The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-11-20
PREPARE FOR WAR
COMMODORE MELVILLE TAKES UP
The REFRAIN.

u lNs
Reports Upon the Condition of the Machi-
merry OF Uncle Sans warships and OF
the varioos Navy Yards as to Their
Capacities for Work-Iecommends In
creasins the Engineering Force, Citing
the Cases OF Officers Recently Pros
trated From Overwork-ConsuI ar Re-
ports, and Various Fereign Matters.
WASH ngton, Nov. 1a.-The report Of
Commodore Melville, chief engineer of
the navy, made public today, gives a
detai:I statement of the condition OF all
WarshipS so far as their machinery and
mechanical apparatus are concerned. AS
q whole, is shows that all the modern
ships are in good condition except in
few minor Instances in which machinery
is being over2lauled. the old-time ships
are, as Usual, reported as antiquated
but most of them are said to be service
able, considering their age. The report
says that during the year the bureau has
prepared pIa.as and specifications for the
machinery of battleships Nos 3, 6, Z, s
and g. for the Hartford and for the tug
No. s, for the League Island navy yard
and pans for the machinery of the TWEEN
1y-knot and twenty-tWO-knot torpedo
boats and for Encouragement OF the
machinery of the Atlanta, due 10 the
fitting Of new boilers in that vessels.
Work a, the New York navy yard on the
new machinery for the Chicago is pro-
crossing as rapidly as the appropriation
for that purpose will permit. The COM
p!aCion of the boilers has been delayed
owing to the failure TO obtain the nickel
steel Plates originally ordered, and TO
fur ther delays consequent on the failure
sor the manufacturers 10 deliver within
reasonable time enough shell plates or
nickel steel of a satisfactory finish TO
complete one OF the cylindrical boilers.
The work of the nickel steel plate fin
ally accepted for one boiler has also in
volved some delay and the experiment a.
q whole has added considerable to the
cost of manufacturing the cylindrical
boilers. The department having decided
that entirely new machinery should not
he built for the Atlanta, the bureau has
prepared a plan for fitting her with new
boilers ard making certain alterations in
her present engines which will probably
make her more economical cruiser, but
as the engines of this vessel are not of
anything like modern design the process
of patching will probably prove an ex-
pensive one in the end, IS the changes
contemplated are only such as will be
necessary to make the engines suit the
boilers and render her engine room more
accessible.
The bureau has expended $675, 096 dur
ing the PAST year.
The New York navy yard has done the
largest quota OF work, the expenditure
on vessels being s346, 927 and the yard
expenses s130,537. The Norfolk navy yard
dsbursed s122,320 on vessels and S49,-
gil on the yard. The Boston navy yard
spent 1902 on vessels and s10,015 on the
yard. The Mare Island California yard
disbursed s12S,362 on vessels and sS3.451
on the yard.
The report says of the Mare Island
yard: This is the only repair station on
the Pacific coast and there are now at
that yard under repair no less than sew
en- vessels requiring more or less expen- |
Five repairs, after several years OF con- |
tinucus commission The shops are i'll |
adapted to the work and the absence OF
proper tools and Of modern boiler max
ing plants are severity felt. The result is
shown IN the increased cost of work
done AT the yard beyond what 1t would
cost IL the proper tools were at hand and
properly arranged for facilitating work |
There are certain things which should
be obtained without delay, the most i'm
portant being a hydraulic boiler-making |
plant"
The report urges that a boIler-rnaking |
pant be provided at the Norfolk yard |
and the League Island yards. AS to the |
new dry docks at Port Royal. s. c., the !
report says. The completion al this sta |
ton of the only dry dock on the Atlantic |
coast which will take the battleships, |
makes it imperative that there should be |
facilities al hand for doing the ordinary
aepair work that may be required when |
one Of the vessels is locked, some of |
which can be done only at such time"
Commodore Melville points out in clos |
Ing that a large number OF valuable en- !
2ineers have been retired during the year
for physical disability owing TO the !
heavy strain on his branch OF work, and |
an increase of the force is urgently rec |
commended, He says: The personal el- |
emsnt is one which must enter largely |
into the result Of any naval eng9g cement |
and II we had the most powerful and /
swiftest navy afloat Il would be value |
less 10 us in time Of war If we have not |
sufficient number of trained men "a |
Sc that the machinery OF this fleet Is IN |
condition god enough TO keep y going |
in action, The guns viii be poWerlsss |
without the machinery. and other things |
being equal, that fleet viii give the best |
account OF Itself which has The best |
equipment of trained men in the elain. |
room as Well as at the guns To sacrl-
Goe the one IS merely inviting disaster 10 |
the whole"
MEXICAN TOBACCO
Washington. Nov. 19.-Consul General
Crittenden reports from Mexico 10 ire |
state department that aiexican tobacco
promises 70 take the place OF the fine
grades OF Cuban tobacco n the markets |
or he world The report IS an exhaustive |
REVIEW o. the Tobacco resources OF Mex
leo, ana presents the subject IN new
ana important light General Critten6en |
makes no mention OF The Cuban war as
q cause OF the depletion OF Cuba's tobac-
co proauct, but he points on; that under
normal conditions Cuba's soil has be-
come Impoverished until IL cen Weld no |
more. Under these circumstances. the
SonsuI general says the words redlire-
snentsS Of what are known as "Havsna'
cigars car be supplied only through Tho
Gse o. Mexican leaf tobacco. Already
Sreas tracts Of country are being ouerat-
ed as tobacco plantations, and tie pro-
duct equals the best from the lannon's To-
baceo sections OF Cuba The tohecco |
lands can be extended over a territory
one hundred times greater than C1bs's
tobacco region. England, France and
Diner countries are using large quan-i-
lies OF this tobacco. General CrittenSe, !
says Il promises 10 make Mexico cigars
sr0m its tobacco alone NerASsa~i'N- hon. I