Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-07-14
A Change Of Opinion.

The naval battles in Manila bay and
off Santiago, in which SPANS navy was
virtually destroyed, has stirred up a
mighty buzzing in the naval circles OF
Europe, and at the present time the diff
ference between the rated strength of
the United States as a naval power and
the actual effectiveness of the American
navy is a mooted question on the other
side of the water
At the beginning of the war experts
on naval strength asserted that SPANS
superiority was unquestioned because OF
the number of torpedo boats and torpedo
| boat destroyers she possessed, and all
manner Of predictions were made as to
what would happen to the United States
fleets when they became tangled mp with
those d%estroyers. The predictions have
been discredited by the performance OF
the Gloucester, a converted pleasure
yacht, which pluckily attacked and dis
abled two of themost formidable torpedo
boat destroyers in the Spanish fleet.
The result of the battle off Santiago APP
pears to have actually frightened the
officers of the British navy.
They realize that the American gun
practice is infinitely superior to the
British. No less a parsonage than Lord
Beresford is pointing out this fact to the
members of parliament and urging that
the British navy should at once be sup.
piled with the proper facilities and am
munition to permit a thorough and ex,
tensive target practice by the gunners
on the ships. The British also are in
clined to the opinion that American
ship ordnance and ammunition are bet
ter than their own, and it is known
that American armoring is superior.
But the most striking admission made
by the English naval officers is that the
Annapolis men are scientifically theil
betters. England has but one nava
educational institution, that at Green
wich, the scope of which can be judgeC
by the fact that it has but eight profes
sors and Is tutors, several of the lat
ter attending only once or twice a
week.
Another matter of comparison is
humbling the pride of the ''Mistress Of
the Seas" and that is this: There have
been no British naval manoeuvres fol
years in which more collisions, acct
dents and misunderstanding have not oc
Cured in a week than during the who'll
American campaign in Cuban waters
British officers do not hesitate to as
cribe this difference in the two navies t.
the superior education given American
officers and seamen.
Judging from all these admission
made by the officers of what has beef
heretofore considered the greatest nava
power in the world, a large number o
ships does not necessarily constitute
powerful navy. In last February tn
United States was rated by the sam
men who are now drawing comparison
which are not very ~flattering to them
selves, as a country to be-. little feared
The navy was small in it's number of yes
sells and the Ships were looked upon as i'm
practical experiments, more dangerou
to the men on them than to a possible
enemy. In less than six months thi
country has made additions to the fleet
until the navy stands second in numeri
cal strength, and Judging from the re
ports which come from foreign land
has created a wholesome fear anon;
those nations who have sneered a
yankee money makers and shop keep
ers," by the manner in which ''shop
keepers can demolish an enemy's flee
when they get started.