The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-20
THE COST OF CRUISING.
WHAT IT TAKES 10 FIT OUT a GOV
ERNMENT VESSEL

ders the Supplies - he Different
Kinds of Stores Required and Their
Cost-The Running Expenses.
From the Netg Yol. Star.
Those persons not connected with ship
ping interests cannot readily form any
thing like a correct idea of the immense
expense Involved in fitting out one of IN
Gle Sans vessels for cruise in foreign parts.
The work also requires attention to a mass
of detail rather appalling to a landsman,
but accepted as a matter of course by the
paymaster of the ship. whose errors of
Judgment may sometimes cause privation
and discomfort to the crew. 1t is not the
case. as might be supposed, that when fit
ting out the heads of various departments
officially notify the paymaster Of their
probable wants on the proposed cruise.
That officer may, and often does, consult
with them informally On the subject, but
the navy department supplies him with
requlsltion blanks, on which are listed all
the articles ordinarily used on board ship,
and he thereupon estimates the probable
needs OF the vessel and crew for three
months, makes the necessary acquisitions
upon the proper bureau OF the department,
and slows them aboard.
1t is interesting to follow the labors of a
paymaster OF 500 ton cruiser of the Ordi-
nary type in fitting out for sea. In the
first place, the government provides the
hull and engines. The standing rigging and
masts are actually in the hull at the time.
but they are invoiced TO the paymGster, and
here his labor begins. He is provided with
a set OF books, rather intricate in theory,
and clerk to help him keep them, together
with small iron safe. These are then
turned over to him by invoice, along with
all other articles invoiced to him indifferent
times. He next turns his attention to the
naval stores, Of which the first are the
bowsprit, masts, yards and sails. The bow
spirit costs him Theoretically $500, the fore
mast S775, foretopmast $780, and foretop
gallantmast $25. Then the mainmast
costs him 1926, the maintopmast
$50, the maintop gallantmast S25,
the mainyard $3.50, the maintopsaiI yard
500, maintop gallantsail yard S65, MAIN
royal yard S45, main gait $50, mainsail
1915, main topsail 1888, maintop gallant
sail 800, main royal $65 and main trysail
$125, making in all 81, $50 for the mainmast
and its furniture alone, exclusive of run
ming rigging and the extra set of sails that
ship must carry for emergencies. In adj
dItion, all the other masts, spars and sails
cables, anchors, blocks, ladders buovs
gratings, awnings, boats and their equip
ments, furniture glassware for command
ing officer (other officers providing their
own, and numerous small articles to the
value OF nearly $21 900. These things being
brought aboard and properly slowed. the
paymaster next turns his attention TO the
engine room stores, consisting Of cocks,
gauges valves, mac inc tools nose
Oils Tor lubrlcatlng machinery and illu-
minatlon OF engine room packing miscel-
laneous tools and a hundred or more smaller
articles, aggregating in value about 80, 600.
Since the fur aces must be properly fel,
ne lays IN a stock of coal, for a snip of the
size mentioned, about $50 tons, enough to
las for about twenty-five days co slant
steaming. The cost of coal varies so that
what may cost here So ton may cost in a
foreign port $50 ton, but the average cost
Tor the vessel is estimated to he about So 60
per n. Ii should be mentioned here that
one of the old cruisers, the Kearsarge. in
her active cruising of the last five months,
mas sailed l5,OOO miles. consuming coal to
the value of ST, $3.50. The new cruisers, how
ever, consume much greater quantities of
coal per day, owing to their greater speed
ana horse power.
Inc ordnance stores next require atten-
t1on. The battery may be already on board
the ship, but 1t is now involced to the pay-
master, each gun and each carriage repre-
senting separate values On the old third
rate cruisers the two S-inch pivot rifles are
lnvoiced at $10,500 each, and the whole bat
terry at about $50, 900. The batteries of the
new cruisers are much more elaborate and
expensive. For them the paymaster issues
requisition for about six tons of powder.
$4,000 cartridges for small arms. eighty
rifles and 500 shells, shrapnel and saot: the
whole worth $4,000 When the boat stores
are included, all the ordnance stores are
worth in the neighborhood of $4,000
Navigators' stores are next required
These co sist of lamps and fixtures, worth
about $500; Illuminating oils, worth about
500; flags, signals and pyrotechnic supplies
Tor signaling purposes. These are very ex-
pensive and are generally worth about ST.
800, the outfit of flags alone costing nearly
$1,000. making an average of 1900 ex-
pended for stores issued TO the navigator of
the ship. In addition to these are the navi
gators instruments, which are not in
charge of the paymaster, but of the navi-
eating officer himself, consisting of barome-
tiers, glasses, technical books, compasses
thermometers, sextants. charts and the like
which are very expensive, each chronometer
costing from $500 to $500, the entire value of
the outfit being not far from $4,000. 1t is
the policy of the navy department to be-
come as independent as possible of the
charts supplied by other governments. and
TO this end the photographic office is get
ting out its own charts Of the world. which
are more expensive than foreign charts.
and which are thoroughly trustworth v
The captains of the merchant marine are
furnished with monthly coast charts in re-
turn for abstracts of their logs, and navigat.
ting officers in the naval service are re-
quired to make numerous daily and accurate
observations of their latitude and Longitude
with temperature of the water direction az
the wind, state of weather and other
meteorological incidents These details are
all sent to the navy department and are
massed by the photographic office for the
preparation of various charts. The result
of this has been that the United States is
far in advance of other nations in the
matter Of charts and records of meteorolog-
ical observations. On any sort of cruiss
the vessel requires charts which embrace
the minutest details of the entire shore line
of two or more stations which she NAV be
ordered to visit, and these are worth aboui
$1,000.
On all the vessels of the navy there is o
small, miscellaneous libra of from son
volumes upward, ranging in value from
$1,000 to 81, 500.
Before beginning a cruise there is a va
f1ety OF smaller naval stores TO be laid in
such as canvas. rope, leather, tar. life pre-
servers, nandcuffs, ETC., to the value of 50
500: and carpenters stores, worth about
$1,000, consisting of tools lumber and gen
eral hardware, for use in case of injury IL
action, or from accident. This materia
for temporary repairs must be on hand md