The times., 1897-05-17

such description that Admiral Sir Charles
Napier declared, 1.-The ships OF war were
manned In great part by butcher boys,
navvies and cabnen." Two-tbirds OF the
gun captains had never fired q shot, and
1t is very probable that IL the Russians
with their trained seamen had attacked
the British fleet in the early days of the
war defeat would have oyertakel tie
English squadron.
There have been other periods since
the end OF the Napoleonc wars when she
naval supremacy of Great Britain has
been seriously endangered. In 1S4s, her
Mediterranean fleet consisted OF but one
line OF hattleships, five small frigates,
three sailing sloops, couple OF schooners
and eight srliail steam vessels, hist there
were but three first-raters In the channel
squadron
britannia does not intend to be caught
mapping in maintaining dominion OF the
sea. Her naval policy is OF such a char
acter that the commissioning of formida-
bic battleship by one nation witnesses the
keel-laying in British shipyard of larger
and more powerful armored vessel.
The completion OF cruiser like our
own Columbia, of Z SOC tons displacement
and $4,000 horse power, was followed by
the building of the cruiser Powerful, OF
$4,000 tons displacement and $4,000 horse
power The orga niZationo of a torpedo boat
fIotilla by one of her continental neghbors
causes England to provide for a stronger
fleet of torpedo boat destroyers.
England has given caieful consideration
To the dey elopm ent OF her material, but she
has erred III not providing for personnel
commensurate with the needs OF her vessels
OF war. The merchant marine of England
contains larger per centof aliens Than that
of any nation in the world. Our ocean
going ships, of course, have greater per
centage OF foreigners. but when the crews
OF our steamers on the great lakes are
taken into consideration, the percentage
OF aliens in our ships is not very ligh. AT
least SO per cent of the men in Great
Biilalns merchant service are foreigners,
and these aliens are nearly all found
In the hi CHER ratings. Inthe stokeholds, the
foreigner and particularly the Asiatic,
is gradually crowding out the BIitisher
The evil has developed to such an extent
that 1T is now suggested that no subsidy
or postal bounty should be given any Eng
Iish ship In which this weakness exists.
In past years the seamen of the Fritish
mercantile marine were practically the
naval reserve OF the nation. The advent OF
the foreigner upon the decks of English
ships has weakened this supply.
Despite her fleet OF noble ships, upon
which are serving nohle men, England pos
sesses a naval weakness by reason of tie
fact that her personnel has not Kept pace
with her material To man the whole avail
able fleet, bull and building, at least l1o,-
GOO men are necessary. Although her
naval estimate for 1857 provided for
nearly $4,000 men, this number included
students, cadets, Toys under training, and
even pensioners. Counting these out as
well as the sick and other necessary alb
sentees, she has not over $4,000 men avail
able for service. There are only 900
men In her foreign going sailing ships,
and $4,000 Of these are aliens IL is
doubtful if 20, 900 of the remainder are
able seamelI, and this Is the reserve which
England can draw from her sailing fleet
In case Of war the British admiralty
will take over in wholesale way fast
steamers to act as cruisers, and when
the demands of these auxiliary war yes
sells are taken into consideration it will
be recognized that England can man her
fleet only by coDscripi ion. The history OF
the Anglo Saxon race shows that it has
always resented conscription in war, and
tie riots In 1868 in the United States
were On outcome of this inheritance. The
right OF search is but another form of
onscriptlon, and it is unnecessary to
tell American views upon this question.
CONSUMPTION, therefore, is a dernier re
sort, and only in an emergency will the
admiralty dare 10 suggest its adoption.
From her sailing ships Great Britain may
be able to secure efficient men to man
the guns and carry on the work that must
be performed above the protective deck
Within a few days after going on board
ship the trained merchant sailor will do
efficient work, since he will have TO deal
with guns of standard make, with machines
installed In almost uniform manner, and
with environments almost identical with
the deck of the training ship. The naval
reserves of our several States have shown
that within two or three days they can
familiarize themselves with the duties de-
n,anded of them at the guns.
IL Will be beneath the protective deck,
where a changeof personnel will mean tenn
porary Decentralization. With piping be-
meath floor plates, with valves difficult
to reach, with machines crowded into
almost inaccessible places, and with ap-
pliances difficult to repair and examine,
the unframed recruit is as liable to i'm
pede as to hasten the work of preparin ing
machinery for the work OF war Living
in an atmosphere saturated with the odor
of burning oil, weakened by abnormal
temperatures, with duties oftentiines Of an
isolated character, and subjected to
nervous tension that will cause an alarm
ing sick list, the strain upon men mac-
customed to such duties will he beyond
description Herein is the naval weak
ness of Great Britain and America, two
countries which do not resort to conscrip-
| ton.
In a remarkable and thoughtful article
published In the October number of Cas-
| sier's Magazine William Ledyard Cathcart,
| graduate OF the Naval Academy, has
| shown that against the protests OF the
naval engineers an organization exists be-
meath the protective deck which is not
| In accordance with existing conditions. As
| a result OF the discomfort existing in the
| engine and fire rooms, by reason of the
| Injustice to which this force is subjected,
our ships cannot engage in the business OF
war in an efficient manner.
For every engineer officer beneath the
protective deck there are at least four
| sailor officers looking out for the work
| above There are twice as many COM
manding officers as chief engineers As a
result of such a defective organization
| the sailor officers have little opportunity
- pornyiao vi 70 IN onoselvea with the Duties