The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-12-02

sea from it's infancy it may fairly be pre-
sumed that experience has, in the opinion
wisdom OF maintaining this branch of the
service. The department has recently had
occasion TO consider carefully whether. UNI
the navy, il was for the interest of the
service TO depart from the long-established
marines on battle ships. The modern battle
ship Is largely floating fort. 1t remains,
as indeed all naval vessels under steam
the time, In port, where 1t exercises It's
crew in landing parties and infantry drills
far more than was permissible when ships
were for long periods at sea- These drills
on shore and afioat. together with the
handling and firing of great and rapid-fire
guns. constitute also much larger proper
ton OF the actual experiences of the mod
ern sailor than of the oid-time tar, who was
much OF his time occupied in performing
the duties peculiar TO sailing vessels, and
it is precisely in infantry and gun drills
that the marine is or may be an expert
1t would therefore seem that there Is far
composed in part of marines now than
there could have been in the days OF the
sailing ship.
not man a portion of the guns on board
ship as we'll handle small arms. nor Is
IL perceived why their officers cannot sub
1ect to the orders OF the captain, command
gun crews and even gun divisions. The
fact that marines are enlisted for f1ve
three is Clearly an areument in favor of
retaining the marines; and the having on
board OF two different organizations, IL
proper spirit of rivalry between the two
Is encouraged. ought to be considered an
other advantage, especially in cases of in
subordnation- For these and other reasons
the. department decided to put sixty marines
and two marine officers on board the In
diana. and il will put marines on the other
battle ships as they are severaily COM
RECOMMENDATIONS.
The remainder OF the Secretarys report
Is devoted to the Naval Academy. the war
college. naval militia. publication of war
records. examining and retiring boards. ac-
QUESTION OF patent rights. reservations and
hospitals. The appropriations for the cur
rent fiscal year were $2s. 3S4. 025.36 while his
estimates were $685.. 6.96. The Secretarys
estimates for 1897 are 50. 81 $500 In clos
ing he says:
81 do not deem il necessary now to re-
pea 0ane arguments SO often made by this
department, and which apply now With full
force. in favor of a still further Increase or
the navy. n reference TO previous reports
will show the reasons upon which the rec
concentrations then made were based. and
that Congress has not yet authorized all
the ships then deemed necessary. An in
spection of the tables herein given, show.
ing the relative strength of navies, VIII
furnish. IL is believed, all the argument
now needed for the continuation of the
building programme heretofore indicated by
want OF ordinary unarmored cruisers or
OF gunboats, but we are lamentably def
cent in torpedo boats, and We certainly
need more battle ships. An inspection of
the building programmes of other nations
will demonstrate that the lessons taught
at Yalu and Wei-Hai-Wei nave tended to
confirm the belief of naval experts through
out the world in the efficacy of these two
classes of vessels.
81 respectfully recommend the construc-
ton of two battle ships and at least twelve
torpedo boats. The gratifying progress
made by our manufacturers OF steel and our
shipbuiders and the competition among
them has enabled the department.. during
the past two years, to contract for gum
boats and torpedo boats at very large re-
duction from former prices. The prices per
ton for the gunboats Machias and Castine,
contracted for in April, 1890. was s3o1.S6; the
average price OF the three gunboats con-
tracted for in January. 1894. and of the six
others just let out to contract is SD. 81 per
ton, saving of SS0.52 per ton. or rs per
cent. of the price OF the ships. The price OF
the Ericsson, contracted for In Octobev.
1891, was $Si5.S per ton. The average price
of the six torpedo boats contracted for In
1895 is $7665s per ton. reduction of $685.
per ton, or OF about 20 per cent in the price
of the boats. These prices compare very
favorably with the prices for similar work
done abroad
THE department also INDUCES the hope
that, the bids for the two battle ships. the
construction OF which was authorized by
the last Congress. and of their armor. viii
be considerably lower than the prices at
which the battle ships now building and
their armor were let"