The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-06-16

The bsttleship fleet will sail today for
the southern drill grounds at the en-
trance to the Chesapeake, to begin the
regular summer maneuvers and target
pIdcuce, which will be completed of the
New England coast. The vessels have
been thoroughly Overhauled since they
completed the world irdiing tour last
fepruary, and are believed to be in the
PINK OF condition. No man has ever
charged, even In the days when cur navy
consisted Of obsolete wooden ships, some
OF them unseaworthy, that the personnel,
ncildlng enlisted men as well as officers,
was anything other than fit and ready
Tor any service which might be de-
handed
Inc American navy was more general
" discussed throughout the world last
year than all the navies of all the other
powers. This was due to the cruise which
the great fleet made around the globe.
SAILING In many strange seas and call
lng At ports Of so many different ma
tons. Naturally enough, there has not
been so much naval talk this year, so
Iar as our own navy Is concerned. Events
IN another quarter have transferred in
tefest from the American to the navles
OF Great Britain and Germany. These
Two powers appear to be engaged in
snlpoulldlng race which is unique in the
history OF nations, and which, according
70 several authorities must terminate in
war or bankruptcy.
II is difficult to realize that less than
twenty-five years ago the United States
dld not have single armored seasoing
snip, and that now we are prepared to
enforce the most recent Interpretation Of
the Monroe doctrine in any part of the
world with navy second in power only
20 that of Great Britain itself The navy
)f every other nation has been of slow,
steady growth. I'm the execution of
liked purpose, and the carrying out of
long-defined policy. But this country
appears suddenly 10 have awakened to
the TACT that the American navy was
worthless so far as vessels were con-
cerned, and that nation so well able
TO build warships should be represented
ner.
The beginning of the new navy was
tne passage Of the naval appropriation
Dill OF 1888, authorizing the construction
OF three steel cruisers and one dispatch
DoaL at a total cost Of 81 10000. Such
q sum would not start a contractor to
work on one Of the battleships or cruis-
ers of the navy of today There was
nor an afmOr plate factory in the United
states, nor a plant at which could be
turned out guns of greater than 6-inch
cahoer' There was not a torpedo nor
machine gun plant in the country But
arInor plate factories sprung Up, and the
government established the great gun
FACTORY at Washington in 1857. The in
crease IN our naval strength from that
year was rapid, and when the Spanish
war broke out in l6yS, it not only found
the american navy in q perfect state of
preparedness, but strong enough to an
Of 10 days.
No race is so costly as that which
many nations enter in seeing which can
increase Its naval ornaments most rap
ldiy. The cost Of a warship of the
DreadnOUght class may be roughly stat
ed at 100000. Battleships Of the first
class, speaking of the DreadnOughts as
IN a class by themselves, cost about 81
he
vessel cost, approximately, as much as
the vessel unarmOred and unarmed
BUT the initial cost Of navy is in
significant as compared with the enor-
nous outlay involved in maintaining it,
For instance. during the fiscal year IqlS
Jne cost of maintaining the battleship
Connecticut was SS1,5l5.77, which sum in
GUIDED $i5l,O33.U for cost of commission
which also represented pay of officers
and SAG, 1870, representing repairs to
hull machinery and equipage. To this
cost OF maintenance of vessels must he
added the cost of maintaining the ma
chlnery of the navy department The
amount appropriated for the sllpport of
the naval establishment. from 1883 to 1908
including both years, was 81, 374. 624 O01. 50
OF which vast sum only 1914 9O4 29S. S. was
vessels.
One Of the lords Of the British ad-
mTalty said in an official utterance re-
Gently that in the Western hemisphere
the power and size of which will he lin
ited only by the amount of money which
the American people may choose to
spend on IT, England is having a hard
time with her finances now. and Ger
many Is running behind in the matter of
governmental revenue to such an extent
tnat her statesmen are exercising their
ingenuity TO find new subjects of taxa
ton or subjects upon which additional
tax may be placed without working too
great hardship.
Americans, at least have never been
aole TO see real cause for the excite
nieht winch mas prevailed in England du-
ring the past few months over fbe rroe-
pect OF a German invasion. The pace at
when the Germans are building warships
IS Haf0ly 50 great as that at which Eng
land IS building them The present war
snip tonnage Of Great Britain, according
20 lne most reliable figures obtainabIe,
Is L66S005. while that of Germany is be-
lieved to be 524573 tons Were vessels
the Two countries are now building nut
on the wave Great Britain would have