The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-11-19
.FdR MORE ENGINEERS
Chief Melville Warns Congress
Against the Danger of
a Small Force.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 1s96-Engineer-
in-Chief Melville warns Congress of the
futility of building high power war ships
without providing the necessary skilled
officials to drive and maintain them. In
his annual report after showing the enor-
nous amount of work accomplished in
the past by his inadequate corps, he
says
Il feel that it is only necessary to di-
rect your attention to the number of en-
gineer officers who have been returned
during the past year for physical inca
pacity, and to the steadily increasing
number of such officers on the retired
list, TO demonstrate that the physical
strain to which the officers of the engi-
neer corps are subjected is too great. In
former annual reports have given what
| believe to be abundant reasons for the
increase IN the number of officers of the
corps, AS time goes on and the number
necessity for such an increase is intensi-
fed and feel that l would not be doing
my duty if | did not again briefly refer
to the matter.
enter largely into the result of any naval
engagement, and If we had the most
powerful and the swiftest navy afioat
It would be valueless to us in time of war
If we have not sufficient number of
trained men to see that the machinery
of this f1eet-is In condition for action and
will be. powerless without the machinery,
and other things being equal, that feet
viii give the best account of itself which
mas the best equipment of trained men
IN the engine room as well as at the
guns. To sacrifice the one is merely in
vltlng disaster to the whole, and no
amount of skill on deck can compensate
Tor the lack of it below.
1t is one thing to design a nh 1,,1i1I
ch1nery, but quite a different thing to
Keep 1t in such condition that 1t NAV be
ready to respond to the calls that may
be made upon it under all conditions,
ana naval machinery is of such char
acter that it is only by the exercise of
constant vigilance and the greatest care
readiness for such calls. If the number
OF trained men is not sufficient for this
purpose, the efficiency of the ship as a
whole Is lowered, and the money which
to produce the very qualities which were
considered of paramount Importance has
been practically wasted
Commodore Melville also called attention
to the fact that our modern twin-screW
ships have from three to four times as
many moving parts as the engines in cid
ships and that the auxiliary engines have
multiplied from ten to twenty fold. en-
tor their preservation and increased cost
for their repair and maintenance With
recent insufficient appropriations the
skilled men attracted to the navy yards
have frequently to be suspended from
time to time and under these csrcu1nstan
ces the best mechanics are driven to
private establishments. Then when work
IS urgently demanded for ships new men
have to be called and broken in, in
ereasing expenses and leading TO
yexabiouS errors and DELAYS
Under proper conditions economy
and efficiency would result in keeping the
best men steadily engaged. Commodore
Melville recommends that the Boston
yard, where excellent machinery is now
unused, should be mad repair station
He urges improved tools and boiler maxi
ing plants at the League Island Penn
sylvania, and Mare Island, California.
navy yards.