The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1900-05-04
y.,a. =, ms,SN.N, Vessels IN war rlm..

value ~ MSsSN.a, vessel. In war rlmes
When in tSsS the United States be-
came involved IN war with spain, one
~ the agst tAlNes the government
found Il necessary % secure wae mer-
chant sAlpa, Il Was found that the
growth OF our eoastwlae trade had
| brought into existence a considerable
number ot veseela IN many ways
adapted 10 varieus military aud naval
uses for which merchant ahipa are re-
uuired In time of war, such an for acout
work, and the like, In the latter ecr-
vice the ships OF the Prairie class were
conspicuous. These vessels, Of which
there were but four. had belonged 20
the Morgan line, and ran between New
York and New Orleans, connecting at
the latter point with the Southern Pa
cifc Railway. They were OF about
5000 tons register each capable OF
steaming sixteen or seventeen knots
an hour. They were furnished with
guns, manned by the Naval Militia,
and number of times were under the
enemy's fire, from which they emerged
with records alike creditable to the
ships and to those who manned them.
All of these ships were built in the
United States, our laws ever having
provided that none but American
vessels may engage in our domestic
commerce. or course, il this trade had
been open to the ships of all nations,
as has been suggested at times, they
would have been of no use to our gov
eminent in time of war. But the num-
Der Of these vessels that were capable
of being transformed into government
use was altogether too few, and so re-
course was necessarily had to our
ocean-going vessels. Here the lack of
American ships was sharply accentu-
ated, much to the peoples surprise
and humiliation. 1t was found that
the four "crackerjack" ships of the
American line, in the transatlantic
trade-the St. Paul, the'St. Louis, the
Paris and the New York-of 1000
tons register each, and each capable
of steaming at the rate of II knots an
hour, were of incalculable value to the
United States. They were Immediately
impressed, their crews voluntarily en-
tering into the nations service, they
were quickly provided with formidable
guns for which they were equipped,
and swept the Atlantic from the Grand
Banks to the Bahamas.
But ships were needed for great
many other purposes, such as carry
ing troops to Cuba and Puerto Rico,
also for supply and hospital needs, for
Golfers, and for a number of other rea-
sons all directly connected with the
war. Having practically stripped our
coast of all it's available ships, and
having exhausted everything American
that was available in our foreign trade,
our government was at last obliged to
resort to foreign ships. None could be
chartered, as that is contrary to the
rules of war. Neutral powers are ex-
pected to see to it that their merchant
ships are not used for military or
naval purposes by either belligerent
After the government had chartered
or purchased every available American
craft that could be utilized, no less
than 70,509 tons Of foreign merchant
steamships were bought for the war
and 5000 tons of foreign
ships were bought for the
navy department, making total of
l26,S1S tons of foreign merchant
steamships thus purchased by our gov
for use in war that ceased
within three months of its Inaugural
ton.
While it is impossible to charter for
eign steamships, it was quite difficult
to purchase those of the higher types
and of the greatest utility-these could
not be purchased at any price from
their foreign owners. The consequence |
was, the government was forced to |
take the best it could get, and in fact |
some of the purchases made were of |
character that would never have been |
looked at, had it been possible to Sc
cure frst-class ships. Had American |
ships been doing the bulk of our car
rying they would have been at the i'm
mediate command of the government.
Some of the wealthiest and most
powerful steamship lines in our for
eign trade actually sold some of their
vessels to Spain for use against the
United States-the very vessels our
.rade had created were turned against
Isl Had the enemy been a powerful
maritime nation instead of weak Spain
1ot only would our own available sup
ply of merchant steamships have been
entirely inadequate, but even the pur-
chase of foreign steamships would
nave been an impossibility.