The herald., 1895-11-11
Hichborne's Ideas of the Needs
of the Navy
TOO MUCH ECONOMY SHOWN
Statistics of Finances of the Postal
Department
In View Of Recent Irregularities the Employ
ment of Carrier Inspectors 10
Strongly Recommended

Associated Press Special Wire
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10.-Comm odore
Phillip Hichborne, chief of the bureau
of con Instruction and repair Of the navy,
has com leted his report OF the year.
The port includes estimates Tor appro'
priations for next year, the most import
ant being that of S. $50, $40 to be expend-
cd on vessels authorized by congress for
the increase of the navy. He also asks
|. for 81, 500, 600 for the general repair OF
vessels and the purchase OF stores and
machinery, $52S.O00 for continuance OF
work already authorized on the Hartford,
: the Chicago and other vessels ana $oOO,
600 for two posite sailing vessels. He
dwells especially upon the necessity Of
adequate money tor the repair OF vessels.
Covering modern steel ships, with their
extreme subdivision and elaborate sys-
. TENS OF ventilation, drainage and mo
chanical auxiliaries OF all kinds. requires
much greater care both W hen in commits
sion and ia ordinary than was formerly
the case with the old wooden ships.
It is now more than nine years since
10 first vessel of the new navy was put
in commission and the necessity for gsL-
eral repairs and renewals of fittings and
euuipments is becoming more and more
pressing.
The policy of extreme economy has
about reached its limit. and unless more
ample appropriations are made for the
care and preservation OF ships and the
general maintenance of the yard plants
the efficiency of the feet will be dimin-
ished and the government property Will
suffer serious deterioration.
-Commodor Hichborne notes the COM
pletion and acceptance during the year
OF the Marblehead. Columbia, Olymp ia
and Minneapolis, gives the status OF other
vessels which are almost com pleted, and
also states the fact in connection with
contracts recently let and specifications
made under the authority OF the last
naval appropriation bill. He suggests
the importance of appropriations suti-
cient to put the navy yard PLANS at
Portsmouth. N. H., Boston, Mass, New
York, League Island, Norfolk. Va. and
Mare Island. CAL, in a condition to
ture. He thinks $l25.OO necessary at
Norfolk, SIS, 900 at New York and $40, 600
at Mare Island. He also renews the req
ommendation of last year for the appro-
priation OF S75 900 for each of the new
stations at Port Royal and Puget sound.
This money is, he says. necessary to
able them to cover the ordinary repair
work. Probably the most i'm portant part
OF the report is that devoted to the ne
cassity ri increased dry dock facilities.
Mr.. Hichborne notes the fact that there
was no dock. government or private, in
the country sufficiently large to dock the
Indiana previous to her trial trip.
eff" he says 'such a condition con-
fronts the department in time Of peace.
1t is realized how serious defect it
would prove in time OF war when tho
casualties of battle and necessity of keep.
ing the bottoms of vessels in such condi.
tion that they might develop their high-
est speed would largely increase the de-
mands Of our docking facilities"
The chief constructor endorses the
recommendation Of the constructor at
Boston for dock there sufficient in size
to take the largest vessel, as he does also
similar recommendations from the con-
structors at Norfolk and Mare Island.
Mr.. Hichborne also recommends that
I'm order that the plants at our naval
stations may be always kept in high
state OF efficiency for the psrforman ce OF
the general work OF repairing and fitting
out, IL is earnestly recommended that IN
made for having at least one vessel in
course of construction at each OF the three
principal navy yards
Explaining the reason for the sugges.
ton he says the completion of the ves-
sells building at New York and Norfolk
navy yards has necessitated the discharge
of large proportion of the skilled force
hitherto employed at these stations, and
it will be exceedingly difficult to main
tain the efficiency of the construction and
repair plants at those yards unless early
measures are taken to give regular en-
ploy ment to small force of skilled me.
chanics in each of the principal yards.
The report renews the recon m endation
previously made of an experimental tank
in which carefully conducted experiments
could be Raue with models in such way
as to anticipate the perform anoe of the
completed vessel, these results not being
capable OF attainment in any other way.
Several OF the foreign governments have
already preceded us in this direction and
have had constructed elaborate expert
mental stations, the British taking the
lead.
One hundred thousand dollars 10 asked
for this purpose and it is believed with
such station. properly equipped and
differed the department would be in
condition to make original researches,
instead of being compelled to rely upon
tae experiments and deductions of others.