The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-08-04
THE LITTLE GLOUCESTER.

s->Nit't VI hstNt Hlu top
tice to be able to fire it straight. and
SO to hit with it.
THE LITTLE GLOUCESTER.
Look at the heroic fight made by
the little Gloucester. (Rv the way,
the people of the old city should
send a greeting and silk flag to the
little ship that has done their name
such credit.) What gave the Glouces-
ter her victory, and also allowed her
to escape. was her gun-iire. The
'.destroyers" she disabled, let alone
the Spanish cruisers, could have
sunk her easily could they have hit
her, but they failed to do so. partly
because of their own essentially bad
craftsmanship. and partly also be-
cause man who is peppering YOU
from revolver is always hard to
hit. Being shot at with great ac-
curacy is apt to destroy ones aim.
That our own sailors are very good
marksmen already we do not doubt
nor do we doubt that their practice
would be better, rather than worse.
in an actual engagement Still, we
hope that the Santiago fight will
make the admiralty give still more
encouragement to the practice of
gun-iirc. Captains should be made
to feel that one of the chief things
expected from them is record of
successful shooting. while the really
able gunners should be marked out
for special promotion and special
privileges. Good firing should, in
fact. be treated as an essential.
There is one more thing to be re-
membered. The performance of the
Gloucester shows that an improvised
fleet, thoroughly well armed and
manned by men who can shoot, may
be far more formidable sea force
than is sometimes supposed.
A HINT TO THE POWERS.
SO much for the special lesson of
the battle. There remains one gen
eral conclusion which must be men
toned. The battle shows that the
American navy is most efficient
fighting machine. We did not want
to be told that here, for we knew it
already and realized of what stuff
the lions whelps were made. They
did not, however, know it on the con
tinent, though apparently they know
it now. For ourselves. we have
little doubt that the American fleet
could face even that of France with
out any great risk of disaster. No
doubt by all the rules the French
fleet is ten times as strong as the
American and ought to be able to
eat it up at one mouthful. In spite,
however, of that, we believe that if
it were needful-it will not be, as
America will not be attacked by
France without our taking hand in
the game-Sampson and Dewey and
the officers they have the happiness
to commando use Nelson's phrase
would be able to destroy French
ships of vastly superior power, just
as we did a hundred years ago. The
American gunners would keep cool
and hit every time. The French
would get excited and fire too high
or too low and lose all the advantages
of the best guns and best explosives
in the world. As for the German
and American navies, there can. OF
course, be no comparison. The Ger
mans are fine sailors and brave men,
but naval struggle between the
United States and Germany would
be very short and very complete. 1t
would surprise the Emperor, no
doubt. who thinks himself invincible,
but his selfconidence cannot alter
history. The English have a habit
of winning at sea, and the Ameri-
cans have shown us that they have
inherited the habit to the fullest
possible degree.