The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-02

Washington City. Dec 1.-The annual
report of the secretary Of the navy is
Gerry exhaustive document OF 500 words,
with numerous tables. After reciting the
fact Of the completion Of the new war
ships Olympia. Minneapolis and Indiana,
bullt by contract. and the Maine. Texas
and Amphitrite, built at the government
navy yards the secretary calls attention
10 the failure of the ram katahdin to
make the rate of speed named in the con-
tract for her construction. and refers the
matter 20 congress. He saws the depart
ment expects the Terror and Alonadnock
TO be in commission February /, 1895 and
the Puritan about July l. lSS6. He saws
delays have occurred in construction of
the vessels by the custom of transferring
werkmen from construction 10 repair de-
partments IN order 10 avoid increasing
the force of workmen. This custom has
been abolished in the government yards.
and the secretary enters a protest against
the habit congress has of relieving con-
tractors from penalties imposed for de-
lays by the department. The secretary
pays high compliment to the excellence
Of construction of the new vessels.
OF the vessels now in course OF con-
struction. he predicts thar tho Hrst-class
hattleship Iowa will he completed about
Massachusetts, is practically completed.
except as regards the armor II is esti-
mated that the vessel can he completed in
about eight weeks after the delivery Of
her armor The tirst-class hattleship ore
Gon IS as far advanced as is practicable
before the delivery OF armor and gun
mounts. About six months Will he re-
quired for their installation. The Brook
lyn will not be ready for trial I'm less, than
one year. No substitute for wood for
some parts of the vessels having been
found. the department has adopted the
electric fire prooting method of treating
the wood. The former recommendation
OF S5ao.oo9 for armament Of the st. Louis
and the st. Paul is repeated. as Is one in
favor of providing for an ordnance re-
serve, especially as the government is
paying subsidies TO several steamer COM
panies 10 hold their vessels in readiness
TO he used as transports or cruisers in
case of need. In this connection ne quotes
from last years report as follows: TN
der treaty provisions neither the United
States nor the English can keep moro
than one small naval vessel upon our
Northern lakes. In case. however. a war
should unfortunately break out between
them. Great Britain could promptly fur
nish guns and gun mounts 10 her mer-
chant marine on the lakes, and though
their marine is far inferior TO ours in
strength, the British might master those
waters"
The question of producing smokeiess
powder that VIII not become useless with
age has been solved at the naval torpedo
station Machinery for the working Of
gun mounts for smaller guns is being dis
placed by hand power with satisfactory
results. The manufacture Of armor the
secretary says, has heretofore been expen-
siVe and attended with great delay bat ex-
perience IN the work and increased facili-
ties. he thinks. will obviate these troubles
hereafter. The report says that by June
J. 1926 the government VIII have two
docks on &c Atlantic coast-Port RoyaI
> G. and BroQklyn-large enough for
docking the largest vessels. but recon-
mends that another be built at Norfolk,
and one on the Gulf Of Mexico.
For the Pacific coast the opinion Is ex-
pressed that tho dock now being built on
Puget sound IS sufficient for the near fu-
ture. In this connection the secretary
says; In my opinion Il would be wise
10 invest whatever moneys are TO be ex-
pended upon the navy, beyond its current
needs and the necessities Of existing repair
plants. in the construction Of the new ships
and not in building docks"
The comparison IN foreign naval equ.p-
ment IS quite exhaustive The report
shows that the United States has N SER
vice Of the armore9 class. three battleshtps.
sixteen coast defense vessels one cruiser:
and Of the unarmorcd thirteen Protected
cruisers, twenty unprotected cruisers. eight
eunboats one dynamite cruiser and two
torpedo boats. making n total Of twenty
armored and forty-two uuarmored vessels.
exclusive Of torpedo boats There are now
authorized and building FIVE hattlesh.pz.
four coas; defense vessels. one cruiser. all
armored. nine unarmored gunhoats, and
seven torpedo beats. The present status
of the principal foreign uav.es is shown in
the appended tables giving the number of
vessels armored and unarmored. by class
90. in service or authorized or building
Armore5 vessels constitute si4 per cent.
Of the whole, the remaining 55s per cent.
consisting Of unarnOred vessels Of which
a very large proportion tnearly "a per
CentD arc protected cruisers
Great Britain. a. usual. Is leading both
Ia the number and strength Of ships in ser
vice and In building programme with z1i
ships in service not including torpedo
boats, she has for-y-two vessels now un-
der construction. Of which ten are battle
ships. L VIII be observed that in accord
ance with EuEland's policy OF placing her
first line Of defense al the enemy's coast.
no coast defense vessels are building for
that country The Displacement of The first
class ba-tleshlp In her presoH. programme
Is 600 tons. that Of the sec0nd-class. H.
259 tons France. with lA effective yes
sells in service, exclusive Of t0rue1o boats
has a building programme calling for an
Increase Of thirty-three vessels. OF which
five possibly siN) are hattieshIps, and four
ara arnored cruisers. Russia has eighteen
ships building. of which fifteen are armor-
ed; in service, TOO Italy has in service
seventv-one vessels the number building
s.. armorei eKhc ts'x hsttleshlns), and
uuaruor~i seven Germany has seventy
four efficient ships. and is huild ne four
aruored ard four unarmored. Spain IL
showing increased activity ard q build
.nx ten ADDITIONAL vessels OF R1'rh one
49, are srruored. whl~h wiU make a to-
tai effective strength ~ ff.y-,Ko'
Activity IN building torpedo boats re~
mains about the same as IA my last re-
pcrr France leads. in tae possession ~
torpedo Boats. with %, IA servsea and Gf-
jy-folt buE8,rg. Great Britain has Is9
IN service and sixty-tNo under constrl--
ton Spain IS 83Vhhng her torpedo boat
force, and Japan. taking A lesson from
her experience in The .a.e var and having
a ready (W.th those captured from TIE
Chsnese) fotaI q forty in service IS
building seventeen more. Taese tables
Mi show that while TIE dffeen other
countries mentioned have altogether i2si
t>~re4o boats IN service argentina with
-he smallest number. showing twenty
onsl the United States has only two The
average number building f3- t1ese other
rorrt tres .s fourteen and q fraction We
have authorized ard building seven
Tne serretary urges legislation touehinE.
-As uerzonue. % the navy. saying. TO
r--aeu - rse Ane ~ t1s navy 30 as -
frsca about promotion ~ off ers - COM
rand rank AZ all age waen sfI young
enough - learn aud vigorous enough -
be se.f-aSseELye. would sssza u Oe all