The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-02-28

delivered January 2, 1S99-they are
only one-half completed, and the Ala
bama, Illinois and Wisconsin range
from % to 20 per cent in state or COM
pleteness, with a good chance OF oelnS
two years behind time and fair CLAIMS
for delays owing to the Government
failure in providing the armor
Of the unfinished torpedo-boats the
Rogers and WinsloW, contracted 1or
May 3, 1895, were to be delivered Aug
ust 8, 1896. Rowan contract OCTOBER ~,
1895, to be delivered January ~, 1891.
The Dahlgren, Craven and Farfasut
contracts of October 6, 1896, to be filled
April s. 1898, will likely be six months
behind time AS for the seven boats,
Davis. and including Mckee, only one,
Gwin, is near completion, although
they were to have been delivered &C.
tober last year.
The submarine torpedoboat Plunger
was contracted for March IL, 1898, to
be delivered one year from that date.
She is now nearly two years overdue.
and was only Sc per cent completed
last January.
The foregoing record shows that,
however excellent the ships may be
when completed the vast difference be-
tween contract time and actual time
proves that there is wanted more DIS
patch. Allowing one-half of the over
time as due to official mismanagement,
there still remain many months for
the contractor to account for, and, as
they are men of business, DESTROYS of
turning. over their money as rapidly as
possible, the inevitable conclusion
forces itself upon the public that the
establishments lack the requisite ia
cilities for expeditions work.
Comparing our navy building with
that of Great Britain in its dockyards
and private yards, it will at once be
seen how much quicker our builders
should stir themselves.
The British battleship Magnificent,
1900 tons, was begun at Chatham
dockyard December IS, 1893, and COM
pleted December Z, 1895, in less than
two years A sister ship, Majestic.
built at Portsmouth, was begun Feb
ruary 5, 1894, completed December 10,
1895, or in twenty-five months.
Prince George Of the same tonnage,
from September 10, 1894, to October,
1896 The 14.200-ton cruisers Powerful
and Terrible were built and ready for
cruising in thirty months. The list
of names might be heightened to a
great extent. but it suffices to conclude
with that all the torpedo-boat destroy
ers ranging from 265 to 300 tons have
occupied only from ten to fifteen
months. =
1t should be noted in this connection
that the building time of the Ameri-
can ships is that during which they
were in the builders hands. and that
from three to- four months at the navy
yard must be added before the vessels
were ready for sea In the instances
quoted of British navy building the
period is up to the time of being. ready
for sea. This rapidity in ship building
in England has shown itself only dur
ing the past five years. prior to which
the Admiralty and other officials
greatly hampered the work With the
removal of these causes the private
contractor, has been able to make rec
ords, and the dockyards to compete
with outside establishments.
The foregoing record of past and pres
ent shipbuilding presents the query as
to what our .shipyards could do in an
emergency. They are hampered with
the uncertainty of prompt delivery of
material, including plates, angles,
shapes and castings. The armor de-
livery is another uncertainty. 1t Is,
however, fair to estimate on the pres
ent known facilities of the several
yards and their capacity for expansion
that nine battleships could be built
simultaneously in the four principal
yards, and which with all conditions
favorable could be completed, includ-
ing the time at the navy yard, in three
years. Cruisers and gunboats would
require from two years to one year ac-
cording to size and general character.
while torpedo boats would consume at
least nine to ten months, under the
most favorable conditions. The navy
yards, would, of course, be fully
occupied with repairing and fitting
out.
The public will realize that different
conditions exist now than obtained in
1860-64. "Ninety-day gunboats" are a
thing of the past, so are cast iron
chunks, once denominated as guns.
and while preparations are going for
ward and devices made for defense. so
inadequately provided for, the war
may be over with its terrible conse-
QuenceS to be remedjed