Los Angeles herald., 1905-06-04
Making Junk of
Steel BaffIeShipS

/ pToH tne NEW 1OrK I1fneS'
If Uncle Sam ever has an auction
of job lot of steel battleships, sim
liar to that lately held by his friend
John Bull, auction fiends are likely to
get bad bargain unless they go slow.
Discarded vessels of war are knocked
down cheap, as auctions go. But it
costs fortune for the man who bids
to remove his property after he gets it.
The sale at Chatham dock yards has
set standard for battleship auctions.
Nothing exactly like it had ever before
been known. Sir John Fisher, the pros
gressive head of the British admiralty,
decided to make scrap iron Of ten ar
mored cruisers and twenty other war
craft, including gunboats and torpedo
boats, that were looked upon as naval
wonders not so many years ago. It
was stipulated to the bidders that none
of the vessels could be sold to any for
eign power. They had to sign bonds to
break them into junk. Astonishment
was expressed that warships represent
ing a total value of S15,OO0OOO should
have gone under the hammer for $780,
600, or about $22, 900 each.
81 should say that was a fair price
for them," said Capt. Baxter naval
constructor at the Brooklyn navy yard.
Breaking up an armored battleship is
iolr fa, u
United States were to order such a
sale-though the chances of it are ex-
ceedingly remote-one of the first bat
tleships to be condemned might be the
Indiana, pioneer in the White Squad
ron. She cost $6,500000. 1 should not
junk for less than $4,000, and it might
cost $4,000 before what was left of
her when 1 got through could be made
marketable. 1t would be work not of
weeks. but of months. There are mil
lions of rivets that would have to be
cut by hand chisels before the hull
could be torn apart.
"There is no guesswork about this.
When the British battleship Neptune
was sold about two years ago the pur-
chaser was willing to pay, over and
above the 100000 cash he bid for the
vessel, $4,000 to have her broken UP
by the admiralty and another $4,000
or thereabout to prepare the material
for sale. In other words, he was ready
to put out $190,OOO for the ship before
he could hope to realize any profit on
his transaction. Warships even when
obsolete, are extremely valuable prop
erty. Governments that sell them for
junk take no chances. l understand
the men who bought at the Chatham
sale must submit series of photo
graphs to the admiralty from time to
time showing various stages of the
breaking-up process.
1.-The only thing we have ever had to
approach it in this country was the
breaking up Of the iron monitors, in
course of construction. when the new
navy was determined upon. But these
vessels were obsolete before they were
finished. They were torn to pieces on
their ways in the yards. 1t is difficult
to say when a battleship is obsolete.
The Indiana, for instance, is ten years
old. She is now undergoing repairs
that will cost 10 per cent of her original
value, or approximately $65O,OO0. Ten
years is a long time in the life of a
warship. She will need a thorough
overhauling then, even if she has not
had it before. There is a good deal of
difference between battleship like the
Indiana and one of the new vessels
like the Connecticut-differen in type,
SIZE speed and armament. 1t is like
comparing one of the revolvers or
rifles used during the Civil War with
the perfected weapons of today. Inn
provements are going on all the time
in warships as in everything else.
with the exception of the monitors
the United States has not found it
necessary to consign it's obsolete war;
ships to the junk pile. Even the old
wooden vessels. which cost about $780,
900 each. are still working, although
not in active service. The Franklin is
the receiving ship at Norfolk. The
New York naval militia has the old
New Hampshire. The Independence is
at San Francisco Boston has the En-
terprlse. 1t is probable that these
ships of the Civil War age will be made
useful until they actually fall apart.
Why should the government wish to
sell them? They would be worth moth
ing, except for their copper
"rhe monitors. believe. brought
from $4,000 to $4,000 each. But then.
they We're built of certain quality OF
iron that is seldom made nowadays.
Steel has taken its place. The mate
rial was probably sold back to the
foundry. Likely as not some of it ap-
peared reincarnate in the ships OF the
new navy"