The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-01
ESTIMATES FOR NAVAL SERVICE
PREPARATIONS MADE FOR SUB
MISSION TO CONGRESS.
Largest Item, S1s,ooO,ooo For In
crease In Warships-Fifty-four
Now Being Constructed.

Washington, Aug. 31.-The secretary
of the navy has directed that all esti-
mates for the requirements of TIE
naval service next year shall be sub
mitted by tomorrow, Sept. 1, thus Civ
ing him three months for co-ordinat-
ing them for submission to congress.
Accordingly, the several naval bureaus
have been active of late preparing
their final figures, and all the esti-
mates, with the exception of those re-
lating to armor and ordnance, will be
in hand tomorrow. They show in gen.
eral, considerable increase all along
the line owing to the rapid develop
ment of the navy, the unprecedented
amount of naval shipbuilding now in
progress and the enlarged demands
growing out of the war and the acqui-
sition of new territory.
The largest item is $1S,000,000 under
the head of increase of the navy,
which is 900 more than any pre-
vious estimate under this head. 1t is
due to the unusual number of warships
now in course of construction, aggre-
eating fifty-four in all classes, a total
much in excess of the number under
construction at any previous time in
the history of the navy. Those include
eleven battleships, four monitors, three
armored cruisers, six protected cruis-
ers, thirty-three destroyers and tor
pedo boats and several miscellaneous
craft, submarine boats, etc. The item
of increase of the navy covers the
work already authorized and now in
course of construction both in engi-
neering and structural branches, and is
concurred in by Admirals Hichborn
and Melville, chiefs of the construction
and of the engineering bureaus respect
lively.
Admiral Melville will also make esti-
mates for new engineer plants. equip
menS, tools, buildings, ETC., at Norfolk,
Port Royal, Port Orchard and Mare
Island, Cal. The plants are old, and
the requirements now made on them in
duce the chief engineer to recommend
the most modern appliances and such
remodeling of building as will bring
them up to date.
Admiral Endicott, chief of the bureau
of yards and docks, will recommend
two more large dry docks on the At
lantic seaboard, one at New York and
the other at Norfolk The estimate
will be about 81, 25O,00 each.
Admiral O'Neirs estimate on armor
and ordnance will be held until his re-
turn next Monday as he has been CIV
ing much personal attention to this
important item. The price of armor
plate will have to be settled by con-
gress and a large quantity of armor
authorized. The armor concerns re-
fused to bid on the $500 fixed as the
limit of cost by the last congress, so
that further legislation is necessary in
order to provide for the many ships
now nearing completion.
Aside from the bureau estimates. the
secretary of the navy will prepare such
estimate as he deems eXpedient for the
new ships there is no intimation thus
far as to what new ships will be rec
commended, but the impression prevails
in well informed naval quarters that
the secretary will confine his recon-
mendation to three 6.000-ton protected
cruisers, to cost about S1.250,000 each.
These were recommended last year and
were the only ships not authorized by
congress, so that it is thought likely
the need of them will again be pre-
scented.