Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-11-17
SHORT OF SEAMEN.
A Lack Which Is One Of Eng
lands GraVest Dangers.
Some Interesting Facts About Great Brit
aims Huge Naval squadrons-Not
Enough Trained Men to
Handle Them.

1t may be said without exaggeration /
that the question of the hour is the
supply of seamen for our feet, says
the Pail Mall Budget. No Juggling
with figures can conceal the fact that
in case Of war we cannot send even all
our modern vessels TO sea. Though
every nerve was strained at the maneu-
Yers, though the depots were depleted
of seamen and stokers, we had 10 leave
in por. no less than 16s fighting craft.
In this total are included ten first and
second class battleships, ten third-class
1 battleships, seven coast defense iron
( clads, four old ironclads, seventeen
cruisers, eleven torpedo gunboats, forty
destroyers and sixty-nine seryiceable
! torpedo boats. Many Of the vessels in
this enormous category are of the new
4 est construction, and, though some are
not yet completed for sea, all should be
finished by the end of the financial
year. We have none too many cruisers
as it is, and when war is upon us we
shall want every single one TO protect
our colossal trade. All the older iron
clads will be needed TO convoy our slow
ocean 'tramps, all our coast defense
vessels to protect our unfortifed ports
and towns on the coast. The French
are known TO contemplate the bonn
bardment of open towns, and this is the
only means by which we can prevent
stray cruisers doing us terrible harm.
Our battleships will be wanted for the
combat and TO watch our enemies
ports. Our ironclads lack their proper
complement Of torpedo gunboats and
torpedo boats; ind eed, our first line,
the Mediterranean feet, has still
only two. The crews required for
the ships which woul not be able TO
put TO sea amount TO no less than
p. $40 men, or, reduc ing them TO
the lowest possible limit, 10000. Ships
we can build in three years and less,
but sailors can hardly be trained for
war in twice that time. Since 1889 we
have been building faster thanwe could
/ obtain seamen. We have on the stocks,
or projected, to-day another mass OF
vessels which require at least 10000
more men. II is true that the naval es-
E Inmates for ls94 contemplate an addi-
tod to our personnel of over 6,O0O men,
= but this is a mere drop in the ocean "a
J., the number which we require. We
:, must understand that the English feet
Z disposes of practically no trained re
: serve. Though the naval conflict OF
D tomorrow will be bloody beyond be-
lief, involving holocausts Of ships and
. men, we have not merely too few sail.
ors TO take our effective ships to sea
but no one TO replace those who fall in
, the struggle.
l. Year by year the proportion Of Eng
i, lish seamen in our mercantile marin'
dwindles, while the proportion of for
S. eigners increases. of our $4,000 able
is seamen no less than $1,000 are foreign
ers. and half the remainder have haC
less than four years service. Nor IS i
e a question of wages. From the shil
9 owners goes up the ominous complaint
that the Swede or the German is bet
"a ter educated, more sober, more respect
full. lie does not desert, he is bette
: sailor, and his physique is superior
THE supremacy Of the English sailo
n is waning" says the chairman of tn
West India and Pacific Steamship com
panv. These are terrible words for us
whose pride and whose heritage in tn
past has been the sea.
Is Our naval reserve numbers in its frs
m class 10000 men. Their training
limited in the extreme. They are
" many Of them, ignorant Of the manipu
n. lation of the breechloader, for such
a the wisdom Of our rulers that they pei
v sist in drilling our reserves with OF
n solete guns. At Wick, where Lie
n men are trained, there is not a singl
modern weapon. After this they get
month at sea on war ship. And tina
is all The trumpet will sound'
M many OF them as can be obtained |
c. our home ports will be huddled o
board our ironclads; lieutenants an
le- officers will be borrowed from ships !
ls commission, and our feet will be pU
ho TO sea-to sure and certain defea
Abroad there is readiness for instar
)t. action, Mt home unreadiness.