The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-02

WASHINGTON. Dec. 1.-THE annual
report OF the secretary of the navy is
a, very exhaustive document of 10000
words, with numerous tables.
After reciting the fact of the COM
pletion and commissioning of the new
warships Olympia, Minneapolis and In
diana, built by contract, and the
Maine, Texas and Amphitrite. built at
the government navy yards, the secre-
tary calls attention to the failure of
the ram Katahdin to make the rate
of speed named in the contract for her
construction. and refers the matter to
Congress. He says the department
expects the Terror and Monadnock to
be in commission February 1, 1896, and
the Puritan about July 1, 1896. He
says delays have occurred in construc-
ton of vessels by the custom Of trans
ferring workmen from construction to
repair departments in order to avoid
increasing the force of workmen. This
custom has been abolished in the
government yards, and the secretary
enters protest against the habit of
Congress of relieving contractors from
penalties imposed for delays by the
department.
The secretary pays high compli-
ment to the excellence of construction
of the new vessels.
Vessels in Construction.
OF the vessels now in course of con-
struction he predicts that the first
class battleship Iowa will be completed
about October, 1897 The first-class
battleShip Massachusetts is practically
completed, except as regards the ar
NOR 1t is estimated that the vessel
can be completed in about eight weeks
after the delivery of her armor.
The first-class battleship Oregon is
as far advanced as is practicable be-
fore the delivery of armor and gun
mounts. About six months will be
required for their installation.
The Brooklyn will not be ready fer
trial in less than one year. No sub
Stitute for wood for some parts of ves-
sells having been found the depart
ment has adopted the Electric Fire
PROBING company'S method of treating
the wood used.
The former recommendation of $780,
600 for armament for the st. Louis ard
the st. Paul is repeated. as is one in
favor of providing for an ordnance
reserve. especially as the government
is paying subsidies to several steamer
companies to hold their vessels i'm
readiness to be used as transports OR
cruisers in case of need. In this con-
nect1on he quotes from last years re-
port as follows: Under treaty. nro-
visions neither the United States nor
the English can keep more than one
small naval vessel upon orr northern
lakes. In case, however. a war sIouId
unfortunately break out between them
Great Britain could promptly furnish
guns and gun-mounts to her merchant
marine on the lakes. and though Their.
marine is far inferior to ours in
strength, the British might master
those waters"
SmokeIess Powder.
The question Of producing smokeIess
powder that will not become useless
with age has been solved at t11a y,o,,o1
torpedo station
Machinery for the working of e1,n
mounts for smaller guns is being dis
placed by hand power with satisfac.
tory results. The manufacture of ar
NOR, the secretary says. has heretofore
peen expensive and attended with great
aelay, but experience in the work and
increased facilities he thinks will ohI-i-
ate these thro"bles hereafter.
The report says that by June 1. 1896
the government have dock on the
Atlantic coast-Port Royal. 6. G.. and
Brooklyn-large enough for docking the
largest vessels, but recommends that
another be built at Norfolk and one
on the Gulf of Mexico. For the Pacific
coast the opinion is expressed that the
dock now being built on the Puget
sound is sufficient for the near future.
In this connection the secretary SAYS:
New Ships Needed.
I'm my opinion it would be wise to
invest whatever moneys are to be ex-
pended upon the navy, beyond it's cur
rent needs and the necessities of exist
ing repair plants, in the construction
Of new ships apd not in building
docks"
The comparison of foreign naval
equipment is quite exhaustive. The re-
port shows that the United States has
in service of the armored class three
battleShipS, sixteen coast defense YES.
sells, one cruiser, and of the unarmored
thirteen protected cruisers, twenty I'M
protected cruisers, eight gunboats, one
dynamite cruiser and two torpedo
boats, making a total of twenty ar
mored and forty-two unarmored YES
sells. exclusive of torpedo boats There
are now authorized and building five
battleships, four coast defense vessels,
one cruiser. ali armored, nine unar-
mored gunboats and seven torpedo
boats.
1.-The present status of the principal
foreign navies is shown in the append
ed tables, giving the number of vessels,
armored and unarmored by classes, in
service, or authorized or building. Ar
mored vessels constitute 44.4 per cent.
of the whole, the remaining 55.6 per
cent consisting of unarmored vessels.
of which a very large proportion (near-
ly "a per cent? are protected cruisers.
Great Britain Leads.
Great Britain, as usual is leading
both in the number and strength Of
ships in service and in building pro-
gramme, with 274 ships in service, not
including torpedo boats; she has forty
two vessels now under construction, Of