The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-09-29
recommendations of a Special Board on
the Nesds Of the Navy.
FIVE new DOCKS URGENTLY NEEDED
Five Hundred Foot Concrete DocI, for
Norfolk Contingent upon ChanneI
improvements = Steel Floating
Dock Recommended for Newport
News -Estin,ntrs of tho Cost.
Washington, D. G., Sept. 2s, 1897.

Navy Department to consider the r1eeds
Oh the navy in the matter OF new dry
docks submitted its report to Acting
secretary Roosevelt to-day The board
IS composed of Commodore Bunce, Com
mander Chadwick and Consttuctor
Dashiell. with Civil Engineer Parks as
recorder. The board finds that five new
JOCKS are urgently necessary, while one
uhe Port Royal Is. CO. dock) should be
enlarged Immediately. The total cost
OF these docks, with the Port Royal inn
ProVement, is estimated at s5,775OOO.
four or the docks, the board says,
should be of concrete, namely. Mt Ros,
!oh' ioo feet long, cost $1,000, 600; at New
torK. QUO feet long, cost 81 200 900: at
Norfolk, 500 feet long, cost 81 100. 900:
Heghtening stone dock, $3.50, ,O0O); at Mare
ts!and' 300 feet long. $1.1OO,O ,OOO Each
~ tnese concrete docks Is to be COM
pleted fr two years.
AZ Alslers, near New Orleans with
GaiVeston or Pensacola as alternatives1
IL is proposed to place steel floatinp
COCK and wharf. This would cost s75o',
ooo ana could be completed in ten
In addition to these, the board recon-
mends docks at the following named
points which, though not In the natura
" emergency docks, are required to
pace the docking facilities of the coun
1ry on an adequate roofing:
~" Lonuecl, lfeSh waller basin and
aock connecting with river 81 600 0oo
IN two years; Newport News. steel no,t
ing COCK and moorings (aiternate to
Norfolk concrete dock), $3.50 900 in ten
e inoHtHs; Tortugas, steel floating dock
= ano mornings, S650,000, in ten months;
S oan francisco, concrete dock on Ycrba
. Buena Island, 700 feet long, 81, 500. 900. two
years.; San Pedro, concrete dock 7oo
rect long. 100000. in two years, making
q total cost Of this estimated supplement
s.cary work So, 800 600. = -.
~ &Soine sof the ,syimprovenents-reco
'ed Inenued are contingent upon compliance
with certain condition; Cor instance nj
Norfolk. upon channel improvements.
al san Francisco, upon survey of Yerbo
3uena Island; at Mare Island, upon
channel improvements: at San Pedro
upon harbor improvements. AS to New
port News, that board reports that tho
snip-buildinE company there contem-
Plates building a second large dry-docl1
and is willing to enter into any fair
agreement with the Government as 10
us use, being governed also by the
wishes OF the department as to dimen-
slons and material
Inc work outlined above seems to be
very extensive, but the board saws that
win all the additions 1t proposes to
the number of our dry-docks. we still
would have for naval purposes on our
entire coast linc only one more dry
dock than has Great Britain at one OF
It's naVy-yards, Portsmouth, Eng. At
present the United States has n total
OF eleven naval dry-docks. only one of
which at this time. that at Puget Sound
wash, can take in our battle ships
lcl support of its recommenda tions tho
board speaks as follows of the strateri
cal considerations which have influenced
It,
1--WE are, from a naval point of View
fIa
naval powers Of Europe; and the naval
strength OF Japan is growing so rap
Idly that within yer or two she will
over match lis i'm available strength i'm
the Pacific. Every effort is then nee
essary on our part to retain command
of the sea at least on our own coasts.
and to supplement our naval strength by
providing accessible f,:aceS for repair
ana docking and by Notifications 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
his supplies from his home stations.
MS operations must De limited by the
necessity Of holding his comminca-
ticns 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 arrival C1r
our coast even n much weaker naval
force. held completely in hand. with re-
pair and supply facilities near. we can
retain the command of the sea Cfl our
coasts and render impossible its occupa-
tation near our commercial centres"
In regard to the relative cost Of con-
struction of docks maze in various
materials, the board says that 1t would
appear from Information at hand that
the cost OF n steel floating dock and n
timber craving dock OF equal capacities
would 'be nearly equal but that the time
OF construction Is in favor OF the steel
dock in the ratio Of about seven to
twelve The concrete dock, under the
same conditions as the timber dock
would cost from SO to Is per cent. more
and the time Of construction would be
30 per cent. greater. In the opinion OF
the board the cost OF granite dock
would he about double that of a con-
crete dock. For all the docks a depth
of thirty feet over the sill Is suggested
ms being in nil probability the max imum
draft Of any vessel, even In the out of
trim condition produced by collision,
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 he
assured at ANY cost
the beard as to another dock at Mare
Island. II Is known to be the intention
OF the Navy Department TO reject the
suggestion GllcsS II can ibc assured that
more battle ships are to be built on the
Pacific coast at present there is only
one such vesscl--the Orcgon--on the
Pacific coast. and while the Navy De