The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-06-15
POPULARITY IN THE NAVY.
Whv Some Officers are Disliked by Enlisted
Men.
Men,.
Washington Star.

cable dispatch which told OF the de-
iberate disabling Of the machinery OF
the Spanish torpedo boats by the
engineers, who are said to have done
this bad bit Of work in order to post
pone or evade the necessity of moving
on to Cuban waters-and taking the
consequences Of what their appear
ances in Cuban waters might involve
1t is an evil showing for the men Of
the quarter deck Of the Spanish navy.
Such a thing as this could never hap
pen in the American navy. There are
dissatisfied officers in our service in
time Of peace, but never disatfected
officers in time of war.
Among the enlisted men in the
United States two military establish
ments, when there is nothing doing in
the way Of war, there is always GER
tain arsount Of distemper under
fancied imposition, and this distemper
is manifested in many ways. But the
men who carry the swords in the
American service do their growing in
J their mustaches. Even the very
worst Of the men forward on an Amer
lean man-of-war would scorn to engage
in a lob such as the "cranking" Of
machinery, if there existed any like
Iihood Of their ship being called upon
to fight at short notice. Such thing
has occasionally been done in the
United States navy in time of peace,
although she crime has never been
fastened upon any individual man or
collection Of dissatisfied men forward.
Wien chief engineer on United
States man-of-war acquires. in time of
peace, the dislike Of the "black gang
under him, the men Of the gang are
capable of making heavy trouble for
him. and they have done this on
numerous occasions-never, however,
when acloud Of war loomed on the
horizon.
Aside from the commanding officer,
it might almost be said that of all the
officers attached to modern war ves-
sci it is most necessary for the chief
engineer to possess the devotion Of
men Immediately under him. The
chief engineer is held strictly account
able for the preservation in good con-
dition Of the ships machinery. A
loose screw may very easily disable an
engine, and it is the simplest thing in
life for dissatisfied enlisted man to
loosen a screw without any one being
tho wiser. One cut rivet may make
boiler useless, and crown plates are
very easily let down.
tits q matter Of common knowledge
rather, it has been in the past, but
probably viii not be in the future, OF,
at any rate while the war is under
ws7-that those chief engineers who
are unpopular with the enlisted men
under them have by far the most
trouble with the machinery and boil
ers in their chnrge, and some Of these
disliked chiefs have had to expend a
great deal Of ink and paper in explain
ing to the department the many break
downs in the gear over which they
have control. It is quite possible for
an aggrieved coal-passer to get his
chief engineer tangled up with Court
Of Inquiry. Moreover, it often has
happened that an unpopular chief
engineer has been unable to get his
men to make steam. The 6remen
apparently work hard enough, but
they don't get the revolutions out of
the propellers. News travels just as
fast from the cabin to the forecastle
as it does from the forecastle to the
cabin, and when the fremen hear that
their unpopular chief engineer has
been ordered by the commanding Off
Ger to get the ship to such and such
port at such and such time, they
catch each others eyes, and the ship
doesn't get there or anything like it.
It would make no difference if the
chief engineer himself were to stand
watch in the fire rooms twenty-four
hours at stretch. The steam regis
ters wouldn't take any upward leaps
on account of his presence. The as
sistant engineers also stand in need Of
the good will Of the engine room 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, it has frequently
beer observed that the speed of the
ships during the watches of the dis
liked engineer has fallen short by
knots Of the speed got out of the
engines by his brother officer.