The Washington herald., 1907-04-18
EVANS AGAINST SHIFT
Opposes Sending More Bat
tie Ships to the Pacific.
TARGET WORK IS IMPROVING
All ships in Atlantic Fleet Increase
Their Percentage Materially over
Last Year-Omcer Comes to WASH
ingtOn 40 Arrange Plans for the
Pageant at Jamestown.


ships and feet tactics in the Pacific but
believe that it would be fatal mistake
to withdraw battle ships from the At
lantie for that purpose. When the navy
Is built up TO its proper proportions
believe We should have sixteen battle
ships on the Atlantic and sixteen on the
Pacific. These would form a great school
for our officers and men and an impress
sivo object lesson for any one thinking
Of trouble with us"
IN these words Rear Admiral Evans,
commander in chief Of the Atlantic fleet.
last night gave his opinion Of a recent
discussion Of the advisabinty OF shifting
the maneuvering ground of representa-
tive American naval strength from the
Atlantic TO the Pacific because Of the
vital interests or the United States in
that part Of the world
Admiral Evans brought TO Washington
report Of the straightest and fastest
shooting ever done by American blue
Jackets. He explained that owing to re-
cent orders OF the Navy Department he
could not discuss the target practice or
maneuvers. Nevertheless, news has
reached Washington that every ship Of
the feet improved It's last years score.
The minimum improvement was II per
cent Several ships did as ,fi,.,,.. - -
per cent better, and one ship did twice as
Well as last year. The championship of
the navy lies between the battle ship IN
nois. OF the Atlantic fleet. and the armOr-
cd cruiser Maryland, OF the Pacific fleet.
Plans for jamestown.
Admiral Evans and Capt. Pilsbury. his
chief Of staff. discussed with Rear Ad-
miral Converse. Of the Bureau Of Naviga-
ton, the plans Of the part the American
and foreign fleets will play Ia the opening
Of the jamestown Exposition on April IS
At his home here last night Admiral
Evans said
The cruise the feet just made North
TO Hampton Roads from Guantanamo
convinced me more than ever with the ad-
visibility OF my proposition that the gov
ernment should own anthracite coal fields,
| in order that there might be assured 70
the navy a constant supply Of smokeless
fuel During the entire cruise NorthWard
the flag signals were rendered absolutely
/ useless by the dense smoke from the bat
tie ship funuels. OF course, wireless teleg-
rapliy has largely superseded other meth
DDS for signaling, but in battle wireless
/ Is not 20 be depended upon The first
/ shell that bursts over ship will disable
/ its wireless, and recourse tn such a case
must be had TO flags. With such dense
/ sIaoke rag signals cannot be made out,
/ and Ia this cruise We We're put 30 al sorts
/ Of expedients. including use OF the sema-
phores upon the superstructure, which
could be made out under the smoke. This
difficulty attends use OF all the coal which
/ the navy is now supplied with.
''The feet encountered an unusually
heavy gale, which lasted for two days and
TWO nights. but stocd il we'll The second
night the gale was very severe. combined
with a nasty cross sea, and then the speed
of the fleet was slowed down 10 eight
knots, but not because Of amy danger, It
was ordered that the lives OF two men
might be saved. One was suffering from
double pneumonia. complicated with pleu-
risy and the other had a fractured skull
/ He had been operated upon the day before
we left Guantanamo. I feared that the
shock Of the ship In driving al full speed
against the heavy sea would be fatal 10
/ these seamen. but ] ann glad TO say that
3 AlAf1 NEGt tDAAA AlUtt54tA ~ afNA O. t'AahNs
] Men Are COnteRted.
/ 'The fleet seemed thoroughly contented
Throughout the winters work This 1 al
tribute to the general handling OF the men
Iby their officers. the careful attention
which was given to their food. the free
dom with which liberty was granted to
them, and the encouragement which has
/ been given TO athletics
The marines were put ashore under
canvas. When need came 90 send several
/ ships to Jamaica. at the time Of the earth
quake. they We're ordered away without
lmarines have no desire to get rid of the
marines but / do believe that they should
be taken of the war ships and put on
transports. where they really belong.
Then they can be kept intact in the regi-
mental and company organization, and
sent wherever they are needed as they are
/ required.
/ FOR small arms practice the crews of
/ the ships were put ashore at Guantanamo.
and the result Of this move was that on
/ one ship-the Kentucky-there qualified
/ Ithirty-seven sharpshoOters. which is more
than qualified from the entire navy last
! year. In ALL $50 men and 30 officers of the
/ fleet qualified as sharDshOOters.
The programme for the feet for this
/ summer Will center largely around the do
/ ings at jamestown. The order issued by
/ the Navy Department giving each shin
/ a permanent docking station at SOME
navy yard where it viii go regularly each
year for repairs is a great move TOR con-
/ tentment among the men and system in
/ keeping up the fleet. It will enable the
] RaF- 20
/ yard. where they know they viii come
at stated intervals
VIII Visit All Large cities.
This does not mean that the ships OF
I the fleet viii not be sent to other ports
for the purpose of giving the men lib
erty. I shall send the ships to all the
/ large cities along the coast so that the
men may have chance to see them
Small towns Ike Norfolk cannot ac-
/ commodate large liberty parties. For in
stance. I am daily sending ashore from
each of the ships at Norfolk fifty spe-
cial hrst-class conduct men. In New Yorh
the number would be 250"
Admiral Evans was asked If he still
favored the big ship. big gun idea II
naval construction. He said:
'''The more experience ] have the more
satisfied I am with the idea of building
battle ships of single caliber batteries anC
/ large displacement. Turbines I consider
| still in the experimental stag. I an
convinced that turbines in the Dread
naught are not giving the expected salts
faction"
Admiral Evans will return to Hampton
! Roads tonight.
l 0THT NN