Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-03-27
WEAKNESS OF
 RUSSIAN NAVY
It Is Manned by Recruits Un,
 used to the Sea.
SOME ARE DRAWN FROM THE FARM

Fishing Population or Receive In
 struction Upon Training Ships
 How the Men Are Instructed
 Strange Method of Conductin.
 Ships Trials.
 If the value of navy were calcu lated by the number and quality of it! ships, the physique of its bluejackets the smart appearance of it's officers or shore, or, indeed, by the deeds of bray cry of its members in past times, tha of Russia would take high place among the navies of the world" says writer in the Fortnightly Review But all these things, though doubtless excellent, are not enough to win tho way to victory. There must be in | navy, as well as in an army. what tho Germans call der geist, the spirit tha, gives life.
 Some nations obtain their sailors by an inscription maritime, which draws to large extent on the fishing popu lation. Others place boys for instruc tion upon training ships. The object oi
 these methods is to profit by certain knowledge, either naturally or artifi cially, of ships and boats, of the sea it's tides, it's aspects under various me neurological conditions, which comes only to those accustomed to the sigh of the waves. In Russia no such sys tenn exists. A certain proportion of the recruits annually selected for service on attaining the age of twenty -one years is told off to the sea service. Tn. number taken for the navy in Russia has been some 1000 out of a total which has varied from 240,0OO to 310,. GOO in the last few years.
 As soon, then, as Osip or Alexei is drawn from the cart tail in the black earth region or the marshes of Poland for the service of the czar he may be designated for service ahoat. That he has never seen a ship or in many cases either mast or a sail does not matter It may happen, on the contrary. that he has wielded an oar on tbe Volga or Dneiper for some years. In any case he is at once told off to one of the twenty or thirty equipages of which the Russian fleet is composed. There is the equipage of the imperial guard at St. Petersburg, composed of good natured giants with the right to wear the orange and black ribbon of the GOV. eted order of St. George In the Bal. tic are ten others: the Black sea mum. bers as many; Vladivostok and Port Arthur possess each one equipage. An 'equipage' lives in barracks on shore Its members march in rhythmical tread to the backyard or to divine service on various occasions. In barracks theif interior economy is conducted on the same lines as that of an infantry regi- ment. and they are similarly instructed in musketry and bayonet exercises During their visits to the dockyards they are familiariZed with the sight of ships in construction and large accu mutations of naval stores. Officers at tend in very small numbers only at these performances. When a ship is commissioned in Russia she generally lies a long time alongside the dockyaro before proceeding to sea. During that time the sailor no doubt becomes ac quainted with her guns, ammunition hoists, learns boat sailing. etc. The place of his mess. how to stow his kit and the way from one place to another on his new home are matters with which he also becomes familiar.
 ''Generally speaking. a Russian hates the sea as the devil does holy water A steamboat service between St Petersburg and Peterhof. excellent in every detail. had to'be discontinued for want of support. X well known minister. who was desired to accom- pany the emperor to Copenhagen on board his magnificent yacht. begged make the journey overland. Neverthe- less a certain number of gentlemen yearly elect 10 serve in the navy. AS far as physique and education go. they seem quite satisfactory. They are first sent to the Imperial Naval school. iD the yassiIi island. on the quay opposite the statue of kruzenstern- There they receive an excellent theoretical educa- ton But there are no boats for them to row or sail in. nor do they ever see a man-of-war except those on the slips of the Gslernaya- on the other side of the river Neva- Later on they pass to the full rigsed cruisers and sloops that form the naval cadets training squad ron Nothing in these ships in any way resembles the surroundings that