Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-06-04
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES.
POPULARITY IN THE NAVY.
why Some Officers Are DishNe"-
Chances for Venting Hatred.
washington Starr


cable dispatch which told of the deliberate
disabling Of the machinery of the spanish
torpedo-boats by the engineers, VINO are
said to have done this bad bit OF wors
in order to postpone or evade the neces-
sity of moving on to Cuban waters-ano
taking the consequences OF what theit
appearance in Cuban waters might IN
volve-it is an evil showing for the men
of the quarter deck of the Spanish navy
Such a thing as this could never happen
in the Anne, can navy. There are DIS
satisfied officers in our service in time OF
peace. but never disaffected officers IN
time of war.
Among the enlisted men in the United
States two military establishments when
there is nothing doing in the way OF war;
there is always certain amount OF DIS
temper under fancied imposition, and TINS
dstemper is manifested in many ways.
But the men who carry the swords IN
the American service do their growing
In their moustaches. Even the very worst
of the men forward on an American man
of-war would scorn to engage IN Jop
such as the "cranking" of machinery, IL
there existed any likelihood of their ship
being called upon to fight at short no
tice. Such thing has occasionally been
done in the United States navy In time
of peace, although the crime has never
been fastened upon any individual man
or collection of dissatisfied men forward
When a chief engineer on a United states
man-of-war acquires, in time or peace
the dislike of the BLACK gang" under
him, the men of the gang are capable OF
making heavy trouble for him, and they
81, L.
never however, when a cloud of war
doomed on the horizon.
Aside from the commanding ofhcer. it
might almost be said that of all the Off
GERS attached to a modern war vessel, it
is most necessary for the chief engineer
to possess the devotion Of the men imme-
diately under him The chief engineer is
held strictly accountable for the preser-
walton in good condition of the ships ma
chinery. A loose screw may very easily
disable an engine. and it is the simplest
thing in life for a dissatisfied enlisted man
to loosen a screw without any one being
the wiser. One cut rivet may make a
boiler useless, and crown-plates are very
easily let down.
1t is a matter of common knowledge
rather. it has been in the past, but pro-
badly will not be in the future, or at any
rate while the war is under way-that
those chief engineers who are unpopular
with the enlisted men under them have
by far the most trouble with the ma
chinery and boilers In their charge. ana
some Of these disiked chiefs have had TO
expend a great deal of ink and paper IN
explaining TO the department the many
breakdowns in the gear over which they
have control. 1t is quite possible for an
aggrieved coal-passer TO get his CHER
engineer tangled up with a court OF In
quiry. Moreover. 1t often has happened
that an unpopular chief engineer has
been unable TO get his men TO make
steam. The firemen apparently work
hard enough, but they don't get the revo-
lutions out of the propellers. News ira
wells just as fast from the cabin to the
forecastle as 1t does from the forecastle
TO the cabin, and when the fremen hear
that their unpopular chief engineer has
been ordered by the commanding officer to
get the ship 10 such and such a port al
such and such a time, they catch each
others eyes. and the ship doesn't get
there, or anything like 1t. 1t would make
no crference II the chief engineer himself
were 10 stand watch in the tire-rooms
twenty-four hours at stretch Inc
steam registers wouldn't take any up-
ward leaps on account OF his presence
The assistant engineers also stand in
need OF the good will of the engine-roon,
force. On ships attached TO which there
have been two assistant engineers, one OF
them liked and the other out of favor
with the men below, II has frequently been
observed that the speed OF the ship during
The watches OF the disliked engineer has
Iallen short by knots Of the speed got out |
OF the engines y-his brother officer.
a man-of-war ships company with a |
grievance means trouble for the officers !
aft, while an army post in which the
enlisted men are dissatisfied requires |
very careful handling. Officers OF evna-
rience in both services know these things |
and take care not TO put the enlisted !
men out OF humor. Officers OF the navv |
thoroughly understand, IL they are ex-
perienced. how well it pays them TO make |
themselves popular with the men |
forward. The unpopular naval officer
has no easy thing of IL in his dealings
with the blue-jackets. In the old navy |
L often happened that officers who had |
earned the i'll will OF the blue-jackets |
-eared 10 go forward at night after lights |
tut, and there was reason for
heir fear. Such officers would no sooner
set foot In or under the forecastle. where /
after lights out, there was only the |
linn illumination of a single STANDING
light, than they would have TO dodge ali |
manner OF missiles, soup and buIIv'
ans, checking blocks. mess gear. boots
anything and everything throwable thar
he sailors and marines. I'm or ont ~ |
heir hammocks, first laid their hands |
upon. On such occasions the dlsllked
'fticers had but one thing TO do. and
hat was 10 travel aft as fast as their
egs could carry them. They could make |
complaint TO the commanding officer the
iext day. but they rarely secured the
punishment Of the men. When one OF the
lighting admirals OF to-day was a COM
nander he was RECALLED one morning with
he tale OF woe Of a snappy young en-
ign who had been treated to a dose q, \
lying gear under the forecastle on the
previous night.
do you know the men, the com.
nander asked the ensign.
The ensign named a few OF them
ut serves you blasted good and right "
aid the commander, who was ana sti,,
5. rough and ready and a trifie profana
The men you've named are the hes,
nen I've got on my ship. I've been shin
mates with some OF them ever since nv
mildly days. sir and / never had on4,