The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-29
FIVE NEW DOCKS SUGGESTED.
IMPERATIVE NECESSITY FOR BET
TER NAVAL FACILITIES.


New York Norfolk and Mare
Island-The Work VIII Cost Nearly
Six Million DOIIars-The Necessity
For Navy on the Pacific.
Washington, Sept 2s.-The special board
appointed by the navy department to con-
slider the needs of the navy in the matter
of new dry docks. submitted it's report
to Acting Secretary Roosevelt to-day.
The board is composed of Commodore
Bunce Commander Chadwick and Con-
structor Dashiell, with Civil Engineer
Parks as recorder The board finds that
five new docks are urgently necessary,
while one Ghe Port Royal IS. C.) dock)
should be enlarged Immediately. The total
cost of these docks. with the Port Royal
improvement, is estimated at S5,775OO
Four Of the docks, the board says, should
be of concrete, namely, at Boston, 700 feet
long, cost, $1,30o0Oo; at New York. 500 feet
long, cost $1,20OOO0; at Norfolk, 500 feet
long cost $1,1OOO0O Qengthening stone
dock, $250000) at Mare Island 500 feet
long, $11OOOOO. Each of these concrete
docks is TO be completed in two years.
At Algers, near New Orleans with Gal
weston or Pensacola as altematives), it is
proposed to place a steel floating dock
and wharf. This would cost $75O,OOO, and
could be completed in ten months,
In addition to these, the board recon-
mends docks at the following named points
which, though in the nature of emergency
docks, are required to place the docking
| facilities of the country on an adequate
| footing: New London fresh water basin
and dock connecting with river, 100000,
| in two years time; Newport News, steel
! floating dock and moorings (alternate to
| Norfolk concrete dock) $65O,OOO In ten
months; Tortugas steel floating dock and
moorings, $650,OO0, in ten months;
San Francisco, concrete dock on
Yerba Buena Island, 700 feet long, 81 500, 900,
two years; San Pedro, concrete dock, 100
| feet long, $1,5OO,O0O in two years, making
the total cost of this estimated supple
mentary work $780, 900.
Some of the Improvements recommended
| are contingent upon compliance with GER
| tain conditions, for instance at Norfolk
| upon channel Improvements; at San Fran
| cisco. upon survey of Yerba Buena Island;
| at Mare Island, upon channel improve
| ments; at San Pedro upon harbor inn
| provements. AS to Newport News, the
| board reports that the ship building COM
pany there contemplates building a second
large dry dock, and is willing to enter into
! any fair agreement with the government
! as to its use, being governed also by the
wishes of the department as to dimensions
| and material
The work outlined above seems to be
very extensive, but the board says that
with all the additions it proposes to the
number of our dry docks, we still would
| have for naval purposes on our entire
| coast line only one more dry dock than
| has Great Britain at one of its navy
| yards, portsmouth, Eng. AT present the
| United States has a total of eleven naval
! dry docks, only one of which at this
| time, that at Puget Sound, Washington.
| can take in our battleships.
| In support of its recommendations the
! board speaks as follows of the strategicaI
considerations which have influenced it:
! I'VE are, from a naval point of view
| weak in comparison with the great naval
! powers OF Europe; and the naval strength
| Oh Japan is growing SO rapidly that with
! in year or two, she will oyermatch us
| In available strength in the Pacific Every
effort is then necessary on our part to re-
| tain command of the sea at least on our
own costs, and to supplement our naval
strength by providing accessible places
| for repair and docking, and by fortiica-
! uoils SO located that when our squadrons
| are pressed by a superior force
they may use them as supports in holding
the approaches to our coasts. So long as
an enemy Is compelled to draw all of its
supplies from his home stations. his oper-
| atlons must be limited by the necessity of
holding his communications clear and the
quantity of supplies he can transport In
! his ships under the protection of his fleets
If he must be prepared to meet upon ar
| rival on our coasts even a much weaker
| force. ~ in
repair and supply facilities near, we can
| retain the command of the sea on our
| coasts and render impossible It's occupa-
ton near our commercial centers."
In regard to the relative cost of CON
! struction of docks made in various mate
rials, the board says that it would appear
! from information at hand that the cost of
a steel floating dock and a timber grav-
ing dock of equal capacities would be near
| ly equal, but that the time of cons truction
IS in favor of the steel dock in the ratio
of about seven 70 twelve. The concrete
! dock, under the same conditions as the
timber dock. would cost from 50 to 70
per cent. more, and the time of construc-
| ton would be 80 per cent. greater In
| the opinion of the board, the cost of
granite dock would be about double that
| of a concrete dock. For all the docks
a depth of thirty feet over the sill is
| suggested, as being in all probability the
maximum draught of any vessel, even in
| the out-of-trim condition produced by col
| lision accident or explosion.
| In conclusion the board expresses the
conviction that all government docks
| should be of permanent character and
their readiness for use at all times be as
| sured at any cost.
Respecting the recommendations Of the
| board as to another dock at Mare Island
! 1t is known to be the intention of the navy
| department to reject the suggestion un-
! less 1t can be assured that more battle
4 ships are to be built on the Pacific coast
| At present there is only one such vessel
| the Oregon, in the Pacific, and while the
navy department feels keenly the need for
more ships Of this Formidable style of
craft, 1t is not deemed economic policy to
| build another dock in addition to that at
| Puget sound for one ship.
The report of the board abounds In
careful reasoning to support all of its
recommendations and the advantages and
drawbacks of each Of the ports on the At
| lantic and Pacific coasts are set out in de-
| tail. The board itself will be kept to-
| gether for more work in the same line.
i Cant Chadwick ie poiup 10 Eurona 60 he