San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-11-28
UNCLE SANS NAVY.
Has One Hundred and Ten Vessels
Ready for Active Service.
Thirty of These Are Armored, Including
Eight Battleships, Two Cruisers and Six
Double-Turreted Monitors Chief
Constructors Annual Report.

Chief Constructor Hichborn's annual
report shows a total of ITO vessels in the
navy, of which 80 are armored, including
eight battleships, two cruisers, one
ram, six double-turreted monitors, all
of which are in active service prepared
for offensive or defensive operations and
10 single turret monitors which might
be utilized in the harbors in which they
now lie. Three other armored battle
ships are now under construction.
There are 25 new steel cruisers also in
commission in addition to the three
special class vessels of the new navy:
The Bancroft, Dolphin and Vesuvius.
These are unaTmored, as are the 16 iron
and wooden cruisers and six wooden
sailing vessels still carried on the lists.
Three torpedo boats are in use and Is
under contract. The other vessels build
ing are six gunboats, one submarine
boat and Is torpedo boats. Twelve
tugs are also included in the naval force
and IS old ships unfit for sea, which,
however, are utilized for various pur-
poses, such as training vessels, naval re-
serve rendezvous and receiving ships.
In compliance with law for the increase
of the navy, Engineer in Chief Melville
and the chief constructor unite in a
statement that S5,925,359 must be APP
propriated for 1899, which with SS,2S7,-
500, the balance in the treasury, is re-
quired for existing contracts. The only
new vessels which congress is asked to
authorize are two composite sailing
vessels of LOO tons costing 100000, as
practice cruisers for the naval academy,
to take the place of the Bancroft, but
these do not conflict with the recon-
mendation for three additional battle
ships which Secretary Herbert is con-
fdently expected to make in his annual
report. During the fiscal year nine YES
sells, the Indiana, Massachusetts,, Ore
gon, Maine, Texas, Terror, Monadnock,
Katahdin and Ericsson, were added to
the effective force of the navy, and dur
ing the current year the Brooklyn, Iowa,
Nashville, Wilmington, Helena, Puritan,
six gunboats, seven torpedo boats, and
one tug are to be added. Constructor
Hichborn declares that the naval sta
ton and docks at Port Royal, S. c., and
Port Orchard, Wash, cannot be properly
utilized without the erection of shops
for which he urges authority. The
major part of the report is devoted to
exposing the shortcomings of the re-
serve vessels. Practice has shown the
frequent necessity of open market
requisition for this work and strong
arguments are presented for an increase
in the supply fund to S1,5O0,Ooo. The
advisability of sheathing the bottoms Of
cruising vessels is reiterated as well as
former recommendations for building
additional dry-docks, to keep the ships
in a high state of efficiency. During the
past year the bureau prepared plans for
converting several classes of ships
which are entered in the naval reserve
list into effective auxiliary cruisers.
These include the Owego and Hudson
classes on the Great lakes and the Ell
Sol and Ell Dorado classes of ocean-go-
ing vessels. It is now proposed to pre-
pare the outfits and keep them ready for
immaculate IrSe