The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-04
LONG MAKES REPORT
Secretary Tells of the Work of Navy
Department.
ESTIMATES FOR THE YEAR
WILL NEED s74,eso,sos.15 FOR
1901.
Recommends Legislation Looking
Toward the Building of More War
ships-Vessels Completed During
Year and Those Now In Course
of Construction.

Washington, D. c., Dec. 3.-Secretary
of the Navy John D. Long has made
his annual report to the president,
which was made public today.
The estimate for the year 1900 was
fixed by the secretary at s49.O11, ,3SS.5s,
and for the year 1901 it has been placed
at $74, ,230, ,309.15. In explaining the lat
ter estimate, the secretary says:
1T will be noticed that the naval
estimates for the fiscal year 1901 reach
the total of $74.230. 309.15, being an in
crease of SIS, 5,025, ,239.57 over the appro-
priations for the present fiscal year.
While this increase is large, it is to be
found in the three items of public i'm
provementS, the construction and re-
pair of vessels and increase of the navy
construction and machinery. 1t is to
be remembered that the naval estab-
lishment has greatly increased in the
past year or two, and it is necessary
to maintain it in an efficient condition"
In recommending legislation for the
increase of the navy, Mr.. Long says:
THE number of large, swift and
powerful armored cruisers of great
coal endurance in bur navy is largely
diSproportionate to the rest of the ma
val establishment. The experience of
the last year has also shown the need
classed as gunboats. 1t is therefore
recommended that congress be re-
quested to authorize the construction of
the following vessels:
Wants New Vessels.
First. Three armored cruisers, of
about 1900 tons trial displacement, of
maximum draft at deep load not to
exceed twenty-six feet, carrying the
heaviest armor and most powerful ord
nance for vessels of their class, to be
sheathed and coppered and to have
the highest practicable speed and great
radius of action.
Second. Twelve gunboats, of about
900 tons displacement, TO be Sheathed
and coppered, and,
Third. AS recommended one year
ago, three protected cruisers of
about eight thousand tons displace-
ment, carrying the most powerful ord
nance for vessels of their class, to be
sheathed and coppered and to have the
dius of action.
@-'-fhe increase in the tonnage of the
last three named vessels from 5000 tons.
as recommended a year ago, to 5000
tons. is suggested by the naval board
on construction as better adapted to the
present needs of the service. The same
board are also of the opinion that if any
Oh the IOTeSOllR Vessels are dulnOTlZeu,
the law should provide that in case.
satisfactory bids cannot be obtained
for their construction by contract, the
department shall have authority to
construct the same in the navy yards"
The secretary shows that since his
last report nine vessels have been COM
pleted and accepted, in addition to two
Spanish ships which We're raised after
having been sunk during the late war,
Loo win i0b in,
course of construction. There were also
seventeen small vessels either pur-
chased or captured at the Asiatic sta
tion. The estimat ted cost of the YES
sells now building is. s6257O, ,61O.23. Re-
garding the proposed trans-Pacific ca
bic, Mr.. Long says:
The Pacific Cable.
THE increased Importance of our pos
sessions in the Pacific led you to rec
smmend to the last congress the es-
tablishment of a Pacific cable, ard the
department, in furtherance of this OBJ
ject. has recently had a survey made
of cable route from Honolulu to the
Philippine islands, the route from San
Francisco to Honolulu having been sur
veyed some years ago. The Nero. which
which had been used as collier dur
ing the late war, was thoroughly fitted
out and equipped for deep-sea work at
the Mare Island navy yard in the early
part of the present year, and sailed
from Honolulu on the 9th of May, via
the Midway islands and Guam, to a
point on the east coast of the island
of LuZon where she arrived on Aug.
l, having made S53 soundings. The
length of the route is 4,S12 knots. The
reports received from the preliminary
line of soundings indicate that the
route will prove entirely practicable
1T is the intention of the department
to also survey a route for a cable from
the island of Guam to Yokohama,
Japan"
An Interesting part of the secretary's
report is his appeal to congress for
recognition of the services of the North
Atlantic squadron during the war with
Spain. He saws:
Wants Heroes Rewarded.
while those engaged in the battle
of Manila have been .deseryedly re-
warded-and no men ever deserved re-
ward more richly-fhose who took part
in the operations at Santiago. display
ing the same conspicuous conduct and
extraordinary heroiSm. have received
no recognition whatever for their great
services except the recommendations
for promotion by the president, which
have lapsed. not having been acted
upon by the senate
The department believes it due to
these gallant men to suggest to you
that their services. be recognized and
equal Justice done them, and that in
(COntipufd on Pape