The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-01-19
MERCHANT MARINE
eALLlNeER SECURES STARTLING
INFORMATION FROM THE
WAR DEPARTMENT
No Means Of Transporting Troops
Should United States Have oc-
cas:on to Engage in
Foreign War.

the startling information TO Senator
Gallinger, of the Merchant Marine
Commission, that the force for which
tho United States military establish.
ment is maintained, cannot be exert.
ed over sea In case of a foreign wav
or. for the defense of the insuIar pos
sessions unless there is an immedi-
ate and great increase in the mum.
ber of American steamships available
Tor transport service.
"The quicf jirst blow, so very and
increasingly important" says the War
department, cannot he struck at all,
nor can any expedition of any great
er size be embarked without delay, ex-
cept by the use of foreign vesseis.
And in war these foreign vessels
cannot be acquired without evasion or
infraction of the neutrality laws"
Senator Gallinger's inquiry was sent
to the war department in connection
with the shipping bill now being con-
sidered by the Senate. The reply of
the war department has been pre-
pared by special committee of the
general staff and is transmitted TO
Secretary of War Taft by Lieutenant
General Chaffee, chief of staff This
report states that two sizes of merch
ant steamships are desirable for
transport service, ships Of $500 tons
and Of $500 ton gross register, yes.
sells Of medium dimensions. The speed
which both the navy and war depart
ments have determined upon as de.
sirable for troop transports is q sus
tanned sea rate of IL knots.
To embark division would require
ten G,600 ton ships and nine $500
ton ships. AS such an expedition
may be necessary from either the
Atlantic or Pacific coast, the report
urges that there should be on each
side number of suitable ships afoat
but the statement is made that If en-.
gagged in foreign trade it is not profit
able that onethird of those in either
ocean could be obtained and mado
ready in Is days.
Assuming this ratio" says the re,
port of the general staff, lit follows
that to provide suitable ships for n
rapid movement of two divisions from
either coast there should be not less
than sixty of the larger and "a OF the
smaller size afloat in Atlantic and the
same In the Pacific waters, or 100
of the larger and 10S of the smaller
size In all, an aggregate of 228 YES
sels."
- The report brings out the fact that
no such feet as would be needed for
an over sea expedition could be furn.
ished out Of the present resources of
the American merchant marine, but
that to- strike the quick blow of a
force corresponding to the permanent
military establishment would require
practically all the American shipping
of suitable character in Atlantic wa
ters and more than the entire ton.
mage in the Pacific waters.
The report characterizes the SantI.
ago expedition of 1898. Every AM
erican vessel that could be obtained
iE the Atlantic ports during the twen-
ty days following the declaration OF
war was chartered-a fleet of 80 yes,
sells, averaging $500 tons, only two of
them over 1000 tons. The official
records afford ample evidence that
the safe arrival was due to the gooo
fortune of continued fine weather. A
severe storm encountered would have
scattered the fleet, probably with
great loss of life and would have de-
feated the object of the expedition.
There is nothing except the success
ful arrival to Justify its departure"
The report adds that mo cooking
could be done ON board ship except to
make coffee. Sanitary arrangements
we're crude and insufficient. OF ven
tilation there was practically none
These statements apply in full force
only to the ships fitted out for the
Cuban expedition. This feet of shius
could not have embarked under rea-
sonable oversee transport conditions
men and when SO embarked the ex.
pedition could have been despatched
on q long voyage only at great jeop-
ardy of the welfare of Ine men ant
If the success of the enterprise. IC
has already been shown that this fie st
was practically all that could be Sc
cured. in Atlantic waters except by
Of American or purchase
)f foreign ships"
Looking to the future, the report
declares: "This condition cannot irl.
prove until the American steam SEA
going merchant marine has increas.
I'd in tonnage to approximate two and
l half times its volume by the addl.
ion of ships adapted In size and de
sign to quick conversion into suitable |
and built under conditions
which make their voluntary surren
Ter to the United States ON demand
. fnraseaun anpclncfns, Go Co. n, a.,,