Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-06
NAVY YARD IS BUSY
Money Now Available for the
Work at Brooklyn.
CONNECTICUT FINE SHIP
Better Workmanship Displayed Than
in the Louisiana.
REPAIRS ALL ALONG THE LINE
Gotham Badly Fooled by Her Tele-
phone Company-Tolls Remain at
Ten Cents Despite Promises.
REPAIRS ALL ALONG THE LINE
Special pispateh to The Star.

| Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, July 6.-After having been
| abandoned for nearly two months the great
government-built battleship Connecticut at
| the Brooklyn navy yard is now ringing with
| the sound Of hundreds of hammers for the
| beginning of the new fiscal year has made
| available the money necessary to complete
| the big sea fighter. year ago 1t was ex-
pected the Connecticut would have been
| In commission many months-by this time,
but there were unforeseen expenses to be
met, and suddenly the amount originally
appropriated for the ship gave out The
department at Washington was acquainted
with the state of affairs, and appealed to
the committees of Congress, but they were
content to let matters wait until the new
appropriation bill for the navy was framed.
If the money had been made available when
first asked for the Connecticut it is said,
would now be In commission as one of the
vessels of the Atlantic fleet under command
OF Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans
Ihere Is still between $500. 900 and 100000
worth OF work to be done on the Connecti-
cut before she can be called complete in ev-
cry detail, and 1t seems certain from pres
ent indications that 1t will be early in the
fall before Capt. William Swift of the gen
designated to command the Connecticut
will hoist a flag on her
When the last penny of the original APP
preparation for the ship was paid out she
was ready, with the exception of some inte-
rior work and the installation of her bat
terry of fourteen seven-inch guns. The
twelve inch and eight inch guns, four
of the former caliber and eight of the lat
ter, were installed on board some time
ago. The big ship is now in need of new
coat of paint from stem to stern, and be-
fore being placed in commission will have
10 spend several weeks In drydock having
her hull below the water line scraped and
freshly painted for her trial trip.
The Connecticut's Speed.
The Connecticuts speed has not yet been
determined. although ships built at private
yards have their trial trips long before they
reach the stage of final completion attained
by the Connecticut months ago. The pri-
vate yards have their select crews to man
the ships for the trial runs. The navy yard
vessels must wait until they get the regular
complement of men who will man them
permanently before they can be sent out to
make a record over the Cape Ann course.
The Connecticuts dock trial a year or
more ago, however, proved entirely Satlsfac-
tory and having attained the required num-
Der of revolutions in the propellers there is
no reason why she shouldn't handily exceed
the speed for which she was planned.
The louisiana. the Connecticuts sister
q
has been in commission several months, ,ie-
spite the fact that on January last the
government-built vessel was reported near
er completion than the Louisiana. At that
time it was believed the Brooklyn yard
would win out in its race with the private
yard, the outcome of which was expected
to do much for the future of government
built vessels. Then came the deficit In the
appropriation. The navy yard officials ex-
plain this by saying that the work the
Connecticut has been the most thorough
ever put into an American battleshp, and.
while they admit that the first cost of the
Connecticut will exceed that of her sister
ship they set up the claim that the differ
ence will be more than made up in the
matter of repairs during the next five years.
II is confidently predicted that once the
Connecticut leaves her berth in the navy
yard she will not have to seek q repair
station for years to come except, of course.
in the matter of painting and dry docking
to clean the hull of sea growth
Built for a Flagship.
The crew of the Connecticut is already
| assembled at the navy yard. and most of
the officers who are to man her have been
designated by the Navy Department. The
new battleship is built for a flagship and
rumor has it that when she goes into COM
mission and is assigned to the Atlantic feet
she will take the place of the Maine as
Admiral Evans flagship.
The navy yard is fairly humming with in
set all the wheels in motion. At every
available berth along the water front and
in every dock there is big ship undergo
ing summer repairs in preparation for long
cruises or work on the summer drill grounds
off the New England coast. Few people
realize what wonderful ship building and
ship repairing plant the government has
built up in Brooklyn. 1t seems to be COM
plete in every detail and is regarded by
many navy men as one of the most valu-
able assets the American navy possesses.
With such a plant the government can be
Independent OF the private builders for any
ordinary increase in the navy, and the
Brooklyn yard can always be used as a
club to prevent extortionate prices bling
asked by the private concerns. In the re-
cent bids for two new ships opened at
Washington the private yards underesti-
mated the government experts. There is
deep gloom over the fact at the Brooklyn
yard and the officers and thousands of
mechanics there are yet hopeful that the
Navy Department will see its way clear to
authorize the building OF one of the vessels
at this station. They argue that the value
of the governments ship building plant de-
ponds largely upon its continuous opera
ton, for nothing deteriorates quite so quick
ly as idle wPchinery,
Four Superb Cruisers.
The four magnificent armored cruisers
under command Of Rear Admiral Brown
son-the West Virginia. flagship; Pennsyl-
vania, Maryland and Colorado-are being
put in trim at the navy yard for their long
journey to the far east, where they go to
form the more important part of the naval
force In Philippine and Chinese waters The
squadron will make an easy trip to the east,
sojourning for while in European waters
to show the American flag atop of the finest
vessels the United States has sent 10 for
eign shores In many days. The four vessels
are exact counterparts of each other, and
their long. graceful lines, their four fun
nels and the general set-up of the cruisers
will attract wide attention. There is great
satisfaction in naval circles that this squad
| ron Is to carry the flag two-thirds of the
way around the world.
The cruisers are to replace the battleships
now in the Asiatic fleet, it being planned to
hiring fph