Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-12
WE HAVE A NAVY
Thirty -Ssven New Ships Ad-
ded Under Harrison.
secRETARy'S ANNUAL REPoRr
Unissd osasss Laads shs Wuid ~ Nsvol
Aschssscsurs and N Msnusacsuiag
Anmu and Explosivss.

WAsHrSsyox. Dec l1--In his annual
report 70 the president. Secretary of
the Navy B. F. Tracy says:
On March 4. 1859. the fleet Of tho
United ststes navy. apart from : fsw
old ships long since obsolsss and fass
going 70 decay. oonslstsd Of thrso
modern steel vesssls. Of sn oeerorate
tonnage OF 1888 tons, and mounung
thirteen 6-lnch and four e-inch euns.
the forglngs for which last. - WeSl -
the shafung for the vesseia. had boou
purchassd from abroad, as they could
not be made Ia this country.
During your administration the fol-
loving vessels viii have heeu added -
the navy: Chicago, Yorktown, Petrol,
Charleston. Baltimore, Cushing, Noou-
vius. Philadelphia. San Fraucisoo,
Newark, Concord. Bennington. 4iAn
tonomoh, Bancroft. Aachias, Nom
tcrey, New York. Detroit, Montgomery.
This makes . total Of nineteen veo-
seis of the new navy put in commission
during this administration, OF an eH-
gregate tonnage of 81 .sS2 tons. mount
ing altogether two l2-snch, elk l0-inch.
sixteen S-inch and elgh;y-two 6-inch
guns. ell Of which. with the exception
Of tive of the earliest. have beck man.
ufactured in this country. Three new
steel tugs have also been constructed
and pat IN service during tins period.
There are also under construction
the following vessels, on which rapid
progress is being made: Oregon. Ind,-
ana, Massachusetts,, Columbia, Mime
apolis, Name. Texas, Puritan. 0lyni-
pia. Amphltrits. MonAdnock, Terror.
Cincinnati. Raleigh. Ram. Marble
he ad, Castine, Torpedo Boat No. 9.
Making eighteen vessels in process OF
construction and certain TO be COM
pleted. enould their armour be de-
livered, within the next year. Of an
aggregate tonnage of SO. 4s7 tons. and
mounting altogether twelve 13-inch.
six l2-inch, sixteen 10 inch, thirty g.
inch, thirty-two 6-inch, tbirty-eight g.
inch and thirty-four 4-.nch guns, all Of
which have been or are TO be manu-
tacturcd in this country.
During this period twenty-five veesels
will have been launched, thirteen Of
them, J.. including three tugs,
during the current year, aud
of all the new ships the construction of
which has been begun during the
present administration only two will r..
main on the stocks on the fourth OF
March next.
s4nK Naval vessels-
Our new e 4ncluding al vessels
built or a&s6ipkxed, now consists Of The
following vessels:
One seagoing battle ship (first clase).
Iowa; three coast line battle shipe
first class), Massachusetts, Indiana,
Oregon; two battle ships (second class),
Maine, Texas; SIX double-turrettsd har-
bor-defense vessels. Puritan, Monterey,
Miantonomah, Monadnock. Terror,
Amphitrite; two armorcd cruisers, New
YORK. Brooklyn; one ram; two pro-
tected cruisers of extreme speed, Co
lnmbia, Minneapolis; Fourteen cruz
sers, Olympia. Baltimore. Chicago,
Philadelphia. San Francisco. Newark.
Charleston. Boston, Atlanta. cincin-
nati. Raleigh, Detroit. Montgomery.
Marblehead; one Dispatch vessel, DOL
phin; six gunboate. Yorktown, Con-
cord. Bennington. Machias. Castine,
Petret; one dynamite vessel, Vesu-
vius; one practice vessel. bancroft;
two torpedo boats, Gushing No. 2, MAX
ing total of forty-two vessels.
Armor Tor the sh1pe.
In March, 1889, tho navy was without
xrmor. Since that time the Harvey
nickel armor has heen made IN this
country and is the finest known. The
Whitehead torpedo. the most sfiicsent
known, has been domesticated and
placed on vessels fitted for IL ne.
Perfect guns of four, fivesand six-inoh
calibrc with the latest improvements
are now made in this country. Amer
can manufacturers are now producing
or-pIercing shells IN great numbcrs.
The department has succeeded In maxi
ing . snckeless powder far superior -
that used abroad and has arranged FOR
. factory on the Pacific coast Careful
and protracted experiments have at
iast developed . high explosive that
can safely he used in shells fired from
high-power guns. with service powder.
giving service velocities. The shells
charged with the new explosive Are not
only uninlured By the discharge Of the
gun. but can be fired through Armer
platee and burst at will beyond them.
The progress herein noted, both In
ships and in ordnance. by which The
United stAtss has emerged from i1s
condition Of helplessnees at sea, and ~
has distanced ifs more expesienood
compeutcrs, marks an epsch il sbe
naval development not only Of this
country bat Of the world.
Estimases and Apprspr,ssssaA
On september the treasury 61oneor
ment asksd fer naval AID 10 keeo de
cholera quarantine af New York. f0o
navy promptly loaned I'VE vessels eod
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