New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-17
SCARED ABOUT SHIP TRUST
LORD CHARLES BERESFORD SAYS ENG
LAND COULD NOT HOPE TO START A
RIVAL COMBINATION.

Rear Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, NJ. 2,
c B. of the British navy. arrived here yester-
day on the steamer Kronprinz Wilhelm to spend
two or three weeks with friends in Fifth-aVe
He is noted for the frankness with which he Is
willing to talk on matters of International in
terest. and he maintained his reputation yes
terday. II may be remembered that some time
go he severely criticised the British navy point
Ing out what he termed defects.
No" said Lord Charles yesterday, Il haven't
any more roasts' for our army and navy. They
have improved greatly since the South African
war from which they learned much. [ think
the world learned by the Boer war what great
value movable heavy guns were. No country
had ever been able before TO do what we did
namely. take heavy guns from warships and
use them in the field.
The latest additions to our navy. submarine
boats are largely an unknown quantity. What
we have 10 be careful of is not to underrate
them. or then again, not to overrate them. We
have five Of these vessels, think. and are using
two types, one of which is the Holland. If the
submarine boat turns out success, it means
the key to the situation in the Channel. as far
As England is concerned. The only trouble with
them now is that they are not able to take care
OF themselves As II is now, they have to be
carried on warships from place to place. which.
of course. takes up space Warships in action
need all the room they can get.
When you ask me about the shipping combine
must confess that we are little frightened.
Not al the probabilities. however. but the posi-
bilites of such combination of interests. 1t Is
ridiculous 10 talk of England forming a rival
combination. We can't compete with your rail-
ways. and it is we'll known that it is the through
rate that pays England would not establish a
bounty or subsidy on her ships for If she did
You could put up a million pounds to every
thousand Of ours. Then again, you have eighty
million people here and unlimited means.
Your recent naval manpuvres have been
watching with interest. They are very practical
England did not have enough Of them in the
past. but 1t is better now. Ny idea is to teach
young men to become admirals. I was f1fty-one
when I became admiral but conditions
ought to be such that & man could be made one
as early as forty-five years old.
These manauvres also prevent men from go
ing to war as an experiment. A sham battle
teaches sailors more than all their school ship
training. The men in our navy begin to learn
when very young, and are schooled for eight
years before they are considered efficient In
these maneuvres there are two elements that
We have to look out for. They are danger and
absurdity. The danger lies in exploding guns
and collisions. but the abs Irdity I will ex-
plain For instance, a torpedo boat runs
along of a warship on a moonlight night
and claims that she has torpedoed the bigger
vessel. The men on the warship say that in
stead they have put the torpedo boat out
of action by firing several shots al her There
is the absurd part. In real the torpedo
might have run past the ship. or. on the other
side, the warship's shots might have missed
the mark In a case like this the decision Is
generally given one side until the next argu-
ment arises, from which the other gets the
benefit Of the doubt.
No il is not true that we are short Of men
in the British navy. We can get all the men
we want. The assertion that we have many
antiquated ships is also greatly exaggerated
getting rid OF them. l must admit, however.
that France has gone ahead Of U.s. in the fact
that she has taken her old ships and remod-
elled them. When country rests on a certain
thing like a navy, slight defect is always en-
larged until it is renedied That Is how The
exaggerated reports of our naVy's faults became
spread.
The target practice in which our battleships
the Majestic and the Terrible sunk the Belle
Isle taught q lot about the different types
Of battleships and their respective usefulness:
Mortar batteries, fixed, are in my opinion or
no value at moving target No, do not thlnk
they could hit q ship moving at the rate OF
eighteen knots an hour or even at fourteen
knots. 49,,
This opinion Of Lord Beresford apparently
supports the contention Of the invaders IN the
recent naval nanGuvres here who contended
that the mortar batteries had not put them out
of action as was held by the Tepelling force on
land