The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-18

accident as he had constantly argued
was likely to happen, when the Petro-
pavlovsk ST.
"Heaved upaher battered side. = -s,e.
And carried a million pounds in steel
10 the cod and the corpse-fed con-
ger eel" .tr...
What good are these swollen worms?
Their bodies are large. but they cannot
move and a few ants will destroy
Them"
These words, according to a Rus
sian naval officer, were used by Maka-
rolf in denunciation of the scheme 10
build the Gromoboi. the Retvizan, the
Borodino and other huge vessels at
the time Of RuSsias great naval eX-
pansion few years ago. He wanted
the money to be spent instead for Hgnt
cruisers, destroyers. submarines ana
such-like craft. His chief opponent
was Admiral Alexieff, who beneVes IN
the battleshD with fervor that is
almost fapatical. Their great hght
over this question convulsed Russian
naval circles for years.
Most influential of Admirals.
There were the most powerful and
influential of the Russian admiralS'
and both had the Cars complete con-
fdence. They fought the battle, step
by step from the Navy Department
through the Committee of Ministers
and the Council of state, right up to
the Car himself Eventually Alexieff
Won, for he was supported by nearly
all the other admirals and naval ex-
perts, while Makaroff's views were
regarded as revolutionary by his own
profession. Almost his only disciple
was Admiral Skridloff, the present
commander of the Black Sea fleet,
who served under him as sub-lieu-
tenant in his brilliant torpedo cain
palgn against the Turks, and had thus
learned the vulnerability of iron
Clads 81. ..s.,,, -,
Makaroff and skridloff were over
ruled, and the battleships were built.
II was on one of these same battle
ships that Makaroff lost his life.
When he first assumed command OF
the Russian fleet at Port Arthur he
carried out his pet theory by hosting
ms Tag on small unarmored vessels,
IKE the Askold and the Novik. If he
mad continued that policy he would
probably be alive to-day.
Always at DagGers' Points.
Makaroff and Alexieff were always
d. aaggers drawn from the time they
ooth became prominent in Russian
%ualrs. They different strongly in
ulsir Ideas on imperial policy, as we'll
a. III their naval theories. Alexieff
;SJ1'Ias' above all else, for the Russian
MHb or Manchuria; Makaroff always
rr cI.,d that the conquest and re-
.Sutioh of Manchuria were plumbers
VI lhe nrSt magnitude. Like Russia's
r us4eSt and greatest general, Dragomi-
~ ne was opposed, from first to
io9', 70 the aggressive policy which
~ 10 the war with Japan. When his
, Tplnioh was invited by the Gear, he
sVu mat Russia was not ready to
an the risk of war in the Far East,
o Guy ne did not hesitate to express that
TTplillon so freely and openly that it
s"in Re common talk in st. Petersburg.
dee1o oklo newspaper, the Hochi,
sg rtialed on March 70, last, on the
J,tliorlty of Japanese naval officer
tir,,o was in st. Petersburg at the
Az mat when Makaroff heard that
NJ q a had geen appointed Viceroy
so,, I,,e + ar East, and given practically
g rn,,. power, he exclaimed an
u, That ignoramus. That blunderer.
ile is sure to make a mess of il! He
ta,s sure to make some colossal mis-
"e"th Ended Their Quarrel.
lon nu' death has put an end to the
Ais, quarrel of the two admirals, and
rnVAiel paid a generous tribute to the
i ng Or or his great rival in announce
the me me loss of the Petropavlovsk to
matestt.a.r,:: 7 regret to report to your
fee, v ne said, that the Pacific
the lo nas suffered irreparable loss by
nan5e,s >. oI Its brave and capable COM
., No officer of the Rnas,an navy not
SELF me world-famous Aiexieff him
mira enjoyed higher repute than Ad-
seryI. dakaroff, not only In his own
slonai pat also among his profess
brethren in all the fleets OF the