The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-03
Admiral Crowinshield Incensed
at the Negligence of Congress.
FAV0RS LAND BARRACKS
He Declares That Training Ships Do Not
Meet the requirements of the Ser
vice A Serious Lack of
Officers

mifal CroWninShield, chief of the bu-
reau of navigation, just made public.
Tristan arraignment of congress
because of the failure to reward the
officers recommended for advancement
as result of the battles around Cuba;
second. the Recommendation for a
change in the present system of re-
ceiving ships. and third. the sugges-
tions touching the new system of
training landsmen.
Under the first head the admiral
writes; Another condition of affairs
discouraging to proud and ambitious
officers who risked and accomplished
much, is the ragged and irregular re-
suit that seems an inevitable conse-
quence of any effort to give substan-
tial official recognition to bravery, gall
lantry or devotion. Before the out
break Of the war you (Secretary Long)
addressed to the officers of the North
Atlantic squadron through the admiral
a letter from which the following is
an extract:
Each man engaged in the work
OF the in-shore squadron should have
in him the stuff out of which to make
a possible Cushing, and if the man
wins the recognition given him shall
be as great as that given to Gushing,
50 far as the department can bring
| it about.
EVERY effort Of the department to
redeem this solemn pledge has been
| baked. OF the officers who served in
the North Atlantic waters three have
| peen confirmed in the recognition urg-
ed by the department-two because
| their cases We're presented at prop-
| tlous moments, the other because of a
| misrepresentation. The rest number
ing among them every gallant captain
F.! at Santiago, July 8, and all the brave
| captains of the ever-ready gunboats
numbering among them officers who
r1sked their lives in many desperate
expedltions-cable cutting. as spies
| seeking information, blocking and
blockading harbors, scouting--number-
Ing among them all those who hest
| tated not, and including at the head of
all the able and determined officers
| who planned, worked out and executed
the whole campaign and who finally
| consummated the one victory which
was vital to the enemy-he and all the
rest have absolutely nothing. The
greatest among these has not as much
as the merit which was given to each
or the hundreds who shared in a vic
tory Won In a more propitious hour
The number OF sailors in the navy,
including petty officers, at the end of
the year was 14.501, and 300 of these
We're serving under continuous service
certificates. More than SIS per cent.
OF OF the petty officers were native born:
born were naturalized and IS per cent.
OF the whole number were citizens of
the United States, while SIS per cent.
OF the remainder had declared their
intention to become citizens. More
tnan 81 per cent. of the apprentices
were native born and more than GA
per cent. of the whole enlisted force
were native born.
| Upon the subject of receiving ships
Admiral Crowninshield points out the
great expense of maintaining such
ships in condition with the result that
a1ter all they are nothing more than
floating houses. They should give way,
ne says, to permanent barracks on
| shore. For the health of the men, for
sanitary and hygienic reasons. for
drllls and discipline, for economy of
administration, for the proper recrea-
ton of the men and for reduced cost
OF maintenance and repair and care
taking, permanent buildings for the
men should be constructed at the large
naval stations. 1t is estimated that,
should the change be made, the gov
eminent would save $14S,5 500 per an
| mum.
The report shows. as the result of
Admiral Crowninshield's inspection
visit TO Europe that not only England,
but France, Germany, Italy, Austria,
Russia and Japan, have constructed
such barracks. Therefore it is pro-
posed to construct barracks at the
New York navy yard, at League ISL
ana (for the accommodation of the re-
serve crews, 1t is proposed to hold for
the care of the ships to be laid UP in
reserve there), at Mare Island and at
| Boston.
Upon the subject of training the
landsmen the report states that the
department was led to undertake this
| by reason of shortage of men to
meet the demand of the navy. 1t is
hoped that in the future the inflow of
apprentices will be sufficient to meet
{ such needs, but meantime the depart
ment has been obliged to enlist several
hundred young men whom it is pro-
: posed to train for five or 10 months on
board training ships. With this OBJ
ject the Hartford has been commits
stoned at San Francisco, and with 35C
young men, will come around Cape
{ | Horn to the Atlantic. The Lancas-
tershire will make similar cruise
from New York to the West Indies
the steamer Dixie will take on 400
| men from the League Island yard for
, | the same purpose. 1t is calculated in
this way to provide for the needs OF
the service for the next two or three
| years.
The report calls attention to the
failure Of the personnel bill as amend
ed to provide officers sufficient to dc
the work of the navy. 1t is said there
are not nearly enough officers avaiIa
BILE to train the men in gunnery. Had
the course at Annapolis been reduced
| from six to four years, as proposed in
the original bill. this fault the ad-
miral says, would have been over.
| come.
| 1t is also submitted, in conclusion
that tine naval pay should be equalZe6
with that of the army corps and thai
the state militia be federated into g
national naval reserve.