The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1895-01-11
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. say.
the Pail Mall Budget. No juggling
with figures can conceal the fact that
in ease of war we cannot send even all
our modern vessels to sea. Though
every nerve was strained at the maneu-
vers, though the depots were depleted
of seamen and stol1ers, we had to leave
in port no less than los fighting craft.
In this total are included ten first and
second class battleshipS, ten third-claSs
battleships, seven coast defense iron
-clads, four old ironclaGs. seventeen
cruisers, eleven torpedo gunboats. forty
destrOyers and siXty-nine Serviceab ble
torpedo boats. Many of the vessels in
this enormous category are Of the new
est construction. and, though some are
not vet completed for sea. all should toe
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 unfortified ports
and towns on the coast. The French
are known to contemplate the bonn
bardment of open towns. and this Il the
only means by which we can prevent
stray cruisers doing US terrible harm
Our battleships viii be wanted for the
combat and to watch our enemies
ports. Our ironclads lack their proper
complement of torpedo Cunboats and
torpedo boats; ind eed. our first line,
the Mediterranean fleet, has still
ON fsaF
the ships which voul d not be able to
put to sea amount TO no less than
- .6IO 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 l>S9 we
have been building faster than we could
obtain seamen. We have on the stocks.
or projected. to-day another mass of
vessels which require 1T least 10000
more men 1t Is true that the naval e.
Inmates for 1894 contemplate an addi-
tod to our personnel OF over 5000 men.
but this Il a mere drop in the ocean To
the number which we require. We
must understand that the English fleet
disPoses of practically no trained re
serve Though the naval conflict OF
tomorrow Will be bloody beyond he
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
Year 10y year the proportion Of Eng
lish Seamen in our mercantile marine
dwindles. while the proportion Of for
eigners increases OF our sO.VJo dble
seamen no less than 27.OO0 are foreign
Il. l. 1--..
less than four years service Nor II ii
a question of wages. From the ship
owners goes up the ominous complaint
that the Swede or the German II bet
ter educated. more sober. more respect
full. He does not desert. he l. a better
sailor. and his physique Is superior
The supremacy of the English sailor
Is waning. saws the chairman OF the
West India and Pacific Steamship com
pany. These are terrible words for Us,
whose pride and whose heritage in the
past has been the sea
Our naval reserve numbers in its first
class 10000 men. Their training Is
limited in the extreme. They are.
many of them. ignorant of the manipu-
lation of the breechloader. for such is
the wisdom of our rulers that they per
Sist in drilling our reserves with OBJ
solete guns. At Wick. where 1.lGO
men are trained. there l. not single
modern weapon. After this they get
month at sea on war ship And that
is all The trumpet viii sound: as
many of them as can be obtained in
our home ports Will be huddled on
board our ironcladS: lieutenantS and
officers Will be borrowed from ships in
commission, and our fleet will be put
to sea-to sure and certain defeat
Abroad there is readiness for instant
action, at home unreadineSs.