The evening times., 1899-04-11
NAVAL ACADEMY
SHORT OF TEACHERS
Staff Of Instructors to Be Ma
terially Reduced.
Important Courses Of Study to Be
Cnrtailed.
Caused by an Un1sual Demand for
the Services of LiHe On
GERS ut Sea.

The necessity Of. maintaining at sea more
than the usual number Of line officers, and
| the great demand for their services in
other branches Of work. will prevent the
Navy Department from equipping the Ma
val Academy with full staff of instruc-
tors. Admiral McNair has been notified
that there must be q reduction in the num-
ber Of officers detailed to the Academy. 1t
will, therefore. be necessary to merge sew
eral of the most Important courses under
one head, to cut, down the number of in
structors and. 1t is feared, greatly impair
the value of the course in certain studies.
According to the plan proposed, the de-
partments Of navigation and seamanship
become one. The departments of mechanics
and steam engineering are also to be mer-
ged. Thus one Of the leading departments
will be weakened by having additional
studies imposed on 1t. and at the same time
will be placed in charge Of one head. The
chief Of this department will be an engi-
neer officer. who will be expected to direct
the course In mechanics as well. Applied
mathematics and simple mathematics are
also likely to be merged and IL is intended
further to unite the departments Of his
law VIII tudt VI lOIcl6u
guages.
The reduction Is opposed by naval OFF,
GERS. but directions have been issued by
the Navigation Bureau, which controls
the Academy. for q complete reorganiza-
tiOn in the present method of instruction
and distribution OF studies under depart
ments. SO important a course as steam
engineering. II Is said, will be weakened
instead OF extended under the proposed
plan. and the combining Of languages with
history and law tends also the oficers
contend. to greatly impair the value OF
these courses.
Two new battleships will be added to
the fighting strength Of the navy within
the next few months. the Kearsarge and
Kentucky. Reports as to the condition of
the work on them show that both are nov
within IL per cent of completion, and
should be ready for commissions by the
late summer. The commanding officers OF
these ships have already been ordered 10
report at Newport News to superintend
their fitting out. Capt. William n. Fol-
ger, former chief of ordnance. will COM
mand the Kearsarge. and Captain Chester
the Kentucky.
Building at the same yard is the ii l.
nois. within IS per cent of completion,
although authorized one year later than
the Kearsarge class. Her sister vessel
the Alabama. building at Cramps. is re-
ported To be within less than 20 per cent
Of completion. and is expected to. follow
the Kearsarge and Kentucky in service
by few months.
The Wisconsin. the third sister vessel. is
not so far advanced and will scarcely be
ready for sea under one year. The Maine.
Missouri and Ohio. all battleships of SINH
lar design, have made little or no progress.
and none Of the monitors is yet taking
shape.
Sixteen torpedo-boat destroyers are
building of which but two have made any
progress, the rest having practically Just
begun. A large nifmber OF torpedo boats
are advancing rapidly at least five within
20 per cent Of readiness of service. and the
Albany. building abroad, is about the same
degree ADVANCED. 10
Capt. Charles E. Clark. who commanded
the battleship Oregon during the war with
Spain. called at the Navy Department yes
terday. Secretary Long accompanied him
to the White House and introduced him to
President Mckinley.
The battleship Massachusetts sailed from
New York last evening. bound south to Join
the North Atlantic squadron. which was re-
ported on Saturday to have sailed from La
Guayra for Trinidad.