The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-09
DRILLING A FLEET.
4 Few Flags Guide the Many Rapid Ev0fs
items.

J tiens.
The drilling of feet is . fascinat-
ing spectacle, suggesting as nothing
else can the subordination Of great
force to tho control of single will.
! A few gayly-colored flags flutter to
the main truck Of the flagship. remain
J for two or three minutes, and are sud-
denly hauled down. Instantly the
huge ships begin to turn. to sweep
around in great curves, and TO rear
/ rahge themselves in a new formation.
Or scattered cruisers, nearly hull
down on tho horizon, respond to a
summons, and in half IA hour como
flying back to the feet, take up their
| appointed stations, and conform TO its
movements The ease with which the
fourteen-thousand- ton battle-ships
swing round to their helms, the speed
with which they take up their new sta
tions, the quick res Spouse. and the regu-
lsrity of movement are extraordinarily
impressive For . sho<e-going paral-
)el to this feet, one must imagine
twenty-one cavalry regiments ma
neuvering at canter, each individual
~ responsive to orders rapidly trans
missa BILE over long distances. But on
shore it would be impossible, except
from a balloon or a commanding hill.
to take in the movements at glance.
At sea, one can follow the evolution of
each ship. A mistake. loss or gain
Of distance, superfuous or an in.
adequate turn, is Immediately seen,
and such signals rs Retaliation badly
executed" or 'Uytemnestrs keep sta
ton" quickly fly from the flagship to
be read by the whole feet.
Unguestionably an admiral wfelds
power for which7e general can not
hope. A public rebuke IS thing to
be avoided, and oven II this Is not
forthcoming any small lapse will be
noted by one hundred pairs of eager
eyes Moreover,a comparatively small
mistake may involve disaster. We
may club our cavalry without
real harm, but tho contact Of two of
these great ships moving at ten knots
may mean the loss of one or both. The
drill of feet Is On eminently serious
undertaking, and the accuracy of this
ing power OF the whole mblage of
ships. ALL turns, therefore, upon the
capacity OF the captains and their
training. Merely to keep station ia
cruising formation, following in tho
wake of leader. is by no means easy.
Attention never for moment relaxed
and the Judgment which comes only
with long experience are alike re-
quired. Helm and speed need perpetual
alterations, and tbs requisite changes
must be carefully estimated, or the
ship will continuously oscillats to
starbosrd or port. in advance or astern
of her station. In evolutiops, how
ever, many more qualities must be
brought into play. The theorist talks
glibly of turning circles" and affects
TO believe that the handling of a
ship can be reduced to mere
geometry. The turning circles OF
each ship are, of course, recorded |
in every chart house. but q
variety of other conditions arise. The |
evolutionary qualities of other ships |
must be observed. Wind. tide, speed.
or even the crossing of the wake |
of suother vessel materially affects |
the turning circle. Here Is no mere |
question Of referring to the sig |
nal book and giving certain definite 1
words Of command. All the conditions
vary; judgment is needed
at every moment: the education of the
eye in estimating distances and exact
knowledge Of the capabilities of the
ship are alike called for. The mere
theorist will. in fact, find himself hope
lessly incompetent, and the efficient
of a ship implies qualities
which 1t Is not given TO everyone to
acquire 1t is an art rather than
science. and its possession largely de-
terminss the fighting capabilities Of
Of = navy.-London Times