The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-11-15
FIRST N Submarines
France Leads the World With
The Number in its Navy.
HORS RUN MANY RISKS

SAILORS RUN MANY RISKS
Extr, Rewards and Pensions Are Nee
essary to Secure crews-Heeru'e'
ina in the Beginning Easy, as
Rules Were Not as Rigid as Tor
the Ordinary Seamen.
The recent catastrophe OF the far1a-
det, while it has profoundly toucaeo lne
world, has had the effect OF even
STRENGTHENING the new French school OF
submarine enthusiasts.
Ever since Admiral Auoe, When ain-
lister Of the navy, began the translol-
nation Of the marine by inVesuns WIN
importance its submarine un11s' tne
hostility Of the old school has oeen GU
slant and unconquerable. Dur1ne :.
years of experimental work no accloehe
occurred to justify their apprenensioass
and even the disaster in the recent bi-
! zerta lake has not given them toe
! moral force which they reckoned Oh.
The action of NJ. Thomson, the present
minister Of marine, in descending II
the Korrigan, three days after the fal-
fadet accident, accompanied oy various
French naval dig1itaries, has "oncei-
fully restored public confidence ano mas
! given an implied rebuke to the ola
navy" party. Moreover, tne nasat
events of the Russo-Japanese war naFe
shown the utility Of various 1oTns ..
the mosquito feet, even II the war mas
also demonstrated the indispensaolnty
of the batleship of many thousands ot
tons.
France possesses 49 Of these vessels
in active service or In process OF con-
struction, with united crew OF about
600 officers, engineers and seamen-
Great Britain has five submarines OF
12O tons, thirteen Of from lSo 10 zoo
tons. and one Of 300 tons. Twenty-one
more. each Of 800 tons, are being con-
structed. Russia owns about II, not an
of which are completed. Germany, al-
though protesting to take 10 interest,"
in submersible craft, is known TO Do
experimenting in secret with three oh-
ferent types. The United States has
eight submarines, Japan six; SPAN, II
the projected reconstruction OF hef
navy, expects to have several.
It will thus be seen that France IS at
the head Of the world with respect 70.
her submarine power, and she proposes
to retain this prestige. Nevertheless q
serious danger has for some time past
threatened this position: This has been
caused Of the lack Of sufficient crews,
the seamen, with good reason, having
shown an unwillinguess 70 enter that
kind Of service unless practically forced
to do so. Recruiting was at first a COIL
paratively easy task, because adVan-
tases were offered that made It worth
while to take on the difficulties and
dangers of the work. But toward the
end of mis- term of Office NJ. Pelletan,
late minister of the navy, issued de-
cree practically suppressing all these
advantages. Prior to the decree crews
on submarines enjoyed special pr1Vi-
leges as regards pay and promotion.
| In the United States, each man re-
ceives 81 extra pay for each descent. In
! Great Britain such crews receive regu-
larly double pay. In France supple
mentary pay varying from Is to Is per
cent was accorded. AS detail, it may
he added that a ration Of milk OF the
value Of cents day had been pre-
scribed by naval doctors for al men
engaged upon the electric accumulators
in order to counteract the effects OF
! lead collie. In general, food was OF, bet
ter quality on submarines and Vsca-
tons longer; and the men were treated
not like ordinary seamen, but with the
consideration due to pioneers IN new
country.
NJ. Pelletan, finding something wrong
with this system of things, and belieV-.
ing that it tended to hinder rather than
develop the new style of craft, brusque-
" did away with it in single fort
night; and therefore there was no long
er any attraction to seamen to take up
the service. One can scarcely blame
them, for, besides the danger in 1nccm-
plete understanding Of the novel form;
Of craft, there was the inconvenience
Of being often shut up for hours IN
limited space, breathing destructive
acids.
J Admiral Fournier and Admiral Ger
Yais, two Of the most distinguished and
trusted officers Of the navy, believe not
only that, as Lord Goschen said in
1900. the submarine is 'the arm OF the
poor power" but that it can save the
big powers millions year. Moreover
II the small powers place orders in the
/ dockyards of the world, the big powers