The herald., 1895-09-05
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 5, 1903.
OUR NAVY

Our warships are moro in evidence to-
day than at any time since Uncle Sam
concluded that it was time for him to
have navy. So far as it has gone, ana
when compared with ships OF like power,
our navy has always compared iavorably
with those OF the great powers. Our one
weak point has always been in the num-
her OF our ships. We are rapidly making
up this deficiency, however, and in a
few years more will have sufficient ships
of various kinds with which to guard our
interests in all quarters of the globe.
The success OF our shipbulders in turn
ing out frst-cass menof-war has stimu-
lated the building of merchantmen, and
with every prospect that few more years
will see the United States flag carried to
every port. as it once was. The decline
of commerce carried in American bottoms
was not due to lack OF good seamanship
and technical knowledge on the part of
our sea captains, nor to the fact that we
lacked in ingenious appliances for expe.
diting the handling of cargoes and the
ships themselves, but to other causes.
Americans have always led in inge-
nuity, and this fact stands out Boldly IN
the results obtained in our battleships,
cruisers and gunboats. Notwithstanding
the fact that England has ever bent all
her energy toward the securing and pro-
duction of the most powerful warships.
We have at a later day come into the field
and taken advantage of all that she has
done, and what is bettsr, improved upon
it. The battleship of even but twenty
years ago has been revolutionized, ard in
view of this it is perhaps well that we
did not at that time attempt to build what
was then a modern navy. Facts 20 to
prove that we are now BILE to beat the Eng
lish in their own special feld-that of
building warships. Touching on this
point, the New York World OF recent date
said:
When the cruiser New York returned
from her visit to Kiel one of the pleasant
experiences reported by her commander,
Captain Evans, was the manner in which
the ship stood the tests to which she was
put during the visit of the German
emperor. The feat of coupling
and uncoupllng the engines was
one of these tests. The record of
the New York was two minutes and
forty-fve seconds. Now we are told that
to perform this operation on the British
cruiser Blake. when every preparation
has been made for it, required thirty
three minutes.
InlS is small tn1ng IN ltSel1, out III
speaks volumes. 1t repeats the testimony
furnished by the history of the naval
operations in the war OF 1912. The great
feature OF that war was the series of re-
markaple naval victories achieved by the
Americans over the hitherto uncon-
quered Englishmen. In nearly every en-
gsgement the result was decided bv the
superior quickness Of the Yankees in
handling their ships so to get into
position for raking fire, and in handling
their guns so as to get the benefit of their
position. In the first naval engagement
of the war it took the Constitution less
than thirty minutes to compel the sur
render Of the Guerriere. Eighty-two
years later, at the battle of the Yalu
river, it took just one shot, properly
placed, to send to the bottom with all her
crew the Chih Huen. the crack ship of
the Chinese navy and sister ship TO the
Chen Yuen, McGiffens ship.
In the modern navy time is everything;
the ships crew that takes thirty three
minutes to execute an operation that can
be done in three minutes should keep out
of reach OF the other ships guns. 1t
might repeat the experience of the Con-
sfitution and the Guerrero under modern
conditions.