Show OBSOLETE SHIPS Secretary leyer wants authority to dispose of a alot Jot lot of obsolete v vessels sels which are worthless to lo the lJ navy y but which might b be used used in some some som divisions of commerce 1 T I When the Spanish war came on the government r v vas S in iu the same fix that it would be bc now now were another another an an- other war to be sprung up upon n the country It had 11 no lc colliers it had no sc scout ut boats no hospital boats and nd so drew upon the merchant marine which wo WI then had hal and aud which was mostly a part of the coast fleet We Ve had supposed that when the war was over 1 U t of vessels had been disposed of but butt it t seems they still have them and have been patching patch patch- ing ng iii them up p all these past ten years A war var craft that can neither fight nor run is one that ought TO TOl toof I l c Ji disposed p sed of quickly l There is more than one pl ce where such craft raft could be used We Ve would tJ think the thc would need a number of them on the Yunk Kiang r river cl in China to take in supplies and to bring out a whole lot of iron coal an and steel I roils and steel billets anything that IliaC China can out of her iron mines and md which ou our own countrymen tr men cannot compete with Then there e is quite a large lurge fleet engaged in the nit f trade on ou both oceans Then rhen tramp steamers c cau aar bo be o insured and put in the Alaskan trade It t is s sis nc is a R stormy coast and none and bul good ves- ves f lis to th there c thuy rc but if call cU get the c I 1 L 1 I I 1 f. f 1 i J r 1 t I IJ J I era craft craft insured d and there ii iS nothing lost except a afew few v Alaskan lives why they do not count for mu much ll because they are re so cold eold up there it would not hurt much to to kill them anyhow Then rhen there would be he a great profit to buy up those obsolete vessels at what the thc g government could get at auction and unload them upon a confiding population at a profit For instance we had a after the tile great war var The yacht America the famous was from thi the rebels It was frying hying to run the thc blockade It la lay a good while at atthe atthe atthe the navy yard ard in Washington and old General B Butler Buther But But- lee her took up the idea that he lie would like to have that thiat yacht acht for hi his summer cruises and was planning planning planning plan plan- ning to fo see if he could not get the boat condemned when a friend said to him General why dont don't you buy the boat Y and then c. c explained to him that when the yacht was fitted up for he race her ballast ballast bal bat last was made of lead that it was run in as a bullet is 15 rim run n in molds and that the tile lead at the price lead was going at then was wo worth th as michas much mich muchas ch chas as the tile boat would bring at auction So the general gen- gen eral cral planned to have lave the thc boat sold He re bid it in took out the ballast and made money enough ow over l' l the cost from the sale of the lead to perfectly refit the yacht jacht and sailing in that yacht was his summer sumner sum sum- mer ner recreation as long as he lived And generally speaking the government ought to deal with these naval vessels as a big farmer deals with his buggies and wagons ns when they get getto getto getto to the tile point where repairs get to be an item sell th em what they will bring and anti be through gh with the tho care of the thern n. n |