Evening star., 1899-03-02
DROPPING THE SAILORS
Effect of the Reductions Made by Congress
in Appropriations.
North Atlantic Squadron viii Have
to Suffer the
Cut.

The Navy Department put the big double
turreted monitor Puritan out of commits
sion at the Norfolk navy yard yesterday,
and it is said at the navigation bureau that
this ship must be followed by others speed
lily to the great detrment Of the plans of
the department. The estimates submitted
to Congress based on the minimum require
! ments of the navy provided for 10000 sail
ors. Congress cut this down to 1900.
There are now $4,000 men in the service;
so that 5000 of these must be dropped i'm
mediately. That means, according to the
navigation officers, that a large part of the
North Atlantic squadron must go out of
commission. There is no alternative. The
Asatic squadron cannot he reduced in view
of Dewey's necessities. There is only one
ship, the Philadelphia. on the Pacific sta
tion The European and the South Atlantic
stations have been abandoned. So there is
only left the North Atlantic squadron as
material for a cut. and the loss of 5000
men means the cutting in half of this splen-
did home-defense squadron. 1t is probable
that the heavy reduction in the number of
enlisted men. and consequently of ships,
will interfere seriously with the conduct
of the naval maneuvers this year, notwith-
standing the enormous benefit that has
been derived from such drills in the past.
Another difficulty is going to be the i'm
possibility of putting into condition the new
ships as they are turned over to the gov
eminent by the DullOerS, Sl1Tp lOr want
of men to man them
To Stop SbipbuiIding Operations.
The action of the Senate yesterday in the
matter of ships armor also caused conster-
nation at the Nay Department, and Secre-
tary Long this morning took prompt meas
Ires to bring the subject to the attention of
the naval committees in the House and
Senate in the hope of securing a change in
the appropriation bill on that point before
it is finally enacted. The Secretary and
Capt. ONeil, chief of the ordnance bu-
reau, in these communications declare that
the action of The Senate if adhered to
means the total stoppage of all naval con-
struction. for not ship can be added to
the navy if the terms of the appropriation
act are followed. 1t is recognized by the
department that no armor can be procured
Tor $3.50 per ton. 1t might have been possi-
bic to go on and build ships without the
armor under ordinary circumstances, trust
ing to the next Congress to provide for it.
but an innocent-looking clause in the ap-
preparation bill provides that no ships shall
be built until the armor is contracted for
SO that the effect of the two provisions will
be to put a complete stop to shipbuilding
operations, as far as the navy is concerned
Government Armor Plant.
Although it is provided that a govern
ment armor plant shall be constructed in
the event of the failure of the department
to secure bids for supplying armor at the
price fixed. the ordnance officers say that
such a plant could not be constructed and
begin to supply the aTTnor inside of two
years at the earliest, and the limit of cost
fixed for the plant Is less than half of that
found to be absolutely necessary by the
special naval board which investigated the
whole subject of government armor plants
few years ago. There is also grave doubt
as to whether, if the appropriation act is
strictly construed the ships could be built
even If the government furnished the ar
NOR, the terms of the act requiring that the
armor should be contracted for as prece-
dent to building the ship. Altogether, the
effect of the amendment has been to COM
pletely negative the departments plans for
increasing the navy.