The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-08-21
Rottenness in Navy Department.

Washington, Aug. H.-An instance
or ruin policy has just been presented
to the public in his assignment of the
81, 600, 600 triple-screw cruiser Colum-
bia to duty as receiving ship at the
Brooklyn navy yard in place of the
much better adapted wooden frigate
Vermont. Crowningshield wanted
Congress to appropriate half a million
dollars to construct shore barracks for
receiving navy recruits, these bar
racks to be erected according to plans
procured by Crowningshield himself
while abroad at government expense
in pursuance of orders issued to him
self by himself a year or two ago.
Congress refused to appropriate, and
| Crowningshield insists on Furnishing
it by detailing three fine modern steel
vessels of which the Columbia is the
first, to take the place now held by
the Vermont alone, which will ac-
comodate as many men as all three Of
the vessels.
The first serious block Growing
shield experienced is found in the re-
port of a board of officers which met
at the Brooklyn navy yard, and which
found that the Vermont, the old re-
ceiving ship, could be easily continued
on service, and that it would not be
necessary to convert the costly cruiser
Columbia into the subordinate purpose
of receiving ship. The board finds
that it will take at least $50, coo to put
the Columbia in condition for service,
and that under the most crowded con-
ditions not more than 400 men can be
accommodated on board the vessel. It
would take nearly three ships of the
size of the Columbia to accommodate
as many men as were on board the
Vermont, which with its wide and
spacious, decks, had ample berthing
facilities for more than 1000 recruits.
Rear Admiral Bowles, chief construc-
tor, is in favor of continuing the Yer
mont on the service, and in this posi-
tion he is joined by Rear Admiral
Melville, head of the steam engineer
bureau.
The naval surgeons are against con-
tinuing the Vermont in this work, say
ing that she is old and cannot be prop
erly fumigated, although the board
commended that the men be quartered
on the upper deck while the fumigating
process is carried on below. The
trouble with receiving ships is that
they are never put out of commission
and that the opportunity is never
afforded of docking and cleaning them.
The action of Crowningshield has
also led to an examination Of the Co.
lumbia, which showed that she is
dirty, rusty, and rapidly deteriorating.
This report has attracted attention Of
officials at the Navy Department to the
fact that the Minneapolis, sister yes
sci, at League Island, may be in the
same plight and also other ships laid
up in ordinary. The sole purpose of
maintaining those ships in reserve
was to economize in view of their
large coal consumption, but the re-
serve idea was framed with a view Of
at least having them in serviceable
condition for active duty on few days
notice. The report on the Columbia
seems to indicate culpable negligence
by those in charge of her at League
Island. 1t will unquestionably result
in an examination being made of the
Minneapolis and Indiana to determine
whether they are in any better con-
dition.
Another instance OF the rottenness
of the Navy Department management
during the Spanish war, and of the
enormous sums that favored parties
were allowed to make by means of the
exaggerated prices paid for vessels,
appears from the selling price of the
transports Terry and Mcpherson,
which were bought for s350,000, cost
S500,C00 for repairs and alterations,
and were sold the other day for less
than 800, 600 for the pair. The Nc
Pherson was bought at the beginning
of the Spanish war for 5000, 600. She
was sold for SIS, 100. The Terry, a
smaller ship, but more modern,
bought $4,000 Yachts cost more
than this. The Mcpherson is known
to some old travellers as the ocean liner
Obddam, and the Terry was a Sound
steamer called the Hartford. Consid-
ering the market value of transports,
it is obvious that the government paid
many times too much for them. 1t
certainly did for most of the boats
that were taken into service. By right
OF eminent domain, which extends
over ships in port, it could have taken
these vessels at its own price, and
could still have been generous, with
out being lavish.