The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-11-16
OUR NEW NAVY.

We Have TIE Vessels and Are Building
, More. But Now Comes the Item of Re-
pairs. Which is No Mere BagateIIO. Not
To Speak OF the Necessity for adequate
Dry Dock Facilities on Both Coasts.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-THE first
ship of the new navy was put in COM
mission over nine years ago and ac-
cording to Chief Constructor Hichborn
the demands for ordinary repairs on
the earlier vessels. for the preserva-
ton and maintenance of their equip
age in proper state of efficiency, are
yearly becoming more serious, and
congress must hereafter make much
larger appropriations for this pur-
pose. Commodore HichbOrn, in
his annual report. declares that
modern steel ships, with their extreme
subdivision and elaborate systems of
ventilation. drainage and mechanical
auxiliaries of all kinds, require much
greater care, both when in commission
and in ordinary, than was formerly
the case with the old wooden ships.
Neglect is followed by much more
serious and f~ar-reaching deterioration,
and it is absolutely essential that the
most careful supervision should be ex-
ercised at all times and remedies
promptly applied in order that the fiji
cheney of the vessels as men-of-war
may be properly maintained.
For several years past the construc-
tion bureau has been compelled to
economic nearly to the danger point,
hainr Gn,ifaA hr a ranair n nnrnpria-
ton of less than 3 per cent. of the
original cost of the vessels. while in
the British navy the figure varies from
4 to 9 per cent, the lower figure APP
plying to heavier armored vessels.
Constructor Hichborn insists that
81. 500. 900 is needed for this year,
where only $500, 900 was secured from
congress for the current year.
A significant feature of Commodore
Hichborn's report is that he officially
recommended the construction of only
two new vessels to be authorized by
congress at the mex session instead of
the great increase to our force of
heavy battleships which was unoffi-
cially suggested by his paper read be-
fore the naval architects in New York
three days ago as being promptly
needed by the navy.
The vessels he recommends are two
small composite sailing vessels OF
1000 IONS displacement, to cost only
$3.50, 900 each. These, if authorized by
congress, will be the first two vessels
without steam power that have been
placed in the naval service for many
years. No argument regarding this
recommends ton is submitted by Con-
structor Hichborn.
Commodore Hichborn devotes con-
siderable space to pointing out the
necessity for greatly increasing the
number of dry docks at the navy
yards, the efficiency of our cruisers be-
ing seriously affected by the difficulties
encountered in cleaning their sub
merged portions. He recommends
new docks at Portsmouth, n. H.,
Boston, Mare Island, Cal, and Nor
folk, Va.
Until the indefinite time in the fu-
lure when the big dry docks at New
York, Puget Sound and Port Royal
are available for deep draught vessels
the new battleships must remain I'M
locked.
Chief Engineer Melville and Con-
~structor lIichbOrn concur in the esti-
mate that 81, s95 90 must be provided
for disbursing next year on account of
the vessels authorized by the last on
gress. for which, however, no appro-
p~riations were made. For repairs on
the Chicago $500, 900 is required, and
for the Hartford S17O, 600.
Construc tor IIichborn renews with
emphasis the request he has frequently
made to congress for an experimental
tank to cost 500, 900, which it is pro-
posed to use 10 test models of ships be-
fore the vessels themselves are built.