San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-12-08
OUR PRESENT NAVY
Is a Disgrace to the Country, Says
an Ex-Chlsf Engineer
of tho Saruica

| VI tne SGIN1Sos
The New York Mail and Elk.
press recently contained lengthy
interview with Prof. Hollis,
formerly chief engineer in the
United States navy, but who in
1898 resigned to accept a professor
ship at Harvard University.
The professor spent most of his
life in the navy. and is thorough
ly acquainted with every branch
of the service and is therefore
in a position to know whereof he
speaks.
He says "The present condition
of the navy and the way in which
the navy department is conduct
ed is a disgrace to the country"
and also discloses several impor-
tant secrets of the service.
According to his statement an
officer is not allowed to criticise
the workings of the navy in any
way under penalty of being called
before a court martial, to be tried.
He is not even at liberty to criti-
else the navy in private letter
to his wife or mother, if the
regulations are strictly adhered
to. Therefore little is heard about
the abuses except by those in the
service.
"The engineer corps" says the
professor, complains because of
the refusal of the navy depart
ment to recognize the need of
reform, and also because of the
unjust proportion Of work assign
ed to 1t, for which no credit is
given. When men, either in the
navy or in business, become dis
contented, the natural result is
that they become inefficient"
"But, aside from the general
discomfort on the part of both line
and staff, the engineer corps CT the
navy is so overworked, and the
number Of men in that branch of
the service is so insufficient, that
the United States navy is to-day
in crippled condition and with.
out radical changes it would be of
little value in the case Of the
declaration of war.
"While the modern navy is
practically mass OF machinery.
the records show that, since the
civil war, the force of engineers
has decreased, while the number
Of line officers has increased. AS
a result the engineers have not
only more than a fair share of the
work, but in many cases they are
forced to resign or go to the in
valid list because of the excessive
strain to which they are subjected.
The temperature of an engine
room on a man-of-war varies
from 100 to 125 degrees, and under
the present regime the chief en-
gineer and his assistants must
pass an average of ten hours day
in a temperature like that. This
is when the weather is fair and
everything is running we'll, but
when the conditions are not favor
able the length OF time in the
engine room must be Increased.
AS result young men break down
under the strain, while old men
are not able to stand it for even a
short period"
Upon being asked if he could
suggest a remedy which he
thought would be an improvement
on the present way of conducting
the navy he said:
"The first and best remedy
would be to have congress allow
an increase in the number OF men.
That would settle the difficulty at
once. II this cannot be done, then
the tradition of three years ashore
and three years at sea ought TO be
abandoned and the engineer force
kept at sea three years and on
shore only one year. 1 think that
If this were followed out to the
letter tie present force might
bring thdsefTiciency o@the navy up
.. someA there nei its proper
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