The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-03-09
AMBITIOUS ENGINEERS.
The squire Wilson Bill in
Congress Would Seri-
ously Injure the
Navy.
URGED UNDER FALSE coLoRs
Colleges and Schools a Mere Ex-
cnse-lnjurious to Discipline
and Efficiency.

N~~%> - WitAiCoSE2 a Ca
traordinary attempt to advances the for
tunes Of the engineers Of the navy at the
expense of the efficiency of the whole ser
vice. They are reaching out far beyond
their sphere for an amount of influence
and an increase of numbers which are
entirely Incompatible with the true needs
Of the service. To accomplish their de-
sire for increased rank, titles which
would Disguise their real occupation, and
better pay. they have had introduced in
Congress a bill known as the Squire
Wilson bill, which is stated to be of great
educational benefit to the colleges of the
country, and Of national Importance. So
many misleading articles nave appeared
in newspapers all over the country on
this subject that a true account of the
status of the naval engineers may not
be amiss.
The engineers in the navy do exactly
the same work as is dons in taking care
OF. and running. the engines of a trans
atlantic liner. They are engine drivers,
pure and simple, and it is absurd to at
tempt to create an important mystery of
marine engineering on a man-of-war. An
.ttempt has been made, by saying that a
man-of-war is, a complicated machine,
to show that the engineer officer is more
important than he is-the Inference being
that he charged with the care of all ma
chimes of whatever sort. This, however,
is far from being the case; for the en-
gineer looks out only for the propelling
machinery and its accessories. The gun
mounts, turret machinery, ~torpedoes and
other smaller engines, are not only taken
care of, but designed and built by line
oficers-the very officers who fight them
n battle and on whom the real issue of
the battle depends.
1t has been well said that an engine
does not know whether it is on a man
cf-war or on an Atlantic liner; and it
may also be pointed out that the engineer
with his hand at the lever, does not know
whether the ship is running ava or
charging at an enemy. His province it to
work those engines ahead and back, and
to keep up steam; and while this must
be well done, it must be apparent that
it is the cool skill and judgment of the
captain on the bridge who directs all in
the confusion Of battle, and the officers
and men at the runs on whom the real
issue of the battle depends.
The kind Of engineers necessary for this
work of running the engines of a ship
must now be inquired into. The London
Engineer" a journal devoted to engineer
ing, on July 10, 1891, spoke editorially on
this subject as follows:-
ut appears to us that the scientific at
tainments of the naval engineers are
simply costly s~uper1uities. We arrive at
this conclusion by a direct process of an
alogy. In theS first place, a steam engine
does not know whether 1t is on a man
ef-war or on an Atlantic liner. What is
good or bad for it in a man-of-war is
good or bad for it in a passenger or cargo
ship. This being the case, 1t further-by
2nalogy-seems to be evident hat the
engineers who can successfully run an
ocean steamship are equally competent
to run the engines of our men-of-war.
8 : : The Admiralty, for some reason,
the nature of which we quite fail to IN
derstand. has gone in for science in the
wrong place; and finding that compare
lively mathematics and a great deal of
science will not, after all, qualify a man
to take charge of costly machinery, were
driven to establish the class known as
engine room artificers; and it is common
the work and the engineers are super
iiOouo. y SoulSS tHiS 4 " IA u uC, bOl
we believe there is a great deal of truth
in it.
THAT a high scientific education may
be a very good thing no one-we, our
selves. least of all-disputes. But there
is a place for everything, and an engine
room is not the place in which scientific
attachments are of any real value. That
there ought to be in the Navy a few en-
gineers of eminent attachments we are
certain, because such men would have
ample scope for the exercise of their
powers in designing machinery, prepar-
ing specifications, or dealing with specl-
fwications and proposals made by contrac-
tors for engines. boiler. etc.
France, Italy and Germany have never
had many commissioned engineers on
board their men-of-war, but have always
adhered to the system which is today in
vogue: a small numbe of commissioned
engineers and e large number of machin-
lists Of warrant and petty officers rank
serving under them. These commissioned
engineers are promoted from the warrant
and the latter from the petty officers of
the engineer branch.
The Following table shows the tendency
in the British Navy in twenty-five years
missioned engineers and increase the
lumber of non-commissioned machinists.
Engine
Engineer Room
Date. Officers. Artiicers.