The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-24
PERSONNEL OF OUR NAVY.
characteristics of the Men Who Com
mand Our Ships.

Rear Admiral George E. Belknap, In
the Independent: In war with Spain
which seems highly probable-war that
may challenge our honor and valor al
any moment now-the fighting ships OF
the navies will be about equal in num-
beE.sande in power of armament; but
| when we compare the personnel of the
| two naVies, we cannot but think that
! Spain will suffer exceedingly thereby.
The differences in the types of ships
and the changed conditions of motive
power and guns, have changed the
! character of the enlisted men in our
| service Their habits are better, and
! the skill demanded of them is of a
more mechanical order; and while we
miss some of the characteristics which
made the old man-of-warSman so at
tractive and interesting, so unique and
so superb as a sailor, the new man is
imbued with the same loyal devotion
to the flag that possessed the souls of
our seamen in the colonial and revolu-
tionary days, the war of 1872, and at
the outourst of the civil war in 1861,
and may be depended upon to do equal
ly gallant service under whatever
stress of circumstances.
AS to the officers, no service in the
world can match them In every branch
and corps they are superior in educa-
ton and in training to the officers of
any other service-men so well ground
ed and practiced, schooled and
equipped. that their services are sought
in many directions. Many officers, in
deed, have resigned their commissions
for the higher pay and greater civil
advantages eagerly rendered them
by individuals and firms, colleges and
corporations. than the government
gives or affords. But many remain
in the service; and we have officers
today, graduates from our naval acad-
emies at Annapolis, and from civil col
leges in the land, who can take the
metal from the mine and put it through
all the processes of preparation and
manufacture, until it appears in COM
pleted form in the hulls and engines,
boilers and dynamos, guns and armor,
shells and torpedoes of our ships of
war. Expert as electricians, they in
vent or improve electrical appliances;
as chemists. they manufacture the
needed explosives for naval use; as in
Ventors, the guns and gun carriages of
our navy since the days of Dahlgren,
have been designed by them in every
part and built under their supervision.
The guns turned out at the naval gun
factory at Washington are not excelled
by Krupp or any other fabTicator of
heavy ordnance in Europe: as lingu-
lists and mathmeticians, naturalists and
adopts in therapeutics and surgery,
sanitation and hygiene, they have won
worldwide fame; as photographers,
they have no superiors, whether in sur
veying the coasts and harbors of the
globe or in sounding the depths of the
sea. Equally at home in the handling
of infantry and artillery on Shore they
lead the world as versatile and accom-
plished officers on shipboard. Nor are
there any harder worked men in the
country today than its naval officers
and whether in peace or war, they can
always be depended upon to do their
duty Loyalty and devotedly in every
of demand or of peril their !
profession may call upon them to |
meet.
Such are the men Spain is to meet on /
the sea, if she enters upon hostilities !
with this country. We need have no
fear Of the outcome. Yet it is never |
wise to underrate an enemy. The Eng
lish did that in 1872 to their sore cost. !
Let us not make such mistake and all |
will be well.