The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-11
NAVY is GROWING
INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF COAL
BY AMERICAN wARsHIPs
PROVES 1T
WORK DONE DURING YEAR
Stations Have Been Established
wherever Suitable Storage
Facilities Could he
Found.

WASHINGTON, Nov 10.-A striking
illustration of the growth of the Amer
lean navy is presented in the single
statement in the annual report Of Hear
Admiral r. 3. Bradford, chief I the
equipment bureau of the navy, that ne
spent $2273,111 in the last fiscal year Tor
324108 tons of coal at an average cost
of SOL per ton. The report says that
this was nearly s5,713 more tons of coal
than was used during the preceding fs-
cal year. Ten years ago the coal con-
sumption was $4,000 tons per annum.
The domestic coal costs $500 per ton
and the foreign coal, of which there
were used 105,066 tons, cost $3.50 per ton.
Admiral Bradford has scattered Amer
lean coal all over the world wherever
suitable storage could be found. lie has
placed 12,000 tons at Yokohama and 5000
tons at Pichilinque, Mexico, and he has
sent large quantities to Guam and to
the Philippines. He carried 5000 tons by
water from the Atlantic coast to Mare
island, California, where it came into
competition with English Cardiff coal.
They have averaged the same in cost,
viz 1929 per ton but at present, owing
to the scarcity of American freight yes
sells, the best Cardiff coal is considerably
cheaper at Mare island 1t is recon-
nended that two large steam, 1o,o0O-ton
Golfers be built to keep depots supplied
in time of peace and to accompany the
fleets in time Of war.
Work of Past Year.
Summarizing the work accomplished
at various coaling stations during the
year the report takes up Cavite and
says that the bureau is about to open
bids for 45,000-ton coaling station there.
Efforts have been made to obtain site
for coaling station at Cebu, but thus
far without success. Coaling stations
have been located at Port Isabella, Bas-
salin island and at Polloc, Mindanao. A
complete station has been established 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 customs of any kind. In the
West Indies 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 secur-
ing sites for other coal depots in the
West Indies.
1t is said to be particularly essential
that some of the deep water ports Of
Cuba should be made favorable for this
purpose, as the entire waters surround
ing Cuba are most important in a. STRAIT
egie sense and supplies of coal should
be near at hand. Estimates are SUBJ
mitted for Improvement of coalng sta
fions at most of the Atlantic ports, in
GLIDING a complete modern plant at Nor
folk. Admiral Bradford specifically says:
LAS the department is aware efforts are
being made to establish other naval
coal depots at important localities,
which 1t is deemed unwise to discuss
in a report of a 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 con-
cerned to lay this cable. In the same
connection he renews his recommends
ton for careful examination of the
Pacific ocean, west of the Hawaiian ISL
ands, to locate dangers to navigation.
He recommends that additional hypro-
graphic offices be established at Manila
and at Pensacola Fla.
The report says that the subject Of
wireless telegraphy was followed care
fully 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 pur-
pose of instruction. 1t is clear that no
system as yet has passed beyond the
experimental stage. Though most of the
principal naval powers have adopted
some form of wireless biography for
their ships, it is believed from the re-
ports received that none are SatiSfac-
tory. 1t was clearly shown during the
international yacht races that the diff
culties of interference" could not be
overcome with the apparatus then used