The times., 1899-11-03

toned AT League Island is entiIey made
quate for this purpose. She was aormefly
a steam corvette or slOop Of war, with one
covered deck. She can never accOmmod te
the number Of men required to care Tor
ships in reserve; in fact. l consider her .
now too small for the purpose she IS in I
tended / therefore earnestly re2ommenu I
that suitable quarters for seamen and OH
GERS be constructed on shore without de- I
lay at League Island. These quarters (
should be of a permanent character bulIi /
Of brick, made freproof with al modern /
improvements. and Of sufficient capacity I
TO readily accommodate / 600 men, which !
number might in an emergency be IN !
creased TO 1900. Similar quarters should
also be built at the Mare Island navy yard
For the foregoing reasons IT IS recon-
mcnded that Congress be asked TO appro-
pirate at its next session the sum of SoVo.-
coo for seamen's quarters at League Island
and Mare Island navy yards. S400 600 IoT
each yard. The old receiving ship Yer
mont should also be abolished, the tempo
rary wooden buildings now on the Cob
! Dock. annexes Of the Vermont, should be
removed. and the whole establishment re-
placed b. modern permanent quarters OF
sufficient size to accommodate 1000 men
all OF such buildings 10 include proper
quarters for tn officers on duty with the
enlisted force For this purpose it IS re
/ commended that the sum Of S8C000O be
asked. The old receiving ships Wabash at
/ Boston ana Franklin at Norfolk should also
be supplanted by barracks Of the type pro-
posed for League Island and Mare Island,
/ al cost of S4C0. 000 for each yard. The
( total appropriation for barracks thus re-
commended amounts to s., 100000. As
shown before, We are now losing the in
terest on more than twice this sum main
tanning an expensive system Of hulbs with
large crews and unsatisfactory results.
By the report il is shown that the num-
Der Of enlisted men, including petty Off
/ GERS, now in the Navy is 14,50l OF this
! number over 64 per cent are native born
Largely increased facilities for gunneTy
training and an extension of the appren-
! tice system are recommended. The scarci-
/ ty of officers and the increase in the num-
I Der required for necessary routine duty
is referred to. In this connection the re-
I port says:
The bureau noted in its report last year
(. that the slight increase in the number OF
! officers of the new line OF the Navy over
I the aggregate of the old line and Engin-
eer Corps as provided by the personnel
4 bill then before Congress. might give but
temporary relief One OF the most impor-
tant features Of the bill was stricken out,
however before it became a law, and by
the omission Of this feature-the change
from the siX-year to the four-year course
at the Naval Academy-the number of
! commissioned officers intended to be pro-
Z vided was so largely reduced that II be-
1 comes necessary to ask that some relief
/ be Immediately furnished. The bureau
recommends that this serious omission be
corrected and that the largely increased
demands for officers for important service
be met by increasing the number OF Off
{ in, oh do hs-T n md hxr
providing for the four years course at the
Naval Academy.
The estimates for increasing the eff
cheney Of the Navy amount to 81 6SS, 1875.
An Unredeemed Pledge.
Before concluding his report Rear Ad-
miral CrowninshieId takes occasion 10 refer
to the recognition promised during ;he war
with Spain TO the men and officers OF the
inshore squadron for meritorious service.
He says:
Another change made in the bill in the
last days before il became a law discrim-
mated In the matter OF pay against the
Navy as compared with the Army and Ma
rlne Corps. This state of affairs is sub
mitted for appropriate action.
Another condition OF Affairs discOurag-
ing 10 proud and ambitious officers who
have risked and accomplished is the ragged
and irregular result that seems an newt
able consequence Of any effort TO give per-
manent or substantial official recognition
10 bravery, gallantry. or devotion. Before
the outbreak OF the war you addressed TO
the officers OF the North Atlantic feet
through the admiral, letter from which
the following is an extract:
Each man engaged in the work Of the inshore
squadron should have in him the stuff out uf
which 10 make possible Cushing; and if the
wins. the recognition given him shall be as
great that given TO Gushing, 90 far the
department bring tins about.
Every effort of the department to re-
deem this solemn pledge has been balked.
OF the officers who served in the North
Atlantic waters three have been confirmed
in the recognition urged by the department
, Two because their cases We're presented
al propitious moments. the other because
Of misapprehension. The rest. numbering
among them every gallant captain at San
tisgo on July 3, and all the brave cap
tains of the ever ready gunboats, number
! ing among them officers who risked in
! many desperate eEpeditions-cable cutting
as spies. seeking information, blocking and
blOckading harbors, 6couting-numbeTng
among them all those who hesitated not.
and including at the head of all the able
and determined officer who planned work
ed out and executed the whole campaign,
and who finally consummated the one VIC
tory which was vital TO the enemy-he and
all the rest have absolutely nothing The
greatest among these has not as much as
the medal which was given to each Of the
hundreds who shared in a victory won in
q more propitious hour"