The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-11
Is StrikingIy Illustrated by a
Single Statement in Admiral
Bradford's Report of the
Amount of Coal Consumed
$2,623,453 WAS SPENT
DURING THE PAST YEAR
Coal Has Been Scattered All Over
the World for the Use of United
States Vessels in Case of
Emergency = Wireless TeIeg-
raphy Experimental With

Washington, Nov. 10.--A striking il
lustration of the growth of the Ameri-
can navy is presented in the single
statement in the annual report of Rear
Admiral r. B. Bradford, chief of the
equipment bureau of the navy sthat he
spent $2,623,453 during the past fiscal
year for S24,10S tons of coal at an aver
age cost of SOL per ton The report
says this was nearly 95,713 more tons of
coal than was used during the preced-
ing fiscal year. Ten years ago the coal
consumption was $4,000 tons per annum.
The domestic coal cost $500 per ton and
foreign coal, of which there were used
1O5,066 tons, cost $3.50 per ton.
| Admiral Bradford has scattered
American coal all over the world
wherever suitable storage could be
found. He has placed $4,000 tons at
Yokohama and 5000 tons at Pichilinque,
Mexico, and he has sent the regular
quantities by steamer to the Philip
pines. He carried 5000 tons by water
to Mare Island, Cal, where it came into
competition with English Cardiff coal.
Summing up the work accomplished
at the various coaling stations during
the year the report takes Cavite and
+ says that the bureau is able to open
bids for $4,000 ton coaling station
there. Efforts have been made to OBJ
tain a site for coaling station at
Cebu, but thus far without success.
! Coaling stations have been located at
Port Isabella, and at Pollock, Minda-
mao. A complete station has been es-
tablished at Yokohama, Japan, and it
Is now fully stocked with coal. The
same statement is true at Pichilinque,
Mexico, where, through the courtesy of
the Mexican government, our coal and
golfers have been admitted to the
station without port or custom duties.
In the West a little work has been
done at San Juan on the coaling scale.
but Admiral Bradford expresses regret
that little progress has been made in
securing sites for other coal deDots in
the West Indies. II is said to be par
ttcularly essential that some of the
deep water ports of Cuba should be
made available for this purpose as the
entire waters surrounding Cuba are
most important in strategic sense and
supplies of coal Should be near at
hand.
Estimates are submitted for improve
ment of the coaling stations at most of
the Atlantic ports including a complete
modern plant at Norfolk. Admiral
Bradford specially says LAS the de-
! partment is aware, efforts are being
made to establish other naval coal de-
pots at important localities, which 1t
us deemed unwise to discuss in a re-
/ port of public character"
| Admiral Bradford says very little
about his favorite project in a trans
Pacific submarine telegraph cable con-
tenting himself with the statement that
{ the bureau is now in possession of all
data required, so far as SURVEYS are
concerned, to lay this cable. In the
same connection he renews his recon-
mendation for careful examination of
the Pacific Ocean, west of the Ha-
Wai1an Islands, to locate dangers to
navigation. He recommends that adj
dltlonal photographic offices be estab-
llshed at Manila and at Pensacola, Fla.
The report says that the subject of
wireless biography was followed care
tully during the year, but it does not
appear advisable to adopt any particu-
lar system at present, or to acquire any
more apparatus than necessary for
purpose of instruction. 1t is clear that
no system as yet has passed beyond
the experimental stage. Though most
lof the principal naval powers have
adopted some form of wireless tele-
graphy for their ships. it is believed.
from the reports received, that none
are satisfactory. 1t was clearly
shown during the International Yacht
races that the "interferences" could not
be overcome with the apparatus then
nSad N-SAA