The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-05
WHITE PAINT ON oua wARs4.rs.
1t Gets Dirty Quickly, but That Gives
Jackie Some Work to Do,

1t Gets Dirty Quickly, but That Gives
Jackie Some Work to Do.
Look out for the wet paint" ex-
claimed the naval officer warningly to
a visitor to the ship.
1--WE lodged it thousand times al
ready" replied the latter. Il should
think your uniforms would become
motley in day or So"
"Oh, no, there's so much painting
aboard ship that we acquire sort of
instinct against brushing up against
things. The odor? We. get used to
that-in fact, I've got SO I rather like
it. When I'm on shore sniff of good
wet paint always brings me in magma
ton back to the ship and to some Of
the pleasantest days of my life. And
yet will admit that there are times
when we get too much of even a good
thing like fresh paint. And one of the
ordered that the slate-colored war paint
be scraped off the ships and they again
be painted white, the hue of peace.
Still. we don't complain, for white
is the best possible color for warships
in peaceful times, despite the fact that
some of the officers wanted them paint
ed black, like the English and most of
The British paint their troopships
white, with a big band of some other
color, different on each, to distinguish
them at sea, but for their fighting ships
black is the color. When the white
squadron was in the English channel
the last time the people over there
laughed at the appearance of the ships,
and made remarks to the effect that
they looked more like pleasure yachts
than men-of-war, and their experts
pointed out the greater cost of white
paint and the fact that it shows dirt
more quickly than black and requires
more attention.
"All of which is not exactly true If
the English had ever made as careful
a study of the paint question as we
have, they would understand that the
advantages of black paint are much
outweighed by the advantages of white
for warships in times of peace. The
white does not blister nearly as quick
ly under hot sun as does the black
and does not absorb the heat as read
lily. in a torrid climate the ship that is
painted white is cooler. other things be-
ing equal, than the one that is painted
black, and in a cold climate it is Ger
tainly no colder.
"That white paint brings out the dirt
in strong relief and requires a good
deal of washing is true enough. but
that is really point in it's favor. Why?
Well, what do you suppose there is for
when there is no war to occupy them?
Not much of anything. You know the
old adage about Satan finding jobs for
idle hands. We don't let the hands be
idle any more than we can help. When
work is scarce we set the crew to
scrubbing or painting ship After ev-
cry coaling the sides must of course be
well scrubbed and dabs of fresh paint
put on here and there, and there are
plenty of other occasions for the use of
the scrubbing and paint brushes
Once every six months every ship in
commission is put into dry dock if pos
sible, and is scraped and repainted
from top to bottom. or, will say from
bottom to top for the bottom is by far
sbarnacles grow, big enough, if a. ship
lies for much more than six months in
Cuban harbors, for instance, to retard
her speed by 25 per cent, which, as you
see, might easily be sufficient to decide
the question of victory or defeat in
close engagement. Therefore the mat
ter of dry-docking the vessels to scrape
and apply to their bottoms the coats of
anti-fouling and anti-corrosive paint is
of much moment, and hereafter will
be of even more Importance, for the
reason that our ships will be much in
West Indian waters, which are the
worst in the world, excepting those of
the mediterranean sea, for fungus and
barnacles. If ship were to lie long
enough in one place down there, reg
ular coral reef would form on her hull.
Corals are all right in their place, but
on the bottom of ship they are the
worst kind of barnacles; they eat into
the metal.
1T costs about $1,000 to give a battle
ship complete dressing of paint, with
the parts above the water line white.
This color was first adopted by Secre-
tary Whitney, and, despite some little
agitation for black, has been retained
by every administration since; so I
guess that it has come to stay. Aside
from its utility, it is the right color.
Warships are built to preserve peace.
and powerful fleet clothed in peaceful
white is a symbol of that strong kind
of peace which is peace, not by suf-
france, but by will."-New York Sun.
Cigars, tobaccos, ETC., at L. A. Kings.