The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-09-26
CREWS FOR U. S. NAVY.
SCARCITY OF MES FOR VESSELS
IN COMMISSION.


VALLEJO, September 9.-The Bureau
Of Navigation of the United States Navy
is confronted with dilliculty'to which
there seems at present to be no solution.
The fact Of the matter is that for the
first time the navy has more ships than
il can furnish crews. There is board
OF naval officers in Washington whose
duty it is to devise ways and means to
supply the excessive demand for crews
to man the war ships to be commits
stoned within the year.
From every naval station and cruis-
ing squadron reports are being received
telling of scarcity of men, There is
scarcely ship in the navy that has its
full complement of men. Many men
are leaving the various stations through
the expiration of their term of service
and through other causes. If Commo-
dore Ramsey had no more serious
problem to solve than keeping the full
complement of men on board of the
ships now in commission, it would be a
very simple task. But he must also,
within the next three months, supply
crews for the gunboats Machias and
Castne at the New York Navy Yard,
and for the sloop-of-war Marion at Mare
island. The Marion will possibly be
commissioned within week, while the
Machias and Castine may not be ready
before the middle of October.
To put these ships in service full
complement of officers has been desig-
mated and at dates which will be set by
the Navy Department, nearly 100
officers will commence to draw sea pay.
To supply full complement of men for
these ships will necessitate the enlist.
ment of nearly 1000 men. But as the
Navy already has very nearly the full
number of men allowed by law the
question arises, where are they to come
from?
To meet the emergency temporarily
there is scheme on foot to put the
Adams and Mohican out of commission
as soon as these ships reach the navy
ward from their Behring sea cruise. The
former has 200 while the latter has 300
men. OF this number the Marion will
is short-handed and the flagship Phila.
delphia requires many seamen and
division men. To supply the demands
OF these two ships and to supply such
men as may be needed for the survey
steamer Thetis, will require every man
that can be had by putting the Adams
and Mohican out OF C 'mmlssion as well
as drawing every available man from
the receiving ship Independence.
Closely following the commissioning
of the Marion the cruisers Boston,
Olympia and the monitor Monadnock
will 20 into service. These vessels will
require 1850 men, if given their full
complement. If the present design OF
the Navy DEPARTMENTS carried out
these ships will be added to the Pacific
squadron within the next six months.
The repairs to the Boston will be COM
pleted January /, 1895. The Olympia
will also he ready for going into com.
mission by that time. The Monadnock
will be ready by March, 1895, and there
is every possibility of the ship Swatara
being commissioned early IN the
year as training and naval reserve
ship.
On the Atlantic side there are other
vessels besides the Castine and Machias
which will be commissioned this year
The men necessary to man these ships
must be drafted from the receiving
ships at Philadelphia and New York,
and from the ships of the Atlantic
squadron. To meet this demand there
are about 5i5 available men reported
from the two recruiting stations. Plenty
of men might be had by opening other
recruiting stations, but this Commodore
Ramsey cannot do without special act
of Congress, as each has its full quota OF
men already. The Bureau of Naviga-
ton must by some means secure enough
men to properly man every ship as soor
as it is reported ready for commission.
ing, besides keeping the complement oil
men on all sea going ships.
When the matter is brought before
Congress other important measures vii
be considered. Namely, the increase o
pay OF the men before the mast, as wei
as the making OF some provisions 10
the retirement OF sailors similar to tina
in the army. Secretary Herbert ha
already sent out letters to naval officer
soliciting their views on these matters