The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-11-16
ENGINEERS IN THE NAVY.

The thinkers In the War and Navy
Departments who are constantly chang
ing the organization of the Army and
Navy, with little wisdom and discre-
ton. and apparently changing for the
sake of change, are very wearisome. In
reorganizing the Navy they abolished
the Engineer Corps and made all line
officers subject to detail as Engineer
officers, the same as for other duties.
The intention was to reduce the Engi-
Ieers to the class of enlisted men, and
get rid of the annoying assumption that
the Engineer officers were just as good
as the Line officers. This has worked
very badly from the start, as every
sensible man saw that 1t would. and
the frightful disaster to the Benning-
ton, which was mainly due to putting
a green young Line officer in charge Of
the engine-room. has brought the folly
Of the change to a elimination. Tt is
row recognized by everyone, in and out
of the Navy. that, no matter what the
pretensions Of the Line officers to moral
and intellectual superiority, the man
who has charge of the engines Of a
great battleship is second only in i'm
rortance to the man who comm, ands
her. In fact. he Is equal in importance
10 him. All Of a warship's expensive
gunnery and highly-trained crews are
Of no use and effect unless her engines
are managed with equal courage and
skill. The management Of the engines
is not something that can be sufficiently
taught at Annapolis. 1t is something
| which cannot b" acquired except by
special mechanical aptitude and long
| experience. and there Is nothing in a
Line officers duties on the deck OF a
ship that fits him for comprehending
and controlling the powerful and COM
plicated machinery of her motive power.
Congress will undoubtedly take this
important subject up at its next session,
and do something radical toward the
restoration OF the Engineer branch Of
the Navy.
In his annual report Rear-Admiral
Rae, the Engineer-in-Chief Of the Navy,
devotes much time to the discussion Of
| the subject. and what he says has at
tracted general attention. He says that
the Government has been unable to Sc
| cure competent men for the engine
rooms OF warsiyessels. but he does not
say that this iS because men competent
for these duties refuse to enlist In the
Navy for term OF years. to be held
socially and Intellectually inferior to
the Line officers This. however, is tho
| truth. Admiral Rae says that the fault
! lies with the failure to give the younger
officers sufficient training for engine
| room duties. 5 He, recommends that a
much moro elaborate system of train
ing be adopted Tor these younger OH
GERS and that engine-room duty be spe-
cialized as other duties are. It IL not
| believed that Congress will entertain
the Admirars Recommendations very
fayorably. but Will more likely insist
upon restoring the old Engineer branch,
which worked satisfactorily. That is
competent engineers will be attracted
to the service by being given a commits
sion which will put them exactly on the
same footing with the Line officers, with
the same quarters and privileges, and
the same opportunities for promotion
to the highest grades Nothing less than
this will supply this vital need OF the
Navy with men competent to handle
the motive power Of the great ana costly
war-engines which we are putting aneat.
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