The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-24
THE PORT ORCHARD DRY DOCK.
NOW Senators Squire and Allen Ne.
tested Oregon and Her Parent,
Missouri.

OsA VnSuAhO I'M OVSAs
How Senators Squire and Allen Ne.
tested Oregon and Her Parent,
Missouri.
condensed from the Congressional Record, Feb
ruary II.
Inc Senate, in committee Of the whole, hav-
ing under consideration the naval appropriation
OIL, the committee amendment was taken up
authorizing the secretary oi the navy to acquire
Tor the purposes of dry dock, 80 tract Of land
on the Columbia river or on Puget sound" Mr..
Allen offered . substitute that the secretary be
authorized 70 purchase 80 tract Of land not ex-
seeding c0o acres in extent ON Puget sound, 1t
Fort Orchard, in tue county Of Kifsap, state OF
sum not exceeding t25,0oo to pay for said land
n hereby appropriately
After debate participated in by Messrs. Hale.
said:
AS far back NJ 1857 this matter Was very
specifically called 70 the attention Of the navy
Pacific coaat, acting under the direction Of the
chief OF engineers, made an examination of the
waters lying north OF San Francisco hsrbor.
As result Of their examination they reached
the conclusion nj that early day that dry dock
ana naval station should be established upon
fuget sound They recommended this Is
growing mercantile marine.
"The examination In 1867 was somewhat
superficial In the year 1870 the board of engi-
the matter more thoroughly. Upon this exam
nation they confirmed their previous Judgment,
and, among the many desirable harbors on
Orchard, the place fixed in my proposed amend
ment, as any other. The choice at that time
was more especially between Port Orchard and
Lake Washington, TO which canal would have
TO be constructed to make II available. As early
as that they regarded the importance of this
matter 50 great that they felt the government
and reservation of lands for the purpose.
II ne navy department az well as the military
department., however. feeling that there was
time in which TO act, suggested IL would be
wise policy for the government, by proper
enrichment, to appoint commission to care
full examine all the waters north Of the forty
second parallel, the boundary line between the
state OF California and the state of Oregon, and
select site for navy yard and for dry docks.
Pursuant to the recommendations that were
made, provision was inserted in the appro-
priation act OF 1883 appointing commission
who were charged with the duty OF inquiring
navy yard on the Pacific coast waters from lati-
tude ~ northward, who were also charged to
make their examinations with due regard to
CONNIE rcial and naval necessities.
"The secretary of the navy was intrusted with
the appointment Of the commission He APP
pointed one, consisting Of three very competent
voted much time and great research to the dis
charge OF their duties, and by q system of ex-
haustfve comparisons reached conclusion that
the proper location for this dry dock and navy
yard, as it was then provided for. was upon
Puget sound, aud that It should be located at
Port Orchard, the place designated in my pro-
imous in their conclusion, and wish to read a
single paragraph from that very able report
At page 20 of their report the commission say:
which It can be affirmed that the art of the en-.
gineer has solved the problem of absolutely ex-
Guiding the entrance Of an armed fleet.
plication TO the utmost extent, and in the leaBt
expensive manner, Of all the resources OF the en-
gineer: 1t Is the citadel Of Puget sound, not to
proaches, even If the outer defenses be forced
and the rest OF the Sound In the hands Of an
enemy. Suitably defended, 1t is safe, both from
sudden dash and from distant bombardment
by shipping. Within its ample limits not only
the navy yard. but all the merchant shipping Of
the Sound can find q secure retreat, while with
Two natural outlets, ten miles apart and OF am
pie depth, the ships of war can not be shut up
as they might by the injury Of an artificial chan
mel, but remain q constant threat to an enemy
outside and hindrance to any extensive opera
ations farther up the sound.
{" But while the military reasons for selecting
this locality are SO strong, the assumption, adj
alterations all in favor of the other side, is
not correct. In its business capacity q navy
yard needs not only to be near centers OF supply
and labor, and in easy communication With
them: It requires also good anchorage OF 1t,
water deep but not too deep, ample water front
sge ana smcient acreage OF gsound 81 slight
portation of heavy masses and the inexpensive
ditions Port Orchard is somewhat inferior to the
peighborhood of the sound cities, 1t is greatly
md dicsirely superior IN the fulillmcnt which
hs Rsp q srGnna sa
porting heavy buildings. in the healthfulness OF
the climate, and in the supply OF good drinking
water, the two localities are equally favored.
sThen they proceeded to set forth the advan-
tages OF this location in q very clear and lucid
manner
mission was made it was thought by members of
the Senate that perhaps this conclusion had not
been arrived at with sufficient maturity of
thought, or rather that the matter had been
viewed too strongly from naval standpoint,
and at the suggestion of members of the naval
committee an additional commission was pro-
yided for II was provided that the new CON-
gress, should be composed OF others in addition
to naval officers. 1t was suggested, and the pro-
vision became law; that Two competent civil.
should constitute this board. They were
charged with the duty OF selecting site for a
dry dock simply, in the Northern Pacific waters
north of latitude AZ, but the act of congress
again imposed the mandate of making the selcc-
tion with due regard to the naval and CONNER
cial interests of the country.
.'This, Mr.. President was q very able board.
The civilians placed upon 1t We're men of ma
tional reputation. Hon. Richard w. Thompson,
Of the state OF New Yori, were the civilians. A
distinguished military officer and two highly
competent naval officers were placed upon the
commission. The board visited the localities,
carefully examined all the different places, and
unanimously reached the conclusion that Port
Orchard, the place formerly selected, was the
proper selection for the site OF the dry dock.
They were not only unanimous in their con-
clusion, but il seems to me they made very
careful, thorough and statcsmanike report
upon the subject, and confined themselves
strictly and conscentiously to the commission
that congress had imposed upon them, neither
recommending or even costing anything be-
yond the construction OF the dry dock. AS a re-
suit of their inquiries. reporting in faver of this
position, they sum up the advantages OF Port
Orchard as follows:
Advantage. Easy ingress or egress, by
day or by night, and channel free from natural
distractions.
.. Perfect defensibility, through moder-
ately narrow channel, that can be made i'm
pregnable by submarine mines and mex pensiye
Notifications.
s.'S Large areas of level and practicable
ground.
"a. Extensive water front and sufficiently
bold.
as. capacious harbor. with an even depth
of from five to seven fathoms
SO In Lake Kitsap an abundant supply of
excellent fresh water, sufficient for all the re-
Quirements OF an extensive plant.
80. Easy and convenient water communica-
tion with commercial centers.
SIS Proximity to the outer line OF defenses of
Puget sound. from which it il distant but three
or four hours steaming.
80. Port of refuge FOR the commercial marine.
The commission, a Ter having maturely con-
sidered the merits of the different localities
visited, is of the opinion that no place in the
Northwest possesses the advantages OF Port
Orchard, aud does, therefore, unanimously
recommend that the site known as Point Turner,
in Port Orchard, be selected for a dry dock suit
able for naval and commercial purposes.
AZ viii say also that in his last two annual re-
ports the secretary of the navy has recommended
the construction of such dry dock in our