The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-11-27
Aiacchus' Advice.
SfdtGS and Needs
OF The New Navy

washington, NOV. 2b.-1ne report OF the
secretary of the navy was made public
today. II puts the present effective fight
ing force of the United States navy at
4 battleships of the first-class, 2 battle
ships of the second class, armored cruis-
ers, i6 cruisers, IL gunboats, double
turreted monitors, ram, dynamite gun
boat, dispatch boat. transport steamer
and torpedo boats. There are under
construction battleships of the first
class, 16 torpedo boats, and / submarine
boat There arc 81 other naval vessels,
including those used as training, receiv-
ing, and naval-reserve ships, tugs, dis
used single-turreted monitors. and some
unserviceable craft. There is further
the auxiliary fleet. This consists, first. of
more than 20 subsidized steamers which
comply with the requirements of the pos
tai act of March 8, 1891, with regard to
the adaptability to naval service, and to
an armament of main and secondary
batteries second, of very much greater
number of large merchant marine steam
ers, which can be avalled of at any time
of need. The report adds: These auxili-
aries, ranging from 1000 to 1900 tons
will, If occasion require, form power
full fleet of ocean cruisers, capable of
swift and formidable attack upon an
enemy's commerce. Their great coal ca
pacty will also enable them to remain
a long time at sea in search of the where
abouts of hostile vessels. The country is
to be congratulated upon the results OBJ
tained in the rebuilding of the navy
While its ships are not as maryland ii
is not necessary they should be-as those
of some other great powers, they are,
class for class, in power, speed, work.
manship, and offensive and defensive
qualities. the equal of vessels built any
where else in the world. The vessels un-
der construction should he completed
during the coming year, except the five
battleships, which will probably not be
ready for service before the latter part of
$780,"
1t appears from the report that today
the most urgent need of the naval service
is an increase of docking facilities. OF
the eleven government docks-nine on the
Atlantic and two on the Pacific coast
three were designed to accommodate bat
tlcships of the first class, one at New
York, one at Port Royal, S. c.. and one
at Bremerton, Wash, on Puget Sound
But the dock at New York has been for
six months, and is likely for three months
more to be undergoing repairs, and at
the dock at Port Royal there is not only
an insufcicncy of water. but the cross
section of the dock is too small to safely
admit battlcships with biGe kcels af-
fixed. a modern ship should be docked
every few months, and owing TO the
above condition of the docks on this
coast it was necessary to send the Indi-
ana To Halifax i'm August last for this
purpose. On the Pacific coast there Is
but one dock Of sufficient size to dock a
modern battleship. This is on Puget
Sound, 900 miles from San Francisco.
Access to IL Is through a narrow chan
mel twenty miles long, one side of which
is In possession of a foreign country.
This lack of docking facilities, says Sec
retaTy Long, should be remedied at the
earliest possible moment. The necessity
Is imperative. On the subject of the de-
Velopment of naval militia the secre-
tary reports gratifying progress. Seven
teen states now have naval militia or
ganiZations,
With regard to the future OF navy
building, Secretary Long says; "Our
remoteness from foreign powers the
genius of our institutions, and the devo-
ton OF our people to education, COM
merce, and industry, rather than TO any
policy that involves military entanglc-
ments, make war to he thought of only
as last resort In defense of our rights,
ana our military and naval establish
ments as police force for the preserVa-
tion of order and never for aggression.
While all this is, therefore. an earnest
or peace as the normal condition of our
national life, there is no question of the
necessity, the wisdom, and the economy,
to the same end, of an effective navy, i'm
view OF the vast extent of our coast and
the possibility of attack from the sea
upon our great cities, where the concen-
tration of population and property Is
enormous. The country is committed TO
the Increase of the navy by the declara-
tions of our people and the action of
their representatives, The very fact that
we are capable of manufacturing armor
and guns, powder and projectiles, and TO
construct ships which are the equals of
those built anywhere else, is in itself a
source of great naval power and our
present resources In this respect should
not be impaired We should preserve and
maintain these resources and the ability
not only to continue the work already
so well advanced, but to improve upon
1t, ms the science of naval construction,
as II Is sure TO do, develops the new