Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-07-15
LESSONS FROM ENGLAND.

secretary Whitney Avoiding the Blunders
= Of Great Britain and His Republican
PREDECESSORS in Administering His De-
partment Affairs. y
The Roach, Robson and Chandler
system, which succeeded so admirably
in making our navy the scott of the
world and in squandering millions of
the peoples money, without giving
any equivalent, seems to have been
adopted in England. A storm is brew
ing over the heads of the admiralty on
account of recent disclosures that the
boosted British navy is not all it is
represented to be and has an undue
proportion of leaking ships and burst
ing guns. Some of the fast cruisers,
says the Saturday ReoieaU, have proved
to be craft which will go very fast over
the measured mile and then. when
they have been kept at work for a
voyage or two, become strained, lose
their shape, more or less, and become
proverbially leaky and certainly COM
paratively slow. Perhaps such vessels
must needs have some weakness which
renders them little fit for prolonged
hard work. The desert ption seems to
fit the Dolphin, or some of the other
notorious craft turned out under the
auspices of Mr.. Whitney's predeces-
sOrs. The present hard working,
painstaking and conscientious head of
the Navy Department is sparing no
pains to rehabilitate the navy and is
making the best use of the means
placed at his disposal.
1t will be we'll to profit by the dis
closures which are being made in refer
ence to the British navy, the leaky Ca
lypso. the bursting gun on the Colling-
wood and the serious defects of the
Phaton. Those vessels were of the
most improved and modern types, and
the guns were pronounced by the Ord
nance Department the best of their
class. A searching inquiry is called
for, and it is feared that the '.invinci-
ble' British navy will be found to be
In the same unprepared state as was
the French army at the outbreak of the
war of 1870. 1t is decidedly scientific
work to make a vessel which will be
both swift and strong, or gun which
will fire very heavy shot by very
powerful charge of powder without
bursting. Mr.. Whitney is determined
to secure those necessary elements in
the building up of the navy. He
is hampered by the cumbersome
system which governs the de-
partment. and needs thor
ough reorganization. 1t should be
the first step taken by Congress to
bring around the reconstruction of the
navy. The department can take ad-
vantage of the experience of England
in avoiding the plumbers which have
wrought such mischief in her navy and
robbed some of her most Wanted ships
of their prestige. The Secretary of the
Navy has made the initiatory move to
adopt scheme which has proved of
inestimable value to the British admir-
atty, to have list and description of
merchant steamers prepared for the
department., to be regarded as avail
able in case of emergency, to serve as
auxiliary cruisers or transports. 1t is
a plan that is in operation with the
great Powers of Europe. and must
work to advantage in case of war. If
Congress will only do its duty toward
the Navy Department, there will be no
delay in repairing the blunders and
rasea1ities of former years.-AIbany
ArguS.