The record-union., 1898-07-30
new NAVAL ACADEMY.
IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE TO
BE MADE AT ANNAPOLIS.
Congress Has at Last Awakened co
the Needs of the Alma Mater OF
the Heroes of Manila and sam
tiago.

tiago.
The friends of the navy have peen
knocking at the doors of Congress 10,
wears. They have pleaded time anu
again in behalf of the Academy al
Annapolis, the buildings OF wffleh hao
become a disgrace to the naloh. AZ
last Congress has acted and one million
dollars has been appropriated Ior the
long needed improvements Here are
the plans for the new Naval Academy
They are none too good for an lnstltu-
ton that carries on it's rolls the names
Of Dewey, Sampson and Schley.
When the War Department in 1919
transferred old Fort Severn 10 the
Navy Department for naval school
it turned over to the navy tort, lew
small buildings, one historic colonial
dwelling Ghe Dulaney mansion)' anu
ten acres Of ground The historic Du-
laney house was torn down oy su-
perintendent of the academy without
line of authority the old buildings nave
with the exception of a half dozen, been
razed. and old Fort Severn mas Deen
remodeled into gymnasium
The grounds have grown from ten
acres to over a hundred within the
city of Annapolis: across College Creek,
connected by short bridge, are la
more acres living on the Severn, avail
able and used now for some purposes,
and over the Severn a half mile away
is another hundred owned by the Gov
ernment and which can be MADE part
of the Naval Academy by the stroke Oh
a pen. Land, with every water Iacll
ity for naval school and for small ana
great vessels, is owned by the Govern
ment, with more attainable whenever
the need arises, for the majestic Ches-
aDeaIe Bay is but a mile off from the
academy and the Severn runs by the
school itself into the bay, and for miles
and tens and hundreds of miles con-
tiguous to the greatest naval school
in the world" lies all the water It needs
for its practical lessons in naval war
fare.
UNSIGHTLY PATCHWORK.
Yet with every facility of land and
water, the Naval Academy of the
United States the institution that edu-
Gated Dewey and Sampson and Schley
and the great body of officers afioat, on
whom the hope and faith of the coun-
try are centered to-day in the hour OF
its need, is simply great PATCHWORK
of exigencies. hastily, cheaply erected
ties of the hour-the latest addition be-
ing a shed for the students recitation
hall. the old one having to be pulled
down and abandoned to. keep II from
falling on the cadets heads.
After many repeated warnings and
appeals Congress this winter acted. 1t
was fitting that the appropriation
should be made TO improve on the mo-
tion of Congressman Mudd, who repre-
sents the Fifth Congressional District
of Maryland, III which the academy IS
located Congressman Mcintyre, also
championed the cause with NlSof Con-
gress appropriated S1,oUO,OOO. A lew
years ago a commission appointed oy
the Navy Department, with Commodore
Matthews at its head. took up the SUB
1ect of the Improvement Of the Naval
Academy and after a session at the
Naval Academy recommended most
elaborate changes in the building of the
school. a plan that involved S6,otO,oOO.
The first was sewerage system. Con-
gress a year or two ago made that ap-
preparation. and this, under the cnarSe
of Lieutenant Commander Albert Ross,
superintendent of Grounds, was done IN
an efficacious manner. Then came the
present million. and this will be con-
only the avant courier that precedes
the whole train of improvements rec
commended by the Matthews commits
sion and designed by Ernest Flasg, ar
chitect.
Then, indeed, will the Naval Academy
be the imposing site of which 1t has
proved itself worthy in the half cen
tury of it's existence in sending from its
al1thOrS inventors. heroes.
The buildings which will be the first
erected will be the armory, boathouse,
cadets quarters and the power house.
Porter row. below the library building,
will be torn down, and in its place Will
arise an armory worthy of the name.
This building will face the parade
grounds, now in process'o of enlargement
by the reclamation of large slice OF
Annapolis harbor. As the quarters OF
the cadets will also face. from another
angle the parade grounds, much time
most valua BILE to the cadets that is lost
in going to the armory and thence TO
the parade grounds will be saved
A SPACIOUS ARMORY.
The armory will be reached by COW
cred way from the cadets quarters.
The building will measure 100 by 400
feet 1t will cover a superficial area
of $1,000 square feet and will cost
1924 600. 1t has one story and a
gallery. The covered way, which is
to be on a level with the ground floor
Of the cadets quarters. enters the
building at the level of the gallery. The
ground floor is to be on a level with
the parade grounds and will be entirely
given up to the armory and Will form
one vast room 100 by 43o. The main
entrance viii be at the eastern end, on
a level with the parade grounds. A
gun entrance will be on the north side.
The staircases will be in turret shaped
structures. which will flank the four
corners of the building
The gallery will be around the outer
edges of the building and will be sus-
pended from the trusses that support
the roof. There Will be a superficial
area of 24oo0 feet in the gallery, the
greater part of which will be devoted
to the museum of the academy There
will be also on this floor six recitation
rooms. for ten pupils each; Offices,
workshops and model-room.
The external appearance of the build
irg Will be bold and massive. The main
entrance will be preceded by a deeply
recessed arch. under which will be -four
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