The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-14
NO COAL FOR SPANIARDS
A GRAVE PROBLEM FOR THEIR
SHIPS 1T POSSIBILITIES BREAK OUT.
Little Prize Money for Sailors, Says
Admiral BrOwn--Oficers That
Made Fortunes.

Admiral George Brown has been weather.
bound for several days-that is, the rain
and a slight attack of the grip have kept
him indoors - but yesterday he was out.
Clad in a great coat such as seamen are
supposed to wear, he was seen walking
leisurely down the Middle driveway of
Woodruff Place. The admiral stopped to
talk about the war;
There is one question I would like to
have you settle, Admiral said reporter,
"how can the Spanish vessels keep coaled
up if they come over to fight us?"
NOW you have stated proposition that
is very difficult to answer" he replied "a
war vessel cannot do without coal any
great length of time. Just how long 1T
can run without recoaling depends upon the
service it is put to. 1t takes an enormous
amount of fuel to increase the speed Of a
ship knot above its ordinary running
time. In war operations the amount Of
coal required is infinitely greater than when
the vessel Is merely on a cruise, for then
it's speeding qualities are put to the high
est test. Many ironclads exhaust their
bUnkers in week or ten days. The Span
ish ships would be incapacitated for action
after crossing the ocean unless they were
able to coal up. The only port that they
can enter for this purpose is Havana, and
that port would soon be in the hands Of
their enemies. What they would then do is
certainly a difficult problem. They would
probably attempt to coal up at sea from
coal conveyed in smaller ships. but this
they would probably lind hazardous I'M
dertaking."
Can they obtain coal in a neutral port.
like Halifax?'
mo They would perhaps be permitted to
take on sufficient coal to carry them to the
next port, but that would be all"
The admiral thought that the war must
necessarily be brief if it comes, and that it
would be confined to the neighborhood of
the West Indies.
This country would never carry on hos
tilities across the ocean," said he But if
our navy did go over to Spain, it would, of
course, have the same problem to solve
with reference to coal as the Spaniards now
have"
PRIZE MONEY FOR SAILORS.
The admiral was asked for some informa-
ton about prize money.
when a ship is captured" said he, ut
belongs to the officers and crew of the YES
sci making the capture. 1t is turned over
to the government and a board Of apprais-
al adjusts it's value and the amount of prize
money to each man on board the vessel
that makes the capture. If the ship is TAX
en- by an ironclad on an Independent cruise
or mission the captain is entitled to three
twentieths of the award made by the naval
board, but If the ironclad is attached to a
squadron and the captain is proceeding
under the orders of a higher official he OBJ
tains only two-twentieths, the other TWEEN
tieth going to the commander of the squad
ron The remaining sevepteen-twentieths of
the prize money is divided up among the
other officers and the men comprising the
crew in the ratio of their pay"
do men in the navy then get rich in
times of WARP"
mo, cannot say that they do. Farragut
and Porter perhaps made a. hundred thou
sand each during the civil war, but few
others made any considerable amounts. ]
believe that l made about $1,000 in prize
money myself as captain Of a vessel But
prize money Is usually all spent before it
is received, as it generally takes several
years for the naval board to make report
on the value of a capture"
The chances for prize money in a war
with Spain the admiral considered very
small The Spanish have no merchant
marine to speak of and there would neceS-
sarily be very few captures. AS the Aneri-
can commerce is also carried almost ex-
sluSively in foreign ships the Spanish could
not make many rsprisals On its part The
war would therefore resolve itseIf down to
a conflict between war ships and the result
of such a contest could be predicted with
certainty. The coast line of the United
States would never be blockaded by the
Spanish navy