Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-12-27
IS OUR NAVY DEFECTIVE?

CONSERVATION peryadeS naval cir
Giles by reason of the publication in
McClure's Magazine of an article en-
titled The Needs of Our Navy" in
which the author discusses at length
the alleged .helplessness of the Uni
ted States navy in fight with any
of the great powers.
The article has been widely read
by civilians also, whose fears have
been aroused by the disclosures made.
The author defends the writing of
the exposure Of the alleged incompe-
tency of the fighting ships by saying
that foreign nations were already in
formed of these defects and that only
good could come of the exposure by
the demand of the people for needed
changes.
The first criticism is that not a ship
of the navy shows an armor line
six inches above the water No
other nation has made this funda-
mental mistake, declares the writer,
who points out that the Russian ships
were as badly built as those of the
United States and that this was
one of the reasons why the Japanese
so easily sank them. Five battle
ships now building by this country
do not have the armor line above the
water, Notwithstanding the protests
Of sea-going officers.
1t is further shown that one-third
of the guns of the navy would be
useless in rough weather, and more
over that the Navy department is and
has been aware of these defects and
refuses to remedy them.
Another defect pointed out is the
open turret, or conicaI shaft leading
down into the hull of the ship. No
other nation uses the direct turret,
which exposes the magazines to ex-
plosion or to the dropping of shell
directly into the hold Examples
of explosions in time of peace are
pointed out, including that on the
Georgia last July. But for the pres
ence of mind of the sailors the bat
tleship would have been blown up,
all on account of the defective pro-
lection to the magazines. The year
before a similar tragedy was only
averted by the fact that the explosives
had just been removed when burning
powder fell into the handling room
Another criticism is that the sys-
TEN Of promotions prevents officers
from reaching commanding positions
while still young, a system followed
by no other country The bureau
management of the navy department
is handled without gloves, and is
enough to stir the nation to revolt
against such an antiquated method
as is made to appear
Replies have been made by a num-
Der of bureau chiefs, but none has
the temerity to claim that conditions
are as they should be. Secretary of
the Navy Metcalf comes forward with
a lame excuse that he was led to
believe that placing the armor belt |
low was all right. If even one-half |
of the writer's structures on the bat
tleships and the conduct of the navy
department are true, it is time for
the people to make themselves heard |
with such power that the needed |
changes will be made at once when I
possible, and that all future battle
ships shall be built on modern and |
safe lines. 1t is not one thing, but |
the whole building which is arraig- |
ned
The disclosures are enough to put
every citizen to thinking and to de-
termine that the abuses shall be
remedied if the whole system now in
force, together with its manipulators,
be swept out to give place for pro-
gressive and fearless men. The naval
burocracy seems to be nearly as
rotten as that of Russia, when that
government was led to believe that
her fleet was really a strong one.
Japan soon showed the mistake Its
time for this country to get busy.