The sun., 1896-08-23
ENGINEERS FOR THE Sayr
APresentntion orthe Re cons for siren 9Th.
euinE This Branch or the Service.

ENGINEERS FOR THE NATr.
A APresentation orthe Reasons for Strength
entnG This Branch OF the Service.
Prom the Philadelphia Pubic Ledger.
WASHINGTON, Aug. l7.-What Is the United
States navy TO do for trained and educated en-
Gineers3 This question is becoming n pressin,
one. II has been urged upon Congress !or sew
eral SESSIONS past. 1t is becoming more urgent
with the building OF every new war vessel. The
evolutlons of the North Atlantic squadron dur.
ing the last few weeks have brought It into
marked prominence. Two OF the engineers o,
the battle ship Indiana. men upon whom the re.
sponsibility for the motive power OF this grea,
engine OF destruction rests, are now lying in a
hospital as the result OF overwork. Il 10 notori-
Gus. aud has been notorious for years. that ow-
Ing to the Jealousy between tho line and the
STAFF. our ships have been shamefully under
manned by engineer officers, and millions OF
dollars OF public property have been annually
teopardcd in consequence. No navy in the
world of any of the trst.class powers, or In fact
OF any Of tho second-class powers. discrimir ates
so grossly against class of officers upon whose
ability TO do efficient work. and to give efficient
supervision of the machinery of the ship, de-
pends in very large degree the efficiency Of
the navy. 1t is matter OF record that many
of the war vessels in our navy cannot be kept
up TO the point Of maximum efficiency for want
OF engineers. II is quite as much n matter OF
record that, owing to onerous duties imposed
upon engineers by reason OF their lack OF num-
bers. the Engineer Corps has found il impos-
siols to perform its duties properly. 1t is quito
as much o matter of record that officers OF the
duties of two and three men have been forced
either TO leave the service by their sense or self
respect or have been carried from their work
=, An examination OF the Naval Register and Of
the records of the navy since steam became the
number of eng lneer officers, and q quite as
steadily Increasing responsibility and duty
January 1896 the Navy Register show. @ tn there re-
were but % engineers in the navy. n smaller
Is nterrstine " 10 onS note tbat nrn tSno ~
period in the line sailor branch OF the service
there were ia officers, or ii3 limo officers to
Asa NJ. Mattice develops the fact that since s6a
the line has increased and the Engineer Corps
diminished. until on the first Of the present year
there were over so per cent. more line officers
than there were in 1866, and 80 per cent. less
before the close OF the war. there were as46
line officers regulars and volunteers. and LIES
engineers. or ratio OF l;64 TO l. There were
In the regular service at that time 4ei line ofi-
GERS and sol engineers. more engineers than
line officers. The ratio OF line officers 10 engi-
neers since 1866 has increased from 1874 10 l
TO 4. 13 to l. although in tnat time the greatest
progress has been made IN steam engineering
sails have ceased to be factor. and the work
In moving the vessel from port to port and in
action has been transferred to the Officers in
charge OF the engine ROOM the boiler rooms.
and the inuumerable nuxilIaries which form
the motive power OF the modern man-ot.war.
present ratio Of engineers to line Officers is not
an e efficiens one. The greatest navy in the world
The English navy lis; shows I.73i line Officers
and Ts5 engineers. ratio OF nearly twice the
Enised states navy practeniIy fse .se pIo' sae
portion exists In the navtes Of other arst-c!ass
powers Tho Lords OF Admiralty OF Great
hritain long ago recognized that the modern
man-ofwar is a floating machine chop: that the
preservation of the vessel and its efficiency.
largely upon tho perfect efficiency of its ma
chinery. and that the undermining OF the en-
gines would be as much fatal error in this last
decade of the nineteenth century ms the under
manning of the decks. including the care OF the
masts. spars and sails. would have h:en fatal
blunder in the first decade, when Nelson won
his peerage and tomb In st. Pauls By the
efficiency OF the vessels under his charge.
II Is instructive To note. showing failure
on the part OF our naval administration to recng-
nize the importance OF an enctne"r corps. ade-
Quremeuts OF their heavy respnnsI b lities that
since the year 1864, with n steady decrease in
the navy there has been an amazing increase In
the horse power OF engines on our msn-of-war
and phenomenal development In the ma
propeling our war vessels. The most power
igi vessel of today SO sz,Enginesr Mat
same mum ber Of engineers that the smallest
ironclad had In 1864. although the mod
eFn eTn. ship s ha: oyer y fifty times the % en-,
.hip IL the navy of 1884 that, could develop over
900 horse power Fey Ho q the ships OF the new
run as high as the 20.so0 horse power OF the
which shir, carries but four engi-
Nantucket carried twenty years ago. which
vessel had only $40 horse power. When 1t Is
and seventy-seven sailing vessels
ana that with twenty per cent Of the vessels
without engines there were only l.oi line ON
calling ship in commission. there nrs Al . line
officers TO each engineer, tho situation is pre-
sented without the need OF detailed argument.
But It must be noted in addition that since the
war the com pound engine, the triple and quad |
ruple expansion engine. forced draught and air
sure from 40 pounds to 100. and ships divided |
into water,IiGht compartments T n recurring sep
too. have the twin hcrews and triple screws. In |
s6i couple nf donkey pumps and the main
The large majority Of our men-of war, Even |
the monitors. with engines for working tho tur- |
dozen engines In all. To-day the cruiser Coum-
bla has no less than ninety separate engines. |
wade the question why the number Of engineer
officers In The navy has been decreased in ten |
fold inverse ratio 70 tho Increase in their duties
as ex- Engineer Mattice states IL In his sensR-
.ional pamphlet addressed to Representative
hat there Is something radically wrong in the |
OF the service.
Those who reside at Washington, and whose
duty IL is 10 watch year by year the operations
Df Government. are quite familiar with the |
TACT that there has been a studied attempt for
years past on the part OF many line officers OF
.hs navy to depreciate the yalue of the Engineer
Corps, and to make the duties Of these officers
iisagreeabe and obnoxi ious to those called upon
% perform them. The Engineer Corps has been
and Is frequently sneered at as "a
,orps OF machInIsts" and greasers." not to be
;lhased socially with the line, because their
iuties compel them TO work between tho
iecks, and have no connection OF initiative
he bridge or the firing OF the guns from the
urrets and sponsors. There has been a studied
he Engineer Corps by continued statements
hat those officers constituted "a non-military
lass y" and their duties could be well performed
,y civilians or by warrant officers" chasing
With boatswains. gunners, carpenters and sail
makers In view OF the facts presented tho
Inc officers. who are superior In numbers in
Washington. cannot deny the need Of additional
ngnesrs In the navy. but they insist that sucn
Increase in tho number OF enRineers. II made
Il all. shall be made In a manner which will not
asa their own relative i'm DOrtanCe.