Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-25
Report of Admiral Melville, Chief Of
the Bureau.
DELAY ON BUILDING new WARSaIPS
Some General Lessons Learned
7 From the War.
PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY

Admiral George w. Melville, chief Of the
bureau of steam engineering, made his
annual report to the Secretary of the
Navy today. In the course of it he says:
While the legislation Of the last Con-
gress provided for an increase of the navy
by appropriating for three seagoing coast
line battle ships, three armored cruisers
and six protected cruisers, the limitations
placed upon the price of the armor and
the clause which prevented contracts be-
ing made for the hull until the armor for
the first two classes Of the above vessels
had been contracted for presented insuper-
able obstacles in the way of proceeding
promptly with the building OF the same,
the price Of armor mentioned In the bill
being far below that for which any manu-
facturer would deliver it.
"On this account the Immediately neces-
sary designing work in this bureau upon
new ships was confined to plans FOR the
machinery of the six protected cruisers,
as Will be noted under the head of work
IN the drawing room.
Planning the Cruisers Machinery.
plans of general arrangement of
chinery for the armored cruisers, how
ever, have been pursued to such a degree
| as Is warranted by the available outlines,
| SO that when the matter of cost of armor
| is adjusted and further progress Of plans
| justified the completion of the designs
Will be a matter requiring but little time.
The usual extensive and iaborfous duty
connected with the working out of details
| for machinery already under construction,
ana the examination and correction of de-
signs submitted by contractors, have been
continued in manner highly satisfactory
| In results. The matter of designing the
internal arrangements of machine shops at
New York, Port Royal, Key West and Mare
lsland~has also demanded considerable at
tention, in order to provide for the most
efflcient disposition of tools when installed.
In my last annual report L alluded to
the extraordinary conditions which were
then prevailing, and included the general
items of Importance in the machinery
pair work of this bureau up to the date
of writing that report, October l. 1898, at
which time the cessation of hostilties had
about taken effect. Necessarily the re-
suits of the extraordinary duties of the
various ships under such circumstances
were not fully realized by the bureau I'M
til the return of the fleets to the repair
stations, but it was matter of crafty
ing surprise to the bureau to find the ex-
tent of needed repairs as limited as it was,
beng generally confined to portions of
the machinery, such as boiler tubes and
condenser tubes, which are most readily
affected by the extreme conditions pre-
Nalllng IN war tines The generally eX-
ceilent condition of the engines of our ships
after these trials is a reflection of a highly
complimentary character upon the bureaus
control OF the designs Of the machinery
DER whose direct charge their operations
were conducted.
Repairing the Ships.
The matter of completely repairing all
the ships, both of the regular navy and
those retained from the auxiliary fleet, was
taken promptly in hand as ships returned
to the various yards, and the aggregate
cost assumed small proportions compared
with what might have been anticipated.
Most of this work has now been effected,
ana yet, owing to the unexpected retention
or very many of the auxiliary ships for
use in naval service, the estimates made
by the bureau in the last annual report
Tor current expenses, 1S99-19O0, fell far
short of the amount actually required, as
at the time of the report 1T was the gen.
eral impression that upon the close OF the
war most of the auxiliary ships would be
sold or otherwise disposed of. A portion
Of the large balance remaining in the treas
ury from the emergency fund under this
bureau between two and three milliOns)
could be very properly reappropriated for
this unanticipated work, by special legisla-
ton, and obViate the necessity of asking
for further provision for current work in
the coming deficiency bill l desire to call
your attention to the above circumstances
In view of the necessity of thus further
providing for the expenses of the present
fiscal year.
Lessons of the War.
THE general lessons from the war were
in way indicative of any desirable
change in the machinery of our ships with
the exception of increasing the evaporat-
ing plants, and the adoption with all prac-
teal and economical promptness of the
water-tube type of boilers. The matter of
increasing the evaporating plants has been
expeditiously accomplished, and at present
these individual plants on shipboard are
about equal to any anticipated emergency.
AS regards the adoption of the ter-tube
type Of boiler, the bureau is progressing
with such proper speed Is necessary to
avoid mistakes and to obviate sacrifice of
still useful boilers of the older type AS
fast as the present outfit of Scotch boilers
becomes unreliable or inefficient the newer
type is being substituted. This has OBJ
| tanned already on the Alert, Atlanta and
Chicago, and a further substitution of Bah
cock & wilcox type of Water-tube boilers
for the old Scotch boilers the Cincin-
natl and Raleigh is in active progress
These steps are important and are the di-
rect results of the unqualified success of
this type of boiler on the Marietta and An
napolis in our own service and on various
other ships not of the navy, and renders
their adoption, to the extent already made
absolutely safe. Much interest also at
taches itself not only to the trials of the
battle ships now building which will have
the Niciausse and Thornycroft types of
water-tube boilers, but especially to the
future preservation of the several types of
these boilers during the years of that or
more than very limited use of the entire
plant. The status of water-tube boilers at
the present time Is much more doubtful
regarding the possibilities of protection
from deterioration while not in use than
regarding their efficient output during ac-
tual service. This ability or inability to
properly protect such boilers is of most
vital Importance and largely governs the
annual cost of repairs to naval machinery.
Il would call attention to the completion
of the Rainbow as second distilling ship
and also to the success with which the
Iris, the first distilling ship. has been oper-
| ated. This latter is noted under its sepa-
rate heading in this report.
while not desiring to allude prominently
again to the Vulcan or It's work as a re-
| pair ship lthe subject having been fully
| exhausted in my last report and in the
| public periodicals), cannot pass this by
without again urging the advisability of
| properly designing and building a repair
! ship, which, while being constructed with
| a view to the utmost efficiency for such
| service in times of emergency, may be re-
tanned without Use lin ordinary and with
out serious deterioration for many years