New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-20
DOCKS, SHIPS AND WAR.

The notion has been gaining ground for several
years that the United States Navy Is outgrow-
ing-indeed. has Outgrown-ts docks The Gov
ernment has been turning out ships Of various
classes Mt n great rate, and Of the best quality,
until this Is now the fourth or fifth naval Power
In the world ArmOr works. arsenals and ship
building yards. chiefly private. have kept pace
with the demand. In most respects the Gov
eminent navy yards are well equipped and ser
vlceable. But in the one supremacy important
respect Of drydOcks the naval establishment Is
sadly lacking. This as we have said, is no new
discovery. For years the fact has been obvious.
The inadequacy OF existing dock facilities. and
the urgent need Of greatly increasing them at
the earliest possible moment. have been dwelt
upon again and again. The delay in construct
ing the new Brooklyn dock. and the grounds for
doubling whether when done It would prove
satisfactory. have also been familiar themes of
public comment
To all such suggestions. criticisms and warn
ings there has been one cuckoo-call Of reply
They were unpatriOtc. To doubt that every
thing was for the best under the best possible
of naval administrations was little short of sac
rege. We were the greatest Nation on earth,
and were building the finest Navy. and any one
who pretended to detect the slightest flaw any
where in ships or guns or yards or docks or
men, was "a wretch whom twere gross fiattery
to name a traitor But now the retort comes.
stern and unanswerable. in a complete fulfil
ment Of the worst fears that were expressed.
The new drydock in Brooklyn Is so leaky as to
be worthless for present use The older timber
dock has also given out. Hundreds of thousands
Of dollars and months Of time will be required
to make them disable. In the mean time. II we
want to put our new warships in dock for cleans
ing or repairs must send them to remote
point on our own coast or to the port Of some
foreign land. A fine state Of affairs. indeed.
Luckily. 1t Is time Of peace But leaks regard
no times nor seasons. Suppose the United States
were ut war with Spain. as so many superheat-
ed patriots desire. not TO mention some greater
Power: such n predicament as this might we'll
prove disastrous. Or should we save ourselves
by asking the commander Of hostile feet kind
~ to wait until we could send our ships to Hall
fax or Southampton and have them made ready
to meet him?
There Is nothing which the United States Navy
more urgently needs than an adequate system
Of drydocks-of irst-class drydocks, that can be
depended upon for service at any time. 1t needs
two on the Pacific Coast, at least one on the Gulf
Coast, and four or five at well-selected points
along the Atlantic Coast. In that particular this
Nation can well follow the example of Great
Britain. She has not only an abundance Of
docks at home but also I'm her colonies, all over
the world, so that a British ship in need OF re-
pairs can. wherever II may be. reach dockage
by few days steaming. Certainly this coun-
try ought to have n similar equipment on Its own
coasts. To build lot Of fine ships and have no
docks TO put them into, and have to send them
to foreign lands for repairs, is folly Of which no
country should be guilty longer than It takes to
repair the fault.