The Forrest City times., 1904-08-19
MODERN AMERICAN NAVY.
In the Matter of Progress the Men Have Gone as Far Ahead
 as the Ships.

The Spectator has been visiting lately in one of our largest navy yard. and has found it a wonderfully inter. esting place. As an expression Of Uncle Sans character and develop
 ment 1t was profoundly eucouragln. 10 mere civilian. while also entirely different from what he expected. says the Outlook Where the carTieT-p.. geon loft once stood the wireless tele- graph now rears it's tall pole an stretches it's mysterious. eNquIsitely sensitive antennae to catch the yibra- tions of the equally mysterious and sensitive ether. The war vessels ly
 ing at the wharyes were all ef the new, massive. specialized type. float ing machine shops, electric plants and gun-batteries all in the highest sci entifie efficiency. 4 tremendous gran ite dry-dock yaWned on one side: a pair of submarines tilted their painted noses 10 the sky, waiting for a thorough oyerhauling by the skilled workers of the yard. After seeing the marine railway. the marvellous loeomo. tive cranes. the floating derricks. the systems of light. water. heat. electric and pneumatic power and telephone. the Spectator felt that America was charaeteristically expressed in her naval plant, for which nothing appears too new or too good.
 A like development. the Spectator found tn addition. is being made n the man behind the gun" On a modern man-of-war q crew of 660 Of the old sailor men would be Of no practical use. The blue-jacket of to- day must be Of the highest type of eflciency-and he Is He must not be ntemperate-and he is not The Spectator heard the captain of a eele- brated training ship tel of his ex- perienee in the port of Tangier not long ago The captain (who has. as he expresses it, brought up 3.2J1 boys besides two of his ownD had promised his young crew to give them two days liberty" when Taneier was reached. The British consul" h. said, who a'so looked after Amer AN0A' 4t4 '@Na1 Nd9 h0i liit0 ct tile idea of such a thing It cant be done, he insisted No English ship ever gives it's men liberty here. to say nothing Of the Germans or the rest. The town is too turbulent and too bad. If you let your men come ashore there is bound To be trouble. and I can't stand by them when complications oe- cur. as they must IL is madness to allow their landing But was not afraid. I have promised the crew liE- erty, and l always keep my promises to them, I told him. and in spite of his protests l sent them ashore promptly. Every one of them report- ed when time was up and every one was sober l met the English con- sul at dinner the night before We left and he said: I take il all back. cap tain. Those men of yours are a won der, They have been all over Tan gier. riding everything in the place. from eamels 10 donkeys. seeing all 1he sights and behaving themselves as well as any party of tourists eyer saw-better than most. for that mat ter To get such class of blue jackets no pains are spared In Bos~ ton year or so ago out of 300 lads desirous of entering the navy only 30 passed the scrutiny of the recruit ing officer. Physically. mentally and morally. Uncle Sam wants the best.
 The Spectator was fortunate enough 10 be visiting the yard at the same time that Miss Helen Gould spent a day there and when special drills were held for her 10 see, The Naval Young Mems Christian association is indebt- ed to her for the splendid building fn Brooklyn, which every blue jacket k proud of, and where sailors will crowd in 10 sleep on the floor after the hun dreds of comfortable beds are filed rather than lodge elsewhere. One If the prettiest sights imaginable was the presentation by a very shy. stall wart. sun-tanned young blue jacket of great bunch of roses tied with the navy blue and-white to Miss Gould while three cheers were given with all the lung power of hundreds of sailor throats and all the quick and hearty admiration of sailor hearts for a good and lovely woman