The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-12-06
OUR WATER DEFENSES.
Annual Report Of Secretary whitney
Showing the Cond tion OF Uncle Sans
Nnyv

1 Annual Report Of Secretary whitney
| Showing the Cond tion OF Uncle Sans
| Navy.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 1.-Secretary Waitney
| In his annual report, after presenting u brlet
| review OF The condition Of the navy rs IL will
| exist on the 4.h OF March in comparison with
| the same on the 18th OF March OF 1875, says
| that so far armored ships are concerned, the
| subject is yet to be treated in q broad way
/ by The department in Congress As result OF
/ the policy adopted and carried out during the
| past three years the conditions at the presena
/ time. the Secretary says are such that every
/ thing necessary to first-class lighting ship
1 can be produced and furnished TO the depart.
| ment In this country as soon as in the course
| Of construction any element or feature Is r.,
/ quircd: but this has never heretofore until
! the present time been true, and therefore
| the consideration OF the subject has
been necessarily postponed by the
| department until the present tine. The ef-
| forts OF the department IN ship construct on
! have necessarily, since March, 1885, been de-
1 voted TO uuarmored vessels. ard as to these
| the department Is able TO report that when the
| ships in course OF construction and those au'
| thor zed shall have been completed, the
United States VIII rank second among the M.
tions in the possession OF unarmored cruisers
or commerce destroyers having the highest
| characteristics OF size 5000 tons and upward,
and possessing speed OF nineteen knots and up
ward. The importance, the Secretary says,
which has been placed upon this branch OF
I naval a mament will be appreciated from the
statement that England and France possesses
sixiy-fve vessels Of the class known as un-
armorcd cruisers. The attention OF the
world was attracted to the destructive effect
which was produced upon the commerce OF the
United States by the cruisers fitted out under
| the auspices OF the Confcderacy In the
war OF the rebellion The total tonnage OF the
i arIS nrnI al nj ftn init n1 had
risen year by year. until. in 1861. it amounted
to 2.6i2, 6.s tons: AMI betweea 1861 AM 1865 it
| was reduced TO 1.49a.a.6 tons. or, in other
words, TO the point which we had reached in
/ 1sf9, from which decline we have never recov
] cred. The insurance war risk upon American
I vessels during the war rose in exceptional
! cas- es TO as high as 25 per cent.
| The Secretary quotes English authority for
| the asserto on that If there is oae point clear
er than another in the history OF commerce IL is
| this, that when n State can not enectually
/ protect its carry ng trade in time OF war that
/ trade passes from it and does not RETURN" and
| saws:
We can not at present protect our coast, but
| we return blow for blow. for we shall soon
/ be in condition to launch fleet OF large and
fast cruisers against the commerce OF an
enemy, able to infict the most serious and
lasting injury thereon.
/ Discussing tne production OF power by ma.
| chinery. Secretary Whitney says that an ex-
animation OF the condt on OF the depart
| ment in 1855 in this respect led TO the conclu.
| sion that the machinery OF naval vessels ought
to be so designed as TO produce ten horse
| power for each ION Of machinery. and il was de-
| termined to make that the standard, and TO
| enter into contracts that we're based
substantially thereon. Plans Of ma
| chnery were purchased abroad, which upon
trial had Appropriated that result. B dders
| wer ant cd In II
submitted to competition were permitted to
| submit the r own plans, but were obliged TO
| guarantee the results determined upon by the
| department under severe penalties for failure
and compensatng premiums in case OF attain.
| ing better results. All the contracts for the
construction Of ships which have been
entered into since March. 1885, call for the
| production Of power by machinery equal to the
highest standards. The efforts OF the depart
ment in this matter have been cordially Sec
onded by the bureau chiefs: and 1t is believed
that. AT the present time. the department has
reached the point where entire reliance can be
placed upon II for the production OF war yes-
sells equal in character to those of any other
country.
Referring to the reduction OF expenses dur
| ing the past three years, il is claimed that the
| savings of the department are paying for the
1 new navy, and on this topic the Secretary
! SAYS: 1T is gratifying to be able to report
| that, notwithstanding the large expenditures
| for the new navy in the last three
| years, the reductions in other directions
has made the total expenditures less for the
! three years than for the three years
ending June 30. 1884, the ordinary expenses
/ Of the department having been reduced over
y per cent table is included in the repor,
| which shows that the expenditures for the
/ years ending June 81, 1881, 1888 and 1884 were
| 1879, 3a.. and for the years ending June 80
1886, lss, and 1888 '46sso,63o. The fiscal year
ending June 30 1885,, is omitted from the table
as not having been wholly in either admins
tration.
Discussing coast and harbor defenses Secre
tary Whitney says: In the last annual report
| Of the department the considerations were
| given leading to the conclusion that 1t would
| be UNIV Sc for the department to follow the
course OF the European powers in building I'M
/ protected torpedo boats and in the present un
| certainty regarding the practicablity OF sub
marine boats, and while waiting the practical
trial Of the dynamite gun-boat, IL has been
deemed wise for the department to build one
i light-draught. heavily. armored. harbor, defense
floating battery or ram, for which designs have
| been prepared.
Considerable space is devoted to a discus
| sion Of the business methods OF the depart
ment. and to the efforts being made TO sim
/ plify systematic and improve them UpoI
| this subject the Secretary says: During the
| years OF 1884 and 1885 over 50 per cent. IL
value OF the supplies of the department
were obtained by open purchases with
out competition. During the last year
| the proportion OF such purchases was less
| than Il per cent and in the course OF the mex,
fiscal year it is believed that the open pur-
chases can be reduced to about FER cent.
| The naval brokers' have for the most part dis
appeared, and regular responsible dealers are
| becoming more and more contractors for these
supplies. For a time II seemed impossible 10
| disfa cd hon nd la,
dealers, notably for the supply Of
coal. 1t was quite evident they
had some advantage which did not
appear Careful investigation showed the
quality OF the coal delivered to be con
tracted for. The receiver OF the coal was
changed at the Brooklyn navy yard and the
weights taken by another civil employee and
nothing suspicious was developed Finally
naval officer was detailed. without previou.
notice, to weigh personally barge load. aas
it was found sixteen tons short. tn,
gentleman disappeared as bidder for the de
pariment at that time. There was no evidence
of fraud on his part, but inference can readily
be drawn. The system OF property account.
for the navy, referred to in the last annual re
port, has been In successful operation sincs
July !. The experience OF the first quarte
shows that it is simple and that there is no DIFF
fcuity in keeping pace with current work a
the largest stations.
the disbursement on foreign stations, an
calling the attention OF pay officers to the sub
lects OF their drafts by which greatly improves
rates have been procured, the department i
able to report that on the items of commission
interest and exchange, whereas q net loss o
slo3, sas was made in the two years and tel
months ending April q, 1885, for the thre,
years ending June ID, 1883, u net gain OF so
| was made.
Abiding TO naval progress At home an,
abroad during the past year the Secretar.
says the necessity for increased numbers o
fast protected cru sers, whether for purpose
OF protecting or destroying com merce or 70
service with a fleet as scouts has been en-
phasiZed during the naval maneuyers OF tn
year and is fully recogn zed by all naval pow
, ers. But with the increase OF the number G
cruisers it has been recognized, in view OF thu
recent introduction OF high-explosiSe pre-
lectiles and the increase OF power and rapid
! lty OF fire Of rapid-fre and other guns, tina
renewed attention must be given TO the ar
mour fleet and the prevailing opinion in Ell
gland, France, Italy. Germany and Russia
, strongly in favor OF additional armored ship