Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-10-07
the BUILDING OF the NAVY.
Forty First Glass WAR Vessels WIN lie
Ready for Bnslness in 1909.


WASHINGTON, Oct. 7.-Secretary Tracy
Is ambitious to have every war vessel now
in course of construction completed be.
fore he goes out of Office at the end OF
Mr.. lIarrison's administration. He has
been carrying on very vigorous CORE
srondence with the several contractors
who are furnishing material and supplies.
Much Of the delay In building naval YES
sells has heretofore been caused by the in.
ability of the manufacturers to get out
material promptly. This has been con
spicuously the case with the steel makers,
as instanced in the alteration of the plans
OF the Maine because the armor was not
forthcoming on time The secretary is
stirring these people up aud doing all he
can to expedite this part OF the work.
The next ships to be launched will be the
armored coast defense vessel Monterey At
the Union Iron works, San Francisco, and
the armored cruiser Maine at the Brooklyn
navy yard. Il is expected that both these
ships will take the water in November,
but it will be long time before either OF
them is completed, as the armor for neither
is yet commenced. The Texas, at Norfolk,
seems to be almost abandoned The two
1000 ton cruisers being built at Baltimore
will be the next launched, and II Is hoped
they viii be followed next summer by the
two 5000 ton vessels now on the ways al
Brooklyn and Norfolk. Next year alsC
should show the launching Of the 1900
tonner building at Boston by Harrison
Loring, the naval academy practice vessel
from the yard of Moore & Sons at Eliza
beth, y. j., and the two 900 ton gunboats
from the Bath Iron works in Maine. Last
Of all, probably as late as the fall Of 1892
will come the big armored cruiser to be
constructed by the Cramps, and her sister
ship in the hands of the SCOTS.
Work on these two ships will have to be
pushed to the extreme If they are to be
added to the navy during the Tracy regime
Three vessels already launched are await.
ing trial. They are the Newark. at
Cramps, and the Concord and Benning-
ton at Chester. No date has been fixed
for the trial Of the Newark. The Concord
will probably be tried in a few weeks. She
has made a number Of preliminary runs
and is to have the pitch of her screw slight
ly changed before the official test The Ben
nington will not be tested for at least Z
month yet 1t seems probable, therefore
that the new steel navy will next year con
sist of twenty-seyen vessels, of which thres
will be armored-the Maine, Monterey anC
Miantonomoh-and twenty-four unarnor
ed, including the Chicago, Boston, Al
lanta. Dolphin, Newark, Charleston, Bal
timore. Philadelphia, San Francisco
Yorktown, Concord, Bennington. Vesuyi
MS, Petrol, Stilletto, two 5000 tonners
three OF 1900, two Of 1000 tons and tn,
practice ship. In 1898 it is likely tina
there Will be forty first clsss ships, and ii
1885 there will not be a single wooden shil
commissioned by this government. Thii
great increase has been virtually mad
entirely since 1855, although the Chicago
Boston Atlanta and Dolphin were com
missioned before Mr. Whitney became sec
retary Of the navy.