Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-19
MEN FOR THE NAVY.
EIGHTEEN THOUSAND OF THEM
REQUIRED.
That Number of Bluejackets Is Necessary
and They Are Needed at Once to Keep
Our Warships in Commission.

Eighteen thousand men are needed at
once to man the vessels of the United
States navy, says Captain Henry Erben,
commandant of the Brooklyn navy
yard. We need the men, he declares,
and if we are to keep ships in commits
sion we must have them without delay
Captain Henry Erben is the senior
captain in the navy. As commandant
of the Brooklyn navy yard he has
charge of all the recruiting and fitting
out of war ships at that port. He is
one of the most experienced and able
officers in the navy. Captain Erben
declares that the men can be obtained
from all parts OF the country. He be-
lieves on drawing on the farmer boys
and the country at large, rather than
confine recruiting efforts to the coast
towns alone.
81 am willing" says Captain Erben,
''to take 200 inexperienced men to sea.
Give me but a sprinkling of old sailors
and will guarantee to leaven the whole
loaf in much shorter time than is COM
monty thought necessary to turn out
man-of-warsmen. l have piled ques-
tions to farm hands in various parts of
the New England and Middle states and
to men in lumber camps. l have in
quired OF them concerning the amount
of their wages, and found that for a
year round they receive much less than
is paid during the same period to sea-
men, and that during certain months Of
the year they are entirely out of en-
ployment and have to live at their own
expense.
"Men by the hundreds have inquired
of me as to how they could secure enlist
ment in the navy. As consequence of
what l have seen, and believe, l have
reported to the navy department plan
for tapping all of this class Of people,
and in the event of a sudden contingen-
cy, when an increase in the naval estab-
lishment is authorized, | believe that
from these classes alone we will be able
to count on men.
81, for one, am willing to take out the
first ship manned by landsmen of the
above classes, and | know from expert
ence with such material what can be
produced"
The navy is at present allowed $3.50
men. OF this number 750 are appfen-
tice boys, leaving 1900 men as the force
proper to man the ships in service. The
force is so small as not to be sufficient
to 60 around among all the ships with
out reducing, the crew complement on
each vessel. This is exactly what has
been done. and if war is declared tomor-
row, United States vessels will be
found going into action with reduced
gun crews.
The only way out of the difficulty, it
is declared in naval circles, is an author
ization OF congress increasing the en-
listed strength of the navy. The allow
ance of 1900 men sufficed some eight or
ten years ago to man the few wooden
ships of the navy. In the past six years
gigantic strides have characterized the
growth Of the service, but the number
OF men to man all these ships has re-
manned as before-750O.
+ Captain Erben estimates that $4,000
are needed to give all the war ships full
crews and leave at the same time suf-
6cient reserve force to supply any sud-
den want from unexpected quarters.
Even now no difficulty would be ex-
perienced in swelling the navy to $4,000
men with trained seamen, but the limi-
tation OF $500 seamen imposed by law
compels the recruiting stations to cease
enlisting whenever the limit allowed is
closely approached. To bring the navy
up to 5000 men in hurry" Captain
Erber believes one of the most effective
plans would be to send recruiting parties
throughout the country, supplemented
by work along the coasts and great lakes.
Young men between the ages OF 81 and
25, Captain Erber thinks, are best suited
for rapidly converting into seamen such
as are needed today aboard modern
ships of war.-[New York Times.