St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-09
COMMENTS OF EXPERTS.
Naval Officers Express Interesting
Opinions Touching the Reported


Opinions Touching the Reported
Fight.
New YORK, March S.-The New
York Herald of this morning prints
three columns of comment in various
localities relative to tine reported
blowing up of the United States steam
ship Nipsic at Samoa by the German
cruiser Olga. This report, printed
in the Herald of March s, as dispatch
from Breslau, where the information of
such an encounter was first printed, is
the basis of much comment in Wash
ington where its correspondent inter-
viewed naval officers with results print
ed in the Herald this morning, and
from which the following epitomiZation
is made:
Commodore Sicard had no knowledge
of the Nipsic having been sunk by
German torpedo, save such as is fur
nished by the Herald's Breslau dis
patch. Referring to the torpedo arma-
Sicard said: 1.-The working range of
these torpedoes, to be fired with
accuracy, is about four hundred
yards. The German navy use
the Schwartzkopff torpedo, which is
made in Germany nd nowhere else.
1t contains about nili ty-three pounds
of gun cotton, equal in force to 800
pounds of gunpowder. They are
launched from the side of the ship, and
after being properly aimed are shot
into the water. They travel at
hour, and if the Nipsic was
within short distance of the Olga it
would have been impossible for her to
have gotten out of the way. COmmo-
dore Sicard said the Nipsic might have
been in such position that it was I'M
possible for her to get out of the
torpedo range. promising that the
reported engagement actually took
place. If such was the case, it
would fare very badly with her. Con-
Guiding, the admiral added: 1.-The
Trenton and Vandalia must be there by
this time, and if anything should have
happened to the Nipsic you may rest
assured that they will be heard from.
Admiral Kimberly, the commander of
the Trenton. is courageous officer and
was with Farragut as his flag lieu
tenant all through the war. He
will stand no nonsense, and if there is
any trouble will give an excellent ac-
count of himself.'' Commodore Har-
mony, the assistant secretary of the
navy department, was disposed to
doubt the correctness of the re-
ported sinking of the Nipsic. He said:
''Of course, do not think there is any
truth in the report, but upon state
ment of possible conditions, | make my
comments. If the Olga did lombard
the town and injure American property
and American citizens, the commander
of the NipSic would protest first and
then. failing to secure protection to our
interests, would open fire. A naval
officer has all the discretion any one has.
He can make war without orders if, in his
Judgment, the circumstances demand it."
Admiral Porter said: "AS | understand
it, the officers who were sent down there
were under instructions to be very care
ful and conservative, and therefore it is
not likely that they were provoked into
such rupture. l do not think the re-
port true for many reasons. l have
noticed several sensational items in
German papers of late Of disparaging
nature as to the United States.
Again, if an eleven-inch shell ex-
ploded between the decks of the Olga, it
is not likely she was in condition to
have used torpedoes on the Nipsic. An
officer knowing his business would have
fired at the Olga's water line, lying
that would have settled her.
In regard to navy, 1t is said little
cherub sits up alofJ looking out for
drunken sailors and the United States
navy. When it comes to ships, we
haven't any: so there can be no fight
ing. Then the wisdom of the oft
repeated counsel of myself and others
of the navy, that VIC should build
navy will be demonstrated. We should
have begun the work in earnest at the
close of the late war;"
10 rfo tn hot ff,aA
city was in flutter last night over the
receipt Of the news that the Olga had
sunk the Nipsic in Samoan waters. E.
B. Bond, mayor of the city, said: 1.-The
question is, what can we do? What
forces have we at our command?
There is no doubt but that
we should blow the Germans
out of the water-if we can" Maj.
Goldsborough, general paymaster U. S.
N, said: I'VE should wade in and kill
few men for the Germans. blow them
them up if possible" James G. Fair
said: America will have to be little
careful unit, she gets few more iron
clads-forty or fifty more. don't be-
lieve the report can be true. So
far the German government has acted
very fairly, and if there is any one to
blame it is her officials, who have ex-
ceeded their authority" Capt. w. s.
Schenck, quartermaster q. s. marine
corps, said: "Our vessels at Samoa
do not carry torpedoes, which gives the
Olga an immense advantage over them
This coast is not III very excellent trim
for war. The Charleston is not ready.
The Monadnock lies unfinished at Mare
Island; the COmanche, also there. is
single turreted monitor, and could not
take long sea voyage. hardly think
the report is true In anV event we
wait for ORDERS" Touching the autheu-
ticity of the news of the encounter,
the Herald refers to the fact that a Ger
man ip with the news might have
reached Auckland within four or five
days of the occurrence and cabled the
facts to Germany before the arrival
of mail line boat. upon which the
American dispatch agent, stationed
there by Secretary Whitney two months