Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-09-17
A WARL[KE APPEARANCE.

A short telegram in to-day's issue tells
OF the arrival at San Francisco OF a Rus
sian transport with the Chief Admiral Of
the Russian Navy on board. There is
more that is warlike in this single an
nouncement than in all the Bulgarian
twaddle with which the dispatches have
been loaded for weeks past. II will be
wildly remembered now, how complete
were the arrangements made by the
Russian Government for the destroying
of British commerce, when few years
since, war was imminent between the
two nations, and how Russia purchased
ten OF our fastest American steamships
and armed them for that purpose, and,
incidentally, it will occur to many who
watched that step, how potent it was i'll
determining the British Government not
to declare war. Ii war should
come as the result OF the pres
ent unsettled condition OF European
affairs, it is evident that Russia proposes
to be fully prepared. The Russian Chief
Admiral will look over the ground, and
in a short time will again equip compe-
tent force, Just as before, and the paper
that recalls the British Minister from st.
Petersburg will carry the death warrant
of British commerce on the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans. OF course the real thea
tire Of war will be in the beautiful and
highly cultivated provinces of southern
Russia, reached through the Dardanelles,
but the investing OF the little peninsula
OF the Crimea will be totally different
undertaking from what it was when last
effected. Captain Edward Field of the
Fourth United States Artillery, writing
in the United SerUice on this point in 1885,
gives the following picture OF the chan
ces OF both sides in the Black Sea, and
it is good even now
But all this conjecture is based upon two
things, -England's ability to force the
Dardanelles and really vigorous hand upon
the sword. She will have the same relative
advantage in race for the Black Sea that
Russia has at Herat, for it can be safely as
sumed that the fleet which Russia maintains
upon the Black Sea could make but faint
resistance to even the advance-guard of the
naval armament that England could dis
patch. From the dock-yards of the Baltic
the Russian succors would come too late to
assist their vessels in the straits, if a hostile
fleet were the only obstacle to be encount-
cred, even on the extreme sup
position that Turkey could be
coaxed or bullied into assisting Russia
to close the straits. The great problem
will I,at tpr nd nf ha la nj
Russia has probably the best supply. We
have few facts upon which to base an esti-
mate of their practical value when EN-
ployed against a fleet of ironclads. In the
Turkish Russian war the Russians succeeded
in practically neutralizing the Turkish fleet
in the Danube by their employment, but so
much of their effect was due to the terror
created by the blowing up of the Seife, a
light-draught river gunboat, that we cannot
draw any very positive conclusions. Against
this one success we can place three failures,
due, according to the Russian claim, to wire
nettings in one case protecting the Turkish
vessel, in another to a bullet cutting the
electric wire, and in the third to "A
simple failure of the torpedo to explode
But the one success made such an impress
sion upon nation never fortunate, or es-
pecially enterprising upon the water, that
from that time until the end of the cam
paign the vessels made no further attempt
for the greater perfection to which torpedoes
have been brought since then, the general
facts remain unchanged. Their success de-
pends upon the precise working of certain
mechanical arrangements necessarily more
or less complicated and delicate. They are
much more effective against vessel at
anchor than against one moving, and
against single vessel whose complement of
men does not permit them to keep force
constantly on duty to guard especially
against them, than against fleet which
would have its own attendant torpedo
launches, as well as a large patrol, whose
sole duty it would be to watch for demon
strations and give the alarm. The destruo-
tion of certain portion of the fleet would
not suffice if enough passed to overpower the
Russian force inside.
The Russian Chief Admiral thoroughly
understands the situation described
above, and will examine all the various
appliances which are the result OF Amer
lean genius applied to the construction of
torpedoes, and such steps will doubtless
be taken as will make it impossible for
any feet to make a lodgment in the
Black Sea, to menace Southern Russia
from that direction, or to create base Of
supply for an army operating there.
Come what may from the present outlook
in Europe, it is certain that Russia will
be ready, and the presence OF the Russian
Admiral at this time bodies no good for
the peace Of Europe and the safety OF
British commerce.