The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-12
AMERICAN navy IS
IN DEPLORABLE SHAPE
Admiral CrOWninShield Makes Some STARTLING
Statements in His Report.
United States Could Not Held It's Own Against Third
rate POwer-MOre Men and Instructors Needed.

Washington. Nov. 1.-THE startling
statement is made in the report OF Ad-
miral Crowninshield, chief of the navi-
cation bureau, that the present per-
sonnet of the navy would form barely
one-fourth of the total establishment
necessary to fight a first-class Euro
pean power. 1t barely sufficed for the
Spanish war and TO longer can be con-
Sidered, the report says, as an effective
nucleus about which a larger estab-
lishment could be formed in case of
wal
The admiral regards this need of the
navy for officers and men as most
urgent. He says that the bureau can
point to many cases where the service
is being harmed by lack of officers
More Instructors Needed.
The naval academy is suffering for
want of instructors, and the present
high standard of training cannot be
maintained Every bureau in the de
partment is short Of officers and the
service, the report predicts, soon viii
fall behind in the struggle; first. for
leadership, and then for quality, with
the other services. The disa bility of
the sea-going corps of officers has
greatly increased since the Spanish war,
and many of the best officers are be
ing lost as d result of breaking down
from overwoFk.
The admiral severely criticises the in
effective effort of congress at the last
session to meet immediate needs for Of
ficers by authorizing the employment or
retired officers, and he demands the i'm
mediate repeal of that act. He claims
that the retired list, intended as the re-
ward for faithful service, otherwise be
comes a hardship and punishment
Tho v7arGnnnHl fhIIC far has re-
suited in affording less officers than
were on the active list before its pass
age as, while authorizing an increase,
it failed to provide the means there
for, so there are now 131 vacancies IN
the list of naval officers, when Vacan-
/ cies can be least afforded.
gWants Appointments Made.
Therefore. it IS recommended for the
next ten years that appointments to the
naval academy be doubled, the pTesi-
dent and representatives in congress
/ appointing two instead Of one wherever
authorized now, and in addition Sena-
] tors being given the same privilege or
/ appointment as representatives Then,
/ to meet further demands, it IS recon-
| mended that whenever congress author
/ ICES an increase of vessels to the navy
( it also provide in the same act for an
! increase of officers and men to man the
/ ships.
/ The report says lndI Eng Idnuy Which,
! this year lays down fifteen war vessels,
! voted an increase of 4,240 officers and
/ men to the naval establishment to man
the ships. while Germany, which in
/ tends doubling her fleet in the next six
/ teen years, has provided in the senate
programme. for increasing the personnel
/ by eighty-hine officers and 1851 men
, each year until the total increase
| reaches 35,551-
/ Tt is declared that it is now impOs-
/ sible to man the vessels of our navy al
ready constructed with the present
! force not to mention those building OF
authorized. Congress is urged to make
any increase in personnel Immediately
| available.
Training System Commended.
! The training system, as now prac-
ticed in the navy is commended, and II
is declared that by no other means
could the navy secure the sailors neces-
sary TO man the fleet. Since the close
! of the Spanish war the department has
found that the resources heretofore de
pended on 10 furnish seamen for tht
navy no longer adequate
Only 237 seamen have enlisted for tbs
first enlistment in the past year, so the
department has been. obliged to rely