Evening star., 1898-10-28
EQUIPPING THE NAVY
Work of the Construction Bureau
During the War.
TANK At THE NAVY YARD HERE
Excellent Behavior of AL! Classes of
Vessels.

Vessels.
W RSHIPS ASS1FIED
A large part of the burden of equipping
the United States navy for the war with
Spain fell upon the construction bureau of
the navy, and in his annual report Com
modore Hichborn. the chief constructor,
furnishes many interesting details as to the
extent of this work, involving the trans
formation of more than 100 merchant
craft into effective naval vessels at short
notice.
At Minor Naval stations.
Looking to the future, the-chief construc-
tor invites attention to the Importance of
properly eaIipping and maintaining the
plants at the minor naval stations along
the coast already stablished, and he sub
mits proper estimates for that purpose,
averaging about $25of0 in each case. He
says that had the consequences of the re-
cent naval engagements in the West In
dies been nearly SO serious as there was
reason to expect they might be, the south
ern stations would have been necessary
for repairs to ships too badly injured TO be
sent TO northern yards. To keep the nu-
cleus of a force of mechanics at these sta
tions, small work should be constantly un-
der way and proper storehouses should be
erected to keep sufficient quantities of ma
terial Oh hand 1t is suggested that while
the new dock at Algiers. Louisiana,ls build
ing a suitable repair plant and storehouses
be erected.
Vessels Accepted From Builders.
Besides the long list of vessels purchased
by the government for use as auxiliary
cruisers, the report says that ten vessels
were accepted by the government from
builders during the last fiscal year. These
were the Iowa, Helena, Nashville, Will
mington, Annapolis, Marietta, Newport,
Vicksburg, Foote and Wheeling.
The progress made on vessels under con-
struction has been very satisfactory. The
work on the battle ships has been held
back to an appreciable degree by the i'm
possibility of procuring armor when it was
needed. The progress made on some of the
torpedo boats has not fully met the re-
Qurements of the contracts. owing largely
to inexperienced builders and delay in Sc
curing material. Therefore. ii is suggest
ed that in awarding contracts the depart
ment should limit builders unfamiliar with
torpedo boat or naval work to a single ves-
sci, in order that they may not on an ap-
parent saving of few Thousand dollars,
obtain their experience at a heavy expense
in delay and annoyance to the government.
The chief constructor declares that the
naval engagements of the past few months
have thoroughly justified his course in
making freproof the woodwork placed in
our war vessels He produces figures to
show that serious Inconvenience was eX-
perenced owing to the lack of dry docks
dur ng the past year, and says the necessity
for hastening the construction of the new
docks is strongly evident.
Allusion is made to the steady decrease
in the number Of apprentices in the several
navy yards, which the chief constructor
thinks Is a matter of regret. He says that
the apprentices make the best workmen and
therefore he urges that the system be put
on new basis. that boys be carefully Sc
lected for apprenticeship, physically exam
ined and then carried through the proper
courses Of construction al the navy yards.
Excellent Behavior Of the Vessels.
The behavior OF all classes of our naval
vessels throughout the various conditions
of the war is set down as source of graft
fication to the construction bureau where
the greater part of them were designed.
The behavior of all, both in action and in
general service on the blockade. appears to
have been such as to thoroughly demon
strate their integrity, and their suitability
for the service for which they were de-
signed.
The chief constructor pays a tribute to
the interchangeable iabors of the construction
corps during the war, and expresses the
opinion that the increase in its personnel
has hardly been as rapid the demands
upon its services. Therefore, it is urged
that the department continue the liberal
policy it has recently followed in assigning
officers to the corps.
The Tank at the Navy Yard.
In regard to the experimental tank at
the Washington navy yard, Commodore
Hichborn says:
The experimental tank and building
have reen completed since the bureaus
last annual report. Unforeseen difficulties
encountered during the excavation made
the work difficult and expensive to the
contractors, who performed their contract
however, in a satisfactory manner, aside
from delay of some months in completion
contractors for the electrical and tow
ing equipment, for all of which orders
have been placed for considerable time,
are also behind in their contracts, due
largely. no doubt, to pressure OF other gov
ernment work, and in some part to the
intricacies of design involved. Deliveries
are now being made, however the c'ectric
generators having already been placed and
the tank is expected to be in operation be-
fore the end of the year
tn" report contains summary showing
the number of vessels in the United States
navy, as follows:
Regular Navy.
First-c!ass battle Observation-Disclosures. II
Second-class battle ship. 1
Armored cruisers. ........................... .
ArmoFed ram. ...............-......-.... l
Doube-turreted monitors. &
Iron singie-turreted monitors ............ 13
Steel s:ngle-turreted monitors. 4
Protected cruisers. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 13
Protected cruisers Sheathed with wood. .
Unprotected ers........................ 2
Light-draf Observation-Disclosures. 3
Composite gunboats. s........................ Il
Training ship (Naval Academy .......... ]
special Glass; -.-..-......+.......... Z
Torpedo-boat rOyerS................. III
Steel torpedo boats. s........................ 81
Wood torpedo boat. Observation-Disclosures. /
Submarine torpedo boat. !
Iron cruising vessels. els....................... B
Wooden cruising vessels. 8
Sailing vessels. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 6
Tugs ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. II
Wooden steam vessels unfit for sea serv-
1