New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-22
An ENGLISH VIEW.
lature.

The generous and instructive article on the
great performance of the American fleet ut San
tiago which we reproduced from THE London
Spectator" yesterday might have been differ
emily expressed at one point had the writer
possessed all the information concerning the de-
structon OF Cervcras ships which has since
come 10 hand Asking how the Spanish Ad-
miral having resolved to break out OF the har-
Dor by daylight ought to have acted, he an
swers the question by suggesting that each of
the Spanish ships should have been ordered TO
choose one Of the American ships and fly
straight at her as savage dog flies at man.,
10 ram her if possible. or AT least 10 assail her
furiousy If the American gave way the Span
lard might escape. If the American closed,
there would be a fierce fight. in which one or
the other. or probably both. would 60 to the
bottom Meantime some Of the Spanish ships
would have time to get into the open sea. Since
this article was written Captain Eulate has
told what did occur within his immediate OBJ
servation on emerging from the harbor the
Vizcaya drove straight at the Brooklyn. intend
ing TO ram her But "the Brooklyns ma
npuvre was beautiful'': she instantly became
the aggressor causing the Vizcaya to move in
toward the shore. and then-"a terrible sight
when all her guns were gong'-"the Brooklyn y
"broadside, crashing into our superstructure.
simply terrorized the men. She drove us in to
"the shore 1t was the Brooklyn that prevented
"me from getting away" We have not seen
sufficient reason to believe that this fatal ex-
perience would not have been repeated by each
of the Spanish ships If each had similarly
chosen an individual antagonist and sought to
ram her
| nth &c
in manpuvring was ready on demand aboard
every vessel Of our squadron, but that every
one of them was "a frightfu sight when all
her guns We're going" Frightful because so
deadly. The men behind the guns were doing
| their work In a marvellous manner And this
reminds us that the phrase, "the man behind
the gum" was uttered at the dinner given in
London on the Queens birthday in 1894 to the
officers of the Chicago not by Captain Mahan,
to whom "The Spectator attributes IT, but by
Admiral Erben The truth contained in the
famous saying is as necessary to inculcate as 1t
is wholesome to remember in awarding naval
honors 1t has been faithfully nculcated in the
| American Navy, as recent events have proved;
but we are inclined to think that "The Specta
| tor" is overgenerous in declaring that English
! men did not need to be told that the American
Navy was "a most efficient fighting machine "
since "they knew it already and realized of
what stuff the lions whelps were made" We
mean that the full measure Of our naval eff
cheney can scarcely nave been comprehended in
| England.
1t was not comprehended here outside Of the
Navy itself American officers confidently be-
lieved that unprecedented skill in the use of
the guns had been attained by the persistent
drill which had long been going on without
much public observation. One of the ablest OF
them said privately months ago that he counted
on that factor as the surest defence Of Amer
can ships and felt comparatively little concern
about the relative weight OF armor, being con
WINGED that the rapdty and accuracy of oui
fire would inevitably reduce the enemy's eff
cheney to minimum. Precisely that has proved
TO be the fact but we believe that the com
pleteness of the demonstration has caused not
n little surprlse in this country, prepared as we
were to see the Navy give good account of it.
self. and that il cannot have been fully antlci
| mated In England