The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-10

oversight difficult to understand, we have
failed to provide the means of making all
these modern devices effective when the
fighting has to be done. Naval conflicts
are no longer waged In simple fighting
tubs" in which the personnel of the crew
was a predominant factor but the mod
ern battleship is a vast machine shop,
and its chances of success in actual fray
depend largely upon not only the power
OF its guns, but on the skill and thor
oughness with which its complicated cleo
trical system is utilized and kept efficient
AS Lieut.. Fiske said, some seven years
ago, when he anticipated just such con-
tinSency as the country is face to face
with at this moment and urged the neces-
slty OF forming a supplementary electrical
corps to be ready for it. The naval fights
OF the future win be won by electricity'
AS a matter of fact, we have the ships
and the men to handle the electrical equip
ments in which to-day the United States
navy leads the world but we have no
sufficient margin of the special technical
and operative skill, which is now the life
element of the fighting ship. Without
this margin, the finest battleship of the
line might become helpless early in an
engagement simply through the loss of
part of it's electrical staff"
capt. Eugene Griffin of the General FIec-
trlc Company, who was formerly in the
United States Army, has grasped the situ-
alton, and promptly taken in hand its i'm,
provement. Capt. Griffin's plan is to or
ganize volunteer corps of men, who will
be available for all kinds of exigencies
where electrical knowledge and skill are
needed. The scheme has had the hearty
support of the Secretary of War and Gen.
Wilson, chief of engineers, and is already
well advanced. More than 1000 men are
enrolled and ready for service. Can't.
Griffin has asked for recruits from the
whole of the electrical industry. and the
response has been ready and enthusiastic
one OF the pleasant features of the move.
ment is that, intense as is the rivalry be-
tween some of the great representa- ives
of the electrical industry, all considera-
tons Of commercial relations have been
entirely swept away, and the accessions.
to the ranks of the corps have come from
all quarters. In Boston, for instance. the
companies which have co-operated in the
organization are the Edison Illuminating
Company, the Boston Electric Light Com
pany, the Marlborough Electric Light
Company, the Bell Telephone Company.
the Boston Telegraph Company and many
contracting firms who do electrical work
Assistance has been given by correspond
ing companies in New York, SUCH for ex-
ample, as the United States Company, the
New York and the Brooklyn Edison Com
panies, the Mount Morris the Manhattan
and the Westinghouse Electric Companies
The legal side of the formation of such
corps as this, in view of the restrictions
which govern the constitution of the naval
reserve and other branches of the service,
would seem at first sight somewhat en-
barrassing; but that in going ahead with
his scheme Capt. Griffin IS well advised
would appear from the action of Gen.
xrr1,A 10,
Griffins views, but sent out notices to all
the cities on the coast urging the forma-
ton of branches of the corps. Philadelphia
and Baltimore are already actively Joining
in the movement, and New Orleans and
many others are organizing. When asked
concerning the Volunteer Electrical Corps,
Capt Griffin said:
''There is little to say about it. 1t is
obvious TO any one who knows the facts,
that the battalion of engineers is far too
small in numbers to plant the submarine
mines in all our important harborS in case
of a sudden emergency; and that for this
work. and other emergency electrical
work, the services of a considerable force
of practical electrical men would be need
ed, in. case of the declaration of war, as
an auxiliary force to be used by the army
officers in charge for such emergency
work, l was in a position to help organ
ize such auxiliary forces, and with the
approval of the chief of engineers, United
States army, and of the Secretary of War
/ am doing so. A considerable amount of
electrical apparatus of various kinds
would be needed in case of hostilities
which apparatus the army has not been
able to accumulate for lack of funds. 1
have been able to assist in locating such
apparatus in the possession of private
parties, from whom it can be procured at
a moments notice in case of hostiities. l
have had most cordial and even enthusiast
tic cooperation in all directions"
The force of Capt. Griffin's allusion to
the inadequacy of the battalion of engin-
GERS for the service it may be suddenly
called upon to render will be appreciated
when it is stated that the battalion has
now available about one man for every
forty miles of the coast of this country
How utterly unable to grapple. unassisted,
with the conditions of actual warfare this
body would be, 1t is not difficult to under
stand. There is still a vast amount of
work to be done in the laying of submarine
mines, and men are wanted for the joint
ing and splicing of the cables at the juno
ton boxes, for testing and measuring, and
the many branches of that department of
electrical work. This alone will occupy a
large number of men Immediately. They
will afterwards be drafted off for the va
rious kinds of electrical work on battle
shipS, SunpOatS, ana torpedo DoatS. Much
of their special value would consist in their
ability to meet emergency conditions in an
engagement. in the making of repairs, and
rapid construction and wiring work, but
in the meantime there is abundant need
for their services in electric lighting tele-
phone construction, and handling of mo-
tors, for ventilating, training of turrets
the hosting of ammunition, and steering.
Besides these are large number of re-
tinements of naval electrical work which
have come to assume a more important
part in the fighting efficiency of the ship;
the range and position finders. for giving
the range and direction of the enemy's
ship 10 the gunners; the helm indicator
which indicates instantly. at certain places
in the ship, the exact position of the helm:
the steering telegraph which signals for
certain places in the ship to the steering