Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-12-12

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11.--Secre-
tary Metcalf of the navy department
in his annual report discusses, as the
most notable naval event of the past
year. the voyage of the battleship fleet
which has proven an epoch-making
cruise"
Late in the spring of 1907 it was
decided to send the Atlantic fleet on
a practice cruise to the Pacific. When
the purpose of giving this assemblage
of sixteen battleshiDs such a practice
cruise, under severe conditions, was
announced, he states, criticism from
high technical quarters was heard.
The undertaking, it was said, was zoo
monumental; dangers more than null
tiplied with numbers in such case;
battleships should not be sent around
the globe on any ordinary occasion;
the skeletons of some of them would
doubtless be left in the Straits of Ma
gellan; and, IL the ships should round
South America, they would, one by
one, arrive with machineries loose
and unserviceable, and with crews re-
fiecting the condition of the material.
The facts are, Secretary Metcalf
SAYS, that the ships maintained sched-
care of their own repairs on this
cruise. The repairs list sent in at the
naval station, Cavite, P. l., have just
been received, and are significant.
They show that after the voyage to
the distant borders Of the Pacific, the
needed repairs are negligible. The
has, 1t seems, been substantially re-
peated.
This cruise, as yet hardly half over,
he declares has given US an oppor-
tunity to get better acquainted with
the republics to the south of us, with
our own island possessions, with the
new and vigorous branch OF the Brit
ish empire in Australia, and paTtiCG-
larIy with Japan; and has given to
those countries a better opportunity
to get acquainted with US. 1t has been
everywhere understood and accepted
as it was intended, as the reaching out
of strong hand in friendly greeting
on the part of America, and the cor
dial hospitalities extended to our fleet
will be long remembered, and have
powerfully Influenced feeling in this
country. Between the United States
and every country visited there is a
feeling of deeper interest and friend
ship than existed before the feet
sailed.
Passing to certain recent criticisms
of the new and larger battleships now
building, the secretary says that at
the conference, convened and opened
by the president at Newport, the gen
eral matter of design of these ships
was approved, after forty-three days
consideration, by this assemblage OF
the best authorities available in the
navy, consisting OF about sixty officers,
all but seven of whom were line OH
GERS of the sea-goiDg branch Of the
service.
Marksmanship, he says. has I'M
proved ON the practice. cruise. With
respect to the assertion that our II
inch guns are inferior to those of 9TH
er powers, the facts are found to be
that the actual muZzle'energy of these
I2-inch guns, which form the main ar
Inament OF our eight latest battle
ships In commission, is somewhat
greater than that of any gun afoat
in any other navy.
AS the officer in command OF the
American feet now in the Far East
holds the rank of rear admiral only,
he is in position of subordination to
foreign naval officers. This is true be
cause foreign powers have. on impor
tant naval stations, representatives OF
the rank of vice admiral.
The secretary urges that the navy
should. without delay, be provided
with two vice admirals.
II is desirable, the secretary states.
TO lengthen the dry dock authorized
by congress to be constructed at
Pearl harbor, Hawaii, from $50 10
1140 feet, to render It capable OF ac-
commodating two or more vessels at
once.
Secretary Metcalf recommends that !
the navy yards at New York. Phiia-
delphia, Norfolk. Puget Sound and
Mare Island be developed to their full !
for the repair and nainte-