The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-13
TELLS OF NEEDS
OF THE NAVY
Admiral CrowninshieId Makes
Report to Secretary Long.
MORE OFFICERS NECESSARY
ARE NOT ENOUGH TO PROPERLY
MAN THE WARsHIPS.

Washington. Oct 12-In his annual
report to the secretary of tbs navy,
Rear Admiral CrowninshieId, chief of
the navigation bureau. speaks Of the
reduction made during the past year
in the strength of the AsiaJic feet,
which was drawn upon to furnish two
vessels to re-establish the European
station, and will be further diminished
in order to permit of the commission
ing of at least two training ships and
an increase of the North Atlantic
squadron by two gun boats. and IF the
Pacific squadron by possibly one II is
particularly desirable to have some
small ships for Gulf service on the At
lantic side.
1t is said that the operations on the
Asiatic station We're marked by uni
form success and that the conduct of
our sailors and marines in China in the
main was all that could be asked for
The American fleet, in conjunction with
the army in the Philippines, it is stated.
has hampered materially the inflow Of
arms and ammunitiOps to the islands.
Much attention has been devoted TO
gunnery training, and the report says
that the department is about to under
take a long cherished project and es-
tabllsh two gunnery training ships on
the ASiatic station
Admiral Crowninshield declares that
the time has come when. in the interest
of the health of the sailors, of their
correct drilling. of their comfort and
Of economy. the United States navy
should follow the example of every
first-class navy and provide barr~eks
in place of receiving ships. 1t is tig-
ured that the government would have
annually by this course nearly $3.50 coo
or the interest on twice the sum re-
quired to provide barracks for 5000
men. 1t Is recommended that congress
appropriate for such barracks at New
York 100000 and for League island
and Mare island 100000 each.
Sailors Enlisted.
Sailors were enlisted during the year
to the number of $3.50, making the focal
men in service 1885. From this num-
Der there were Bliss assertions.
The beginning of a general staff Of
the navy is fOreshadowed in a trans
mitted recommendation of Captain
Sigsbee, the chief intelligence officer,
looking to combination in the dc
partment of the work of the general
board, the war college and the office
OF naval intelligence, to begin sys-
tematicaily general staff work
touching the naval academy, the re-
port indorses the superintendent rec
concentration that no cadet be under
Is or over Is years of age that the
course shall be foer years, and that a
3,OOO-tOn practice ship be provided Six
civilian instructors to take the pfaoe
of line officers are recommended. In
connection with the naval training sta
lions it is recommended that a small
brig Of $50 TO 200 tons be built for the
San Francisco station
The most important feature of the
report, that of personnel. is reserved
for the last Admiral Crowninshieid al
re dy has given warning to congress Of
the absolutely imperative need of the
navy for more officers and men. Now
I he adds some startling figures to sup
port his renewed recommendation. H.
says If the department We're called
upon to man the ships for service it
could not meet the demand. There are
not enough line officers to man the
ships already constructed. When il
! three years the vessels now under con
struction shall have been completed.
the number of officers necessary 10
be no less than LOCO. and the problem
presented is how these officers can &c
secured in the short time remaining
Increase the Cadets.
At present the line of the navy under
Z the personnel act and as fed from An
| napolis is increasing only at the rata
of ten per year in number (forty off,
GERS being retired arbitrarily each
year,, which would make thirty for the
three years. According to Admiral
( Crowninshield, the only remedy is to in
crease the number of cadets at the
naval academy 10 not less than 500.
It is recommended that beginning with
the next congress there shall be al
lowed at the academy two naval cadets
for every representative or delegate,
two for each senator. one for the Dis
trict Of Columbia, and ten at large an
nually, and that the course be limited
to four years.
Another striking recommendation Of
Admiral Crowninshield' s under the head
of personnel is that four vice admirals
d
rear admirals to fourteen. if necessary
It is said that the United States often
has been in a humiliating position on
| important occasions abroad by reason
of the low rank of its naval representa-
tives. The report closes with an earn
| est recommendation for the creation of
a national naval reserve.