Admiral STANFORD. Per linear foot of wall?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir; that will be all right.

Admiral STANFORD. It is proposed to construct 407 linear feet of quay wall, estimated cost $55 per foot, and 346 linear feet of sheet piling around slip No. 3, at $35 per foot.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is "Fireproof general storehouse (to cost $225,000)"-"not to exceed," I suppose you mean, "$150,000.” Where is that storehouse to be located, what is the necessity for it, the character of the building, etc.?

Admiral STANFORD. This item is for the construction of a general storehouse which will permit of centralizing stores in one building centrally located, thereby reducing the cost of caring for stores, render available floor space in shop buildings which is required for shop use, but which now is used for stores, and greatly reduce the cost of shop operations by having supplies conveniently located with respect to the shops.

The CHAIRMAN. What do you use for a storehouse there now?
Admiral STANFORD. Portions of shop buildings.

The CHAIRMAN. When vacated, will there be use for the additional space in the shops?

Admiral STANFORD. For shop purposes; yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. How many shops are being used for storage purposes?

Admiral STANFORD. Floor space in buildings 58, 105, 112, and small areas in various other buildings, all aggregating about 92,000 square feet, are now used for storage purposes.

The CHAIRMAN. And approximately the space?
Admiral STANFORD. About 92,000 square feet.

The CHAIRMAN. And also insert the uses to which this vacated space will be applied.

Admiral STANFORD. Building 58 will be used by planning division; buildings 105 and 112 for storage of patterns, jigs, tools and dies, and for miscellaneous shopwork.

The CHAIRMAN. At what point is it proposed to locate this new storehouse?

Admiral STANFORD. In Jeffers Square, between buildings 78 and 28 and between Patterson and Isaac Hull Avenues. Locomotive house (building No. 24) and test house (building No. 100) are now on the site; building 100 will be moved to new site; the locomotives will be temporarily housed in another building until other provision is made for them on part of the recently acquired territory. The present locomotive house is too small and will have to be replaced by a larger one at early date, for which appropriation will be requested. The CHAIRMAN. And the character of building?

Mr. HOBSON. It is to be a fireproof building?

Admiral STANFORD. Yes, sir; with masonry or concrete walls and masonry and reenforced concrete floors, and either structural steel columns embedded in masonry or reenforced concrete, a building fitted with fire doors and with fire walls as necessary to segregate the building into fireproof areas.

Mr. HOBSON. And fireproof partitions?

Admiral STANFORD. Yes, sir.

Mr. HOBSON. And please give the dimensions that will require $225,000?

Admiral STANFORD. Dimensions will be about 100 feet by 250 feet. The CHAIRMAN. And also the general scope of the plans?

Admiral STANFORD. Building will probably have five floors and cover area as given above.

The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir. And the character of construction? Admiral STANFORD. The building will be of fireproof construction. Mr. HOBSON. Do you think that a building of that size-I assume it is a very large building

Admiral STANFORD. A big storehouse.

Mr. HOBSON. Is required for the use of this navy yard, which is used chiefly as a gun factory?

Admiral STANFORD. The bureau has been necessarily governed in that consideration by the recommendation from the yard. They state what they need because of their familiarity with the operations of the yard, and we have to accept their statements as being sufficient. Mr. HOBSON. It appears very large to me for the purposes of that yard. Will you please have your bureau verify that they do actually require as large a building as that for their present and prospective

needs?

Admiral STANFORD. The proposed floor area for the new building is about one-third greater than the areas now required for stores, and which will be vacated in other buildings upon completion of the new storehouse. The storehouse recently completed at the Puget Sound yard cost about 14 cents per cubic foot, and that unit price would approximately be required for this structure. It would have to have expensive foundations, which were not required at Puget Sound, which would tend to offset the higher cost of labor at Puget Sound. The CHAIRMAN. Please insert a statement as to the amount of stores and the character of stores for which this building is expected to be used.

Admiral STANFORD. Stores include as principal items the materials which must be carried for the station's operation, and also manufactured products while awaiting distribution.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Paving, to continue, $2,500." Admiral STANFORD. This item is for the purpose of extending the yard pavement, and especially for the service of the new foundry building, which is now under construction, to carry the paving to the west end of the yard, around the foundry.

The CHAIRMAN. Please put in the length.

Admiral STANFORD. Paving at the Washington yard will be of the asphalt block type, like that now in use, and will cost about $3.50 per square yard. This item will provide for about 700 square yards. The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Sewerage, to extend, $5,000." Admiral STANFORD. This item is for the purpose of improving the sewer and drainage systems in the western part of the yard, and is especially necessary in connection with the new foundry building now under construction.

The CHAIRMAN. Why will you need sewerage, for the foundry building?

Admiral STANFORD. For wastes from toilet room, roof drainage, and for removal of water used in the operations of the foundry.

Mr. HOBSON. Sewerage was not contemplated in the original estimate for the building itself?

Admiral STANFORD. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Was there any surplus left from the appropriation for the foundry building?

Admiral STANFORD. $2,621.50 is the present balance. This small sum will undoubtedly be required for minor details or features need for which will develop as the construction proceeds.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Railroad, extension, $2,500." Admiral STANFORD. This item is for the purpose of connecting the yard track system with new buildings, especially the foundry now under construction.

The CHAIRMAN. How much of an extension will that be?
Admiral STANFORD. About 850 linear feet.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Heavy gun scales, $8,000." Admiral STANFORD. This item is to provide conveniently located scales for weighing heavy guns and mounts. The actual weight of the ordnance equipment is very accurately determined as affecting the total weight of the vessel upon which it is to be installed. The scales would be built near the building where guns and mounts are manufactured, so that they can be weighed en route to the float on which the apparatus is taken to Indianhead for test or preliminary to shipment.

Mr. HOBSON. What is the system under which they get the weight? Admiral STANFORD. They now have scales that are not where they want them and that have been reported as being practically worn out and upon which temporary repairs are being made to keep them going until this appropriation can be obtained. A request was made by the yard for an allotment of $8,000 with which to construct new scales, but it did not appear to the bureau as a proper expenditure from the R. & P. funds, and this item was inserted to meet their request as being the only proper way to provide for the construction. The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Navy yard, Norfolk, Virginia: Railroad tracks, extensions, and equipment, $10,000." How much extension and what equipment?

Admiral STANFORD. A matter of the utmost importance at this yard is provision for adequate railway facilities along the new waterfront sections. At present railroad tracks are not sufficiently near the wall coping to permit ships loading and unloading by means of their own cargo hoists from or onto cars. The desired railroad track would result in great economy in transportation of material to and from ships and permit the use of locomotive cranes on various waterfront work. If the amount requested is granted, it is proposed as far as possible to extend the line throughout the entire length of the north wall, completely around basin No. 2, along the sea wall opposite buildings Nos. 65 and 28, make extension into the south end of building No. 28, and provide for ordinary emergency extensions to the system as required throughout the year.

The CHAIRMAN. Insert in the hearings the lineal distance.

Admiral STANFORD. About 3,500 linear feet of track can be constructed for $10,000.

The CHAIRMAN. It says "equipment." What equipment? Admiral STANFORD. There is no equipment contemplated under this particular appropriation. It is all for railroad track.

The CHAIRMAN. This item reads: "Railroad tracks, extensions, and equipment." There is no equipment contemplated?

Admiral STANFORD. "Equipment" should be omitted from the title.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is "Repairs, buildings, St. Helena, $25,000." That is the same amount?

Admiral STANFORD. This item is regularly appropriated.

Mr. HOBSON. Is there any well-developed plan under which St. Helena is being developed?

Admiral STANFORD. I think not. I would like to speak of the good work that is performed by that station and the deplorable conditions that exist there. There has not been Government property that I have visited that has impressed me as being less creditable to the Government as judged from its physical condition and the makeshift arrangements that have to be adopted in order to operate at all; it is not sanitary, it is not well arranged, it is not suitable for the work they are doing, and the facilities are in no way commensurate with their requirements.

Mr. BUTLER. What kind of work are they doing?

Admiral STANFORD. Training apprentices. It is one of the training stations.

Mr. HOBSON. And frequently they have more apprentices there than at Newport or Chicago.

Admiral STANFORD. The floors are uneven and broken, there are improper toilet and bathing facilities, the buildings are jammed up against each other so they have insufficient light and ventilation, and it is altogether a place that the Navy can hardly be proud of, speaking from the physical and sanitary point of view. The results accomplished are most commendable and excellent and are worthy of better recognition and better physical surroundings and accommodations. The CHAIRMAN. What is the character of work and the amount of work they do there?

Admiral STANFORD. I can not answer that question as well as the chief of the Bureau of Navigation as it is work that is particularly under his bureau. Any consideration or appropriation that the committee can give the station will in my opinion be more than justified and will result in enormous benefit and improvement.

Mr. HOBSON. My idea would be to get the admiral to confer with the chiefs of the other bureaus of the department and to develop some plan for the proper recognition and development of that station and to insert that in the hearings?

Admiral STANFORD. Yes, sir. When I was there a few weeks ago, I was surprised to learn that they had to rummage through the scrap heaps in the yard to get a little pipe, a few nails, and odds and ends in order to make many absolutely necessary repairs and keep their place going.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Improvements to water front, to continue, $50,000." How much water front is there, and what is the necessity for this appropriation?

Admiral STANFORD. The policy followed by Congress for the past two years in appropriating approximately $100,000 annually for the renewal of failing or inadequate sea walls on the yard's water front has resulted in a most valuable improvement to the facilities of the station. The continuation of this work is necessary to the general efficiency of the plant, and an additional appropriation is therefore urged. The Norfolk yard is at present the principal fitting-out yard on the Atlantic coast and is able to berth only six modern battleships. The extension of the water front should be continued year by year

until adequate berths are provided. The wall which has been constructed along the principal front of the yard has been very expensive because of the existence of physical difficulties and has cost about $231 per linear foot. Approximately 75 per cent of the Elizabeth River water front has now been completed. When the main water front is completed, further appropriations will be requested for the development of the water front in the Schmoele tract, a tract where the physical conditions are different from those that existed along the river front, and I think that the cost per linear foot will probably be very different for this construction than for that which has already been accomplished.

The CHAIRMAN. At this point, and also with reference to all the stations, please insert a statement of the relative necessity and importance of these items, so that if the committee does not see fit to allow all of them they may know the relative importance and necessity of the items.

Admiral STANFORD. Effort has been made to arrange the items in sequence depending upon their relative importance, or, in other words, the first item in the list should generally be considered the one most desired, and the last one the one least desired.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item, "Paving and grading, to continue $15,000.'

Admiral STANFORD. With the amount requested it is proposed, as far as possible, to pave Kearney Street from Barron Street to Livingston Street; thence around the western side of the power house to Renshaw Avenue, thereby providing a second north and south thoroughfare and relieving the congested condition on McKeever Avenue, now the only paved connection between the two sections of the yard. It is also proposed to pave along the northern side of dry dock No. 2 and north of basin No. 1.

The CHAIRMAN. Please insert the linear distance, etc., in reference to that.

Admiral STANFORD. Recent bids indicate that brick pavement will cost $250 per yard, at which rate this item would provide for 6,000 square yards.

The CHAIRMAN. What hauling do you have to do there?

Admiral STANFORD. Teaming from one part of the yard to another and transporting of material by rail.

The CHAIRMAN. Heavy hauling?

Admiral STANFORD. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Heating system, extension, $5,000."

Admiral STANFORD. This item is desired for the extension of the heating system to the southern part of the yard to connect and serve buildings 18, 56, 22, 72, and 36.

The CHAIRMAN. You have a general heating system?

Admiral STANFORD. Yes, sir; it is a hot-water system, and radiates from the power plant.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "One hundred and fifty ton crane (limit of cost $350,000), $150,000." Several years ago when we provided a 150-ton crane we fixed the limit of cost at $325,000. It cost $300,000. Why is it necessary to fix the limit of cost now at $350,000?