Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-09-30
HERO OF MANILA DRAWS A LES
CON FROM RUsso-JAPANEsE
WAR.
BIG SHIPS NEEDED
Bigger Guns, Too, the Admiral Says,
viii Help to Preserve the Standing
of the United States Among the
Powers of the worId-speed is I'm
portant.

Washington, D, G.. Sept. 29.-While
Admiral Dewey has not studied the
new Anglo-Japanese treaty closely, he
believes the United States should be
prepared by means of an efficient
navy to protect it's own interests, re-
gardless OF alliance between friendly
powers.
Admiral Dewey had Just finished
presiding over a meeting of the gen
eral board of the navy when he was
seen.
Il have not had an opportunity to
study the Anglo-Ja japanese treaty close
~" said the admiral 1.-TWO points /
have observed seem to me to be i'm
portant. Great Britain has been able
to withdraw all her battleships from
the far east and concentrate them in
English waters ana the Mediterra-
mean. She also has arranged to estab-
lish a strong naval base at Singapore.
Look at the map and you will see
that henceforth the British and Japa-
nese will be able to maintain strong
patrol of the sea from the Mediterra-
mean to the northeasternmost point of
the Pacific. We have our base in the
Philippines. OF course, we don't want
| to fight, and our interests will be re.
spected and we will not have to fight
| il we are ready.
Bigger Ships and Guns Needed.
The admiral was asked If any Of
the later reports received regarding
the naval operations of the later wal
had revealed any new lessons.
AS have repeatedly said. the
igreat lesson of theswar In the far east
is the necessity for bigger ships and
big guns. In the battle between the
fleets of Rojestvensky and Togo the
damage was done by the big guns
The twelve inch guns of the Japanese
ships did most of the damage, in my
opinion. One Japanese officer said II
was a battle of wireless telegraphy
By means Of his scouts Togo knew
long before he saw any of the Rus
sians-when, in fact, they were a hun
dred miles away-the composition OF
Rojestvensky's fleet, the formation Of
the vessels, and the course they were
steering.
IF you are going to fight, as the
Russians and Japanese did, at range
of three miles, anything under 6
twelve inch gun won't be of much use
against armor. The eight inch CUR
is not effective.
=. Speed Is Also Necessary.
ut Is said in England that have
not dwelt upon the Importance O.
speed. Speed goes with bigger ships
With a bigger ship than we have now
we can install larger engines In. Eng
land, where the navy is SO vital, any
thing that touches the navy is of great
interest to them. The new Dread
naught of $4,000 tons, which is under
construction as result of the lessons
learned during the war, will have {
4 speed Of twenty-one knots. We ough
to have battleships Of twenty-one
knots, too.
"The splendid way in which the Jap
anese ships were handled may be at
tributed in part to the number of f1at
officers which were attached to thu
fleet. There were a commander-in
chief, three vice admirals, and ten rea
admirals. This shows the importanc,
of high ranking and efficient person
mel We must have more flag ofIicerl
with our feet"
1t is the opinion of some Statesmen
in Washington that the United States
must enter into an alliance or build I;
4 larger navy Naval officers general,
prefer the latter as more in keeping
with American tradition and cheape
in the end