
The Brooklyn Establihment the Best
OF All.
The Navy Yards of the United
States when compared with those of
most foreign powers display poverty
OF modern appliances, lack of all
necessary facilities, want of system
in the prosecution and supervision of
work caused by political influence
and tumble down condition as re-
CARDS buildings. docks and wharves.
Our yards have not been devel :
oped with an intelligent regard for fu-
ture requirements. but everything has
been done with an eye to the prese mt,
Cheap and fimsy makeshifts have re-
suited from dribbling Operations, that
are always most expensive in the end.
since nothing permanent is secured by
such q penurious policy, A walk
through any of our yards and conver-
sation with the officer on duty reveals
this unfortunate condition of affairs.
Several Japanese officials who re-
Gently landed in San Francisco on their
way to inspect the magnificent dock
yards of Europe were interviewed by
an innocent and guileless reporter,
who. imbued with the idea that our
new Navy. of which SO much has been
said. is SO powerful, asked the for.
eigners if they were going to inspect
the navy Yards of the United States and
the ships now building with a view to
adopting our methods and types for
the Japanese Navy. 1t is said that this
question was received with 'shrieks of
laughter" and the discounted report
er, whose ideas were circumscribed by
the limits of his native town and the
daily papers. was told that "Zis coun-
tree nafee no good; Japan Will soon
have 100 fighting ships better than those
of the United States" 1t was unkind,
very unkind, in the Japs to receive
this question with 'shrieks of laugh
ter" But, poor men. how could they
help ttP They knew that our yards are
destitute OF nearly everything that
Yards should contain and that the
Charleston, the most powerful of our
new ships yet launched, was built upon
the plans of their crusier. the Naniwa
KAHN other words, VIC had been
adopting Japanese types for our Navy.
What then, could they learn in coun-
try whose most powerful ship was
counterpart of one of their f1eetp Cruel
though it was, we must forgive them
for laughing. since to have controlled
themselves under such circumstances
would have required that beautiful COM
mand of facial expression for which
the Egyptian Sphynx is alone remark
able.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard, though
the best equipped of all. is not free
from the stale Of dilapidation that per-
vades each one. The first proof of
careless neglect is the large area of
several acres beyond the Marine Bar
racks on Flushing avenue, covered
with scraps of iron, old boilers. rubbish
of all kinds and overgrown with weeds
permitted to exist is disgrace to the
country that allows it If the govern.
ment is too penurious to put this field
in decent condition it should be given
to the City of Brooklyn for park or
sold to private individuals. who could
make some use of it. There is great
need of a good drill ground at the
Navy Yard. Ships come in and lie for
months at the dock and the receiving
ship Vermont with hundreds of men
on board at times, has no fit place to
exercise the men. In foreign nayies
this instruction and drill on shore
when sailors are in port is thought to
be OF great Importance in its effects
upon the tars. who must be far more
mil 'tnry then in former days. This
area should be cleared of rubbish,
graded and improved for this import
ant part of naval education and in
struction. With the organization of
Naval Reserve new barracks will be
necessary at the Brooklyn Yard and
there will be still greater demand for
suitable drill ground. Such state
Of affairs would not be allowed to exist
in any other country. since none is so
slow to utilize means for the improve
ment OF its naval establishment
When ship building facilities are
considered. the comparative helpless
ness of our condition may be fully
renlized. In five of England's splen-
did dock wards. Chatham. Portsmouth.
Sheerness. Pembroke and Devonport,
there are thirty-five new ships in pro-
cess of construct on, all OF which will
bc finished in short time owing to
their wonderful facilities and their
skilled. we'll disciplined labor. Every
thing has been built up with view to
permanency and durability and no
monev has been wasted on temporary
expedients. In painful contrast, 1t is
asserted that the Maine, the one ship
now building at the Brooklyn Yard,
will be six or eight years on the stocks
before she will be completed for her
first cruise. The plant, tools, machln-
cry and most of the material used in
construction have all to be supplied
and the workmen must be educated,
since there are few of them skilled in
modern iron clad construction. The
officers in charge OF the work will
push 1t as fast as possible, but the task
before them is n stupendous one and
with tho facilities at hand and the in
experienced labor the delays will be
long and frequent There could be no
better proof of the necessity for build
Ing the Maine at the Brooklyn Yard,
Tor in no other way could the plant or
she experience be obtained. We must
build few ships in the navy yards to
develope their resources. Brooklyn
Eagte.
Little Surprises.
A colored preacher went into Black
Johns restaurant John being a strict