The times., 1898-11-25
Annual Report of Assistant
Secretary Charles H. Allen.
THE AUXILIARY FLEET
Charter of the American Liners
Admiral Dcwey's sword and Med
nls-The Spanish Wrecks-The
COlOn-The Teresa Abandoned
Naval Reserye.-The War College
Sailor Boys of the Future.


given out for publication. is prefaced with
the statement that he took charge of the
office on May II. 1898. as the successor
of Col. Theodore Roosevelt.
LAS Mr. Roosevelt left this office to
engage in active duty in the army, the
report states, 'it was impossible Tor MIN
to leave any notes in regard to his views
and therefore for that part of the period
covered by the report it is only possible TO
refer to the facts which occur$ed.
by the regulations of the department
the assistant secretary is charged with
the general supervision of matters relat-
ing to the material of the navy. This. of
course does not mean that this office
carries out the details with regard 10 the
ships. This work is ably performed by
the bureau chiefs, ON whose professional
skill and signal devotion to duty the de-
partment may well congratulate itself.
the work of this Office is devoted to the
final decisions In matters affecting sew
eraI bureaus, and. in general, to the eSpe-
dition of all work affecting the material
of the fleet"
Referring to the auxiliary navy, Mr.
Allen says:
.'Inasmuch as the purchase of vessels
from the merchant marine-yachts, etc
was conducted by this office, 1t may be re-
marked that this work was managed with
the utmost care as regards selection of
vessels for their strength and adaptability
tc naval uses. as well as with respect TO
the price paid. The majority of these
..f
which Capt. Frederick Rodgers, L. S. N,
| was president, and l take pleasure in
| commencing the intelligence and fidelity
| with which the work of this board was
carried out. In other cases special boards
of officers were appointed TO conduct the
| inspection. What l wish to emphasize
| especially Is the fact that no vessel was
! purchased FtHltfi after it had been thor
| oughly inspected and had been pro-
nounced thoroughly satisfactory by Off
! GERS whose professional training made
| them experts.
i Attention is icalled to the fact. which
may not be generally known. that in the
purchase of these vessels the same care
! for the Governments interests on the
| financial side was exercised as would bc
J the ease with private individual or cor
! poration, with the effort, in every case.
| to make the best bargain possible. In the
| full tabulated detailed statement which
| / have furnished for your report, of the
| number of auxiliary vessels purchased,
| comprising the original name, the price
asked, the price recommended. and the
| price finally paid. numerous Instances Will
| be found where the cost to the Depart
| ment was very much less than the orisi-
nal price asked, sometimes, indeed. less
than the price at which the purchase was
| recommended by the board. When We
| began the purchase of these vessels there
/ was scarcely any competition, and it is
possible that prices Were higher than
could have been secured If it had been
| practicable TO wait until competition
brought lower figures. But Il must be re-
uembered that the law of supply and de-
! mand holds for the Government as well
as for private individuals, and that true
! economy and the best interests of the
Government made ii the correct policy to
pay 4 higher price for vessel when her
services were vItally needed rather than
to suffer the Government interests to be
jeopardiZed by waiting for lower price.
Not very long after the purchasing be-
| gan the competition to supply ships be-
came very active, and the department was
then enabled to get vessels At very rea-
sonable prices.
LAS an example of the generous patriot
ism of friends of the Government at the
the fact that twp of the vessels added
TO the auxiliary fleet were the free and
unconditional gift of the owners The
| Free Lance early in the war was offered
by Mr.. F. Augustus Scnermerhorn. ac-
cepted by the department, put into COM
mission at once, and gave excellent ser
vice throughout the war. The Buccaneer
was generously given by Mr.. W. r.
Hearst, who also paid for the exterior
| n har fp,
vice. Both these vessels We're restored 10
their owners as soon as practicable after
the signing of the armistice.
'All the correspondence relating to the
purchase of these vessels and their price
is on file in the department and open TO
proper inspection at any time
The four fine vessels of the American
Line were chartered from that company
under an agreement which enabled the
Government to take them over with the
| same crews ordinarily employed in theii
regular service, so that it Was only nee
essary to arm them and make a few other
changes to fit them for duty as scouts
This duty they performed with great eff.
ficiency. After the destruction of Cerve.
ra's fleet off Santiago. when their services
as scouts We're no longer needed, they
were employed as transports for the ar.
, my with great satisfaction to that arm OF
the military service. During the last few
weeks of their charter the Harvard anC
Yale Che Paris and New York; were
run entirely for the benefit of the arm,
and at its expense.
, when it was desired to terminate til,
contract with the company mutual,
satisfactory arrangement was made oil
the basis of the payment of a lump sun
to the company as an equivalent for tn
, expense of placing the ships in the condi
tion in which they were when taken owe
: by the Government. L have reason to be
| lieve that the Government saved a con
siderable amount by this arrangement
compared with what the cost would havt
: been if the course had been followed o
paying for the work of rehabiitatin;
2 | them.
THE organization of the force for coas
defense, together with the purchase o
| the auxiliary vessels for such service
was conducted by this office
1.-The joint resolution of Congress pro
. | viding for such organization and enroll
ment was passed May 26 fS9S and wa
known as public resolution No. "a. 1t car
4 ried an appropriation of S3,OO0,0o0.
t | may be interesting to state that of thi
, amount but s72O, ,639.o5 was spent. The or
i gamzation was placed in charge of Com
p mander Horace Elmer U. S. n. Upon hi
D death Rear Admiral Henry Erben, u. S
!. n. (retired), succeeded as chief; subse
: quently it was placed under Capt job
f r. Bartlett, U. S. N. (retired). who con
: Quoted its affairs with marked efficienc
1 until the force was mustered out of tn
: service. His report in detail follows
appendix and is submitted as a part G
n this report.
: Under the provisions of an act of Con
a gress of May 4, 1898. board was con
n vened to consider the matter of the erec
Ton, - e-fn nft,. 60 lzt n.