Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-01
THE NEW NAVY.
Secretary Tracy Issues His
Annual Report.
Ships That Sail Under Uncle
Sans Flag.
Their Number Too Sparse to Be of
Much Account.
Harbor Defense Ships Especially Needed.
A Naval Militia DESERVING of
Harbor Defense Ships Especially Needed.
A Naval Militia Deserving of
Encouragement.
Associated Press Dispatches.

ASSUCldteu ET0bS DlSDdLCIeS.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30.-In his annual
report Secretary of the Navy Tracy gives
much interesting information about the
new navy. Among the uncompleted
craft special mention is made Of the
armored cruiser New York, as the vessel
in which has been attained the unusual
combination OF great offensive and de-
fenslve power, with extraordinary coal
endurance and high speed. Her arma-
ment is unequaled by any ship of the
cruiser type in the world, and it gives
her chances not to be despised should
she be driven to encounter battle
chip. Three battle-ships now building,
one in San Francisco, are declared to be
vessels whose equal as fighting ships
does not exist today. There are others
of greater size, but none OF greater power
or efficiency. Much space is also de-
voted to the triple-screw protected
cruisers, which have formidable arma-
ment, enormous horsepower, speed
faster than any ocean greyhound now
in existence, and coal endurance
which, with ordinary cruising time,
gives her an endurance of 103 days, or
radius of action of 25,52O knots. Six
ships like her would exterminate the
commerce of any country under the
present conditions OF commerce protec-
tion.
Regarding armor, the Bethlehem
Iron company is still disappointing the
department in getting it's plant COM
pleted. The time now fixed for its COM
pletion is July, 1891, nearly two years
after the contract time. Another con-
tract has been made with Carnegie &
Co., binding the firm to begin the de-
livery OF armor IN June next, and deliver
500 tons per month thereafter. Ii both
firms come up to the expectation, it will
take two years from July, 1891, to COM
plete the armor for the ships now au-
thorized.
. The report deals at length with ex-
periments with compound nickel and
steel plate. Before entering upon its
extensive purchase, it was thoug int wise
to make further tests, and nickel
amounting in value to about $50 900 has
been purchased. No more will be pro-
cured until complete exhaustive expert
ments demonstrate the success of the
plate beyond doubt.
In discussing ordnance matters, the
secretary particularly calls attention to
the reduction in the cost of making guns
and gun carriages, which tine Washing
ton gun factory has accomplished. To
take single instance, the government
under the old contract paid $500 per
gun for the manufacture of S-inch rifles,
aside from the cost of the forgings. The
Washington gun factory in 1888 manu-
Co. tor L..
for $2772.
Armor-piercing projectiles hitherto re-
ceived from private firms in this coun-
try, having proved unsatisfactory, a con-
tract mas been made for a quantity OF
foreign process to be manufactured in
this country, while the department will
still endeavor to bring about arrange
ments to secure satisfactory American
projectiles.
The diversity of rapid-fring guns has
led the department to look with favor
upon the plan to limit the rapid-fring
pieces to six-pounder and one-pounder
caliber, and abandon the three-pounders
and AZ and 81 millimeters as eoon as
practicable.
The Hotchkiss company, not having
been able yet to produce satisf factory
Howell torpedoes, arrangements have
been made with the Whitehead com
pany, whereby an American company
will shortly be enabled to supply the
navy number of their torpedoes.
When the Hotchkiss perfect theirs they
are to be given tests. OF torpedoes
others than automobile, the Patrick tor
pedo, electrically directed from the
shore, has undergone successful test.
Regarding the personnel of the service.
the secretary repeats the recommends
ton of Chief Engineer Melville and
other heads of bureaus, for an increase
of the number of officers.
Considerable space is given to naval
militia, the want OF which is declared to
be one of the most vital defects in our
system. Reference is madet to the active
interest in the subject in some of the
eastern states and the Pacific coast, the
past two years, and the secretary saws
all that it is needed is such action on
the part of congress as will put the
naval militia on the same footing as the
land militia.
The general estimates for the support
of the navy. including public works and
the marine corps, the next fiscal year,
show total of 81, 1862, 500 less than last
year, and $3.50, 900 less than the current
years appropriation. The estimate
for the increase of the navy is SIS, S,471,-
600, against 1886, 900 for last year.
The largest part OF this increase, how
ever, is for payments on outstanding
contracts.
The secretary draws especial atten-
ton to the necessity of most of
the vulnerable points along our coasts
for adequate protection from foreign
fleets. No land force, however resolute
or numerous, .could be effective. Even
when all the ships now authorized are
completed, we should not have fight
ing chance, our line of defense being 80
long and it's parts so divided and remote
Nothing short OF force of battleships
numerous enough to be distributed in
separate fields of attack, and able to con-
centrate on any threatened point within
their own field, will prove complete
protection.
The type of ship the department sug-
gssts for harbor-defense purposes, is an
enlarged Puritan OF not more than four
teen to sixteen feet draught, and with