New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1904-05-04
BATTLEsHIP DUTY SOUGHT
Officers Like Serving on Big Fight.
ing Machines.
So Says Paymaster Beeeher in In
teresting Letter.
CONSERVATION Created by Disaster
on the Missouri.


on the Missouri.
Under date of April 10Th, Paymaster
James S. Beecher, of the Q. S. S.
Monongahela, wrote an interesting
letter from San Juan, Porto Rico, to
w. G. Little of this city. His fascinat-
ing description of battleship serves
to give some idea of the recent disaster
on the Missouri and the CONSERVATION
it created in navy circles. Paymaster
Beecher throws quaint sidelight on
a recent article in the Minneapolis
Journal when he says:
I receive the Minneapolis Journal
and find much of interest in it. Incl
dentally, while we were at St. Thomas
the Pringessen Victoria Louise, theH.
A. Line excursion steamer, came in
during one morning. Among the pas
sengers was W. II. Eustis. To my
knowledge none of the passengers were
on the beach more than three hours,
yet in that short time the ex-mayor
gathered material for half-page
article which later apr cared in the
Journal. It seemed rather funny to
me, for the article dwelt at some length
on subjects that long residence only
would make one familiar with.
An epidemic of diphtheria has de-
layed our return to the states. We
were to have reached Hampton Roads
about April LIST. At one time we had
POS men and boys at the detention camp
ashore. We have about ITO Of these
aboard ship now, but the rest are sup
posed to be infected. Not bad, but
simply have the germs Of the disease
in their throats, and pending the final
Edisposition of these boys we have
orders to stay here. am very anxious
to get back to the states. We have
been in the tropics for four months
and am quite ready for a change. 1t
is really curious what a restless wan
derer the service makes of one. We
are never contented unless we are 90
| ing to the next place.
The news of the dreadful disaster on
the Missouri came to me early this
morning. My boy raped at my door
and said: ''Paymaster, did you hear
Of that awful accident on the Mis-
souri?'' He then said twenty-four men
and Ave officers had been killed. [
could hardly credit it, but later the
news was confirmed. | know some Of
the Missouri's officers and [ shall be
eager to learn the names of those killed.
Unless the utmost caution is observed
the modern battleship is little short of
death-trap. There are so many ways
in which accidents may occur to those
who have the immediate care and d.
rection of the ships, that it seems to
me constant vigilance is the only thing
that saves them.
After seeing and knowing in a general
was what life on battleship is, it is
really not difficult to see how a tragedy
like that of Warburton on the Maine
could occur. You may know that on
these ships the dull roar of the ma
chinery of the ventilation system
never stops. There are SO many drills
and practices that the officers are kept
very busy. The ward room is un-
attractive, usually dark: the officers
state rooms are never commOdiOus:
there is but little space over the
quarter deck clear for walking pur-
poses, and a visit forward is accom-
panied by the rumble of 100 Jackies
voices. Below decks the passage ways
and compartments, all communicating
with each other by watertight doors
that open and close automatically
would put a Moorish palace maze tC
shame. To the casual visitors to these
ships, the one impression that is
greater than all others is that OF
tremendous fighting power. There may
seem little attractive about such q
ship, but I dare say ninety per cent OF
the officers in the service are eager fol
battleship duty.
n