The record-union., 1899-06-12
THE NEW NAVY.
Construction Commenced Under
Secretary Hunt.

Secretary Hunt.
Looking over the navy register, and
noting the number and classes of ships
that compose the modern navy, it seems
| hardly possible that only thirteen years
ago the first ship of this formidable
| and effective force was put in commits
sion. This honor belongs to the little
dispatch boat Dolphin, which, with the
Atlanta, Boston and Chicago, was au-
| thorized in the previous Naval Appro-
! priation Act of 1888.
| The immensely of the task accom-
| plished, in such a short space of time,
| by those who had in hand the creation
of our new navy. starting as they did
at the very beginning. and without
means of manufacturing at home guns
armor or high grade steel, is worthy
of the highest praise. and, in the ligh:
of recent successes, deserves the graft
tude of the country.
| Much has been written about the new
navy, for to-day it is such a popular
subject that we forget that less than
twenty years ago it was practically
without friends. 1t was natural, per-
haps, that the great efforts put forth
during the civil war to create and main
| tain navy should be followed by q
period of reaction The nation, sur
feited with war; lost interest in this
| branch of the public service, and the
| old wooden ships which had won their
| glory during that struggle gradually
grew more and more obsolete, both in
| type, equipment and armament, as time
went by. During the seventies immense
| sums We're expended in repairing these
woccen hulks, but NO effort was made
| to keep pace with other nations of the
world, which, profting by the lessons
I of the fight between the Monitor and
| Merrimac, proceeded promptly to re-
construct their navies on new lines.
I! 1t is, perhaps, not too much to say
that when Mr.. Hunt became Secretary
of the Navy, in the spring of 1881, the
i navy of the United States was out Of
date as a fighting force, and of hardly
more use than to show our flag in other
parts of the world Mr.. Hunt was cali
ed to administer the affairs of the
navy under President Garfield. He was
a citizen Of Louisiana, and held Office
| little more than year. His only re-
port was made in November, 1881, but
! in 1t he called the attention Of the
country in the most forcible manner to
the deplorable condition of the material
of the navy, and Enclosed the report of
the Naval Advisory Board, appointed
on the 10Th of June of that year, which
set forth fully the needs of the navy,
and recommended a policy to be pur-
sued in it's rehabilitation.
| AS result of this action, and of the
earnest recommendation of President
| Arthur in his annual message to Con-
! gress, interest in the navy was re-
/ awakened, and the Act of August 5,
1882, authorized the construction of two
| new vessels. 1t further provided that
/ no repairs should be made ION any
wooden ship where the estimated cost
of such repairs shall exceed 30 per cen
tuln of the estimated cost of new ship
of the same size and like material
This clause is quoted. for it was an i'm
portant element in getting rid of the
/ old ships on which it had become folly
| to make further expenditures.
The construction of the two vessels
| thus authorized was not proceeded with,
as a new Naval Advisory Board, APP
t pointed in compliance with the same
! Act. reported that it was not desirable
| to undertake at first the construction
! of vessels of the size specified, and rec
commended the authorization of one
small steel cruiser of about 1900 tons,
| three steel cruisers of about $500 tons
! and one dispatch boat of about 1.5OO
!. tons.