The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-03-11
N KINLEY' SFRST YEAR 10 TEST THE WARSHIPS
Naval Experts Anxious to See
a Conflict.
MANY PROBLEMS TO BE DECIDED.

All the World Interested In Our Quarrel
With Spain-Possibilities of q Modern
Naval Engagement-The Personnel of
Our Navy.
WASHINGTON. March 7.-[Special. THE
world awaits with eager curiosity the re-
suit of the strained relations now existing
between the United States and Spain. No
other class of men not directly involved
have the same keen interest in the posi-.
bility Of war as the naval experts of the
great nations. The naval constructors and
officers of England, France, Germany and
Russia-of all nations, in fact-are secret
ly hoping the United States and Spain will
clash in wars deadly embrace This is not
because they are sanguinary nor because
! they wish i'll to either country. 1t is be-
cause their professional instincts are
stronger than their humanity. Their bust
ness it is to build fighting machines and
to fight with and against them. For 20
years they have been constructing and per-
fecting what are known as modern navies.
They have spent thousands of millions of
dollars. All the resourcefulness and in
genuity of man have been employed in the
task. Every art and every science has been
levied upon to produce the great fleets,
with their wonderful development of
steam, electricity, mechanics explosives.
No Modern Naval Battle.
But the world has never yet seen naval
battle between modern ships. All this
treasure and effort have been expended
upon fighting ships without any fighting.
There have been a few-a very few-de-
sultory engagements, but not under Cir
cumstances which could indicate much as
to the fighting value of these great navies,
their offensive power in comparison with
| their defensive resistance. The nearest to
| modern naval battle was between the
Chinese and the japanese ships at Yalu
during the China japanese war. But these
ships were at long range. They were bad
ly handled. Only few Europeans were
aboard. The engagement decided little.
Of similarly small value have been such
naval battles as the Chilians have fought
with the Peruvians.
The naval world, therefore, equipped
with it's magnificent toys, its string after
string of giant ships, would thank any
nation that gave real object lesson in
| their use. We do not know what these
ships can do. The result of a naval en-
gagement between Spain and the United
States may again revOlutionize naval con-
struction, as the war between the north
and the south did third of a century ago.
So far everything is theoretical. While
the theories of the constructors are prob
ably correct, they may be all wrong. An
actual test is the only thing that can de-
termine, and this test is awaited with the
most intense eagernesS.
Dreadful Possibilities.
Nothing but a battle between modern
| fleets can determine whether the efficiency
of the high power guns has been under
rated or overrated. An engagement may
be the most terrible thing the world has
ever seen. 1t may result in the complete,
or practically complete, destruction of
| both navies. Instead of one ship blown to
| atoms, as the Maine was, instead of the
| sinking of one or two cruisers as occurred
| at Yalu, we may see whole fleets wiped
out of existence in few hours. AS yet we
know only theoretically what torpedoes can
do. They may prove we'll nigh useless, easy
| prey to torpedo destroyers, difficult to
operate effectively and as dangerous to
their navigators as to their enemy, or they
may work such havoc in the opposition
fleets that they will rule the ocean, retir-
ing the great battleships and big cruisers
to the dockyards, sweeping the seas and
commanding universal peace
Broad questions of the power of guns,
the resistance of armor, the work of tor
pedoes, the liability to magazine explo-
sions, the ability Of gunners to aim accu-
rately in a rolling sea, are to be solved only
by the terrible means of an actual test.
Naval constructors are as yet in the dark
linn thn n
their most laborious creations. They may
send their fleets forth to battle and never
see aught of them again save few badly
disfgured craft limping into port. They
may be compelled to begin their work all
over again upon new lines. In addition
to these broad and intrinsic questions
thousand matters of detail and technlo
in which naval authorities are keenly in
terested remain to be determined.
A Matter of Men.
The new navy is a radically different
affair from the old navy. There is some
doubt as to the relative Importance of the
personnel in the modern ships. Some ex-
perts entertain the theory that men count
for less nowadays than in the old times
when inferior ships often whipped their
superior antagonists through an excess or
bravery and skill, but l do not find the
best authorities agreeing in this view.
The man is still the determining factor.
The change is in the direction of putting
even greater responsibility upon the cap
tain, upon the commander who directs ev-
cry part of the complicated machine, and
in taking out of personal service some of
the romance and spectacularism of the old
days Then the hero was on deck in plain
view. Now he is buried behind steel
plates and surrounded by machinery, but
he is still there. Victory or defeat will
depend upon the fidelity with which every
man discharges his duty.
1t is in men-men of fine training, in
telligence and bravery-the navy of the
United States is believed to be superior to
that of Spain. In ships and guns, when
all is told, there is not SO much difference
between the two navies. Naval experts
say they stand about as to 4. But it is
believed our ships are in better condition,
that we are less liable to break downs and
accidents, that in time of stress all parts
are likely to work better together than
upon the vessels of our enemy. 1t is be-
lieved, above all. that we are superior in
personnel, from captain in the turret down
to n achinst in the engine room.