Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-07-08
THE AMERICAN NAVY.

In all our wars since the establishment
of national independence, our navy has
had remarkable success. 1t is, we be-
lieve, wholly within the facts to say that
no nation in the record of history has
ever achieved such phenomenal success
in naval warfare as the United States.
We do not recall single exception to
the list of victories, often achieved
against decided odds. The present war
with Spain emphasizes again our SUI
periority on the sea. When the war
started it was quite generally thought
that the Spanish navy was superior to
ours, but already without the loss of a
ship on our part, and with the loss of
only two lives, two-thirds of this Spanish
navy has been destroyed.
Referring to this subject the Boston
Herald says
When the naval battle Off the mouth
of the Ialu river was fought between
the Chinese and japanese fleets the sue
cess of the latter was said to be due TO
the superior speed of their ships, COM
bined with ludicrous inefficency on the
part of the Chinese in the handling of
their guns; and yet in that contest,
while the japanese lost none of their
vessels, one of them, the Matsusma,
was entirely disabled, while two others,
the Hujei and the Akagi, were seriously
damaged, the result il loss of life to the
japanese being sufficiently demoralzing
to make them quite willing to permit the
Chinese to sail away with the eight of
hot IL hat l,fN
contest that took place on Sunday on the
coast of Cuba. westward from the port
of Santiago, was more uneven, so far as
concerned the strength of the two con-
testants, for on mere statistical grounds
of displacement and weight of metal the
fleet under Admiral Sampson was much
superior to that under Admiral Cervera.
But what is incomprehensibe is the fail
ure on the parC of the Spanish force to
produce any effect upon our ships.
1t was 0 80 a. m. when the Cristobal
Colon left Santiago harbOr. In the four
and onehalf hours following, during
which the fight was maintained, she
steamed sixty miles In constant engage
ment with one or more of our war yes
sells; but while at the end of that time
she was in a condition that forced her
commander to give up the fight, and
while, according to the reports that have
been received, she constantly used her
primary and secondary batteries, She
might, so far as offensive work is concern
ed, have shot her guns into the air. If
Chinese Workmanship was said TO be
lamentably poor, what can be said Of
the vastly inferior gunnery of the Span
ish: The inability of the Spanish to
iniure the vessels of Admiral Dewev's
fleet was looked upon as phenomenal,
something that could not be accounted
for under ordinary conditions, and as
altogether unlikely to again occur. But
the action OIL Santiago was fought, in
certain ways, under more favorable con
ditions, so far as the Spanish were con-
cerned-that is Admiral Cervera's fleet
was made up of better ships, which were
better armed, than the Spanish fleet
which was destroyed by Admiral Dewey
and yet this superiority did not appar-
emily tend to make them in any degree
more effective.
The contest between the improvised
gunbOat Gloucester and the two Spanish
torpedo boat destroyers illustrates the
point of how slight is the value of mate
rial excellence in war vessel unless it is
accompanied by mental aptitude. The
overwhelmingly the yacht Corsair
was about as well fitted to enter con-
test with two modern torpedo boat de-
stroyers as our improvised war craft, the
ferryboat Gov. Russell, would be to
tackle battleship, and yet out of this
contest the Gloucester emerged almost,
If not entirely, unscathed, while the two
destroyers were entirely destroyed. After
this experience there is no reason to
borrow any great degree of alarm over
the risk run by Admiral Dewey in having