The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-05
POOR POLICY AT PORT ROYAL.
THE GOVERNMENT DOING NOTHING
WITH THE BIG DRY DOCK.

Expenditure of Few Thousand
Dollars would Put 1t in Condi-
ton to Receive Nearly Amy One of
the Ships of the Navy-Claim Now
Made That the Government Lacks
Clean Title 10 the Land on
Which Ii Is Built.
Washington, March 4-Notwithstanding
the fact that nearly all the warships of the
North Atlantic squadron need docking, the
committee on naval affairs hesitates to
maye any further appropriation for i'm
proving the dock at Port Royal. Al the
navy department il is said that the expen-
diture of a few thousand dollars would
render the Port Royal dock efficient for
the handling Of nearly every ship of the
North Atlantic feet.
One of the latest reasons given for the
opposition to any further appropriation for
the Port Royal dock is that the United
States does not own a clear title to the
land upon which the dock is built. 1t is
further alleged that it is by no means GER
tain that a clear title can be secured ex-
cept by the government exercising its
rights of eminent domain and procuring it
by condemnation.
1t is said that a citizen claims htle to the
property based upon patent from the
state of South Carolina covering not only
the caisson Of the dock, but also the en-
trance to the same. The matter has been
in litigation for number of years and is
still undecided.
Members of the dock committee were
greatly astonished when this information
was presented a few days ago, and some
of them expressed their surprise that the
government should have expended hun
dreds of thousands of dollars at that point
under the circumstances.
The naval committee does not seem in
clined to pay any attention to the recon-
mendation of the navy department relative
10 the governments dry docks. for up 20
the present time, they have made no SUD
stantial provision for any of the great dry
docks along the Atlantic coast.
At the navy department it is said that
nearly all of the ships of the North At
lantic squadron have foul bottoms due to
the fact that they have seen so much
active service during the past year. They
have not been given an opportunity to be
cleaned of the marine substance that ac-
cumulates on their bottoms. The naval
regulations provide that ships should be
dccked at least once every six months. This
period has long been exceeded in the case
of nearly all the ships of Admiral Sicard's
fleet The battleship Iowa is the worst
off in this particular, and it will be year
next months since she was locked. The
battleship Massachusetts comes next, anH
1T will be a year in May since she was
locked. Even in the Northern waters
this length of time without docking wouo
leave the bottoms of the ships badly
fouled, but it is considerably worse in sropr
ical waters, particularly those about Flor
ida, where the marine growth is very lux
urious.
The naval officials say this condition Is
not serious in injuring the hulls of the
ships, as it is in crippling their move
ments. Ii makes them slow to respond
in action and practically prevents rapid
maneuvering. While this condition is re-
GREETED, the navy department has deter
mined not to attempt any docking al the
present time. Instead of that the expe-
dent of having the ships divers clean the
bottoms will be resorted to in cases of
need. This plan is far less satisfactory
tEan the thorough cleaning which can be
given in dock but IL has the ADVANTAGE
of keeping the ships in service. At pres
ent it is not thought that the necessities
of the case require the divers to go 10
work
1t Is incomprehensible to those who are
interested in this subject why the Port
Royal dock should not be utilized in such
an emergency as now exists. Col. Elliott
has assurances from the department Of
ficials that there is ample facilities at
Port Royal for the docking of ships of
the Indiana type and smaller vessels. If
Port Royal can accommodate the ships Ct
the navy, the mere fact that there Is
question as to the title of the property
should not prevent them from being sent
there. If it does not offer the necessary
facilities, Ii would be in the interest of
economy and for the general welfare of
the service to make liberal appropria-
ton Immediately available for such Inn
provements at Port Royal as may be deem
ed necessary. Now is the accepted time
for the government TO derive some benefit
from the naval establishment at Port
Royal. Interest in rival docks, or private
docking companies, should not be exerted
to the disadvantage of the South Carolina
dock, and steps should be taken to imme-
dlately repair the dock at Port Royal for
the reception of such ships as may need
docking.