The evening times., 1899-12-08
AMERICAS new SHIPS
Vessels That Will Go Into Service
Within a Year.
The Illinois. wisconsin, Alabama,
Kentucky, and kearsarEe to Be
A Flotilla of Torpedo Boats Nearly
FInished-Spanish Craft Rebuilt.

The year 1900 will break all previous rec
ords in the navy for the number Of new
ships of various types added to the service.
But for the delays in the construction OF
destroyers. the S0-knot vessels and the tor
pedo boats of less speed, practically the en-
tire fotilla OF forty-fve 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
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 if the crews can pos
sibly 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 at sea under fighting
conditions whether they are all that has
been claimed for them.
ent battery. is the Alabama. building at
Cramps. and expected to be ready for ac-
ceptance early in February Captain
Brownson, who is to command this ship
speaks of it in terms of praise. and pre-
diets a fine record for ii. Later in the
year the Illinois and Wisconsin will be a
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. The de-
lay in completing the latter has been due
to the immense amount of Government
work on hand at that yard. which now in
cludes three battleships and one monitor.
Next in point of size will be the English
built cruiser, Albany, now so far ad
York to take her crew on board next
January. Then come the torpedo craft
The cambridge. Chauncey, and Barry
building at Philadelphia, are due August
next: the Dale and Decatur, building at
Richmond in November; the Hopkins.
and Hull. at Wilmington, in December:
the Lawrence. Macdonough. and Paul
Jones' in June and July; the TruXton,
Whipple. and Worden, building at Spar
rows Point. are in doubt, but will prob
ably not be finished until early in 1901.
The Bailey. Goldsborough, Bagley, Bur
ney. Blakely, Biddle, De Long, Nichol-
son, O'Brien, Shubrick, Stockton, Thorn
ton. Tingey, and Wilkes, should also, ac-
cording to reports, be part of the ser
vice during the next year.
There is one ship that hangs fire and has
been within IL per cent of completion for
five years, and yet in all this time has
not advanced a point. This is the sub
marine boat Plunger. building at Balt-
more. The officials do not seem to care
when the boat is delivered, and the build
ers appear Indifferent to getting it off
their hands.
Secretary Longs recommendation in his
annual report for the consolidation of the
Bureaus of Construction, Steam Engineer
ing and Equipment will provoke intense
opposition by the former engineers of the
navy and, perhaps, some of the line Off
GERS. Constructor Hichborn advocates the
proposition, although he recognizes that it
would mean that officers of his corps could
not reasonably expect to attain the head of
the consolidated bureau. To place a con-
structor at the head would seem to bS the
most practical and sensible selection, but
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.
Uuless Congress early this winter enacts
a law changing the present one providing
for a 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 1t merged the egineers 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 |
VIII be appointed.
Three new warships with strictly Span
ish names have now been added to the |
active service of the navy and commanding
officers assigned them for duty with the
Manila fleet. All of them were sunk by |
the guns OF Admiral Dewey, then raised, 4
taken to Hongkong and overhauled at |
heavy expense. The money, however, is |
said to have been well expended, and the |
result is three fine new cruisers. They are |
the Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon. and Don |
Juan de Austria. Defects and errors in |
the original designs were corrected by Con- |
structors Hobson and Capps, and the craft |
thoroughly overhauled. The value of the |
vessels, exclusive of armament, is esti- |
mated to be 100000, and the total cost of |
raising and repairing them reached $685. |
900, so that the Government effected saw
ing of so per cent of the value of the YES |
sells These ships are so small that it is |
II they would be allowed to cross |
the Pacific, and therefore they will proba- |
bly, be permanently attaches to the Asiatic
rtafinp