Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-06-17
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ENeLAND's UNKNOWN NELSON.
The Man Who Would Command Her
Navy In Case Of War.

Ask any man in the British navy
who will be England's next Nelson II
she has to engage tomorrow In a war
with some continental power and ne
will unhesitatingly reply:
why, Jacky Fisher of course
Everybody in the British navy knows
Fisher-Admiral Sir John Arbuthnot
Fisher K. C. Band believes that he
is the strongest and ablest in the SER
vice. The officers of the foreign ma
vies respect him for his strategical
skill and technical ability in handling
a fleet. But the world at large hardly
knows his name.
Very few Of his fellow subjects could
say offhand who Is Britain's chief ad-
miral, and yet he holds the greatest
post in the British empire to which a
subject can aspire. His work Is more
RESPONSIBLE than that Of the prime
minister, because he Is the first man IN
the fighting fleets "whereon,". as the
articles of war say. under the good
providence of God the wealth. peace
and safety of the country doth chiefly
depend"
The strangest thing about this man
who bears upon his shoulders the
weight of the British empire Is that ne
Is not an Englishman at all, in the
strict sense Of the word. His father
was a captain in the Seventy-eightn
Highlanders, who settled In Ceylon
and his mother was Singalese Wo-
man of high rank. Thus he has a
strain of Oriental blood in his veins
It shows very slightly in his face;
only persons who have lived IN the
East are able to detect. In counten-
ance Admiral Fisher shows the char
acteristics Of bulldog, and ne mas
that simple, bluff. hearty manner
which Is associated with the typical
John Bull.
Sometimes his subordinates and for
eign diplomats with whom he has TO
do ar. deceived by this manner into
thinking him an innocent, guileless
sailorman with plenty of pluck but no
brains. They discover too late that
touch Of Oriental subtlety Is grated
on Anglo Saxon directness and iron
will and that Fisher has been playing
them with Asiatic craft.
"Jacky," as he Is always called IN
the navy, was one Of Great Britains
representatives at The Hague Peace
Conference. One who was present
saws that nobody made greater I'M
preston than he upon the assembled
diplomatists Of the great powers.
He holds the opinion that human
warfare is both foolish and cruel. and
he advanced that opinion at the con-
ference with consummate Skill.
when you have to wiring chick
ems neck" he said, "all you think
about is wringing it quickly. You
don't give the chicken intervals for re-
freshment and recuperation. 1t should
be the same with warfare
Fisher does not hesitate to say that
any war he may have to make Will be
hell. He has a bitter hatred for sub
marine vessels and their crews, ano
frequently declares that If he catches
the latter in time Of war he will string
them up to the yardarm, even II ne
has to face a court martial afterward
He showed the sternness Of his ma
ture after the bombardment OF Alex
andria in 1882. AS captain OF the In
flexible, he had the task Of organizing
a police force and repressing disorder
and looting after the capture OF the
city. He shot the guilty on sight and
restored order in few hours.
Some of his intimate friends. even
officers Of his own ship. were caught
with looted goods. They begged In
vain for mercy. He had all of them
court-martialed and severely punished
Admiral Fishers subordinates re-
spect him but do not love him. HE
works them too hard for that and Is
too quick to detect their faults. He
tolls from o'clock in the morning un-
til 9 at night, and expects everybody
else to do the same. Men who nave
served under him are apt to curse
whenever his name Is mentioned.
Fisher knows this, and takes a sar-
donic pleasure in it. He is fond OF
telling the story of an old boatswair
who served under him in several ships
The boatswain eventually retired or
pension, and Fisher paid him visit al
his country cottage in Devonshire. He
noticed a man-servant about the place
who seemed to have nothing to do, and
asked his host:
What on earth do you want him
for?"
We'll sir" said the boatswain, "he
has to call me every morning at
o'clock and say, Admiral wants to see
YOU, SIR roll over on the other side
of the bed and reply. Tell the admira
to go to the devil Then I go to sleer
again, feeling good.
This happens half a dozen times
day, and l feel better every time. I've
been waiting for it for twenty years
Fisher has fine fund Of sea sto'
ries. and tells them capitally. Wher
he commanded the British North
American and West Indian squadron
he had a gun captain on the Renowr
who was a Dutchman by descent.
A favorite oath in the British navy
when anything goes wrong is LORD
stiffen the Dutch!" 1t dates back to
the days when Van Tromp hoisted
broom to the masthead Of his flagship
as a sign that he meant to drive the
English from the seas.
One day the Dutchman was exercis-
ing his gun crew at drill. Fisher pass
ed by and noticed mistake.