New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-13
The United States Many From 1910 to 1917

These ships were originally b,rk
four tunnels and straight stem s's VI
When the war ended in April ,e,,
United States had hundreds of shin 'V0s' y
mission, from the New Ironside, a.. - "a
ferryboats. A great number a, A.. eN
ships were actually under cons,r,.., AZ
few were ready for sea, and a f.v
were put in commission. The Gu.,.a es
example, went to sea and brOugh, a.,
Farragut's body from PortsmoutS saIia
York, but nearly all Of the huge s,., " ss
persed. Some ships were sold ana s@
their purchasers; many went to N. wv
grave yards of old ships in the ssv..., 'n's
yards, known in the Navy as "Ro,,.. .ssq
Other ships again were broken IN =, 4, "'s'
for the iron and copper used in H..
struction. Many we'll known nan. a. ~
peared from our Naval lists, as N. Nar
gan to go down hill. The country
important matters on hand: the N,,e
forgotten. ."
In the eos
In the Navy Register Of 1885 we attn l..
ed Of twenty-nine wooden ships C,,.S
the old Powhatan) in commission or /, -
nary and nineteen ironclads. Bssis,, a.
several ships are set forth as not vo,,.
pairing. There are on the list t,v -,
ron ships, like the Alert, so well kp0v,
the Asiatic station, but not one shin W,
any way up-to-date. Not a sinel, ~
loading gun was mounted on these ,hi,,
cept some small howitzers; not on, :, :.
cruisers was even tin-plsted. The liz, 80
sents a picturesque feet Of vessel, :.
beautiful tall spars, long bowspriuL ..|
rigging such as was carried in Nelson, A,
Manned though it was by able officer !.
we'll trained men, our Navy was n.y.rl.'.
farce.
A few monitors were still In commas.
in the early sos, like the Nantu.k,, =,
Passaic. They figured in Naval REVIEW =,
they looked most formidable. Aneko,,I
Newport harbor, in the still water a a,
bay, with the sun shining on them. al i.
graceful reflections in the water Of A.,
flags and their snowy white awning, "A
the bright dresses Of the ladies who uld,L
accepting the officers hospitality, tier r,s
looked picturesque; but they were so =,
enough, for their hulls and turr., =,
smokestacks bore the marks Of ma, =
enemy's shots.
For many years at the old Cob Deck IN
York, there was row of XIV and X ~
guns, worth nothing except as old Iron =
reminiscent of what in former DAN M
great gun power. All this Is gone ina 4,
tory, together with Ericsson's vibntns n
Isherwood's back-scting engines and liz al
less bitter controversies over their yswts
merits, as bitter as more recent contrcnns
on electric drives.
Dry Rot
II dry rot in their unseasoned t-b.,
brought many handsome ship 70 az n
early grave, dry rot in the Navy Deprsc
brought our Navy to very low ebb. p's.a
and politicians helped pull the Nsy ir
not lack of spirit among the officers, III NJ
ticians SO often assert. OF course tr
the war the country did not want Il
tarism in any shape, and il the ArrI NJ
made a skeleton, the Navy was brsg.i
almost as 10" leVel' MILLIONS Wen "
on useless so-called repairs, and u,!g 4
guise of repairs worthless ships wer Mi
ly rebuilt into new and equally u.s.s
ships. This was the politicians doing T.,
days when men near election time sm II |
ployed moving a pile of lumber frs- n
side of Main Street at the New York YAK
the other and back again.
But when Garfield became Presii,r. i
Judge William H. Hunt became Secretary
the Navy, the first steps were taken 70 . |
ate a new Navy. Secretary Hunt shouG
hcnored as the man who first put nu |
into the Navy, by having plans for NOE |
ships worked up and discussed. The bsa
nings were very modest, but the result
the Navy exists to-day are glorious