The Cairo bulletin., 1910-12-05
REC oMMENDS ABANDONMENT OF
NAVAL STATIONS AT NEW
ORLEANS AND OTHERS.
STRONG NAv|ES NEEDED
To Enforce international Agreements
River Gunboat Recommended
Tribute to Peary For
Reaching North Pole.

NaSilhi5tou, Dct. - ne TesultS VI
a careful. personal investigation by
Secretary George Won L. Meyer, OF
many OF the navy yards and naval
stations are apparent in ces-~ain
sweeping recommendations for the
abolition OF some OF these and the
development Of others, as set out in
the seeretary's annual report just
made public
Secretary Meyer recommends Civ
ing up and dispcsing of the fs1Val sta
|tions at New Orleans, Pensacola, San
Juan, Port Royal, New London, Sack
atts Harbor, Culebra and Cayite. He
finds that the average yearly cost OF
maintaining these stat.csb for the
past five years has been $1,672,G75,
while very little useful work as
been performed therein.
The secretary discusses the strong
points and shortcomings of the vaii-
Gus yards at length and incidentally
he points ort that the United States
has twice as many navy yards as
Grelt 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 Missis-
sipni river Is such that In time OF war
no large vessel should be sent there
on account of the danger of the pass
as being blocked. The Pensacola
navy yard is condemned as impossi.
BILE Of fortificaton and as strategically
unnecessary. The secretary thin0s
that the gulf and South Atlantic
coasts can best be defended by an ef
fective naval statless 8; Guantafiaifiu
Cuba, where the emergency docking
and repair facilities should be pro
vided at an expense Of about 100000
or 100000. This would involve the
transfer to Guantanamo Of the New
Orleans floating dock and machine
tools from the Algters yard and from
Pensacola Key West alone OF the
gulf naval stations should be main
tanned; not as a first-class station
but for the supply and quick repair
Of small gun boats and torpedo craft
operating in the caribbean Sea. The
secretary predicts tnat in time of war
the cities of the gulf coast will be,
from their natural security, the chief
sources of supplies and material and
the probable points from which oul
troops will embark either for the Is
thmus Of anama f.r furtner transit
or for service in the Car bean, as
may be required.
Need Of Harbor improvements
Because the Portsmouth, Boston
New York, Philadelphia and Norfoik
yards have accessible dry docks o
which we have too few, 1t is founi
impossible to give Up any Of them
Port Royal mas dry dock unap
proaehable for battleships or even
cruisers and the Charleston dock is
likewise useless as the channel Hlls
in at the rate Of from three to foul
feet year.
On the Pacific coast Secretary Me
yer finds the Bremerton yard at
disadvantage through it's lack OF rail
road communication and Its distance
from any large supply of labor, But
| its further development Is regarded
as necessity in view of the fact that
the feet at some tine after the open
| ing OF the Panama canal may bt
based in the Pacific ocean.
The Mare Island navy yard is yer,
severely criticised for its inaccessi
bility both on account OF Its great
distance from San Francisco ond the
snallownes of the channel The mud
ldy water Of the San Fable Pay IL
also said to work havoc with the con
densers OF the warships No battle
ship injured in action could be takei
to Mare Island ev enfor temporary
repairs nor could the yard be reacnet
| by o number of the heavy battlesh'pS
| or 1eaVy cruisers even Wnen unin
jured. But as $14,00O.000 already has
been spent on this yard. the secre-
tary thinks that in order 10 avoid
a total loss 1t would be wise to uti
lize IL for such vessels as can reacn
| it and also for such manufacturing
and repair work for the larger YES.
sells as can readily be sent to the
navy yard and returned to the vessels
lying in San Francisco Bay. Looking
to the future ne says 1t will be neees-
sary to establish docking and repair
station for battIeships on San Fran.
cisco Bay in some locality yet to be
selected and meanwhile the fee
must depend upon Puget Sound. al
though there should be more than one
yard available, II the battleship fiN
| is to be based on the Pacific ocean.
rearl Harbor will be made the prin-
Concluded on Sixth Page.)
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