The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-03-27
INDIANA D0CKBD.
Navy Mems Minds Relieved
What a Big War
Ship Costs.

PORT ROYAL. s. G.. March 27, 1885,
The batleship Indiana, Captain Robley
Evans, which has been in port here for
some time waiting fer a tide sufficiently
nigh to float her into the new government
dry dock was safely docked this morning.
Inc Dig ship had fifteen inches of water
70 spare over the blocks as she, entered the
dock.
A Relief 10 officials.
WASHINGTON, March q, 1S9e.--News
OF the successful docking of the Indiana
at Port Royal today was a keen relief
to the naval administration which had
been so scandalized for the past ten DAYS
over the spectacle of the finest ship in
the navy lying helplessly at the mouth
+ oI new dock unable to get to sea ia
an emergency, and to all practical pur-
poses worthless for naval uses. How ses
ci0us the afIair really was has been care
Iully concealed during the tendency or
the naval bill in Congress, which makes
appropriations for four additional vessels
OF the baftlesnip type, but now that the
danger has been luckily averted the facts
are apt to gradually come to the surface.
Inc only official mention of the Indi-
ana cost tnat is made in the last annual
report OF the Navy Department is SO, ,020. :
0oO, which was the contract price for hull
a. snd o. machinery. ma Her armor cost about
amount, and the total expenditure of the
Government in making her ready for sea
was over 5000, 900. Her main tenance ii,
commission, neglecting all other expenses
than pay of officers and men and coal
burned. is put at something over $1,000 a
day, On this account alone, from her ar
rival at the dock entrance at $50 A. NJ
March IA, until this morning, the expense
incurred was $4,000, which was practic-
ally thrown away.
men and tools at the Port ROYAL Station.
they had to be furnished from Norfolk
Va. Material for any needed repairs to
machinery with the skilled maehinists
had also to be despatched from some dis
tant point and altogether it is conserva-
lively estimated that the present docking
Of the big vessel is going to cost $780,
00O
This question of docking our battleships
is a serious one for consideration. The
only dock on the Pacific coast which a
battleship may enter has been located at
Port Orchard, Puget Sound, and will be
opened if conditions are favorable, by the
Monterey in few days. No shops,
tools or workmen are nearer its site than
Mare Island. 700 miles away. Not until
the big dock at Brooklyn is completed
possibly a year hence-will it be possible
to repair and care for the big battleships
on the Eastern Station. Naval officers do
not hesitate to criticize the Port Royal
dry-dock which they declare can only
be reached by "a tortuous channel having
hard phosphate rock bottom, calculat-
ed to ruin a heavy war vessel which
might loucH II. Sucn a cnannel with
sand bottom, they declare, would not be
so dangerous.
Grave doubts are also expressed at the
accuracy of measurements as to the
docks entrance. The contract called for
a depth on the entrance sill of 26 feet
at mean high water. Suspicion has now
been directed against the fundamental
marks and data upon which the mean
high tide was calculated and doubt is
expressed whether a series of ebserva-
tons may not disclose a mean depth at
high tide stmrne nef~er winter, Of not over
rs feet. All the battleships, while having
mean designed draft of "a feet have
an extreme draft of 25 feet, with 400 tons
Of coal aboard, and therefore could only
get into the dock under exceptionally
favorable circumstances