The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-07-19
SD. SMITHS LETTER
Written to His Numerous Friends i'm
FOrestOn and Other Parts of
County of Mile Laos.
He Describes Bremerton, WASH, and
Uncle Sans Extensive Navy
Yard at That Place,


ton, past and present. In this article
I will write of it's future plans and
prospects, but I do not want to be
understood as booming Bremerton. I
write nothing but the truth. Every
thing I write can be substantiated.
Neither do wish to be understood as
going back on Minnesota. I was a
resident of Minnesota fifty years and
always wrote and spoke in it's praise.
Although not now a resident my opin-
ion is unchanged, but will say that
the man who speaks against his own
country, or that part of it where he
lives, is not worthy of a place to live
unless the truth demands that he
denOunce such territory.
Bremerton is young town and in
many respects is yet in a COMPARE
lively wild or wilderness state, but
its future prospects are very promis-
ing. In proof of this statement I will
state that.the government has appro-
priated 81, 1856, 900 and this amount in
cludes only the larger appropriations.
There are number of smaller appro-
priations that will increase this
amount to about s1,4O0,O00. The
above amount is to be expended this
year in making repairs and improve
ments in the navy yard and on war;
ships, and of the latter it is estimated
that the Dix, a government transport
now in the dry dock, will cost 1872, $50
to repair. The Oregon, it is estimated,
will cost 81, 100000 and will take three
years or more to complete. There are
several other vessels upon which
smaller amounts will be expended
The new dry dock to be built is one of
the greatly needed Improvements and
the most important work in the yard.
Its cost will be over 100000 and it
will take two Or three years to con-
struct. This years appropriation is
100000. The new dock will be much
larger than the one now in use. The
government has upon it's payroll over
1000 men, and 80 per cent of this
number are skilled workmen who re-
ceive from $3.50 to $500 per day.
They work eight hours day and are
paid semi-monthly, but there is a
large amount of the work in the navy
yard that is done by contract, and
the contractors in the several depart
ments employ about 600 men at the
present time. This makes the working
force about 1900 men. The improve
ments to the navy yard now planned
and contemplated by the government
will cost, approximately, $1,000, 1000.
There is no probability that the present
force of men will diminish very ma
terially for the next decade. The
prospect is rather that it will increase,
for aside from the improvements in
the yard, vessels are arriving every
few months that require some repairs.
I will state for the benefit of the read
ers of the y n that the statements
[ have made and the figures showing
the cost of the yard and all the i'm
provements, repairs, estimates and
plans of the government were obtained
from the records and officials of the
navy yard, and must necessarily be
accurate. There are a large number of
eastern people-and we consider Min
nesOta east-that do not have any
idea Of what the Puget Sound navy
yard at Bremerton is or the amount
of work and business that is trans
acted there.
Bremerton will never be a large
city, but it will not be many years be-
fore it will have double it's present
population. One of the most interest
ing sights here is to see the manner in
which the work is done in the navy
yard. All the hard work and heavy
lifting is done by machinery. Cranes
are used for this purpose. They are
OF different sizes, some stationary and
some portable. One large crane,
called the locomotive crane, is capa-
bic OF hosting 40 tons at one time. It
is built on wheels like car wheels, but
heavier, and the hosting and propel-
ling power are all in the same car,
which is a great iron box. It is on a
track of heavy rails in the shape of a
horse shoe which runs around the drv
dock and is very similar to traction
engine. The diameter of this circular
track is ITO feet and it is 20 feet be-
tween rails. I have described onlv
one of the powerful machines used in
the navy yard, but all the machinery
used is constructed on the same prin-
,ciple. Iron is the principal material
used in the yard, and it is very inter-
esting to tenderfoot like myself to
see with what ease these machines do