The sun., 1900-11-26
TEE ARxv TRANSPORT SERVICE.
The Great Transoceanie Steamship servics
Msintsissd fer the Armys Needs.

A branch OF army work that has attracted
comparatively little outside attention Is that
OF the transport service. which has now been
developed into q great and smoothly working
machine, operating In many parts OF the world
quietly and effectively. When the war With
Spain began. In April. 1893. the army had no
transports and no need OF them: within two
years and q half-within two yeArs for the
present system did not originate until the war
was practically over-a service has been built
up larger than that Of many a famous trans
atlantic steamship company. and operating
ss well and regularly.
At present the transport service consists
Of flfty-two steamshipe. Of which twenty
seven are chartered. tho other twenty I've
being owned BY the Government. OF these
vessels. all the chartered ships and thirteen
Government ships are on the Pacific. and
eight. all owned By the United States. on the
Atlantic. Three vessels. the Burnside. the
Buford and the Fitzpatrick. are now on the
way from New York to Manils tho hospital
slip Relief noe ut Nasasski 10 carried In the
transport service. The service 10 divided
roughly into passenger and freight service.
though tho troopships carry large carsoee
- well Is msn. and the freight ships oarry
pasee Sers sometimes.
u Inc faCluC tno p6sSSn8H oCnOOuIo %
con Son Francisco and Manila provides for
Ia weekly saillnss. This service requires the
Us Of twelve vessels constantly: the other
70, 0overnment-owned ships are used o.
OF, dou requires On the Atlantic there are
Sc ices between this city and Porto Rico
an.. this CITY and Cuba eight Government
steamers being 10 use. These carry freight
as well "a passengers.
Tho system has worked with great smooth
ness In Joint operations Of tho army and
navy. ss the invasion Of Cuba and the attack
on Santiago. naval experts insist that the navy
should control and be responsible for the voy-
age from shore TO shore. Whatever the army
may think Of that contention-it is accepted
In foreign services-there can be no doubt
that the army Il managing its own sea-trsns-
port service With ease and accuracy. The
sailings have been made on schedule time almost
always, and the troopships which have gone
where foreign Observers could inspect them.
as by way OF The Suez Canal. have attracted
the highest Communication for their fitness
for the use to which they are put. The great
transports like the Grant and Sherman. which
passed through the Sues Canal. were con-
sidered by British officers at Gibraltar and
Malta as not TO be bettered. The other troop
ships rank with these.
Inc ireight ana anlmal-carrying vessels OF
the service are equally well adapted TO their use
They ore ventilated as are the troop ships.
have hospitals and all arrangements for deliv-
erine their cargo In good condition and the
percentage OF loss has not exceeded that which
occurs among ANIMALS transported, on land
ss ss :ema he .Sps SSn ns n. hs
The service has carried upward OF 100, 900
soldiers. besides civilians and women, between
the United States and the Islands II has trans
ported moro than 10000 animals and millions
Of tons Of supplies 70 tho Philippines, to Hawaii
TO Alaska and 70 China, on the Pacific; and TO
vast shipping business, which our Army Quar-
termasters Department has had to create
and manage; and IT. Is a wonderfully devised
piece of machinery In the highest degree creitable
TO the officers who planned and managed IT,