Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-12-19
OUR NAVY'S GROWTH.

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istration. He says:
''On the 4th of March, 1889, the fleet
of the United States navy, apart from
a few old ships, long since obsolete
and fast going to decay, consisted of
three modern steel vessels, of an ag-
gregate tonnage of 1868 tons, and
| mounting Is six-inch and four eight
inch guns, the forging for which last,
as we'll as the shafting for the vessels,
had been purchased from abroad, as
they could not be purchased IN this
country. These vessels were the Dol
phin, the Atlanta and Boston.
During your administration the fol-
living vessels have been added to the
navy: Chicago, Yorktown, Petrol,
Charleston, Baltimore, Gushing, We
suvius, Philadelphia, San Francisco,
Newark, Concord, Bennington, Milan
tonomoh, Bancroft, Machias, Monte
rey, New York, Detroit and Montgom-
cry.
This makes total of 10 vessels of
the new navy put in commission dur
! ing this administration of an a ggregate
tonnage of 81, 1872 tons, mounting alto
gether two 12-inch, six 10inch, six
teen 8-inch and eighty-two 6-inch
guns, all of which, with the exception
of five of the earliest, have been man
ufactured in this country. Three
new steel tugs have also been con-
structed and put in service during this
period
There are also under construction
the following vessels, on which rapid
progress is being made: Oregon, In
diana, Massachusetts,, Columbia, Min
neapolis, Maine, Texas, Puritan, Olym
pia, Amphitrite. Monadnock, Terror,
Cincinnati, Raleigh, Ram, Marblehead,
Castine and Torpedo Boat No. 2.
This makes eighteen vessels in pro-
cess of construction and certain to be
completed, should their armor be de-
livered, within the next year, of an
aggregate tonnage of SO, 497 tons, and |
mounting altogether twelve 13inch, /
six 12-inch, sixteen 10inch, thirty s.
inch, thirty two 6-inch, thirty eight
5-inch, and thirty-fonr finch guns,
featured in this country.
During this period % vessels will
have been launched, Is of them, in
Guiding the three tugs, during the
current year, and of all the new ships
the construction of which has been
begun during the present administra-
ton only two will remain on the
stocks on the 4th of March next.
Our new navy, including all vessels
built or authorized, now consists of
AZ vessels, as follows:
One seagoing battleship first class)
Iowa.
Three coast line battleships (first-
class: Massachusetts, Indiana, aud
Oregon.
Two battleships second class
Maine. Texas.
Six double turreted harbor defense
vessels: Puritan, Monterey, Mianton-
omoh, Monadnock, Terror, Amphi- (
trite.
Two armored cruisers: New York,
Brooklyn.
One ram.
Two protected cruisers of extreme
speed: Columbia, Minneapolis.
Fourteen cruisers: Olympia, Balti-
more, Chicago, Philadelphia, San
Newark, Charleston, Bos-
ton, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Raleigh, De- {
troit, Montgomery, Marblehead.
One dispatch vessel: Dolphin. =
Six gunboats: Yorktown, Concord, I
Machias, Castine, Petrol.
One dynamite vessel: Vesuvius. q
One practice vessel: Bancroft. I
Two torpedo boats: Cushing, No. 2.
Making total Of ~ vessels. y y
The development of the past four s
years has not been confined to ships I
alone. At the beginning of this ad- P
the naval establishment T
vas entirely destitute of certain ele t
nents of efficiency, each one of which b
vas indispensable to it's practical en- l
,loyment as fighting force, and the r r
lbsence of which, if it had been pos O
essed of hundred ships, would still G
AVE left it in a condition of paraly- 2
is. These were the following: Armor, -
oIPouOOo, AedVy rdplu IRE guns, drm- :.
'r- piercing shells, smokeless powder, y
ugh explosives. In all these marked 81
progress has been made and the navy a.
vas never so well equipped as now. p
Two plants are now furnishing arm p
n; this country is making the White Il
orpedo, the best one known; the su- o.
'erior rapid firing guns have been de- 81
veloped; we have armor- piercing %
hollis y,,olo fh;c IL