The age-herald., 1897-09-29
FIVE DRY DOCKS NEEDED
Besides Steel Floating Docks, Same to
 Cost Many Millions.
PACIFIC COAST POORLY PROTECTED
And the Actions of Japan Cause Speculation as to the More Important and Urgent Need of Better Docking System
 Other Suggestions.

Washington, Sept. 2S.-The special board appointed by the navy departm snt 10 consider the needs of the navy in the matter of new dry docks submitted its report 10 Acting Secretary Roosevelt to- day. The board is composed of Com modore Bunce, Commander Chadwick and Constructor Dashiell, with Civn En- gineer Parks as recorder The board ately necessary, while one(the Port Roy al, s. C., dook) Rhould be enlarged at once The total cost of these docks. wt.h the Port Royal improvement, Is es- Aimatsd at $5,777,00O. Four of the doel1s, the board says, should be of concrete, namely, at Boston, 700 feet long, costing sl,30O GOO; at Now York, 800 feet long, costing $1,2OO0O0; alt Norfolk, 800 feet long, costing s1,10O,000; Qengthening stone dock, $25O0O) at Mare Island, 500 feet long, s1,1OO,OOO. Each of these con crete docks is to be completed in two years. At Algiers, noar New Orleans (with Galveston or Pensacola as aTaerna- tions), it is proposed to place a steel floating dock or wharf This will cost $750,000, and could be completed in ten months In addition to thls, '.he board recommends docks at the following named points, which, though not in tine nature off emergency docks. are required to place the docking facilities of sIhe roIlntr-v on am adeuuata foy,fsno. Narx, Gondon, fresh water basin and dock connecting win river, $1, 900, 900, in two years time; Newport News, steel float ing dock and moorings (alsernate, Nor folk concrete docak), s650,0OO in ten months; ToI'tugas steel floating dock and moorngs, s65o,oOO. In ten smon:hs; san Francisco, concrete dock on Yureba Isl- and, 800 feet long, S1, 5O0, ,ooO, two years; San Pedro, concrete dock, TOO feet Ionlg, $1,500,00 in two years; making the total cost of l1he estimatcd supplementary works 5,3OOOO0. Some of the improve men,s recommended are contingent upon appliances with certain conditions. for instance, ait Norfolk, upon channel lm- provemenf; at San Francisco, survey of Yurba Buera Is.anld; at Mare Island, upon channel island; at New Loudon, upon halbor improvements. As to New port News the board reports that the EIh.pbulding company there cont emp1ates building second large dry dock, and is willing to enter into amy fair agiee- ment with 'the government as to it's use a1co hu he ;ct,o of department as to dimensions and mate rial.
 The work outlined above seems to ba 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 the entire coast line only one more dry dock than has Great Britain at one of it's navy yards, Portsmouth. England. At the present the United States has a total of eleven naval dry docks only one of which, the Puget Sound. Wash. can take in our battleships.
 In support of it's recommendations the board speaks as follows of the strategi- cal conditions which influenced it:
 "We are. from naval point of view. weak in comparison with the great naval powers of Europe; and the naval strength of Japan is growing so rapidly that within a year or two she will over match us in available strength on the Pacific. Every effort Is then necessary on our part to retain command of the sea at least on our own coasts and to supplement our naval strength by pro- vidfng accessible places for repair and docking and by Qualifications so located that when our squadrons are pressed by superior force they may uss them as supports in holding the approaches to our coast So long as an enemy is com his home stations his operations must be limited by the necessity of holding his communications clear and ths quan- tity of supplies he can transport in his ships under the protection of his fleets. If he must be prepared to meet upon arrival upon our coasts even much weaker naval force held compactly in hand with r+pair and supply facilities near at hand we can retain the command of the sea upon our coasts and render Impossible its occupation near our com mercial centers.''
 In regard to the relative cost of con- str,rction of docks made of various ma serials the board says that 1t will anaear