The U.S. Navy’s Floating Picnic Basket

It might be as well for the people to inquire what on earth the Government wants with a vessel like the Dolphin. It is said that Congress could have been hoodwinked into voting appropriations for such a useless thing. It is said that she is intended to afford rapid communication between Washington and any other point on the Atlantic coast, but such a pretense is an absurdity. There is no point on the Atlantic coast which could not be reached by telegraph before the Dolphin could get up steam. So far as carrying dispatches between different points on the Atlantic coast is concerned, the new dispatch boat will be just about as useful as a hot air balloon.

The truth is that the Dolphin was built for the use of the Government officials for junketing expeditions and picnics. For this purpose, she is admirably adapted. She is a model of elegance and comfort. She is steered by steam and lighted throughout by electricity. A party of pleasure seekers traveling at the expense of the United States could not deem a more comfortable vessel, and it must be admitted that for this one purpose, the big dispatch boat is splendidly well equipped. However, it may strike the people as somewhat doubtful whether the United States has such uses for a naval boat for such a purpose.