The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-12-05
Secretary Won L. Meyer Recommends DispOs-
ing of Stations at New Orleans, Pensacola,
San Juan, Port Royal, New London, Sack
eH Harbor, Culebra and Cauite- United
States Has 7wice as Many Yards as
Great Britain With Only Half
the Size of Her Navy.

Washington, d. c., Dec 5.-The re-
suits of a careful, personal investiga-
tion by Secretary George Won L. Meyer
of many of the navy yards and naval
stations are apparent in certain sweep
ing recommendation for the abolition
of some of these and the development
of others, as set out in the secretary's
annual report just made public.
Secretary Meyer recommends Civ
ing up and disposing of the naval sta
tions at New Orleans, Pensacola, San
Juan, Port Royal, New London,
Sacketts Harbor, Culebra and Cavite.
He finds that the average yearly cost
of maintaining these stations for the
past five years has been s1,672,675,
while very little useful work has been
performed therein.
The secretary discusses the strong
points and shortcomings of the var
ious yards at length and incidentally
he points out that the United States
has twice as many navy yards as
Great Britain with navy at least
double the size of ours Touching the
New Orleans yard, it is said that its
position 100 miles up the Mississippi
river is such that in time of war no
large vessels should be sent there on
account of the danger of the passes be-
ing blocked. The Pensacola navy
yard is condemned as impossible OF
fortification and as strategically un-
necessary. The secretary thinks that
the Gulf and South Atlantic coasts
can best be defended by an effective
naval station at Guantanamo, Cuba,
where the emergency docking and re-
pair facilities should be provided at an
expense of about 100000 or $400, 900
This would involve the transfer to
Guantanamo of the New Orleans float
ing dock and machine tools from the
Algiers yard and from Pensacola. Key
West alone of the Gulf naval stations
should be maintained; not as first
class station but for the supply and
quick repair of small gun boats and
torpedo craft operating in the Carri
bean Sea. The secretary predicts that
in time of war the cities of the gull
coast will be, from their natural Sc
Icurity, the chief sources of supplies
and material and the probable points
from which our troops will embark
|either for the Isthmus of Panama fol
further transit, or for service in the
caribbean, as may be required
Because the Portsmouth, Boston
New York, Philadelphia and Norfoll
yards have accessible dry docks Of
which we have too few, it is found i'm
possible to give up any of them. Port
Royal has dry dock unapproachable
for battleships or even cruisers and the
Charleston dock is likewise useless as
tne channel fills it at the rate OF IRON
three to four feet year. But in re
gard to final recommendation as tc
other yards and auxiliary stations on
the Atlantic coast, save those specif
eally named for abandonment, the sec
retary says he awaits the recommends
|tion of the joint board of the army and
navy.
On the Pacific coast Secretary Meyer
finds the Bremerton yard at a disad
vantage through its lack of railroad
communication and its distance from
any large supply of labor. But its fur
ther development is regarded as a nee
essity in view of the fact that the fee
at some time after the opening of the
Panama canal may be based in the
Pacific ocean.
The Mare Island navy yard is very
severely criticised for its inaccessible
ity, both on account of its great dis
tance from San Francisco and the
shallowness of the channel The
muddy water of the San Pablo Bay il
also said to work havoc with the con
densers of the warships. No battle
ship injured in action could be taker
to Mare Island even for temporary re
pairs nor could the yard be reached
by number of the heavy battleships
or heavy cruisers even when uninjured
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