Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-07
All Coast Defenses
Being Put in
Condition
Mare Island Navy Yard
May Be Dredged for
Battleships
Officials at Washington Profess Deep
Ignorance of What Movement Of
Squadron to Pacific Coast
May Mean
BY Associated Press


WASHINGTON, July 6.-Heads of
naval bureaus assert ignorance of the
plans of the administration to send the
battleship fleet to the Pacific, notwith-
standing official confirmation of the re-
ports. These bureau chiefs say they
are engaged only in routine work and
that they are making no unusual prepa-
rations. They also assert that they
have had no orders to do otherwise
And on tine surface there are few signs
of abnormal activity in the department.
Many of the chiefs are away and the
usual proportions of subordinates are
on vacations.
But the plans of the department for
this particular summer fit in well with
the exigencies of the moment. The
matter of coal supply is an instance.
The movement of this fuel to the far
east and the Pacific coast may be to
meet the average demands of the SER
| vice.
| In fact, it is stated, that the coal
would have gone forward before this
had the money been available before
| Jil6 VI lllG new loSci yCeIA
| Their supply of reserve naval guns and
ammunition and of torpedoes is found
| to be much nearer the needs of the
service than 1t has ever before been at
this season of the year.
Constructing New Guns
The construction of guns for the
new ships is progressing and armament
for the armored cruisers about to be
turned over 70 the government will be
ready by the time the contractors have
finished the hulls and fittings of the
ship. EIeadway has also been made
with the great guns for the two big
20, O00-t ton battleships, although the con-
tracts for these have not been signed.
Orders for the forgings for these guns
were placed two months ago with the
Bethlehem, Midvale and Carnegie
works.
Some forgings have been delivered
at the Washington yard. 1t is recalled
that some curiosity was expressed a
few months ago when 1t was an
nounced that the navy had adopted
new policy of building guns in the
naval gun factories. That curiosity
was not gratified, but 1t may develop
as a fortunate circumstance that as
result the naval gunshops are not
now in danger of being taxed beyond
capacity.
No Extraordinary Expenses
Only routine expenditures for repairs
and for docks are being made on either
the Atlantic or Pacific coasts, accord
ing to accounts of officials here, but,
as Secretary Metcalf pointed out, one
of the items is a drydock at Puget
sound, and it would not be surprising
if a special effort were made to dredge
out the channel at the Mare Island
navy yard so as to make it accessible
to the deep draft ships.
There is fine drydock in the Mare
Island navy yard which might as well
be in China as far as the American
navy is concerned, unless the channel
is dredged.
Last year the navy department found
it impossible to spend all of the money
that congress had appropriated for
machinery plant in the Bremerton navy
yard. That was because materials and
skilled labor were scarce. AS this is
the only dock on the Pacific coast now
ready to handle big battleship some
special inducements must be held out
by the department to get trained navy
yard workers to make their homes in
Bremerton, and it is believed that steps
have already been taken in this direc-
tion.
Altogether Notwithstanding the alb
sence of any appearance of furry or
anxiety among the few officials who
remain in Washington, it is patent that
much useful work is being done in a
way to put the navy and the army
coast defenses in as good condition as
the appropriation will permit.