The Washington herald., 1919-06-08

probably be completed by a sum.
cient number of States to make it q
law. within a short time.
Another event OF social interest was
Jtne week" at Annapolis. All of the
ouds and members of the younger set
1T society wended their way to that
Quaint old town on the Chesapeake
Bay to see the midshipmen at the
naval Academy get their diplomas
ana blossom forth as ensigns. and to
ATTEND the many festivities and en-
,ertafnments given in conjunction with
the graduation exercises. This Is the
nrst year since we enterd the war.
mat tfere has been any June week
down there. And it Is the first June
week given since the size of the
academy was doubled and since .Ad-
miral Archibald II. Scales has been
superintendent of the academy.
The necessity for additional build
ings at the Naval Academy and the
impracticability of extending the
grounds on three sides because of
the water which bounds the present
area will make it necessary to enlarge
shortly by anneXing a slice OF the
city of AnnapolisI The portion which
VIII be taken Is rectangular, about
l.l60 by 40 feet in size. and was in
ciuced In the original plans for the
enlargement of the academy. The pres
ent academy grounds enclose it or
three sides.
The situation has been rendered
acute by the necessity for finding a
site for the great auditorium which
Is to be constructed and for which
congress already has provided the
FUNDS. There is no available site with
In the present academy limits. The
sum of $500 900 was appropriated fol
building which was to include the
auditorium and accommoda tions for
the departments of seamanship and
navigation.
A site was picked on the northeast
side or the academy grounds near the
Severn River but the Fine Arts COM
mission, which inspected it. advised
AGAR st 1t on thu ground that 1t would
crowd the grouo of buildings too much
and would cut OFF the last water view
from large portion OF the grounds.
As the need of the new quarters
Tor the seamanship and navigation
departments was pressing build
Ing for this purpose is being erected
on another site at a cost of about
100000. The balance is available
for the auditorium. but there is nc
place to put it. There is now 20
hall at the academy which will ac-
commodate even half OF the normal
quota of midshipmen at one tims
and there are occasions when all oi
them and some others should be to-
n Ia i
needed soon. After suspending is
work during the war the post
graduate department will resume
work on July l. 1t has no quarters
OF its own. and the need will b..
come gre ater. as the work of tho
department is constantly expanding
The department of electrical en-.
gineering, now in portion of the
academic building. needs a separate
structure. while the present chape
cannot hold half the midshipmen
besides being an acoustic horror. II
must be replaced with larger one
within a reasonable time.
The truth of the matter is that
even the projectors OF the splend,.
new Naval Acade my" did not have
sufficient vision to plan for 'vnat
would be needed by the training
school Of officers OF the United
States Navy. and the facilities arc
not large enough by half. As proof
OF this 1t was necessary to Just
double the capacity OF Bancroft
Hall. quarters of the midshipmen
and nearly every other department
needs similar enlargement.
The Academy grounds have haC
successive enlargements. both BY
encroaching upon the limits of An.
napolis and by building walls into
the water of the Severn River anC
College Creek and filling in. Tn,