Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-09-14
Building a Navy.

Hon. Tom Fitch and General Harrison
agree in demanding that navy be built.
The silver-tongued orator of California
says he would elbow in" the surplus on
ships. The Secretary of the Navy in his
last report says
Among the vessels dropped from the
Navy Register and sold during the past
wear is the Tennessee. The history of
this vessel is quite interesting and most
illustrative. She had q short life, but,
as consumer of money, brilliant one.
Her hull was built and she was equipped
in the New York navy-yard. Her ma
chinery was designed and built under
contract by the eminent engineer Mr..
John Ericsson, costing 100000. Her
total original cost was 81, ,So5, ,075.Sl.
Upon her trial trip in January, 1867, she.
ran about one thousand miles. She at
tanned speed Of sixteen knots and made
run of fifteen knots per hour for four
hours. She encountered perilous
storm, described as hurricane, which
continued over twenty-four hours. The
ship suffered considerably. The report
of her commander says:
"The engines moved off finely and
worked perfectly during all the storm.
y Her machinery is as perfect as
need be. 1t has undergone the severest
test and has not once been found want
ing. She is the fastest ship have ever
SEEM"
The chief engineer says:
| If the strength and workmanship oi
the machinery can not be depended upon
then no reliance is to be placed upon the
performance of any steam machinery
with which l am acquainted.
Two years afterwards she underwent
what was called REPAIRS" and the sum
Of 1915, 799.61 was spent upon her; al
but $73, 900 of this was put on her hui
and equipment. 1t was the full price o.
new wooden hull of her size at thai
time. This was from 1869 to 1871. She
then made cruise of three months, and
went. into the hands OF Mr.. Johr
Roach to enable him to take
out the machinery and boilers
of John Ericsson and substi
tute others of superior character. 1,
was, among other things, expected to
give the ship 141a-knot speed iol
twenty -four hours. When she bad hel
trial of this new machinery in 1875 her
maximum speed was 1034 knots, and she
had put upon her an expense of $S01,
1880, in addition to the value of hel
machinery and boilers, taken in trade
by Mr.. Roach at $4,000. This ma
chinery had cost 500, 900, had not been
in actual service six months, had never
been surveyed and condemned by a
Board of Government officers, nor its
value fixed by any Government Board,
but it was sold to Mr.. Roach as old iron.
That is to say. between 1859 and 1875
the Tennessee had had three months
service, and had cost in repairs and i'm
provements $1,443, ,513.21. This was
largely in excess of a fair price for new
ship Of her characteristics.
Twelve years afterwards (on April 4
1887 she is condemned by the Statutory
Board as unseaworthy and not worth re
pairing and ordered sold, having put up
on her, between 1875 and 1887, the ad
ditional sum of $577,716.17. She brough
1924, ,525 at the auction sale. She had cos
the Government $3,SO0,0OO in roun'
: numbers and had done about ten year
of active sea service, outside OF repai
shops and navy-yards.
1t is often the subject of wonder wha
has become OF the $40 100000 spent up
on war vessels since the close of tn
war, in view of the fact that there is nov
no navy. This bit of history will serv
as an illustration.
That was all done under the Robson
, Chandler-Roach Republican era of nav,
building. In view of these facts, Gen
8 eral Harrison is not likely to be put il
charge of rebuilding our navy, with Hon
Tom Fitch as its Secretary, and "Blov
it in" as the party platform.