The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-09-21
BRITISH CRITICISM.
Odd Mixture Of Wisdom and
Stupidity in Paget's Re-
port on Our Navy.

WASHINGTON, d. C., Sept. 21, 1865
Captain Alfred Paget British naval at
tache assigned to observe operations dur
ing the recent campaign in the West In
dies, is engaged here in assembling the
large mass of material gathered in Cu-
ba. and in supplementing this with Off
cial data now being supplied by the Navy
Department. He will spend most of the
fall in getting together the material for
his report to the British Admiralty
which will be an exhaustive treatment
of the naval branch of the campaign,
with considerable attention to the milf
tary branch owing to the joint operation
of the two branches during several
stages of the war, and particularly in the
siege of Santiago.
Speaking informally today of some Of
his observations, Captain Paget said II
had been shown quite clearly that the
naval branch of the service should have
complete control of all army transporta-
tion by sea. He points out that this is
the practice the world over. In the
British service all transports are under
the control of the Admiralty. When
troops are to be shipped, the war Off
cials make known to the Admiralty the
number of men in the expedition, the di-
visions into infantry, cavalry and artil-
lery and the various requirements of the
several divisions.
1t then becomes the duty OF the naval
branch to provide the transports, carry
the troops. keeping the several divisions
distinct aAd with their proper equipment.
and provMe all supplies required for the
trip A naval officer, usually a lieuten-
ant commander on the retired list, is
placed in command Of each transport, it
being impossible to secure proper service
from merchant captains. The naval
branch also conducts all loading and un-
a branch in which naval officials are well
versed.
It is not until the troops are on land
that the army authorities Il} assume dilscI
operation with all large countries, par
ticularly those having colonial possessions
could be adoped with advantage by this
country, in Captain Paget's opinion as
much of the confusion IN the transporta-
tion and landing Of the army and sup
plies was due to the inexperience OF the
merchant captains of transports and to
the direction of all transportation by the
army rather than by the navy.
Captain Pasets report will devote mucn
attention to the destruction of Admiral
Cervera's fleet, as this was the main nav
al incident of the war He is securing
from the Navy Department complete re-
ships, with view of showing the i'm
portance of .'the man behind the gun.
Captain Pagets personal view IS tnat Ad-
hardy venture, which cannot be justified
by naval standards, even though ordered
by the Admirals superiors
According to Captain Paget's view, the
most effective use Admiral Cervera could
have made of his squadron was to have
dsmantled them of all the lighter guns.
oTer ove guns ils and men to General ToraI for
use in defending the city. These quick
fire guns, some hundred or more, dlstTI-
dled by the trained men Of the squadron.
would have been ablesto sustain a dead
ly fire on the American advance
Gaptsin pagst sxPresses nd the peea s fhs
practically impregnable- He has no
doubt starvation and disease would have
broken down the Spanish defense IN
time but Cevera's guns could have held
the town from a defeat by assault. In
case of a sortie from the harbor, Captain
PAget shares the view OF. American naval
offlcers that the sortie should have been
made at night If attempted in daylight
the Spanish ships should have directed
their attention to the American transports
where vi re great at havoc could have been
wrought
In any event, whether transports or our
aims that the Spanish policy should have
been to rush at our ships, taking them
unawares before steam could be got up,
and taking the risk of loss SO long as
some damage was inflicted. Had this
plan been adopted he thinks it might
have resulted in the. ramrling and sink
ing of one or more of our ships.
Captain Paget speaks highly of our
new battleships and cruisers, particularly
those now on the stocks which he has ex-
amined critically through the plans and
specifications. He says foreign naval ex-
perts long ago recognized that first class
could be built in the United
States although he does not admit that
our ships yet excel, or even equal, those
of British build
In this connection a prominent Ameri-
can naval officer recently told Captain
Paget that the new cruiser New Orleans |
bought in England during the early
stages of the war was areveiation a to
and armament are concerned