Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-09-02

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lork's ammunition hoists did not
work and the service of the guns was
painfully slow. Another attack much
stronger was made on the right wing
where, unfortunately, most of the
weaker vessels of of the American
| sqadron were now stationed During
this encounter the Raleigh and the
Montgomery were sunk.
And here is another experts wall:
The shells passed through the side
| OF the Brooklyn rs if it was so much
tin, and, bursting within the vessel,
caused destruction indescribable. One
shot went completely through the
Brooklyn from stem to stern. More
men were killed by this last discharge
than during all the rest OF the fight.
1t is impossible to give any complete
list of the killed and wounded.
A courtmartial, composed of Messrs.
Sampson, Dewey, Schley and Evans,
would sentence the writers of those
articles to the brig for life. The fool
killer would chuckle with q dozen de-
gres of delight to meet them. They
are in the service, but have not had
the pleasure of saying" / told you So"
Maj. Haskins, who, by the way, is
really an authority on the subject of
army fighting, predicting six years
ago the result of the next great battle
said:
1t will become simply impossible to
take by direct attack an intrenched
line held by troops armed with rapid
fire guns and using smokeless powder
In addition to these guns having a
rapid-fire and the advantage the SOL
diers will have of not obscuring the
open enemy with smoke, they have a
very long range. Under those condi-
tions there is no reason why intrenched
troops should not slaughter an enemy
making direct attack.
And it was under these same con
ditions that the Americans met the
Spaniards in the drive toward Santi.
ago. Barbed wires, JOG degree sun,
hesh-cutting underbrush, half-rations,
and number of other drawbacks in
the bargain! Where was the shrink
ing from the prowess of arms? The
Spaniards had the trenches, rapid-fir-
ing guns and smokelss powder, par
ticularly the latter, on which point
Maj. Haskins laid great stress. Not
so with the Americans. Their noisy
Springtields were as good as brass
band to the enemy, and the smoke
that rose from the weapons afforded
the latter an excellent opportunity to
pick out the position of the foe.
Another experts paper says that
the battle of the Yalu proved the
truth of the following conclusions,
and that the Spanish-American naval
| fight would do likewise:
First-The capital advantage of
speed.
Second-The superiority of rapid
fire guns over heavy guns.
Third-The uselessness of heavy
armor.
Another prediction gone wrong. If
speed is an advantage why did not the
Cristobal Colon escape from such
ships as the Iowa and Oregon, which
are battleships and are not designed
for chasing fast cruisers such as the
Colon undoubtedly was?
With the exception of the auxiliary
Gloucester, which used her rapid-firing
because she hadn't any big fellows,
the major portion of the work of de-
struction wrought to the Colon, Viz
caya and Infanta Maria Teresa was
done with the heavy guns. The large
guns of the Texas did more destruction
in ten minutes to the torpedo boats
than could possibly have been per-
formed by the Gloucester's quick-fring
rifles in a dozen hours. AS for heavy
armor, the damage to the Brooklyn
and the failure OF a huge projectile to
force its way through the belt of the
Iowa disprove the truth OF the state
ment that thick protection is useless.
The battle of the Yalu did not prove
as many things as some experts desire
to prove. 1t was one-sided fight at
best, and while there were considerable
exhibits of modern warfare appliances,
much important apparatus, since per-
fected aud added to the vessels now
before Santiago, was missing. 1t is
not safe to perdict the outcome of a
great naval or military battle. Chance
frequently spoils strategical resources,
and Is Just as dangerous as that
capital weapon of fearful woman-a
convenient pocket handkerchief.
SuAFTER's luck" is often spoken OF
in army circles. He was farmer boy
when he enlisted for the civil war, and
had risen to first lieutenant at the
close of hostilities. Then he applied
for transfer to the regulars. His re-
quest was granted, but the clerk in
the Adjutant Generals Office wrote
"lieutenant.colonel," and the commits
sion was signed by Lincoln with a big
batch of others. Protest was made ty
over whose heads Shafter had been
men promoted, but in the turmoil in
cident to the assassination the matter
was dropped.