The sun., 1898-11-18

In his Introductory speech at tho annual
dinner OF the Chamber OF Commerce, Mr..
ALEXANDER E. ORR, the President. pointed
out, according to the reports, that Will
LIAM O. WHITNEY, o member Of the Cham
ber, had laid the foundations Of the new
navy" Secretary WHITNEY did great deal
for the new steel navy, but he did not do
that particular thing. The foundations of
the new navy were laid not under him, but
under his predecessor Secretary CHANDLER,
and this particular credit belongs not to
the Administration OF Mr.. CLEVELAND, but
to that OF Mr.. ARTHUR. .-.
The first four vessels Of our new navy, the
cruisers Chicago, Boston, and Atlanta, and
the despatch boat Dolphin, were authorized
under the act OF March 8, 1888, upon the
recommendation of the Naval Advisory
Board and Secretary CHANDLER. The Sec
retary advertised for their construction on
May 2, 1888, and the award was made
about three months later. "They were
well on thu way toward completion"
said report OF the House Commit
tee on Naval Affairs, several years after
ward, "at the close Of the Administra-
tion Of President ARTHUR. They are
good. stanch vessels, armed with high
power guns, and, as our first modern ships,
have given great satisfaction" The Chi
cago was for years our heaviest and most
powerfully armed steel ship, displacin g
4,5OO tons, while the Boston and Atlanta
displaced about 5000, and the Dolphin
1886. the aggregate being about 10000
tons laid down as a beginning for the new
American steel fleet.
But, in addition, under Secretary CHAND-
1ER, Congress authorized the building OF
the cruisers Newark, 4,09S tons, and
Charleston, $3.50, and Of the gunboats York
town, LILO, and Petrol, se2. The bids for
this second group OF four ships were called
for under the following Administration,
but the act Of Congress authorizing them be-
came a law on March 3, 1895. Again, that
same act, coming within the Administration
of President ARTHUR, authorized the compile
tion Of the double turret monitors Puritan,
5000 TONS and Amphitrite, Monadnock,
Miantonomoh and Terror, 5000 tons each.
Although these vessels have iron hulls, yet
in virtue Of their armor and armament
they belong to our modern navy, and the
act in question settled whether they should
be completed or abandoned.
Up to the year 1888 not only had no steel
warships ever been built in the United
States, but no steel for one had ever been
rolled here. SO that a new industry had to
be founded for our purposes. Furthermore,
up to that time we had never made high
power steel gun for our ships, so that this
great step in advance is also associated
with our first group of cruisers. Indeed,
board appointed under the act Of 1883
recommended the foundation Of the two
great ordnance factories of Washington and
Watervliet, which were ultimately estab-
lished and to this day supply navy and
army guns finished from the forgings
furnished by American steel works.
When Secretary WHITNEY came in he
carried on with vigor the building OF the
navy thus founded. He raised the stand
ard Of speed in cruisers, began the con-
struction Of steel armorclads, the Maine,
Texas Monterey, New York and Katahdin
all being authorized under him, started the
torpedo flotilla with the Gushing, built up
the Washington ordnance yard. and ar
ranged for the establishment Of the great
armor plant at Bethlehem. Secretary
TRACY. in his turn, built far more powerful
battleships and far faster cruisers and so
the work steadily advanced
But it remains true that the foundations
of our new navy were laid under President
ARTHUR and Secretary CHANDLER, and that
fact should not be forgotten.