Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-01-07
THE OREGON ALWAYS READY.
Fresh Waters for All of Her
Boilers.
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
The attention of Robert w. Milligan
who was Chief Engineer of the Ore
gon on her famous voyage around the
Horn and in the sea fight at Santiago,
and who is now Chief Engineer of the
New York. was called by reporter Of
The Sun to Arthur Warren's article
published in the Sun on Sunday on the
unprepared condition of the machinery
OF the ships of SIMPSONS fleet when
Cervera came out of Santiago harbor.
MIR. MMligan said:
don't propose to get mixed up in
any controversy. / don't know much
apout any other ship while the flee,
was OH Santiago. but the Oregon, and
l don't intend to criticise any one. 1t
is true that fires We're kept under All
the boilers of the Oregon while she
was ON blockade. L insisted on that.
ana It's the only thing for which I
take any credit. L believe, and my
views on this point are well known In
me service, that in time Of war IL war
snip should be ready for action at all
tunes. She is not ready if her ma
chinery is not ready to work on signal.
therefore l kept the Oregon tuned UP
all the while"
Was the Oregon the only ship of the
meet whose boilers did not contain salt
water?' asked the reporter.
uon know about that. hut I think
no., l am pretty sure there was no
sait water in the boilers of tn. New.
York or Brooklyn. There was am
toiu salt water in the boilers of the
iowa ana Indiana. and. l think. the
massachusetts,. or the latter. however
am not certain.
How did it happen that you were
arie 10 Keep your boilers filled with
Use salt?"
That was all due to the wisdom of
our doctor. He did not insist that the
water we condensed for drinking and
COOKING should be absolutely free from
SAT-. 1t had IL be so that no salt would
De tasted; but he did not apply to it the
nitrate of silver test to detect salt.
Had he done so I could not have evan
Grated enough sea water 10 supply the
needs of the ship. keep my boilers full
ana at the same time make tp the
steam that would be lost in recondcn-
sing"
In order to keep fires under all your
boilers all the time did you have to
leave The line of blockade oftcner than
any other SHIP?
Il am not certain, but think not.
we were on the blockade from June
TO July 3, and during that time we
ooaled on blockade once and at Guam
tanalno four times. l don't know how
olten the DINER SHIPS coaled.
IL you kept hre under all your boil
boi!erS N!i tne TIME ana used only fresh
Matet, WY oluh the omen SHIPS DO
ihg"lse;
uoh Know. can only speak ior
~ oiSS"h'
III ms artlc'e MI. warren states
~ you suNe your men practicc nt
i Iy uIausht coming aruunu the
10TH anu mat gave the oreSons en-
s, oohi loEce great advantage over
ne iorceS III me enSine-Foom OF the
u'hef sh'pS' most oil whom mad never
nau any forced urluGnt practice.
ne chShc-room crew OF the ore
Soh nau prIc'!ce NJ forced drauSht four
times on the Journey round the Horn,
puC II was not mere practice work.
r-Nely 'ihe we ala II, II was ordered.
Ch three occasions the work was done
III oruer 10 make Time between two
given poiht Is. me fourth time was
just aiter we had LEFT Bahia, and
,housht we saw torpedo boat on the
horizon: captain clark had received
al bahia a dsiphtch from the depart
meht' stating That Cerve.a had Jeff the
-dle ut : tlie ISldnES WIN Il StlDpfc
fleet of cruisers and deep-sea torped,
~ 4..l, L.. =