Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-10-27
a}listellantous Beading.
BIG MAN WITH BIG JOB.
Commander the United States Battle
ship Fleet.

| COMMANDER the Onited otateS PdItie-
| ship Fleet.
| 1t takes a big man to succeed Fight
| ing Bob" Evans. 1t also takes a big
man to command a fleet Of sixteen
batteships in a cruise around the
nation until now. BY both tokens Rear
Admiral Charles S. Sperry should be
a big man. II he Is not, the naval au-
thorities who have watched him for
forty years do not know what they are
about But recent history shows that
the naval authorities do know what
they are about. Let any one who
doubts it ask Spain. Therefore Rear
Admiral Charles S. Sperry is a big
man-big enough, many believe, to be
the coming man in the navy. The
manner in which he has handled the
| fleet thus far bears out the opinion.
From Honolulu to Auckland he drove
his sixteen ocean giants 1850 miles
parallel in naval history Though
pounded by heavy seas on the long
run, the vessels came through in per-
feet trim and were a day or two ahead
Of their schedule. More marvellous
still. by a comparative system the
amount of coal burned had been de-
creased. All this spells efficiency, which
Is only second to good shooting in
| mo kipp on ipyinnihla navy
Sperry is not picturesque, but he has
common sense. He is phlegmatic, but
| is business all through. He has never
had a. fighting part except for little
while in the Philippines, but he knows
naval science from the ground up.
Several times he has been assigned to
| teach higher mathematics at the An
| napolis Naval academy. For three
wears he was president of the war
college at Newport, an exceedingly i'm
portant place. During the Spanish
war he was not in the limelight but
was holding the responsible and ardu-
Gus position Of equipment officer at
the Brooklyn navy yard, where he had
to look after the fitting out of vessels.
From all this it will be seen that Ad-
miral Sperry's role has been in work.
ing parts not on dress parade.
A naval commander is supposed to
know pretty much everything and to
know most of it well. He has to be
diplomat, a society man, a warrior, an
executive, a sailor, a business man, a
scholar, a speaker just a little bit Of
politician and a general all around
good fellow. incidentally he must
command the respect of men, maintain
strict discipline, yet keep those under
him in good heart and train them to
the highest point Of efficiency in all
lines. All Of this does not sound easy,
and it is not one-half so easy as it
sounds.
Has a Big Job on Hand.
In Admiral Sperry's case this task is
as much more difficult than that usual
ly .devolving on naval commanders as
his fighting machine is larger than
that under the control IF other officers.
Sperry has under him $4,000 men. No
country has ever had so many big bat
tleships collected into one fleet. No
country ever sent a battleship fleet Of
any size around the world. 1t is thus
seen that the chore the American ad
miral has on his hands requires a full
sized man to handle it. The bigness
of the job, combined with an attack
of rheumatism, was sufficient to put
as seasoned a sea dog as Bob Evans
out of commission after a sail from
Hampton Roads to San Francisco. Yet
Sperry thus far seems to get along
with it very nicely, thank you, and to
be enjoying good health. He has been
in training for this very thing for
about forty-siX years, or ever since he
was fourteen years old, and he is the
sort of man that makes use of the
time He belongs to the new school in
the navy, and if all signs do not fail
the new school will maintain the glory
of the old and probably add a little
fresh glory Of it's own thereto. Sperry
SNSN~A'
shoot and to maneuver and to sail and
to be American gentleman even if they
are common sailors. 1t stands to rea-
son that a man who can do all that,
besides several hundred other things
that have just now slipped my mind,
can also fight If occasion should arise.
OF course. we all hope that Sperry will
not have to fight. This is a peaceful
age and we are a peaceful people.
Would Be Right on the Job.
Richmond Pearson Hobson and 9TH
er fire eaters may thirst for war, but
the rest Of us do not We love all men
and will continue doing so If they will
let us. But in the event that some lit
tie misunderstanding should arise in
the Pacific, for example, this man
SperTy is just the kind that would be
found right on the job-no fuss and
| feathers or anything in the spectacular
line, but good. straight shooting and
the delivery Of the goods! That is the
American way, and that is Sperry's
way, If we do not miSjudge the man.
Yellow perls will please take notice
and not grow too perilous. The Japs
are our best friends, and we want them
to stay that way, for Americans are
not Russians, and Sperry's other name
is not Rojestvensky. We are simply
sending this fleet around the world for
practice and to see how big the old
planet is when measured by a battle
ship cruise. 1t is not such big world,
after all, and yet is plenty big enough
for all Of us. so long as we do not
crowd other peoples rights. The Pa
cific ocean, for example, is a right
smart body of water, and there is plen-
ty of room in it for all sails so long as
there is no attempt to bump into other
peoples privileges. There is space on
earth for all nations unless one Of them
| has the big head.
The Mediterranean was once the
worlds chief waterway, all the worlds
civilization worth mentioning being
collacted about its shores With the