Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-23
T n Ely w ANT RANK
Chief Engineer Melville Urges That Naval
Engineers Be Recognised.
They Are an Important Part of q
- 'tfsgsfT
ships Crew-The Lesson of the
VictOria's Loss.

Chief Engineer George w. Melville of the
navy has submitted his annual report to
the Secretary. in the course of which he
writes Interestingly OF the oft-discussed
matter OF comforting actual rank on ensin-
GERS in the service
Coming to the question of comforting
positive rank enstead OF the meaningless
relative rank now held by members of
the engineer CORPS" says Commodore Mel
vile, In introducing the subject, II earnest
y trust that the department will recon-
mend to Congress some measures looking
toward this just and proper recognition of
the service performed by the officers of this
corps. Why officers devoting their lives to
the service, who have always had a certain
portion Of the crew to organize, muster
discipline. station. and drill I'm the various
maneuvers intended to make the vessel
eficient and destructive. and who from this
time on will have under their control from
Is to go per cent Of the entire ships COM
pany. should be denied recognition as a
military element In a fighting organization
would be incomprehenslbla to any, one not
familiar with the inside workings Of the
navy. -..-- D.
Were the facts clearly understood. be-
ieve that Congress would soon furnish a
solution. since the thing asked for costs
nothing. usurps no command. and would
put questions of rank in the navy on a
UNIFORM basis with that In the army. The
engineers ask for no authority outside OF
their own department; they only ask such
recognition within 1t as any person should
have who takes the risks and bears the
brunt Of the battle. and who directs the
operations of men during it: in other words,
ck % Lac,
they now perform.
I'm the naval battle ~ the future" Com.
modore Melville says. "a ship will fight with
her engines, we'll as with her guns: the
ram will be more dangerous. weapon and
one more feared than The battery, and II
her boilers or her engines fail. the vessel
will become a drifting mass absolutely at
the mercy Of the enemy" And then Conn
modore Melville proceeds to clinch his argu-
ment by reference to the Victoria disaster
in this way:
The vfctOrfa's Lesson.
Let those who decry the engineers as
'non-combatants' take home the lesson to
be learned from the loss OF the Victoria.
1t was not powder that there worked de-
struction-it was steam; and IL such hcr-
ror can occur Il peaceful maneuvering,
what might not happen in time Of battley
Here is a ship lost under the exact condi-
lions Of battle-rammcd by another-and
see how the 'non-combatanr engineers
came out Of 1t: The whole engine-room
staff on watch persisted to a man. So says
London Engineering.
VIII Not Interfere.
THE contention that the granting of
authority to engineers to command in
their own department will lessen the au-
thority of the commanding officer OF the
ship is as absurd as 1t is childish. Marine
Off olu arkxx
over their guaru on board ship, but nobody
can be found % even intimate that the
authority of the commanding officer over
the marine guard is any less than IL the
marine officer did not have this command.
the line officers themselves exercise such
command In their divisions. but We hear
of no instance OF the commanding officers
authority being thereby lessened. The stan
officers Of the army have actual rank, and
while a much larger and more complex Or
ganization than the navy, the army moves
along with q harmony and an exhibition
of mutual respect and good comradeship
between officers of different departments
which speak volumes"
, An increase in the number of engineer
officers is earnestly recommended In the
report: New ships are taking most of the
available men. land unless something is
soon DONE" 1t is stated, ''our naval now
practically an engineering ones,Wul bcee
crippled for want of engineers. The ofi1cers
of the corps at sea on the ewveSsels haSe
altogether too much work to do now. and
1t is merely a question Of time before the
strain will tell"
j Better treatment OF petty engineer off,
GERS, with respect Of liberty and accommo-
dations. is urged. and II is suggested that
should be offered to secure a
superior class Of mechanics.
During the last fiscai year the bureau Of
steam engineering expended SSH, 933, and
subtracting outstanding obligations. has
s155lS remaining to its credit. Repairs to
the United States cruiser Atlanta. which was
so much neglected that several Of her officers
were reprimanded and narrowly escaped
cost $685. 9s for her boilers,
machinery and other mechanical appa-
ratus alone 1t will require 100 DAYS from
July Is last to remedy her disgraceful con.
dition and At her for sea. 9Ctn
The estimates for the fiscal year ending
June 80 1885, aggregate s9e7 es0 .-,..s..