Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-27
SEC'Y LONGS REPORT
He Asks for Less Than the Current
Appropriations
A PLEA MPA FOR ECONOMY
Results Obtamedin the Rebuilding
=
ofNhs Navy.
VESSELS BEING CONSTRUCTED

l
In his annual report Secretary Long asks
| for appropriations for the running ex-
penses of the navy, amounting to 81. 232, :
1885, and IS, f40,e73 for the increase of
the navy, a total of $3O,673 OOi 90 The ap-
| preparations for the current year ending III
| 1893 were cor siderabiy more than this
| amount. They were: For running expenses
500, 179, 451 49, and for increase, $l3,933 7S3;
a total of ss4,113. 234.19. The Secretary
| recommends that The authorization of new
| ships by the coming Congress be limited to
one battle ship for the Pacific coast where
after the five now under construction are
| completed, there will be only two, while
\ on the Atlantic there will be seven, and
lso to few torpedo boats and torpedo
boat destroyers. both of which are COM
| paratively CT little cost ard more of which
| are desirable in order to bring this swift
mobile and handily effective arm of the
| service up to its place in the general
scheme for coast defense
The Fighting Force.
THE present effective fighting force of
the navy" says Secretary Long, CON
s:sts of four battle ships of the first class,
two battle ships of the second class, two
armored cruisers, sixteen cruisers. fifteen
gunboats, six douple-turreted monitors, one
ram, one dynamite gunboat, one dispatch
boat, one transport steamer and five tor
pedo boats. There are under construction
| five BIZ tile ships of the first class, sixteen
| torpedo boats and one submarine boat.
There are sixty-four other naval YES
sells, including those used as training,
oeiving and naval reserve ships, tugs, dis
used singie-turreted monitors and some I'M
serviceable craft.
"'rhere is, further, the auxiliary fleet.
This consists, first, of more than twenty
subsidized steamers which comply with the
requirements of tie postal act of March
3. 1891. with regard to their adaptability
to naval service, and 20 an armament of
| main and secondary batteries; second, of a
very much greater number of large mer.
chant marine steamers. which can be avail
! ed of at any time Of need.
"The auxlliaries, ranging from 1000 to
1000 tons, will, If occasion require, form
Q powerful fleet Of ocean cruisers. capa-
| BILE of swift and formidable attack upon
an enemy's commerce. Their great coal
capacity Will also enable them to remain
a long time at sea in search of the where
abouts of hostile vessels.
1.-The country is to be congratulated upon
| the results obtained In the rebuilding of
| the navy. While its ships are not as many
land it is not necessary they should be-
| as those of some othGf great powers, they
| are class for class. III power. speed work
! manship and Offensive and defensive quail
| ties, the equal OF NeSSelS Dulit anywhere
A else in the world" - ..--..-.. tsi1if-J
Vessels, Being Built.
"Tha vessels undhr construction should be
| completed during the coming year, except
the five battle ships which will probably
not be ready for service before the latter
part of 1899. Of the latter the Kearsarge
and Kentucky are nearly half completed.
About three-quatters of their armor has
been delivered, q part of which has been
secured in place. on che ships. The other
| TIN ee. the Alabama, Illinois and Wisconsin,
We're begun SUBSEQUENT to the, last annual
| report. With the exception Hof small
amount of dia gonal casemate armor! which
the ship contractors have agreed to furnish
| at the price fixed by law, it will be .necessa-
ry to preliminarily accept them without
armor, in accordance with the terms of the
contract for their construction. The ships
| are so designed. however, and the contract
| so drawn that this can be done without
| much other embarrassment to the govern
| nent than the delay in their final compile
| ton. But this, of course, is a great en-
| barrassment, practically making these ves,-
selsi useless meantime to the navy. To pres
vent this, provision should at once be made
for obtaining thesarmor necessary to, tiredr
| completion, -
| Docking Facilities
| The Secretary considers the increase in
| docking facilities the most urgent need of
! the naval service at this time and refers to
| the recent necessity of sending the In
| diana 10 Halifax to be locked He recon-
mends that dock be constructed at Bos-
| ton large enough to receive the largest
| ocean-going vessels. That at New York
| timber dock No. be fitted with a con-
crete entrance and widened sufficiently to
acccmm odate our largest battle ships That
| the dock at League Island be widened and
| provided with concrete entrance. That
at Norfolk the short dock be heightened
| 100 feet which will enable it to accommo-
| GATE all except our very largest ships and
unless an arrangement is made at Newport
| News the long dock be improved That at
FORT Royal proper wharf be constructed
adjoining the dock That at Algiers New
| Orleans, steel floating dock be construct
Cd, and that at Mare Island a frst-class
dock be constructed soon as the depth
| OF water shall be increa sed to the Droper
| extent.
| Progress has also been made in obtaining
reserve supply of guns and projectiles for
| naval vessels and for auxiliary cruisers. At
| the present time 142 guns for this purpose
| are in process of manufactures twelve OF
| which are of large caliber and 1870 suitable
| fer arming auxiliary cruisers This num-
| Ger VIII be sufficient to arm only twenty
one vessels with six guns each. 1t is deem
| ed desirable by the department that this
| work should be steadily prosecuted, as in
no other way or with SO little expense can
| We add to our naval strength as by pro-
| wong. guns and ammunition for auxiliary
cruisers AS these vessels are already built
they need only to be armed to make them
efectlve additions to the navy. The de-
| partment has therefore asked in its esti-
mates for the coming year an additional
| appropriation for this purpose.
me board for the inspection of merchant
| vessels has scheduled sixty vessels and
recommends batteries as follows: Forty
SIX slx-inch, 100 five-incf and 206 four-inch
| guns There are now in process of manu-
| facture Al six-inch. 10 five-inch and 40
four-inch guns, leaving to be provided five
1 and fnrrr ,,I,
| guns. Jns rs
Defettivesi System.
The Secretary devofes long chapter in
his report to the question of the personnel
He tells in detaho Of very grave faults of
the present systdIh, and states that he has
appointed beard to consider the whole
subject and repor4lto Congress. He thinks
that it is desiEablesI that the President
should have the riehtso appoint ten cadets
at large each year, land makes strong
| plea for authority tos Increase the force of
enlisted men to cDrres4nond to the increa SO