Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-11
CHARLESTON is CHOSEN
REPORT OF BOARD ON SOUTHERN
NAVAL STATION.
Available Site on the West Bank of
the Cooper River-Admira1
Sumner Dissents.

Secretary Long today made public the
report of the board of naval officers con-
cerning the establishment Of naval sta
ton on the South Atlantic coast, and more
particularly with reference to the relative
merits Of Port Royal or Charleston, s. c.,
as the site for this station. The board re-
ports in favor of Charleston, reinforcing its
views with an elaborate statement of the
advantages of that place over Port Royal
A dissenting view is presented by Rear Ad-
miral George W. Sumner, who favors a re-
tention of the naval station at Port Royal
The board discusses the general requisites
Of the naval station site the South At
lantic coast, including accessibility from
the sea, immunity from attack, railroad
and steamship facilities labor supply and
many other special requirements of the
navy. After an exhaustive review of the
advantages offered by both localities, the
board finally recommends that 1t is eXpedl-
tious to transfer the naval station now at
Port Royal, S. c., to point near the city
of Charleston, S. c., and finds the only
available site to be that on the west bank
of Cooper river, about six miles above The
Charleston custom house, comprising part
of Chicora Park, and also, if deemed ad-
visa BILE, a part of the marshland belonging
to the state of South Carolina, which lies
south of Lawtons land The only other site
examined by the board in the vicinity of
water front was on the south bank of he
Wando river, but as this site has neither
railway connection nor adequate water
faculties, 1t was not deemed advisable for
the purposes intended.
The board states: I'VE are fully aware
of the fact that in selecting Charleston as
a site for a naval station in preference to
Port Royal, We are departing from the
opinion of two boards of naval officers
which have previously considered the ques-
ton of the establishment of a naval sta
ton on the south Atlantic coast, one of
which was presided over by Admiral Por-
ter. This fact has been brought to the at
tention of the board by the Port Royal and
Beaufort citizens committee as an argu-
ment for the retention of the station at
Port Royal. There is, however, no incon-
sistency in this connection. When the pre-
vious boards selected Port Royal as the
best site for naval station on that coast
the great schemes for the Improvement of
southern harbors had not been carried for
ward to any extent, and Port Royal pos
sesSed the only harbor on the coast Whlch
large ships could enter under any circum-
stances. Moreover the ships of that date
were smaller and lighter, and carried much
less fixed weight in the shape of armor
turretS, etc.
In concluding the report the board states
that its recommendation of the charleston
site is based simply upon It's opinion that
IT IS the better site of the two. The ma
tority report Is signed by Rear Admiral
Frederick Rodgers president of the board;
Capt. George A. Converse. Civil Engineer
C. E. Asserson, Naval Constructor j. H.
Iinnard. Commander e. H. Leutze and
;au+ Commander s A. Stanton.