The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-15
NEW NAMES IN OUR NAVE
Ths Fast and Present OF the Nonenelaturs
or Our War vessels.

NEW NAMES IN OUR NATX
Ths Fast and Present OF the NoHencnaturs
OF Our War vesseis.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 14-The selection Of Mar
blehead as the name for the new 2,000-ton
cruiser under construction at the yard OF Har-
rlson Lorine l. Co.. Boston. is a tribute to q
famous old port that has furnished many
sailor to the country's merchant marine. The
application for this honor was made long ago.
but Marblehead is o small town compared with
the others OF the new navy that have had
cruisers named after them-Chicago. Philadel-
phia. Boston. Baltimore. Cincinnati. San Fran
cisco. Newark. Charleston. Atlanta. Raleigh.
Montgomery. Detroit. The case OF the Ben
nington. Yorktown. Concord. and Machlas Is
little different. these being Of tho gunboat
class. and called after battles or incidents OF
the Revolution. whore the size OF the village
was not gauge Of the interest or i'm
portance Of the event. The Marblehead
comes under that rule in our naval nomencla-
ture which christens cruisers OF the second
ratio after our cities. The name sounds well. is
maritime In associations and may make the
new craft special object OF interest to East
ern yachtsmen who centre at the renowned
Massachusetts, harbor and support the naval
reserve.
Had the recently christened Detroit and Ma
chias exchanged names. our navy would have
had an M class" like tho British. but COM
posed instead Of the 2.O00-ton cruisers. which
would then have been the Montgomery. Ma
chias. and Marblehead. The initial letter NJ
seems to be a favorite for our naval names. as
the Miantonomoh. Monndnock. Manhattan.
Mahopac. Montauk. Monterey. Maine. Monon-
Rahela. Minnesota. Mayflower. Massachusetts.
Marion. Mohican. Monocacy and Michigan.
and many more that have dropped out OF the
list, as we'll as the later trio in NJ Just men.
toned. will attest.
The wisdom OF that statute which prescribes
the names OF States for first rates and OF cities
and towns for second rates has been amply
Vindicated during the last ten years. It has
had q very obvious influence in interesting all
parts Of the country. inland as well as sea-
board in tho new navy. The selection Of such
names as Maine. Oregon. and Texas for arm or
clads. AMI of the list OF towns already given
for tho unnrmored cruisers. shows how catholic
has been tho choice OF sponsors: and we find
in all parts Of the country centres OF n special
local pride in the national navy. which fire.
auently manifests itself in practical and
tangible way. 1t corresponds somewhat to
the interest felt in some foreign military SER
vices where regiments are recruited in particu-
lar counties or districts and bear their names.
Three other new names have been added to
the naval list within the last week. the tugs
building at Boston having boon called respec-
lively Wahneta. 1wana. and Narkeeta. These
are said to BIO Indian names. and few people
assertion. Perhaps We may infer that the new
tugs are hencelorth 70 take Indian names rs
Of the civil war. Indian names had az great r run
In our navy for NIL classes Of vessels. In fact.
long before that period we had fine I, and sono;
Ontario They are still to be found in the navy
OF today among some Of the names already
Canonicus. Comanche. irogunis. Kearsaree.
and so on. But twenty or thirty years ago we
had scores Of them, such IS AlGonaEip: Ale
Klamath. Lackawanna. Narragnnset. Nadbuc.
Seminole. Shawmnt. Shenandoah. Susque-
hanna. Iic3ndcroSa. Tuscarora. Wampanoag.
Many Of these nre sonorous and excellent in
names seems to have exhausted the available
and pronounceahie. Then resort was had to
such as Koka. kickapoo;- Kenosha. Mosholu.
Shakama1on. Shamckin. S1uando. Ump1ua.
and on. Names were TAX en. apparently. be-
cause they were Indian and not because they
denoted significant persons places. or events.
A reaction was natural and many OF the IRON
clads were rechrstened. There again some
preserved. For example the double: turret
monitor now known as the Terror used to be
Cdlleu inc ASAnentlctS, ana Ine Ampnltrlto
was once the tfonawanda. But efforts to re-
christen the Mahopac as the Castor. the Man
haitian as the Neptune. the Nahant as the Atlas,
the Canoncus as the Scylla. the Catskill as the
PLY failed
Whether one set Of names rather than an
other would be appropriate to tugs in our navy
is question by itself. It is curious that Of all
search Of names for these grimy. noisy and
hard;working servitors. The names chosen
AMignonette. P'erjWsilnklee. Sorre. and even
citation Of ideas which could have led to this
choice Of DELICATE flowers for. that class. We
still have the Mayfower left. but her name is
due to different sentiment. Our other tugs
now in service have great variety Of names.
which Will now be increased by the three from
Indian sources Just added.
In general our naval nomenclature is fast
improving under the operation OF the statutes.
The civil war brought in merchant ships whose
names were accepted as they stood: and be-
sides. there were other matters for study than
the names OF vessels in those strenuous days.
Long after the war our naval list was mix
ture in which names. G. asses. and ratings were
hopelessly involved: but now harmony and
system are beginning to prevail.