The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-24
new NAVAL ACADEMY
FAMOUS INSTITUTION AT ANNAPOLIS
COMPLETELY REJU-
VENATED
WILL COST MILLION DOLLARS
PLANS Now Under Way Provide for
EnIarging and Identifying
Roth Grounds and
Buildings.

That portion of the historic little Mary
iand town of Annapolis that is occupied
by the United States government as ma
val academy is undergoing renaissance,
says the Brooklyn Eagle. The ole wood
en- buiidnnSS which have long been a dis
grace to the navy are being torn down
and replaced by modern structures of
granite and steel Workmen are busy in
dozen different places, laying founda-
tons here, extending the sea wall there,
and putting finishing touches on new
buildings of learning that are to give to
the world the Farraguts, porters. Dew
eys, Simpsons and Schleys of the future.
The scheme for the construction of a
new naval academy is fast taking shape,
and in a few years more there will be
little resemblance between the handsome
edifces and laid out grounds along the
banks of the Severn, and the premises
occupied for the past half century as a
training school for our naval officers.
Eight millions of dollars are to be ex-
pended In giving to the United States
the best facilities for educating It's naval
officers provided by any country In the
world. More than half of this sum has
already been appropriated by congress.
many of the buildings are In an advanced
stage of compile ton, and contracts for
the rest will soon be made. Instead Of
cramped accommodations for less than
200 cadets, as at present, provision will
be made for SEQ cadets, allowing sepa-
rate room for each one, and by doubling
up GOO cadets can BE cared for in a COM
fcrtable style. This will allow for the
most liberal sort of expansion In the
navy for many years to come. Everything
else is being done on the same generous
plan. Practically all the work thus far
authorized on the new academy has fallen
to a Brooklyn firm, P. ]. Carlfn & Co
proving the lowest acceptable bidder for
each contract that was offered involving
any considerable amount of money. They
have secured work aggregating more
than 81 100000
1t required many years of persistent
work on the part of friends of the navy
to persuade congress to appropriate
money for new buildings and enlarge
ment and improvements in the grounds.
The old hulks of buildings that have been
occupied by cadets and officers for many
years past were eyeSores for everyone
visiting at Annapolis. The seamanship
building is the oldest at the academy,
being ERECTED in 1876. This was followed
by the old chapel, recitation hall, and
Stribling Row, where the officers live,
all of these buildings were finished within
the next ten years. In 1866 the steam
building was constructed and the SOCIAL
ed new quarters" in which the cadets
still reside, was completed in 1869. A hit
and miss plan was followed in erecting
these several buildings, and If the total
sum Of money expended on them from
year to year had been given in one lump,
handsome and substantial buildings could
have been provided. Most of them are
now in the neigborhood Of fifty years old
and are thoroughly decrepit. Their de-
plorable state has been pointed out year
after year by succeeding superintendent
and boards of visitors.
Finally, in 1895, the board of visitors
condemned so severely not only the build
1ngS, but the whole sanitary system of
the academy, claiming that 1t was fast
becoming a menace to health. that tne
secretary of the navy appointed a COM
mission Of naval officers to survey the
place and report what ought to be done.
This board secured from Ernest F'lagg,
the New York architect definite and
comprehensive plan for a new naval
academy which involved not only the
buildings, but material alterations In the
removal Of practically all the existing
topography of the site This project, to-
Gether with the report of the special
commission, was submitted to the depart
ment but remained Enacted on for sew
eral years.
In 1898 the matter was presented to
congress and an appropriation of $780,
000 secured to be expended in the i'm
mediate erection of a boat house and
a1mory and a power house. This marked
the beginning of the new naval academy,
for the navy department thereupon de-
cided to build these structures in &C
cordance with the project of Architect
F'lagg.
A year later another appropriation of
$4,000 was secured for continuing the
work and last year congress gave $780,
con in one lump.
About a year ago an ENHANCEMENT arose
over a question whether an appropriation
for a specific purpose could be applied
to another proposed improvement. Con-
gress was appealed to- with the result
that the secretary of the navy was di-
rected to lay out a plan for the con-
struction Of new buildings, grading, ETC.,
to cost not more than $S,OOO,OOO, and gave
him authority to portion the money for
the several improvements as he thought
best. Secretary Long, accordingly, d.
vided the SS,O0OOOO as follows:
Amount already appropriated. :. 81, 300, O20
Three city blocks of land ........ l35,0C0