The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-09-03

Lieutenant ]. L.. Palmer, of thc Unit
| ed States navy, is spc1ding part Cf
| his leave of absence with his friend &.
| NJ. Price, of this city Lieutanant Pal
| mer Is a graduate of the naval acad-
| emy, class of S3 ami during the war
was attached to the Monitor Amphi-
trite, participating in the lombard
ment of San Juan, Porto l:ico, and
| the blockade of Havana.
| Lieutenant Palmer is not a really
enthusiastic adulrcr of monitors and
if It were not that it would be in bad
| taste for an officer to criticize his SUI
| perors he could no doubt be egged on
to say that II is II waste of money
for the government to build any more
| of them.
They are adapted only for harbor de-
| fense, Lieutenant Palmer says, and
when one considers the hardship that
service on them entails and the fact
that the larger and swifter vessels will
answer the same purpose Il is ques-
tionable whether or not navy is bet
tered by any considerable number of
! them.
He had the position of chief engineer
on the Amphitrite and in consequence
had to spend most of his time in the
engine room. The normal temperature
there is 1856 degrees. but when under
full head it goes much higher. she
| low freeboard allows even the ordin-
airy swell of the ocean to wash over
| the decks. The Amphitrite rolls twen-
ty-one times to the minute as against
| eight times that the New York or
other large vessels roll. From this it
| 90, ha .1ot
ing platform a monitor affords.
| MADE A GO ID RECORD.
| Notwithstanding this the Amphitrite
made a good record at San Juan, being
| credited with one of the best shots
of the engagement, dismantling a bat
| terry of three guns at four miles with
one of her ten inch barkers.
Lieutenant Palmer in corNmOn with
other men of the navy holds Spanish
| gunnery is utter contempt. The night
before the San Juan engagement he
said the officers packed uu their per-
sCnal belongings and gave directions
to their chums as 20 what to do in case
anything serious happened. They
were a pretty solemn lot that night,
he says, but after being under fire
| for a half an hour or SO they We're
| moved to laugh =: their dread FORE
bodings of the night before.
'The gunncry Of tie Spaniards was
| continual surprise" he said, they
weren't capable of doing even good
guess work and if they had tried to
avoid hitting us they could not have sue
ceeded better. 1t did not take us
long to see that if we were hit
that it would be only by chance and
from the time of this discovery on we
| were perfectly at ease and paid no
more heed to the booming of their
guns that If they We're so many bats
of the base drum. When we left San
Juan to take part in the blockade of
Havana we were given orders not to
| go within six miles of the coast. Very
often just to worry the gunners in the
| coast Qualifications a monitor or some
| like craft would dash straight in towards
land and after getting within easy
range would stand off in a taunting
way while the Spanish gunners would
| pepper away in the vain endeavor to
hit something near their target.
after a time the taunter would
swing her stern to the enemy and slow
| ly steam back to the blockading line"
DOING BLOCKADE DUTY.
The Amphitrite went on blockade
| duty April so and did not get in touch
with the world again for 21 days. The
news of Deweys victory was twenty
days old when they received it.
Speaking of the Sampson -Schley
matter, Lieutenant Palmer said that
the miserable controversy is a matter
of the deepest regret throughout the
| Vh nd
Schley regret it above all others. They
are warm personal friends and in every
way have the highest regard for each
| other as men and officers.
The whole navy, Lieutenant Palmer
says, recognize the wisdom of appoint
ing Sampson in charge of the Atlantic
squadron. He above any other man
was peculiarly fitted for the position
by reason of his service with Sicard
and consequent familiarity with the
Cuban coasts and for the further rea-
son that he was held by the navy to
possess more executive ability than
| any other available man.
Schley is a dashing, brave officer,
| but he is not to be compared for an
instant with Sampson in the matter
of executive ability. One marked diff
ference between the two men is that
Schley has glad hand for the news
papermen while Sampson treats them
not only not courteously but coldly.
Sampson is completely broken down
in health from the great mental strain
and physical hardshps he underwent
during his campaign off Cuba.
Naval officers without exception are
proud of Hobson's achievement, Lieu
tenant Palmer says. They are not like
the army officers who are jealous of
each other and striving to detract from
the glory of some of their number who
may win little distinction. Naval
officers not only laud their own heroes
but want everybody else to do so.