The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1895-12-05
Secretary Lamont Peters That
Pan to Buodlog Dry Docks.
SOME ARE NEARLY COMPLETE
We Now Have Total of Twenty Ar.
mored and Forty.1wo Unarmored
Vessels.

Va
very exhaustive document of 10000
words, with numerous tables. After
reciting the fact of the completion and
commissioning of the new warships
Olympia, Minneapolis and Indiana,
built by contract and the Maine, Tex
as and Amphitrite, built at the govern
ment navy yards, the secretary calls
attention to the failure of the ram Ka-
tahdin 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 /, 1896, and the Puritan about
July 1, 1896.
The secretary pays a high compliment
to the eXcellency of construction of the
new vessels.
OF the vessels now in the course of
construction he predicts the first-class
battleship Iowa will be completed about
October, 1897. The first-class battle
ship Massachusetts is practically COM
pleted except as regards armor. The
frst-class battleship Oregon is as far
advanced as is practicable before the
delivery of armor and gun mounts. The
Brooklyn will not be ready for trial in
less than one year.
The report says that by June l, 1896,
the government will have docks on the
Atlantic coastal Port Royal, S. c., and
at 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 Puget
sound is sufficient for the near future.
In this connection the secretary says:
''In my opinion it would be wise to in
vest whatever moneys are to be expend-
ed upon the navy, beyond its current
needs and necessities of existing repair
plants in the construction of new ships
and not in building docks"
The report shows that the United
States has in service: OF the armored
class, three battleships, 16 coast defense
vessels, one cruiser; and of the unar-
mored, 13 protected cruisers, 20 un ro-
tected cruisers, eight gunboats, one
dynamite cruiser and two torpedo boats
making a total of 20 armored and AZ
unarmored vessels, exclusive of torpedo
boats. There are now authorized and
building five battleships, four coast de-
tense vessels, one cruiser, all armored;
nine unarmored gunboats and seven
torpedo boats.
The present status of the principal
foreign navies is shown in tables, Civ
ing the number of vessels, armored or
unarmored, by classes, in service, or
authorized or building.
PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY.
The secretary urges legislation touch
ing the personnel of the navy saying:
ITO reorganize the line of the navy so
as to bring about the promotion of off1-
GERS to the command rank at an age
when still young enough to learn ana
vigorous enough to be self-assertive
would seem to be all-important. The
majority of our officers now approach
ing the command rank are over 5o
years of age These officers come now
first into command at period OF lie
when the habit of relying on others mas
become a second nature
The secretary recommends that the
age of admission to the naval academy
be reduced to either IA to 16 or 10 to II,
instead of 16 to 20 as now.
Considerable space is devoted to the
recently established naval war college,
which the secretary regards as very
important institution, as putting be-
fore the officers of the navy practical
questions of actual war to be solved,
thus versing them in the principles OF
strategy and tactics.
The report says: 1.-THE increasing In
terest in the naval militia movement IN
the lake and seaboard states gives such
promise that the department recon-
mends that steps now be taken TO es-
tablish this arm of the national defense
.on a definite footing.
"Active steps are being taken by
the department toward securing uni
formity in the methods of organization
and in the character of duty performed
in order that the militia and regular
navy may cooperate effectively ano
helpfully in any scheme of national de
fense."
The recommendation OF East year Il
renewed that the work Jf coast ant
geodetic survey be transferred, a par
to the photographic office of the nav!
denartment and the rest to the geologi
cal survey of the interior department.
The estimates of expenses for tn
wear 1896 are given as follows: Fo
running expenses $17, ,692, ,704, increase o
navy $13.259,2 292. This is about Sl,l60,
900 more than the appropriation. Fo
1897 the estimates are: For running eX
penses S19,672, 1888, increase of nav
50, ,6SS, 1888.
BUILD MORE BOATS.
In conclusion the secretary says; "A
inspection of the tables given, shown
the relative strength of the navies c
the world, will furnish. 1t is believed
all argument needed for the continue
tion of the building program hereto
fore indicated by the action of congress
We are lamentably deficient in torpeo
boats and we certainly need more ba
tleships. The lessons taught at fal
and Wei-Hai-Wei have tended to col
firm the belief of naval exper
throughout the world in the efficacy
these two classes of vessels.
.I respectfully recommend the co
struction Of two battleships and
least u torpedo boats.