Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-26

NH an accident of some
sort or anot h r
aboard ship" the likelihood of such acct
dents on board United States naval vessels
being very great, owing to the lax dis
cipline that has always prevailed upon
American men-of-war, in comparison with
the character of discipline maintained In
European navies.''
If anything could possibly be humorous
In connection with SO appalling a disaster
as that which befell the Maine, the gro
tesque absurdity of this comment amply
supplies the food for laughter, even if it
does also make to the generation of con-
tempt.
An American, if he had any sort of famil-
iarity whatsoever with the nature of the
ironclad, undertaking routine that obtains
on every war vessel of his country in COM
mission, whether anchored at Algiers or
Shanghai, or at sea in the Boring straits or
the Indian ocean, could truthfully, and
without a scintilla of exaggerative famboy-
ant rhetoric, inform the foreign editor per
son that the discipline preserved on Ameri-
can men-of-war not only equals that of
every other navy in the world, including
the navy of Great Britain, but that it is
more rigid, more rigorous, more military
and sailorly, and more admirable in every
way, than the discipline that prevails on the
ships of several navies Of the world that
vastly surpass 1t in size and strength.
The writer, as a man-of-war's man, had
ample opportunities to study the discipline
ruling warships of all the great navies of
the world. He has made repeated and pro-
tracted visits to as many as a dozen men
of-war, first and fourth class, battleship
and gunboat. of the British navy and he
has carefully observed the whole routine
of the day on at least two ships of every
important navy, including the navy of ia
pan. He is perhaps measurably well fitted,
therefore, to draw comparisons.
Standard of Cleanliness.
Probably the safest standard from which
to draw conclusions to the nature of dis
cipline on man-of-war is the standard
of cleanliness, and from this point of view
the most unscientifc housewife might be
quite as competent a critic as the naval
expert. Nothing is more absolutely cock
sure and certain than that dirty man-of-
war infallibly points to a slouchy, undisci-
pinned crew, aft as well as forward. A war;
ships crew of officers and men that does
not possess sufficient energy and decency
to keep its ship sweet and clean and spick
and span from cathead to mizzen Flagstaff
was never yet known to be a well-disciplin-
ed crew. There Is a very high standard of
cleanliness and sanitation on men-of-w war
OF today-a standard necessarily high when
1t Is considered how closely men are hud-
died together on a naval vessel. The ships
OF the United States navy more nearly at
tam even the medical department theoreti-
cal standard of cleanliness than the ships
Of any other navy In the world including
those of the British navy. This is not to
say that British men-of-war are not clean.
AS rule they are quite clean, even if 1t
does take the ''lime ULCERS" as American
men-of-war's men call the British naval
tars, an unconsciously long time, for in
stance, TO "swab the smut out o. the ships
linz cls DIT -
British man-of-war is not as clean, fore
and aft, as the average American man-Of-
war-not by a long shot. good many
British naval jacks have got the slattern-
ly housemaid's habit of hiding dirt and of
slowing 1t away in corners. that, while
to the uncritical eye their ships might pre-
sent general swabbed and shiny look,
they could certainly not endure the sharp
inspection of an American commanding Of
ficer without some of the men forward find
Ing themselves In a heap of trouble for
slouchy ship policing. In the tropics,
Where men-of-warS men wear white uni
stretch himself at full length on the plank
ing of the forward deck of his ship. He
fears for the spotlessness of his uniform.
When the smoking lamp is lighted on any
American war vessel down near the line
you will see scores of white-uniformed men
forward sprawling about on the always
swabbed and dustless decks and when the
bo suns pipe brings them to their feet you
uniforms are just as white and clean as
they were before the men 'hit the deck
with them. Nothing could possibly be more
apparently clean than a British man-of-
Spanish Indolence.
A coupl, of days after the Maine dis
aster a Madrid dispatch quoted Weyler as
saying that the affair was no doubt due to
the Incidence of the ships crew." Weyle:
has often been aboard the men-of-war OF
his own country. Therefore this remark
sounds delightfully."- funny. There could be
no more realistic portrayal Of the entirs
meaning Of the word 'indolence' than that
exhibited by the crew of Spanish war
ship. Fore and aft, from all hands at
far niente on board Spanish man-of-war
Is almost of the dreamy, blissful all-per-
vading sort as that which obtains at high,
screening noon In the 'dobe shacks of
Mexican peoEs. Aft, In the officers quar-
tiers, a fair degree Of cleanliness is occa-
sionally to be found on Spanish war yes
sell burt forward. where the man docder
through their days, the average Spanish
man-of-War Is not alone dirty, it s simply
filthy. The foc'sle Of the average Spanish
man-of-War Is no better In respect to clsan-
illness than the main tdeck sof a rank, evil
smelling East Side New York tenement
prejudice whatsoever In this statement. 1t
Is simply a matter Of common knowledge
ana notorlety among men who know
navies Moreover, Spanish naval sailors
ara not alone (as class stupid. inapt.
pluggish and pig-headed; they are sullen
and ugly and mighty diffcult to handle.
especially by officers who look upon all
men forward as beings not much above the
level of beasts. The Spanish maE-of-war's
man Is fed barbarousIy, punished barbar-
ously and treated barbarously in general.
The wonder is not great that he always
seems to answer a ships can with dragging
feet and the devil of bitterness slumbe ring
In his eyes. The writer saw more cleanli-
ness, more alertness. moro discipline In
tina course Of casual visit he made q
couple OF years ago to the tiny Mexican
g9nboat Zarasossa, which was command
Cd by an ex-officer Of the British navy,
than he ever saw during repeated visits to
big Spanish cruisers in several parts Of the
world. 80 that sx-Butcher Weyler was not
only talking through his much-begilded
chapeau when he made this imbecile re-
mark about the ''indolencs" on an Ameri-
can warship. but he was wantoniy wasting
breath that he might have utilised to ths
Improvement OF the naval outfit Of his own
country. presuming that his own country
would elect to listen to him.
The Italian standaFd.
There Is some discipline and some cIean-
Illness on ships OF the Italian navy; but the
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