Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-18
ENGINEERS IN THE NAVY.
An Old Officers Views on Issues Raised
by Admiral Rae.

An old officer OF the navy recently ex-
pressed some very decided views on the
Issues raised by Engineer-in-Chief Rae or
the navy in his annual report with respect
to the engineering personnel OF the navy.
Much of the report" said he ''is excel
lent. Admiral Rae is probably so enthusi-
astic that he may think all the young off,
GERS of the navy will be In love with tho
engineering branch. There Is nothing so
fascinating as machinery. Show a child
the movement of watch and 1t will be
in ecstasy. But when the child grows and
learns the value of money and the prlvl-
leges of social position IL will turn from
the machine to other methods of accumu-
lating fortune and fame.
ANY midshipman win quickly see that
there Is so little for him In the engine
room and SO much on deck that he would
not be satisfied to put In his time in the
engine room. 1t may be that there still
exists a few OF the members of the old
Engineer Corps who believe that the
scheme of the personnel bill was to make
engineers of all the Annapolis graduates,
and that they would take the same interest
In engineering that engineers would. But
the large majority of them. from the very
first. believed the bill meant to hire some
merchant service engineers as warrant
machinists' to take the place of the old
first assistants, and to place a line officer
In command OF the engineer division, the
same as In other divisions. The navy still
has engineers, under another name but
they are very different class of men from
those of the old Engineer Corps.
The warranted machinsts really have
the responsibility. Then, why not give
them the rank and the pay?
THE Bennington? l understand there
was an engineer on board. detailed as ex-
ecutive officer of the ship That corre-
spends to first mate on a merchant ship.
He had nothing to do with the engines.
Va W In nlla of tlaa
glneer's division, was without experience,
and there was no warranted machInist
aboard
There Is no reason why an enlisted ma
chinist should not learn TO be good engf-
neer, but he will ever be handicapped from
being enlisted; living on the berth deck
and wearing sailors uniform He will
always have trouble to enforce HIS orders
He may appeal to the commanding officer
of his division, who may enforce the orders
but here you will have the engineer and the
officer separate; whereas. under the old
plan Uhe plan used everywhere else), you
VIII have the engineer and the officer conf
bined
TRY, for example, the experiment Of put
ting the watch officers on the berth deck to
live, in sailors uniforms and limited privi-
leges, and you will soon find the discipline
gone to the 'demnition bowwows.' Adj
miral Rae's plan OF compelling all mid
shipmen to be engineers first, and officers
afterward, can. in my opinion. never be
made to work, save in isolated cases.
It looks to me as If the navy must con-
tnue with an inferior class OF men for It's
engineers; men who are obliged to accept
the positions, as they have before. Some
have sought the place as an asylum-an es-
cape from the temptations of drlnk-or they
may have lost their jobs on merchant ships
and have taken a navy machinists place
as a last resort. If the door OF promoter
were not closed In the faces OF the 'machn-
lists a better class would probably come.
But no matter how competent and faithful
they are, they cannot succeed the officer in
That, in my opinion. Is precisely what was
intended In the passage Of the personnel
bill"