Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-11-16

w.s.x,roS. Nov. i5--The navy de- |
,.,,s,. has decided 70 place six new yes
ssIs ~ the navy in commission. orders 10 |
III. ssfses have inst been received at the
-.r,ans naval stations, and early December
,r;,l ~ The firss OF them flying a commits
ION pepnsn,. The six vessels are the gun
MAJ Machias, the naval academy practice
shir bancroft. the sister cruisers Detroit
!, "A Nou,eou,ery. the coast defense battle
shin Monterey, and the big armored cruiser
New York.
The gunboat Machias is at present at the
ward of her builders, the Bath Iron Works,
Rath. Me. The Bancroft is still a, the S.
l.. Moore 4 Sons yards, Ekzahe,hport, n
j. The sister cruisers Detroit and Mont
gomery are at the docks of the Columbian
iron Works, Baltimore, Nd. The Monterey
is at the Union Iron W orks, San Francisco,
Cal. and the New York at the Cramps
establishment AT Philadelphia. An effort
will be made to commission the gunboa:
Castine, u sister to the Macbias, on Jan.
10. but as yet her orders are not positive.
To put some of these ships in immediate
commission viii involve an immense
amount of labor, yet the navy department
has not only ordered it done, but has speci-
fed the dates of commissioning of all the
vessels but the Bancroft. The naval acad
envy vessel will fly her pennant in the early
part of December-just as soon as she can
be made ready. The Monterey and Ma
ehas will both 60 in commission on Jan. 10
next. The cruisers New York and Detroit
will be commissioned on Jan. 81 and the
Monterey on Feb. Is.
The particular object, as expressed al
the navy department for commissioning
those ships at so early a date is to have
them in state of readiness for the great
Columbian naval review To be held in April
of next year. As none of the above ships
have had their government trials, they will
practically be commissioned and accepted
before test. As TO the ability of the va
rious vessels to come up to contract re-
quirements. very little doubt is entertained.
With the exception of the New York there
is really no reason why all of the reniain-
Jog vessels cannot be tried officially prior
to the April rendezvous, and they very
likely will be tried.
just where the crews arc to come from
to man the above six vessels no one seems
TO know, not even the bureau of nayIga-
ton people of the navy department, who
have the entire control of such matters.
The present number of men allowed the
navy by law Is $3.50. OF this number 40
are apprentice bows The vessels of the
navy now in commission not only have ali
sorbed all the available men of the shpu-
lated $3.50, hut are actually short-handed.
1t has been printed in these columns that
number of the war ships of the United
States in commission are cruising with re
duced compliments.
The cruiser Chicago, for instance, needs
800 men properly to handle her battery,
machinery and the various routine work,
vet some two years ago it became necessary
to take nearly 60 men from the Chicago TO
make up, with reductions from other ships,
a crew for new vessel. Now, with six
new war ships going into commission
serious problem has presented itself.
There is no difficulty in obtaining sea-
men. and good seamen at that, but the
statutes prohibit all enlistments over the
prescribed number of $3.50. Throughout
the past years the receiving ships and en-
listing depots at the various navals stations
have been turning away old men-of-war's
men BY the score. These latter, men of
tried value and of fine training, have in
many instances been unable to re-enlist be-
cause of there being no vacancies.
An existing navy regulation permits
seaman to take leave of three months on
the expiration of a three-years' cruise, and
on enlisting within three months of his dis
charge receive the pay for that period.
Men who return are given continuous serv-
ice certificates and are entitled, on the sec
ond enlistment, to slight increase in pay.
But it often happens that seaman tries
his hand at civil life and then, either
through dislike for his new calling or be-
cause of his greater fondness for the serv~
ice afoat, decides to re-enhst.
The man may be a man-of-war's man of
| excellent record. yet during the last three
wears the chances OF his being able to re-
enlist would have been exceedingly slim.
Seamen have found that the navy of today
is good home and that the service offers
many advantages not to be found on shore.
The present condition of the navy has made
the service popular, and good men in large
numbers are to be found not only willing
but anxious to enlist
If the six new warships are to have full
crews, either the crews of the pre- sent
cruising ships will have to be stripped down
to a bare working force, or Congress, dur
ing the coming session, will of necessity
permanent increase in the navy. Among
naval officers occupying prominent posi-
tions, it is believed that an increase in the
number of 2000 will enable all the ships
likely to be commissioned in the next two
wears to be given at least threc-quarter
complement.
The crew of the Machias will number
about 10. 4 full crew to the Bancroft
will be about 100. The Monterey will re-
auirc nearly 200 men. The Detroit and
Montgomery will each demand 225 men,
and the big armorcd cruiser New York 400
men. 1t is the intention of the navy de-
partment that the cruiser New York shall
act as the flagship of the American fleet in
the coming naval review. The New York
will fly the pennant of Rear Admiral Ban
croft Gherarti the senior admiral of the
navy.
With the commissioning of the above six
ships the American fleet is, from present
Indications, likely to include the following
vessels New York, flagship; cruisers,
Baltimore, San Francisco, Charleston
Philadelphia, Newark. Chicago, Atlanta,
Concord, Bennington, Yorktown, Detroit
and Montgomery, dynamite cruiser Vesn-
yius. doubIe-turreted monitor Miantono-
Machas, practice ship Bancroft, torpedo
boat Cushing, sloop-of-war kearsarge and
training ship Portsmouth.
Rear Admiral Gherardi is now en- route
from the Pacific to the Atlantic. He ar
rived Nov. 10 at Panama with the cruisers
Baltimore. San Francisco and Charleston.
On Nov. ., the Yorktown, cruiser, was mt
Acapulco on her way to join Ghcrardi.s u he
Yorktown will fall in with the admiral
at CalIao. Although the Monterey has
been ordered so suddenly into commission
there is little likelihood of her being sent
around from the Pacific to Hampton
Roads.
The navy department recognizes that
there is some necessity for keeping in the
Pacific at least two modern ships of war.
When Admiral Gherardis fleet steams into
the Straits of Magellan there will he left
on the west coast of America but two mol
ern war shps-the Monterey and cruiser
Boston. The Boston ia a present at
Honolulu.