The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-10
THE NAVY EALL RIGHT
In Good Condition For a For
eign War.
MORE THAN A MATCH FOR SPAIN.
Plan Of Campaign In Case Of War-Navai
Officers Opposed to Christening the
Kentucky with wster-Deference to
Jack Tar's Superstitions.

WASHINGTON, Feb 10. Especial. Navy
men protest against the stories which have
been told concerning the alleged unftness
of our naval establishment for war. They |
admit that in some part tho impression |
that this country would be In bad shape |
should war with Spain break out Is due to |
bureau chiefs of the navy department |
These chiefs, eager to impress upon con-
gress the need which exists for liberal APP
preparations for their branch Of the serv-
ice, have sought to take advantage Of the
opportunity to "scare" the national legis-
lators into compliance with their demands.
There may be some justification for this
policy, since it Is unfortunately true that
that Is about the only way in which con-
gress can be reused to really liberal pol
ICY But 1t is great mistake to assume
that II war with Spain breaks out we shall
be caught with an unfit navy on our
hands. Our ships are in first class condi-
ton. We are In better shape for war than
we ever were before. Naval experts tell
me that against Spain we should have lit
tie trouble OF course 1t would not be
wholly one sided war, for the Spaniards
have decent navy and are pretty good
fighters. We probably should suffer the
| loss of few cruisers, and 1t IL even posi-
BILE that one or two of our ports might be
bombarded by the enemy's fleets before we
could rout them out.
| But, on the whole, say the nay men, we
| should have all the best OF 1t. The span
ish navy Is not in first class condition. Ii
Is not up to date In many particulars.
Spain has been so hard pressed for money
i hot tka haa n
neg lected Some of the ships are without
enough powder to carry them through
more than one battle. Others are In sad
need of repairs to their machinery and
their boilers. Although the Spanish navy
on paper Is very nearly the equal OF ours
actually 1t has not much more than one
half the effectiveness. ! am told further
that in case of war 1t will be the policy OF
our government to confine its operations
largely to western waters-that Is TO say,
we should not seek to attack Spanish
ports, but to carry on the war in and
around Cuba and thus make sure of afford
ing ample protection to our own cities.
The First Move.
In this way we should enjoy an immense
advantage. The first move made by our
souadrons would be to take possession OF
every Cuban port In which 1t would be
possible for the Spanish ships to recoal.
AS they could not in any reasonable as
sumption enter American ports and refill
their empty bunkers the fleets of the enc
nv would soon be almost useless on ac-
count of lack of fuel. Our own ships
could recoal in such Cuban ports as they
had been able to capture and would have
Key West, Charleston and other ports on
our coast to fall back on. BY pursuing a
conservative and cautious policy, standing
more 10 defend than to attack except as TO
the ports of nearby Cuba, naval authori-
Z ties believe we could soon whip the Span
iards to a standstill without very serious
losses ON our side. 1t is scarcely necessary
TO add that every man in the navy, from
admiral down to coal passer, is eager for
the hour when the dogs of war are slipped.
Navy men say they do not believe in the
, | christening of new ships with spring wa
ter. 1t is not that they have any special OF
/ personal objections TO water, but for very
I practical reason. They say that every Jack
/ Tar is creature of superstition, anC
:, among his superstitious notions is strong
4 belief that any craft christened with any
/ thing but bottle of champagne Is sure tt
= be unlucky. "If the Kentucky is SEN
], down the ways with nothing stronger
f; than spring water sprinkled on her bows,
said a naval officer, 'she will be marked
;, shin from that moment. The sailor lad
a will shun her, and they will never ceas'
> to talk of her impending fate. She VII
D always be going to the bottom through
n contact with hidden torpedo, or she viii
: be certain to run ashore in gale OF wind
or yellow fever will break out 'tweel
decks, or something else OF an awful ma
ture will happen to her. l don't care
?. rap for champagne myself, either In CHRIS
:. teninp the ship or for any other occasion
O but if bad my way about 1t would nc
= cent the sailor mans superstition as nm
% Il and not take any chances on stirring
: him up.
= Protest Against Newspaper sensationalisn
g Naval men protest bitterly against tn
IS tendency of the press, or at least OF par
a of the press, to make mountains out OF e'
:, cry molehill of an accident to naval yes
J. sci. IL does not matter how trifling
s thing happens to one of our cruisers Q
~ battleships, the newspapers, or some G
. them. come out with lurd accounts of tn
NJ damage. of the "breaking down" OF tn
j. vessel. of the 'serious danger" In whic
l. she was In, or of her "worthlessness
,; sea"-all of which is regarded by nav
II men. and by good many other people. as
D particularly pernicious form OF newspapt
sensationalism. The ingenuity of mankin
has not yet managed to construct nav'
vessel or any other sort OF !: vessel that
i free from liability to accid'et. A moder
~ ship of the first class whether naval
=. commercial is a wonderfully complicate
& niece of machinery. 1t is not strange thu
T. there should be brcakage now and the
I'd "A boiler that does not work right,
IN steam pipe that bursts, a turret that star
n. a bit In heavy seas.
- Similar accidents occur every day
merchant ships and are dismissed by I'll
newspapers with line or two or witho'
2 any mention at oil. Locomotives brea
c; down upon the railways and have to
y. sent to the repair shops, and no one thinl
r 81, of getting excited; but let naval vess
~ come into port with the slightest derang
g; n,ent of her machinery and the newsp
d: pers set up hue and cry that frighteI
&c. timid readers into believing tho who
y; United States navy is a failure and farce
The navy has been made the butt of
,,I hap, slapdprpl