Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-05-06
EXPENSES OF NAVY.
DAILY COST OF GOVERNMENT is
ABOUT $4,000.

A6OO SSO,OOO.
1t Costs $1.50O Il Day to Run Il
Biz BattlIshir-A Single Shot
From Ono of Them May De-
,troy More Than 5000. 900
Worth of Property in Minute.
What is the average daily cost of
maintaining tirst.clasS battlcShip on
a war footing? One thousand five
hundred dollars. \ large sum OF
money. but insignificant when COM
pared with what the cost might be in
case Of action, when the conflict of Il
single minute could sink the largest
ship, with her entire armament, and
require the expenditure of more than
SJ,0O0,0O0 to replace her.
Reliable estimates cannot be made
when the fortunes OF war must he
taken into account, but the cost of
maintaining our navy on its present
footing Immediately before the firing
of the first gun in actual conflict is
known. That cost is $4,000 for each
day. \ year ago the cost was a triile
less than onc-half that sum, but think
OF the changes since then, and partic-
ularly OF the results of the activity of
the last sixty days, when ships of all
classes have been bought by our gov
eminent abroad and ut home, and
when war craft OF every kind, some,
indeed, that had become 4 simple
memory, have been brought from hid
ing places, repaired, armed, manned
and in all respects put in condition to
wage warfare. This increase of the
number of our ships has been told by
the daily papers from day to day, and
such names as Albany, New Orleans,
Yale and Harvard as associated with
our navy have become familiar.
The manning of these numerous
new purchases and revivals, together
with the addition of the war strength
needed on ships before in commission
has been the cause of the wonderful
increase in expense.
For an interesting example of the
cost of maintaining a battleship in
time of peace, when war is not even
threatening, | have procured from the
records of the War Department the
cost of maintaining the New York,
the most expensive ship in our navy.
The cost for last year was 1891 ,065.60,
or an average of $1,0S6.29 per day.
various items that so to make up this
total annual cost will apply for the
present purpose to our armored cruis-
ers and battleships, though, of course,
varying according to constantly chang
ing circumstances, and now being in
creased by the war footing on which
our navy rests. OF the 1891 ,O65. 60
spent by the New York in 1897, $780,
1926 was for the pay of the officers.
crew and marines; rations cost $685..
1890; equipment, $6,S35.2l; naviea-
ton, $3,216.5S; ordnance, $l4,743.70;
construction and repair, $9,163.O5
steam engineering, $23,26l.26. Then
there were incidental expenses, navy
yard repairs, medicine and surgery
and similar items.
The records show that the pay OF
the officers, crew and marines of the
New York were greater than that OF
any other vessel, while the rations
medicines and surgery and coal &c.
counts were very much less.
When we add the separate costs OF
maintaining all ships in commission
for last year, we have a total of 49,.
93S, 549.71, or more than $4,000 a
day. During each day of last week
the cost was double that amount.
The record OF the Inflated Maine is
closed, though her memory is a living
inspiration, and this record shows that
the total cost OF her maintenance fol-
1897 was $262,4l64S. The pay of her
survivors, and of those whose remains
are yet within her wreck, or have
found burial in the United States and
Cuba, was $3.50, 1860.