The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-20
Our Torpedo Fleet.
The First Maneuvers of These Small But For
1nidab1e Craft Now in Progress.

Epecial Correspondence of the Globe
NEWPORT, r. l., Aug. 19.-New-
porters and summer visitors have had
the pleasure of gazing upon the ma
neuvers of the first torpedo fleet ever
gathered in United States waters. Dur
ing the war for the Union we used to
hear about torpedo boats, but they
Were only makeshifts. The torpedo
boats of today are really the first Of
the kind that have had genuine right
to the name.
Since the accession to office of Theo-
6ore Roosevelt the torpedo boat has
been given the closest attention, for the
assistant secretary of the navy was not
at all slow to recognize the Importance
of the little craft. He has taken any
amount of trouble to bring about the
beginning Of what VIII be the most
notable cruise of our own war vessels
which ever took place in the United
States. The drills and experiments
which have taken place here have been
but preliminary practice in reality, for
there is before the torpedo boats a
five months cruise, which will lead
them as far inland as navigable
waters will permit.
The naval authorities have become
firmly convinced that in order to keep
up with the times, our government
must devote the strictest attention to
the torpedo boat. European naval eX-
pertS have had no hesitation in an
nouncing that the nation whose tor
pedo fleet was the most powerful would
gain supremacy upon the seas We
have always been rather slow in the
matter of warfare when there was no
war, and seem to have generally lost
sight of the truth Of the adage that
it is we'll in time of peace to prepare
for war.
Now, however, we seem to have wax
ened. and an alertness is apparent
which Indicates that at last the civil
ians who always control the navy in
reality have discovered that what
naval officers have been despairingly
advocating for years is true. The fact
that among those who have watched
the maneuvering Of the torpedo boats
have been naval experts of Great Brit
ain, France, Russia Germany and sew
eral other maritime nations, is proof
positive that European countries,
alarmed by the achievements of the
craft that made up the fleet, have de-
NCl AhliSu W lllIu out III WHAT Par tIC-
ular feature lies the point which I'M
questionably gives US superiority.
While, primarily, the object of the
cruise is to drill the men who make up
the vessels complement in the duties
which to most of them are very I'M
familiar. in reality the purpose is to
discover any defects which may exist,
1T being truthfully argued that it Is
better these should be discovered in
time of peace than in time of war. The
torpedo boat is frail in construction
and has delicate machinery. The recent
experience Of the Dupont Is an apt in
dication Of the truth or this assertion.
It Is an absolute certainty that break
downs will occur but every one of
these will be a lesson to which prompt
heed will be given. In this way the
serious defects of the torpedo boat will
be remedied, and after the present
cruise it is more than likely that our
torpedo fleet will be the most powerful
that floats.
The feet would have been at New
Orleans by this time if it had not hap.
pened that Assistant Secretary Roose
welt, under whose personal supervision
i has been acting, had not been take