Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-15
NEED OF TRANSPORTS
oUR MILITARY ARM HELPLESS
IN FoREIaN war.
Demand for Increase In the Number
of American Steamships Avail
able for Service.

/ SPIRITUALLY kat uSC4aEGS IndI our Mill
tary power cannot be exerted over sea in
case OF foreign war or for the defense
Of our insular possessions unless there is
an immediate and great increase In the
number Of American steamships available
for transport service.
"The quick nrst blow, SO very and In
creasingly important" says the War De-
| partment cannot be struck at all, nor can
an expedition OF any greater size be en-
parked without delay, except by the use OF
foreign vessels" And In war these foreign
vessels cannot be acquired without eva
sion or infraction Of the neutrality laws
ms statement was In response to an in
| qltry by Senator Gallinger, chairman OF the
| merchant marine commission. It was pre-
scented to the Senate by Mr. Gallinger to-
day.
senator Gallinger's Inquiry was sent to
the war Department in connection with
the shipping bill of the merchant marine
commission now being considered by the
senate, one of the purposes of which as
expressed IN the title is ito promote the
national defense" The reply of the War
department has been prepared by a special
committee of the general staff and trans
mitted to Secretary Taft by Lieut.. Gen.
Chaffee, chief of staff.
Sizes Of the Ships.
This report states that two sizes of mer-
chant steamships are desirable for trans
port services, ships Of $500 tons and of
! $500 tons gross register-yesseIs of medi-
UNI dimensions. The speed which both the
Navy and the War Departments have de-
termined upon as desirable for troop trans
ports is sustained sea rate of twelve
knots.
ITO make this speed with certainty and
with economical coal consumption" says
the present report. the ships should be
Z dn1fc md Ro,,,
| Of twelve knots" Steamships of $500 and
or o,oOe tons are preferred because sit Is
conceded to be indispensable to the best
results that each ship shall carry a tactical
ana supplies" This tactical unit is the
| infantry regiment or a battalion of en-
gineers. a battalion Of infantry, a squad
ron of cavalry, etc. To embark a division
would require ten $500 ton ships and nine
| $500 ton ships
With the present strength of the regular
army two such divisions could be made
ready to embark In fifteen days, hence
| twenty of the larger and eighteen of the
smaller ships available in fifteen days
would be sufficient for such an expedition
AS such an expedition may be necessary
| from either the Atlantic or Pacific coast the
report urges that there should be on each
| side a number of suitable ships at1oat, but
| If engaged in foreign trade it is not prob
| able that one-third of those in either ocean
1 could be obtained and made ready In fifteen
| days.
| Assuming this ratio says the report
| of the general staff 'it follows that to
provide suitable ships for rapid move
| ment OF two divisions from either coast
| there should be not less than sixty OF the
| larger and fifty-four of the smaller size
afoat in Atlantic and the same in PaciIic
| waters, or 120 of the larger and los OF the
smaller size in all, an aggregate of rs
| vessels.
The Present Merchant Marine.
| h,-i, he ia
| that no such fleet as would be needed for
an overseas expedition could be furnish
ed out of the present resources of the
| American merchant marine.
THE official list of merchant vessels for
| 1904 shows ffty-seven seagoing ships OF
| 900 gross tons and upward, with an ag-
! gregate tonnage of 100000 This includes
| the very fast Atlantic liners which
would doubtless be required for the navy
| for scouts and also some very large ships
which would not be generally serVlceapie.
| OF these ships eight are substantially OF
| the smaller and nine of the larger size
described The others vary in size ana
proportion to such an extent as to make
| 1t unsafe to adopt factors smaller than
| four gross tons per man and ten per am
NAL In gauging their capacity. with these
| factors the division would reqa1re l!oooo
gross tons of transport, and two divisions
the force previously discussed as a hrst
expedition to be dispatched at once-wlll
require $4,000 gross tons selected IRON
this list Of ships. In short, to strike the
| quick blow Of "a force corresponding to
| our permanent military establishment
| would require practically all the Amerl-
can shipping of suitable character in At
| lantic waters and more than the entire
tonnage in the Pacific waters; There
| needs no argument to show that this
| transport service could not be procured
| In fifteen days. 1t is doubtful whether 1t
| can be procured at all, except by impress
| ment. and in a period of six months or
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