Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-14

as its keynote one pregnant word-Prac-
tice! Practicei
When the torpedo boat Morris dropped
In at the Brooklyn navy yard on her way
to Cuba several weeks ago among the diff
ferent member OF the crew who went
ashore for a short run was a young man,
smooth faced and blue eyed and with a
placid, calm expression such as might be
worn by a youth studying theology. He
was clad in the picturesque uniform OF the
naval sailors and there was nothing in his
attire or bearing to indicate that he had,
among his effects on board, a medal won
for expert craftsmanship with great guns.
He was a seaman gunner, had graduated
from the gunnery school at Washington,
and could place a thirteen incl she'll in
the vitals of an enemy's war ship with the
accuracy of a Rough Rider using a revolt
yer.
That young man had entered the service
as ar apprentice when he was scarcely 16.
He early attracted the notice of his superior
officers, who are always on the lookout for
promising material, and was sent, after
learning the duties of a sailor, to the Gov
eminent gunnery school. There he spent a
number of months under theoretical and
practical tuition in the science of gunman-
ship. When he graduated at the end of the
course he was detailed to the Newport tor
pedo school and there absorbed more scien-
tihc training. A few weeks spent in a
private arms mandatory and he was re-
turned to the service-and to his bluejacket's
uniform-as a seaman gunner Although
almost fitted for a commission, he is permit
ted to occupy a position paying him the
meagre salary of S35 a month and rations.
There are many young men such as he in
our naval service. They are to be found
on every ship and there are hundreds and
hundreds of naval apprentices in training
for the same station. 1t was either the
seamen gunners or men rendered expert by
constant practice after our thorough system
who manned the batteries of the Olympia,
Baltimore and Boston in the battle of Ma
Mia bay and of the Brooklyn, oregon. Iowa,
Texas and the rest of SIMPSONS fleet in the
destruction of Cervera's fugitive squadron
off Santiago. The man behind the gun
in the American navy is no magician. He
can shoot with marvellous accuracy and he
can make q sieve with a rapid-fire gun Of
any warship afloat, but he is enabled to do
it simply because he has been instructed
after that fashion.
An Astonished Spnniard.
When the officers OF Cervera's squadron
recovered from their shock after the ami
hilation of their ships, one of them-the exc
cutive officer of the Maria Teresa-exclalmed
to Lieutenant Commander Wainwright of
the gallant little Gloucester: "Madre de
Dios! you Americans shoot three shots to
our one. And you hit every time. How do
you do it? What is the secret?"
ut is no secret was the reply. 1--WE
keep our men constantly at practice. They
are at the guns day after day, week in and
week out. And we train them under service
conditions with the regulation charges and
projectiles every three months"
The Spaniard was astounded. you fire
real shots p he exclaimed. at costs very
much
In that last sentence will be found one
of the most potent reasons for the defeat
of the Spanish naval vessels during the
present war. And if the details of history
be carefully searched, the loss of the armada
and the whole series of naval disasters eX-
perienced by the Spanish flag during the
| past centuries can be laid to the fact that
they have been parsimonious in expenditures
and dilatory in training.
Paul Jones' Example.
Paul Jones. before he made his famous
cruise along England's shores in the Bon
homme Richard, took his vessel to sea and
practised zealously at the guns for several
weeks. He was the pioneer of the present
American system Of naval gunnery. Thirty
five years later, when the stanch old frigate
United States sailed away on the cruise
that was destined to bring her everlast-
Ing fame, her crew was composed of sharp
shooters-men who could hit a mark with
the ease of a frontiersman potting a
squirrel.
In that same war the only vessel which
suffered an ignominious defeat was the
Chesapeake, and she was manned, not by
] Americans, but by a crew picked up from