New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-24
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MINES IN LIE WY.

One of the literary perquisites Of Secretary
Whitney's once is the privilege of naming new
ships lie has exercised this function in selecting
names for all the vessels for which he has made
contracts with the exception OF the dynamite
cruiser. The system of nomenclature adopted by
his predecessor for the unarmored cruisers reduced
this privilege to a choice among American cities
As one OF the unnamed ships was building in
Philadelphia and the other in San Francisco, he
has selected these two names for the slster-shlps
of the Baltimore Newark and Charleston In
naming the gunboats he had larger scope Tor the
exercise Of originality since there two classes
of them and he could himself devise the method
of nomenclature. The system adopted for the
l. 7OOton gunboats is not novel, but is eminently
conservative He has named three of them after
Revolutionary battefeds-ConcOrd, Bennington
and Yorktown. There may be something ncon-
gruous in naming war-ships after battlefelds on
land but il is an old practice and unObectlonaole.
Naval battles commonly occur on the high seas
and cannot be easily designated. The British Adj
miralty has only been able to use two names OF
this kind-Trafalgar and Nile-for the new fleet
| II battles are to be COMMUNICATED in American
| Naval lists land victories must be used in pref
erence to sea-fghts. The Sccretarys selection of
names under this system is unobjectionabe, albeit
| the list if extended will be certain to include
| many titles which have been frequently employed
| in the old navy more satisfactory system
| would have been one recalling the names OF Amer
lean naval heroes. A large class Of vessels in the
English navy is named in this way with excellent
| effect 1t Is q less confusing method than that
| Of reproducing the titles OF famous ships.
The smaller class Of low-tonnage gunboats left
| Secretary Whitney free TO exercise
capricous fancy in furnishing an additional
system Of nomenclature There was only one
| ship to be named but it the first of new
| class, and under conventional usage OF the De-
partment the title would be characteristic for
group. lie has officially proclaimed the Lutte
runboat as the Petrol The significance Of this
choice probably lies in the Secretarys conviction
that new vessels ought to be employed in scour-
| ing the seas for storm and tempest He sent out
the Dolphin on a cruise for a storm, and when
the Atanta's guns were kicking about the decks
nonchalantly proposed to take her into rough
water and fire the batteries broadsde under stress
| of weather. If he remains in Office long enough
| IN witness the completion Of the Petrol, he will
nrobablv send her out under sealed orders to run
| down a cyclone in order to vindicate her name.
As the Petrol is storm bird, the character Of
tho group to which the new gunboat belongs is
determined in advance. 1t is to be a class Of
sbips never TO be kept in port when cautiOnary
SIGNALS are flying but to be sent to sea in defiance
Of wind and wavc-the stormy petrels Of the rag
ing main When the sister ships named the
extent to which this idea is to be carried out
will be asccrtained Then it will be known
whether the Secretary intends the country to
have a flock of Mother Carey's chickens, or only
one storm bird and miscellaneous assortment of
sl,vlarl<s owls, orioles, Singiishers, bottletits
! orlls and mudhens.