The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-12-07
THE MESSAGE.
Continued from list page.

sea. under the modus vivandi agreed
upon with Great Britain, to detail
to that service one vessel from the fish
commission and three from the Ieve-
nue. marine. Progress in the con
struction of new vessels has not been
as rapid as was anticipated. There
have been delays in the completion OF
nnarmored vessels, but for the most
part they have been such
as are constantly occurring
even in countries having the largest
experience in naval ship building.
The most serious delays, however,
have been in the work upoa armored
ships The trouble has been the fall
ure Of contractors to deliver armor as
agreed. The difficulties seem now,
however, to have been all overcome
and armor is being delivered with sat.
isfactory promptness. AS result OF
the experience acquired by ship build
ers and designers and material men. IL
is believed that the date when vessels
will be completed can now be estl-
mated with reasonable accuracy.
Great guns, rapid fire guns, torpedoes
and powder are being rapidly sup
piled. The following vessels OF the
new navy have been completed and
are now ready for service:
The double turreted coast defense
monitor, Miantonomah; the double
turreted coast defense monitor Mon
terey: the armored cruiser New York;
the protected cruisers Baltimore,
Chicago. Philadelphia, Newark,
San Francisco, Charleston, At
lanta and Boston; the cruis-
err Detroit; guuboats Yorktown,
Concord, Bennington, Machias, Cas-
tine and Petrol; the dispatch vessel
Dolphin the practice vessel Bancroft,
and the dynamite gunboat Vesuvius.
OF these the Bancroft, Machias, Detroit
and Castine have been placed ia com
mand during the calendar year.
The following vessels are in process
of construction: The second class bat
tleships Maine and Texas, the cruisers
Montgomery and Marblehead, and the
coast defense monitors Terror. Furi-
tan, Amphrite and Monadnock, all of
which will be completed within one
year; the harbor defense ram katah-
din and the protected cruisers Colum..
bia, Minneapolis, Olypia, Cincinnati
and Raleigh, all OF which will be com
pleted prior to July l, 1895; the first
class battleships Iowa, Indiana, Massa'
chusetts and Oregon, which will be
completed February l, 1896, and the
armored cruiser Brooklyn, which will
be completed by August of that year.
1t is also expected that the three gun
boats authorized by the last congress
will be completed in less than two
years.
Since 1885 congress has at each ses-
sion authorized the building of one or
more vessels, and the secretary
of the navy presents an earnest
plea for the continuance of this
plea. He recommends the authorize
ton of at least one battleship and six
torpedo boats. While / am distinctly
in favor of consistently pursuing the
policy We have of building up a thor
ough and efficient navy, l cannot re-
frain from the suggestion that con-
gress should carefully take into &C
count the number of unfinished yes.
sells on our hands and the depleated
condition of our treasury in consider.
ing the propriety of an appropriation
at this time to begin new work. The
method of employing mechanical la
Dor at the navy yards through boards
of labor and making efficiency the sole
test by which laborers are employed
and continued is producing the best
results, and the secretary is earnestly
devoting himself to its development.
Attention is invited to the statements
of his report in regard to the workings
of the system.