NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



583 



corps, receiving $1,292,130, and the total an- 

 nual pay amounts to $7,440,182. The enor- 

 mous disproportion of officers to only thirty- 

 one vessels in commission is pointed out, and 

 the gradual reduction, as ordered by Congress, 

 from 1,817 to 1,562 is urged. This latter num- 

 ber will be amply sufficient for all the needs of 

 the service. The Secretary recommends that 

 the officers and seamen of the navy should 

 be actively employed in all matters of the 

 national Government upon or in direct connec- 

 tion with the ocean, so as to increase knowl- 

 edge and improve and strengthen the navy. A 

 useful change in the existing law of promotion 

 is also recommended. 



5. Navy -Yards. There are seven large 

 yards in full and expensive operation, viz. : at 

 Portsmouth, N. H., Boston, New York, League 

 Island (Philadelphia), Washington, Norfolk, 

 and Mare Island, Gal., one other at Pensaco- 

 la, Fla., and one in embryo at New London, 

 Gonn. ; with naval stations at Key West, Fla., 

 New Orleans, La., Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., 

 Mound City, 111., and Port Royal, S. 0. The 

 total cost of permanent improvements and re- 

 pairs, including the sites, at these navy-yards, 

 from their establishment to June 30, 1882, was 

 $54,227,772.67. Total expenditure for last 

 year, under all bureaus (excluding Mare Island), 

 was $2,608,379.02. The number of officers 

 and employes at the several navy-yards is 

 about 7,300. Although these yards are too 

 many and too expensive for any present or even 

 prospective needs, it is not easy to determine 

 what is best to be done with them. A com- 

 mission appointed by order of Congress, in 

 August, 1882, has the whole matter under con- 

 sideration, and will report in due time upon 

 the question of sale or retention. Boards of 

 naval officers have been appointed to see to the 

 disposal of old and unserviceable material in 

 the navy-yards ; but no sales have yet been 

 made. Inspection Boards have also been ap- 

 pointed to examine all the vessels in the navy, 

 and report as to those unfit for service and those 

 unfinished in any navy-yard. It is expected 

 that some definite results will soon be attained. 



6. The present service rendered by the navy 

 consists in keeping the vessels appointed on the 

 several stations, viz., the North Atlantic, the 

 South Atlantic, the European, the Pacific, and 

 the Asiatic stations. On the first station are 

 six ships, engaged in exercises in fleet tactics, 

 etc. On the second are three vessels. On 

 the third are three vessels, which were pres- 

 ent at Alexandria, in Egypt, during the year's 

 troubles, and gave timely aid and comfort to 

 American citizens and others. On the fourth 

 are seven vessels, looking after the interests of 

 the country in the Pacific. One of the vessels 

 was required in the waters of Alaska Terri- 

 tory. On the fifth station are four ships, and 

 three others are under orders to join the sta- 

 tion. Besides these there is the Apprentice 

 Training Squadron, consisting of five vessels. 

 Cruises to Europe were made during the sum- 



mer, and a cruise to the West Indies ordered 

 for the winter. Eight vessels were engaged 

 on special service, surveying duty, experiment- 

 al cruises, etc. 



7. The several Bureaus to which the work 

 of the navy is intrusted report encouraging 

 progress. The Bureau of Ordnance is occupied 

 in plans and efforts to secure the construction 

 of high-powered guns, in experimenting with 

 torpedoes and electric lights, etc. Urgent call 

 is made for speedy aid of Government toward 

 means for perfecting the making of steel forg- 

 ings, and furnishing a steam-hammer, of which 

 at present there is none in the country sufficient 

 for heavy forgings. Under the Bureau of 

 Equipment and Recruiting much was accom- 

 plished in the fitting out of ships, manufacture 

 of cables and anchors, etc. Enlistments of 

 seamen and apprentices were to the number of 

 5,260, 478 being boys. Congress having au- 

 thorized the construction of two new steel 

 cruising-vessels, estimates have been furnished 

 of the probable cost by the Bureaus of Steam- 

 Engineering and of Construction and Repair. 

 According to these, the vessels will cost some- 

 thing less than $2,000,000 each. It is also esti- 

 mated that, to complete the four double-tur- 

 reted monitors, which have been much disputed 

 about from year to year, it will require $3,165,- 

 000. The Advisory Board, having in charge 

 the construction of the new steel cruisers, is 

 proceeding with care and deliberation, the de- 

 termination being to spare no pains to design 

 and complete the two best ships which can 

 possibly be constructed in this country. The 

 Secretary of the Navy further recommends the 

 construction of three or four smaller vessels, of 

 high speed, etc., at a cost of $7,000,000 each 

 for two, and $500,000 each for others. The 

 sanitary condition of the navy, as reported by 

 the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, appears 

 to be better than usual. 



8. The United States Marine Corps contains 

 1,681 enlisted men, 984 on board ships in 

 commission, and 877 occupied in shore duty. 

 The legal number of privates is 2,500. As 

 Congress has appropriated for only 1,500, the 

 Secretary calls for appropriations for 2,000. 



9. The Naval Academy is efficiently and 

 satisfactorily conducted, and the Naval Ob- 

 servatory is doing good work. The erection 

 of the new observatory (which was authorized 

 by Congress three years ago), on the site se- 

 lected on Georgetown Heights, is urgently rec- 

 ommended. 



10. The expenditures for the year were $13,- 

 936,294.96, being $2,336,508 less than the ap- 

 propriations available for the current expenses 

 of the Navy. The estimates furnished by the 

 chiefs of the respective bureaus (for the fiscal 

 year ending June 30, 1884), for pay, supplies, 

 building new ships, machinery, etc., amount to 

 a little over $27,000,000. The Secretary of 

 the Navy thinks that they may be revised so 

 as to amount to about $21,000,000. 



11. The Light- House Service and Coast-Sur- 



