The evening times., 1899-12-13
WILL SAIL NEXT Year
Vessels Soon to Form a Part Of
the Navy.
All Records VIII BE Broken by 1900
AhOat by the Government - Addf-
tion of More Than Two Score
Fighting Machines Ii Promised.

The year 1900 will break all previous rec
ships of various types added to the service.
But for the delays in the construction Of
destroyers, the 3oknot vessels and the tor
pedo boats of less speed, practically the en-
tire fiotilla of forty-ive boats, would be a
part of the Navy during the coming year.
But even with the extension of time allowed
several builders more of this class will be
placed in commission in that period than
the total number now part OF the naval
register.
Five of the most powerful battleships yet
undertaken will be ready for commission
during the year, and il the crews can pos
sbly be obtained all will see active service
before the early autumn. These vessels will
materially increase the fighting strength
of the service and give to the home station
a more powerful aggregation of heavy ships
than was ever assembled under the Ameri-
can flag In this class will be the Kear-
sarge and kentucky. sister vessels, and the
product of the Newport News firm. Each
has had most successful official trial trips
in the past six weeks. and both have shown
that in speed and efficiency they outclass
the Oregon and Iowa class
No vessels in any navy approximate these
TWO ships in battery. power, and arrange
ment of the heavier guns in the super-im-
posed turrets fore and aft. While regard
ed as an experiment, able ordnance Off
GERS have given their unqualified approval
of the system. 1t remains to be proved,
however, when they are in service and their
batteries are fired al sea under fighting
conditions whether they are all that has
been claimed for them.
Equally powerful but having a differ
ent battery. is the Alabama building al
Cramps. and expected TO be ready for ac
ceptance early in February. Captain
Brownson. who is 10 command this ship,
speaks of Il in terms of praise. and pre-
diets fine record for it. Later in the
year, the Illinois and Wisconsin will be
part of the fighting strength. the former
being due for commission in October. and
the latter on May l. next. The Union Iron
Works, which have constructed some of the
finest of the new ships, including the
Oregon and Olympia. are builders of the
Wisconsin, while the Newport News Com
pany has the Illinois in hand. This de-
lay in completing the latter has baen due
10 the immense amount of Government
work on hand al that yard which now in
cludss three battleships and one monitor.
built cruiser Albany. now so far advanced
that she should sail for New York TO take
her crew on board next January. Then
come the torpedo craft. The cambridge,
Chauncey. ard Barry, building at Phila-
delphia, are due August next; the Dale
and Decatur. building at Richmond in No
vember; the Hopkins and Hull, at Viii
mington. in December: the Lawrence.
Macdonough. and Paul Jones' in June and
IIrly no
building at Sparrow's Point are in doubt,
but will probably not be finished until
early in 1901 The Bailey. Goldsborough,
Bagley Burney Blakely Biddle De Long
Nicholson. O'Brien. Shubrick. stockton
Thornton. Tingey. and Wilkes, should
also. according 10 reports. be a part of
the service during the next year
There is one ship that hangs fire and
has been within 10 per cent of completion !
for five years, and yet in ali this time mas /
not advanced point. This is the .ub- |
marine boat Plunger. building at Balti- |
more. The officials do not. seem TO care |
when the boat is delivered and The build !
ers appear Indifferent to getting il off |
heir hands
Secretary Longs recommendation in his |!
annual report for the consolidation of the .
Bureaus Of Construction. Steam Engineer |
ing. and Equipment will provoke intense T,
opposition b. the former engineers of the |
Navy and, perhaps. some OF the line Off
GERS Constructor Hichborn advocates the
proposition. although he recognizes that il
would mean that officers of his corps could
no, reasonably expect 10 attain the head of
the consolidated bureaus. To place a con-
structor at the head would seem TO be the
most practical and sensible selection, hut
then the line would oppose this. and per-
haps successfully. In any event the merg-
Ing of these bureaus would have no effect
on the present heads. all of whom retire
within eighteen months, except Rear Ad-
miral Bradford.
Unless Congress early this winter enacts |
a law changing the present one providing
for head of the Bureau of Steam Engi-
neering, there will be none after March
next, when Rear Admiral Melville's term
expires. The existing statute provides that
the head OF the bureau shall be an officer |
selected from the corps of engineers" but
as the personnel bill abolished this corps
when il merged the engineers and line off
GERS, it will be impossible to reappoint the
admiral without special authority. He is
now line officer, as are all former engi-
neers, and In case the provision is made he
will be appointed.
Three new warships with strictly Span
ish names have now been added to the
active service of the Navy and command
ing officers assigned them for duty with
The Manila feet. All OF them were sunk
by the guns of Admiral Dewey, then raised.
taken to Hongkong, and overbauled at
heavy expense. The money however. is |
said TO have been well expended and the
result is three fine new cruisers. They are |
he Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon, and Don | !
Juan de Austria. Defects and errors in |
the original designs were corrected by | !
Constructors Hobson and Capps and the