The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-10-27
A DRY DOCK NAVY.
All tho New ship. and Many Old onc, on
the "SiCk" List.

fTnW the NCW York Times
A glance at the navy-list Of vessels ia
commission to-day docs not tend to i'm.
press one favorably with the formidable
character Of nur available fleet. The first.
rate vessels now Ia active service are the
Chicago, Baltimore and Philadelphia,
The Newark and san Francisco belong 10
this list, but they have not been put in
commission. The Chicago is at present
the object Of board of survey, and she
will proceed To the Brooklyn yard for re-
pairs within the next week. The nature
aud extent Of these repairs will not be
known until the board has completed is
inspection, hut il is certain that the ship
will be oyerhauled aud probably dry
docked.
The Baltimore, next ON the list, has
surprised its ardent admirers by suddenly
going into dry dock at Kiel, on the Baltic,
after having been In commission but a
fow months, aud having seen In that time
no great amount Of sea service. Not hay-
ing been in tropical waters where marine
growtls would tend a. attach 10 her bot
tom, Il is difficult 10 understand why she
should So soon be laid up for repairs. The
Philadelphia, belonging TO this same
class, has not bcon in commission long
enough 10 90 into dry dock or anywhere
else. She has only recently been ac.
cepted by the government. and her only
cruise was from the Cramps yards at
Philadelphia 10 the navy yard al this city
In that time, however, she coutrived 20
disable her machinery on three occasions,
The second.rate ships on the navy lists
! n ae.lf fhn Main afI Iawaa la. IL.nl.as.f.
Lancaster, Pensacola, Atlanta, Boston,
Hartford, Richmond and Omaha. The
first two named are not completed, and
as they are ariuored battle ships, they have
nothing 10 do with class. any way. Tho
Charleston falls directly into line with
the other sick.listed ships. Seven knots
an hour aud % tons Of coal day is a
pretty poor showing Tor cruiser less
Than year old, and her apoligists, who
| contend that tho trouble is due 20 the
effects of tropical waters, fnd IL difficult
10 reconcile this explanation with the con-
/ ditlons OF other older and less important
ships than have been in those waters
twice as long as the Charleston aud show
none Of her disabilities,
Tho Lancaster, also OF this class, is an
old wooden ship entered m the navy reg.
lister as "undcr repairs at Portsmouth, y
/
come out Of the dry dock aud Is on her
way 10 South America. Three months
aud a good many thousand dollars wer,
consumed In putting her In "a seaworthy
condition.
Next comes the Atlanta, another Of the
new ships. She will proceed to the dry
dock ai Norfolk. Va, in few days, ther,
To- undergo repairs 20 her machinery and
hull, costing in oil s0O,OD0. ID will prob
ably be several months before the At
lanta Is ia fighting trim. The Boston
also one ~ the second rate vessels, has
been under repairs at the Brooklyn
navy yard ever since her return froW
Europe and South America. II is din
cult to tell Just how much the Boston,
repairs will cost, for every day deyelope,
some new defect in her hull or machinery
| These defects, though small. pcrlap,
IN themselves and triiling at first, have in
creased no rapidly that the ship Is nov
threatened with hospital life until afler
Christmas at least Her machinery il
scattered all over hcr own decks aud III,
deck II the Monitor adjoining IL. Dis
| tiuctly, the Boston Is not in lighting trim
The other ships of this class are tn,
| Hartford, Richmond aud Omaha. tn,
first II these is "in ordinary" that is
shelycdl at Mare island, the second /,
Just out Of dock from the Norfolk yard
and the old Omaha, though woOleT
ship, with a smooth-borc armament, {,
fecbly upholding the dignity of th,
Chinese squadron.
The thir,l.rate ships Of the navy pre-
sent similarly few inducements 20 euthu
/ giastic admiration. THIS class Is mnde al
largely Of the old single and double tur
rutpd monitors, none of which could b,
sent ~ sea ln short notice, as was demon
strated recently In the case ~ the Fries
sou ceremonies. The navy list wherein
these ships are mentioned is singularll
barren Of any mention OF lighting ell
cheney. Concerning the Puritan, ia,
navy list says, being compleicd;' oppo
site the Amphitrite il says, "ortlcrod com
pletod;" Of thu MiantGnomoh, "nearl,
complctcd;n OF the Monadnock, "work {,
complete commcnced;n - and OF the Ter
ror, "being completed" This completes
the list of doublc-turrcted monitors.
OF the single-turrotcd monitors, whicl
also belong TO this class, there are III,
Ajax. Canonicus, Mahupac, Lchigh, Man
haitian. Catskill, Wyandotte, Comanchg
Jason, Nantucket, Plssaic and 50 oI
through an endless number Of smalle
crafts. The first eight of these are III
ordinary lshrlyedl near Richmond, Va
The others are scattered all over Ia
American coast and have no place in cur
rent affairs,
Taken altogether, therefore, the Phiia
dslphia is the only ship of the first.Fat
that j. not a candidate for repairs, Will
OF the sccund.class the Pensacola, Rich
mond mud Omaha, representatives OF th
old regime, are the only ships entitled {
similar distinction,
ssotland's solicitor.