Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-07-30
'NAVY'S SECRET FACTS.
INFORMATION COLLECTED BY T'lE
INTELLIGENCE BUREAU.

The Secretary Can Learn at IL Few Min
utr,' Notice til, StrenG ih of II Foreign
Fiect-IIow the Archives Are Conn
pilrd--A Record of the Worlds ships.
When the war with Spain threat
sned, and before the actual beginning
)f hostilities, the Secretary of the
Navy, Mt Washington, says the New
York Sun, was able to learn from his
suborlinates on Il few minutes no
ice just what the strength of the
Spanish navy was, the character Of
he vessels, the style of their arma-
ment--in fact, every bit of informa-
lion necessary to n comparison of the
navics of the two countries and II
forecast of the probable result of an
encounter between them. He found
out the character and extent of the
permanent defenses of Cuba and Porto
Rico and the Philippines. In fact, he
was able to assemble facts, the linowl-
edge of which enabled him to take in
the whole situation at II glance.
The information about the Spanish
navy, on which Secretary Long was
able to call and winch he is now using
every day, is locked up, with facts
about all the navies of the world, in
the secret archives of the department
kept by the Office of Naval Intclli-
gence. This Office is an attachment
of the Secretary's Office. 1t has ex-
listed for sixteen years, and in all that
time, until this year, it has never had
m official status. The clerks en-
poyed in it hitherto have been as
signed from other bureaus.
The Office was established in Secre-
tary Chandler's time. Its Office was
to collect all the information obtain
able concerning foreign navies with a
view to utilizing it in the building of
the new American navy which was
being planned. Uncle Sam has been
pioneer in invention, but seldom i'll
experiment in naval matters. He has
chosen to go slowly and surely for
ward, waiting until the costly expert
meuts of other nations had developed
the value of II device before adopt
ing it.
In pursuance of this policy naval
attaches were sent to most of the for
eign courts with instructions to send
in information about foreign navies.
At the time the war with Spain began
there were naval representatives at
Paris, Vienna, London, Rome, st.
Petersburg and Madrid. Most OF
these have since been recalled for
active service. These naval attaches
sent to the department. printed re-
ports as well as written observations
Of naval operations and experiments.
The written reports were always
secret, and they cannot be seen to-day
without all order from Secretary Long.
They cannot he seen at all except by
some officer of the department having
the Secretary's authority.
Another source of information was
The intelligence officer aboard ships
Every Captain Of an American vessel
on foreign station designated one OF
his junior officers to make observa
tons and report to the department,
md the other officers were asked tc
give him the benefit Of any informa
ion they might pick up. Even the
petty officer and the sailor contributed
10 the reports what they saw or hear'
IF the methods of foreign navies. NJ
subject was too small for observation
from q gasket to q siXtcen-inch gun
In addition to this special information
ali sort. of published information was
,cuuircd-clippings from newspapers
articles from magazines, photographs
of foreign ships, and pictures of for
eign guns and Notifications. The In
diligence Bureau contains the only
complete set of pictures of the Spanisl
navy in the United States.
This accumulation of written an(
pictured facts fills six large rooms. 1
S arranged in cases against the walls
If these rooms, classified and care
'ully indexed. Captain John II. Bart
ett, Of the navy, who is in charge o
t, explained tho arrangement to tho
correspondent the other day. H'
pulled out file case which was ont
If a g,\up marked "Ships.' This
,ne was labelled "English ships.
rhe classification of these was marked
~ red cards, standing upright in th'
Ease, and each individual ship wa
lahed on blue card which was helt
" q rubber strap to u number o
White cards. On each white card wa
reference to the files of the bureau
IN the case which Captain Bartlett
,hose for illustration, Immediately be
linj the blue card was a card telling
IF the launching of the ship; the mex
card referred to a complete descrip
ion of this ship; the next, to test
Ter guns; the next, to an inquiry II
Parliament concerning her armament
then came card referring to a repor
of an accident to her. And so tn
record went, until it comprehende
every incident in the history of tina
particular ship-a detailed biography
IS complete as could be obtained il
The case of well-known public man
lue IepOru ou tulo sup ~ ho' va
,eptional. Every British ship ha
like record in the Intelligence Blu
eau. SO has every Spanish ship
The Navy Department has felt no anS
ely at any time about Camara's fleet
,ecause it knew all along how incapf
,e were his ships.
When the Secretary of the Nav
wants facts about the Spanish navy
he notifies his Intelligence Officer. an
IL three minutes the index card
marked "Spain" are on his desk. q
hose cards he finds reference
every Spanish subject in the librar
IL in the secret archives in the d'
Dartmcnt. If he wants to know an.
ing about armored cruisers he ca
,end for the cards on "Cruisers, an
le will find the whole subject con
,lctely covered by reference. I
,o,rsc, SO much of the "Cruiser
.eference as refers to Spanish cruz
,rs will be entered also under tn
,,oI of USnnin." and il is chiefly tn