Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-12-10
OUR NAVY GROWS.
During the Past Year 25 Ships
Were Added to 1t.
Secretary MOody's Report Slows that
There are 27,OOO Men fn the Ser
vice, so per ct1t. of whom
arc Natkves-Improvem
I'm Marksmanship.


Washington, Dec. 5.-Secretary Of
the Navy Moody in his annual report
says:
1t is gratifying to note that the
percentage of citizenship in the en-
listed force of the navy is steadily
growing. The number of enlisted
men in the service June so, 1903, in
cluding petty officers, seamen and
other ratings, landsmcn for training
and apprentices, was 27,245. Of this
number, 1913 per cent. were native
born and 1919 per cent. naturalized
citizens, the total percentage of citi-
zenship being. therefore, 9O.7 per
cent, as compared with 80 per cent.
at the beginning of the fiscal year.
The effective force of the navy was
increased during the fiscal year by
the addition of 25 new vessels. These
vessels were the battleship Maine,
the four harbor defense monitors,
Arkansas, Nevada, Florida and Wyom-
ing; twelve torpedo boat destroyers;
one torpedo boat, and seven sub
marine boats. Since the close of the
fiscal year. and therefore not in
cluded in this enumeration, addition
al vessels have been accepted as fol
lows: One protected cruiser, the
Cleveland; one torpedo boat destroy
er, the Macdonough. Aside from the
foregoing vessels which were built
for the navy, there were transferred
from the army the transports Han
cock and Lawton, which have been
fitted up for use as receiving ships,
and the hospital ship Relief, and
from the treasury department the
schooner Eagre.
During the fiscal year two vessels
were dropped from the navy, the
iron tug Leydcn, which was wrecked,
and the iron paddle-wheel gunboat
Monocacy, condemned as unservice-
able, and later sold.
The chief of the bureau of ord
nance reports that "all guns afloat
are in good condition, and all vessels
in commission are fully equipped and
ready for immediate service" The
armament for the battle ships
Maine and Missouri, and the four har-
Dor defense monitors Arkansas,
Florida, Nevada and Wyoming has
been completed and installed on
board, and that for the Ohio is in
AIdilHtSS IOI
\ total of 4s7, OBS tons of coal at
cost of 81, j,lGS.37, an average OF
abou. s. per ton, was purchased for
the use of the navy at home and
abroad during the past year The
amount of coal actually used was 81
per cent. greater than during the
preceding year, while its cost was 16
per cent. less per ton. The relative
amount of foreign coal used de-
creased from % to 21 per cent. of the
entire coal consumption.
The Capitalization of control and
uniformity in the manner of carry
ing out target practices has resulted
in placing the ships in practical COM
petition with each other in the mat
ter of straight shooting. and our
marked improvement is due, in part
at least. to this cause. Competition
is the life of all games and is essen
tial to skill in any sport. 1t is the
incentive for all athletic training.
We have simply utilized these human
traits in the training of our gun
pointers and gun crews. Gun crews
now are practically teams, and tar
get practices are contests between
them.
Inc interest ana enthusiasm dis
played in the present system of train
ing has been universal with both Off
GERS and men throughout the service
and the spirit of competition has
been marked. The most commend.
able energy and zeal has been dis
played by gunnery and division Off
GERS in developing the team work of
their gun crews and rectifying Ger.
tain minor defects in the ordnance
material which were discovered by
the improved skill in gunnery. Spe-
clal credit is due turret officers for
the very marked decrease in the
loading interval Of heavy guns.
Our present great gun target is a
piece of canvas II feet high by 81 feet
wide, the range is nearly mile, and
only holes in the canvas count as
hits. Guns are fired singly, and are
allowed a certain time in which tc
make all the hits they can, and the
gun making the most hits wins.