The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-10-29
The Navy's I:n glnecrs.

The question of the supply Of engineer
officers for the navy is raised with some
insistence by Admiral MELVILLE in his
annual report as Chief Of the Bureau of
Steam Engineering The burden of his
remarks is that the Personnel act, as
hitherto enforced, has not provided suili-
cient engineer officers 10 care properly
for the engines and machinery of our
warships
Prior to the passage of the Personnel
act in the spring Of 1899, the line and the
engineer officers of the navy were edu-
Gated separately, and continued to serve
in distinct paths. The act abolished
the distinction between them, and d.
rected that thenceforth ali should be
qualified to act both as deck and EN-
gneer officers Engineer officers below
the rank of Commander were to qualify
themselves to act as deck officers within
certain time; while those of and above
that rank were 10 remain as engineers,
serving wholly on shore.
Admiral MELVILLE was not originally
in favor Of the Personnel act. but has
been converted to its principle; in prac-
tice, however. he insists the purpose Of
the act has not yet been carried out Al
most all of the junior engineers have used
the law 70 obtain deck service leaving
the engines Of the ships very largely
In the hands Of the warrant machnists.
30 that of the | i25 commissioned off
GERS and midshipmen, IS in accordance
18th 10 IL; L., y
and possibly 20 other junior officers
OF the line are giving all or half of their
time to the performance of engineering
work Not over one-eighth Of the officers
below the rank Of Commander are thus
doing engineering work"
OF the $3.50 warrant officers, mid
shipmen and commissioned officers, the
Admiral continues, mt least go should
be assigned to engineering duty, instead
OF the 800 now doing that duty Even
this proportion is mich less than exists
in the merchant service. where there are
as many engineers as deck officers.
One result Of the lack of commissioned
officers to act as engineers is that the
warrant machinists are kept almost
constantly at sea, although the other
warrant officers serve alternately at sea
and on shore. This fact saws Admiral
MELVILLE, is likely 10 drive many of
them out of the navy. The personal
inquiries as to the capabilities of the
warrant machinsts show that the ship
building firms intend to draw upon the
best Of these men, and that salaries will
be offered that will induce the most
efficient to leave the naval service, in
case these machinists are not put on an
equality with other warrant officers as
regards shore assignments.
Turning to the lack of commissioned
officers again, Admiral MELVILLE saws
that boilers of the Babcock and Wilcox
type with horse power Of 25O, 900 are
being made for the navy, under the SUPER
vision of only one officer, who is retired
but reassigned to active duty, and that
one officer only is available to supervise
the building Of Niclausse boilers Of 1876,
900 horse power,
Admiral MELVILLE submits several
important recommendations for i'm
proving the conditions existing in the
navy. He desires that junior officers
should be made to understand that pro-
motion would be denied those who had
not served in the engine room: and tina,
to such officers the machinery of all
torpedo boats and dcstroyers, auxiliary
vessels and yachts, gunboa;s, small
cruisers, monitors and nondescript
vessels shah be intrustcd. 1t is
simply discrcditing engineering 10 do
tail au officer of twenty years experience
to take charge of the machinery of a
small cruiser. In several instances.
Officers Of this experience have been
Withdrawn from important shore duties
TO perform service at sea which ought
TO be done under existing conditions by
junior officers Of the line"
His other recommended ions are That
an engineering experimental laboratory
be established AT the Naval Academy
that a postgraduate course in engineer
ing be established there; that a junior