Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-07


~ A. ENN the navy as II will
VIZ exist on the In
dsy of March, 1889, in comparison with
the same IS 1t existed on the All day Of
March, 1885, and furnishing 4 list Of
armored vessels heretofore Guthor.z ID by
congress, the secretary says:
$50 far as Srmored ships ere concerned,
the subj sct Is yet to be treated in broad
way by the department and by congress.
At the present time the conditions Efe
such that everything necessary to first
class fighting ship can be produced and
furnished to the department in this com
try as soon IS in course OF construction or
EnY element or feature is rec7ired; ont
this has never heretofore until the pres.
ent time been true, and therefore consid-
Grafton Of the subject has been necesss-
rily postponed by the department until
the present tine. The Efforts CT the de-
psrtme1t in ship construction have neces-
sSriIy sincel Mlrch, 1855, been devoted to
unsrmed vessels, and IS TO thess the de-
psitmeut is able to report ths. when the
slips
IN C3URsK OF CONSTRUCTION
and those autboriz I'd shall hsve been
completed The L lited States will rank
second among the nations in possession
OF unkrmed cruisers or commerce des
stroYers, having the highest chsrscterist
les, viz: Of 8 e'z3 5000 tons and upward,
and possessing speed Cf nineteen knots
and upwards. The importance which
has been placed upon this brAIca OF naval
armament will be appreciated from the
statement that England and France pos
Aess six y five vessels OF this class known
as unarmed cruisers. The attention OF
the world WAS attached to the destructive
eject which was produced on the com.
merce Of the Uaited States by cruisers
lifted out under the auspices OF the Con-
federecy in the war Of the rebellion. The
total tonnsge OF registered vessels Of the
UGiled States had risen yesr BY year ua-
I'll In 1861 IL amounted to 2.G42 628 tons,
and between 1861 and 1865 1t WAS reduced
to 1872 926 tons, or, in other words, TO
the point which we had reached in ls49,
from which decline
WE HAVE NEVER RECOVERED.
The insurance risks upon America
vessels during the war were in exc9p-
tional cases as high IS 25 per cent. Sir
Charles Wilson, director general of the
ordinance survey of Crest Britain, re-
Gently stated that ST th:re is one point
truer than another in the history OF com,
merce It is this, that when 8 state can
not Il ;ctually protect its carrying trade
N time Of war that trade passes from
II and does not return;' end Lord
Charles Beresford, latelYs member OF the
board OF admiralty, in the same connec-
ticn stated ITO day one half the people in
England would absolutely have no bresd
to est but for that which clmss in ever
the seas. 1t Ia matter OF life and death
for you to protect commerce, and You
have not ships to do It with. We cannot
protect our coast but we can
RETURN BLOW FOR BLOW,
for We shall soon be IN q condition to
launch large and fast cruisers against the
commerce Of an enemy, and able to il f Ct
most serious and lasting IL i1ry thereon"
With regard to the production Of power
by machinery the report says:
"ExamiGhtion OF the state of the ar. in
1885 led 10 the CONCLUSION that the ma
chinery OF naval vessels ought
to be SO designed as to
produce ten-horse power for
esc1 ton Of machinery, AID it wss deter
mined 20 make that standard and enter
into no new contracts that were not
ba!ed substantially thereon. The PLAYS
CT the machinery we're Purchased abroad,
which upon trial had the appropriated
result. Builders were authorized TO bid
upon the plans submitted to competition,
or were permitted TO submit their own
plans, but were obliged to guarantee the
results determined upon By the depart
ment under severe penalties for failure,
with compromising premiums in case OF
attaining better results. II results that
81 contracts for the construction CT ships
which hsve been entered into since
Msrch, 1885, csll for q produc
ton Of power. The machinery is
equal TO the higher standards
The efforts Of tie department
in this mstter have been cordially Sec
onded by the bureau chiefs, and II is
believed that At the present time the de-
pIrtment has reached 8 point where en-
tire reliance can be placed upon it for the
production OF war vessels equal in char
acter to those OF shy other county,"
SIT is gratifying 20 be able 10 report"
says the secretary, "thas it Mill be seen
from the following table notwithstanding
large expenditures for
THE NEW NAVY
in the last three years, the reduction in
other directions has made the total ex-
penditures OF the department less for this
ySSA shAA Ava eAS kAASS JoAAo cHuluS up6
so, 1884, the ordinary expenses of the
department having been reduced over 20
per cent. Che yesr 1Ss4-S5 was omit
ted from the table or not having been
wholly In either administration } |
The total expenditures OF the de-
psrtment for the three years ending
June so, 1854, are compared with the
three years ending June 80, 1888, the
items being taken from the reports OF the
fourth auditor Of the treasury and dis
tributed under various objects Of expend-
itures. For the yesrs ending June 80,
1882, 1883 and 1854, there were S27,
1888 81, and for the years ending June
80, 1886, 1887 and 1888, SAG, $50, ESQ"
Uader the head Of "Coast Hsrbor Des
tense Vessels" the secretary states:
"ThSt in the last annual report Of the de-
partment considerations were given leadr
ing to the conclusion thft 1t would be
unUise for the department to follow the
course OF European powers in building
UNPROTECTED TORPEDO BOATS
and In the present uncertainty regarding
the prscticsbility Of sub. marine boats
and while waiting practical trials Of
dynamite gun boate, II las heeR deemed
wise for the department to buiIdione OF
light draupht heavily srmnred The