The morning times., 1896-12-06
TO FIGHT COAST CONTESTS
Secretary Herbert Wants Three
Light-Dfaft Battleships.
TWELVE TORPEDO BOATS
With These H. Thinks the Country
Can Have an Immense Advantage.
Smaller Vessels Could Sally Out
From River POrts-Naval Militia
Discussed In ii is Report.

asks Congress at the coming session to au-
thorize three lightdraft battieShips and
twelve torpedo boats. He recommends
that these boats he planned for an extrenc
! deep load draught OF not more than twenty
three feet, and suggests that considerations
! of strategy upon the Atlantic and Gulf
coasts render This an essential to the sue
| cess of the naval campaigns.
This reasoning he says. lis the final
| result of much careful study by able Of
| ficers of conditions as they exist on our
| Southern coast BatticShipS that could
| enter the harbors or Savannah, brunswick,
Key West, Tampa, Pensacola. Mobile,
and The mouth of the Mississippi at all
| times would have an immense advantage
| over the battieships Of foreign nations,
| few, If any of which. could enter these
ports. Light-draft battleships, il We had
| them, could make any of these ports bases
| of supply, could sally forth from them or
| retire into them at Will, and could almost
| always offer battle on their own terms.
| There are also many OF our ports further
north which would give the same advan
| taSes to such ships
UPBUILDING OF THE NAVY.
An interesting feature OF the report
| is resume of the progress OF the up
| building of the new navy from the time
| OF the Inauguration under Secretary Chan
| dler. Congress- has authorized, during
| the present administration, twenty-eight
vessels, with a total tonnage of 65,S66
| tons; of these five are first-class battle
ships and sixteen torpedo boats. Large
as the above increase appears says
the Secretary, lit yet does not suffice to
place the United States Navy in a salts
| factory condition, If we mean TO be able
| at all times to defend our long line OF
seacoast, afford unquesti enable protec-
| tion to cur citizens in foreign lands, rem
der efficient aid to our diplomacy, and
maintain, under all circumstances, our
| national honor"
| The Secretary, calling attention to the
comparative naval strength OF the prin-
| Cipal powers states that while the results
| achieved by the United States are highly
creditable to the country, yet, it is clear
that the great powers with which We are
| brought into close relationship largely
| exceed us, not only in the number OF battle
slips and torpedo boats, actually in com
mission. but in their naval programs for
| the future.
The secretary show that ION July 80,
| 1898, there We're thirty vessels Ill coin
mission, with tonnage of 62.92U TONS
while on December 10. the actual tonnage
in commission will be 1877 ,S59 TONS
Attention is again called to the neces essity
| for some legislation by Congress which
will enable the department to make use, in
| case OF an emergency, of the tugs, yachts,
|
| and coastwise and lake trade, and to call
into the service of the Navy the sailors
| and officers necessary 10 command and fit
| such ships, in case of threat cned or actual
| war. He recommends an additional ap-
| preparation for the purpose OF supplying
| guns and ammunition with which To arm
vessels to be called into service from our
merchant marine.
| A RESERVE SYSTEM.
/! Reference IS also made TO IeserVe SyS-
TEN, and the Secretary sets forth the re-
| port of n board appointed to formulate
general plan for The laying up Of vessels
| in reserve, and in this connection IL is an
| nuunced that the department eNpectsto be
| able to submit to the Congress at an early
day during the coming session suggestions
| for such legislation as may be needed to
enable il to provide proper accommodations
| for ships, SO that ii may establish and
| maintain reserve system, with the value
! and importance OF which tue department
is deeply impressed.
The subject of the naval militia is dealt
| with at some length, and it is shown that
at the close of the last administration the
number of naval militia lawfully certified
| was ,T94, divided among the States of
Rhode Island, Maryland, South Carolina,
| North Carolina, Massachusetts, California
and New York. From the last official
| returns they now number 1888 in the
| States of California. New York, Massachu-
| sets North Carolina, Rhode Island, Mary
lard, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, 1lli-
| nois, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey,
| Georgia and Louisiana, and the depart
ment has been informed OF the prospective
formation OF an additional battalion in
| New York tat BROOKLYN and an organiza-
ton in Ohio.
During the summer the various battalions
have been drilled on vessels of the Navy
| and have had the advantages OF target
practice a nd drills, with the batteries Of
the ships.
NEW DOCK AT NORFOLK.
| The Secretary devotes considerable space
to reviewing the reports of the chiefs of
bureaus, which have already been pub.
lished and in this connection asks Congress
to authorize the building of dock at
Norfolk OF sufficient size to take in the
largest vessel of the Navy. This he
recommends should bc constructed OF CON
crete as 1t is more durable, more readily
repaired, and cheaper than wooden dock
Such satisfactory experiments have been
made with liquid fuel by EngineerinC hief
Melville that the department has ordered
that tug now being constructed at the
Norfold yard, and one of the smaller tor
pedo boats being built by the Herreshoff
Company, be fitted for using this oil, in
tending thus to thoroughly test its Capa
bilities. These boats will be adapted for
coal IL oil fails.
| For the reiIef of the overworked engineer
corps it is urged that their number be
increased until the limit shall reach $50
instead of 1874 as at present.
tits announced that a training station on
the racific coast of the Island of Yerba
Buena as provided by Congress will soon
DE established and that i'll the meantime
the Adams, now returning from Honolulu,
| will be fitted for the duty.