The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-04-01
SAILOR SPERRY AND HIS WORK
quishing 1t to go as the naval member

IT. for as ordnance officer Of the New
York navy yard he had anything but a
sinecure. To the ordnance officer fall
all the details of fitting the vessels out
with their entire artillery outfits. There
was scarcely a day for more than six
months that at least a dozen of the
! purchased yachts were not at the
! docks to Re armed and started Off In
! hurry, but not a mistake must be made,
this only In addition to the repairs and
equipment of the main feet.
II saw Sperry at his work often in
| those days, and it was joy to the
| spirit to see the machine work. There
was a tangle in the thread every five
minutes, but it came straight in mo-
ment and without stop In the regular
motion Of the shuttle. He is going to
handle the feet of battleships in ex-
actly the same way. 1t is not merely
matter Of navigating some twenty
old vessels in company. There are the
comfort, the well being, the training
and the steady enthusiasm of $4,000
people to be maintained. 1t takes a
steady hand at the wheel and solid
sense unaffected by what Is called the
exalted position to carry the cruise to
a successful finish. Trust Sperry.
But how did he secure the appoint
ment? Notwithstanding the dispatches
that state that it has just been deter
mined after consultation, there are all
the finger marks of a long and well de-
veloped plan of the naval authorities.
In the first place. it is easily seen what
a superb training experience has been
gained by every one connected with
the feet. This training has been as
necessary and as useful to the future
division commanders as to any one
else, and in order that the divisions T3
the feet should continue TO benefit 1t
goes without saying that the COM
mands should pass to those who have
had the training in succession.
The four rear admirals chosen to
the commands were, Of course, care
fully chosen on the score Of ability
rather than of availability. OF the
four. three must retire from active
service under the age limit before real
ly much could be realized from their
full fleet training 1t must not be for
gotten that. in addition to the massed
feet. there are four more active divi-
sions in the Pacific to be commanded
and a new battleship division almost
ready for assembly here at home. Just
prior to the sailing of the heet from
Hampton Roads it will be remembered
that the elder captains were relieved
and replaced by younger men. but
there were two exceptions made. Cap
tains Wainwright and Schroeder both
belonged to the category of older cap
tains and were near their regular time
for advancement to the grade of rear
admirals. AS Evans and Thomas re-
tire Wainwright and Schroeder come
naturally ahead to fill the vacancies in
division command. all the better fitted
for the positions from their fleet eXpe-
rience. Sperry has the great advan-
tage of eighteen months Of active serv-
ice still ahead of him in addition to
his natural seniority. Thus the soIidar-
ty of the divisional and fleet command
is maintained and the efficiency of the
feet steadily advances.
1T Is only now that every one is
beginning to wake up to the fact that
the cruise of the fleet has not been Il
mere experimental procession or a
travelling show. but a thorOughgoing
tuning up of an already well trained
mass-so we'll trained that the fleet ar
rives in more effective condition than
when it started. Spcrry viii! increase
its efficiency beyond the slightest
doubt He knows the business of naval
work of today All through his life.
como good or come Ill, he has not only
had the faculty, but. rs shown in his
work, he has exercised it to the full.
Of keeping up with the times and max
ing use OF experience in the most eff
fectiyc way and under all clrcum-
stances doing his work with the ease
and stcadiness of the trained athlete.
"Of course there is the other factor
in this extension of the cruise to the
Ettermoat ends of the earth that Ameri-
cans take to heart. We know that the
ships and the men are all right. So
!, cially also when it comes to showing
the national character we want -
show an equal advantages At this end
Of tie line 10 H2e,ar representative
could be chosen than &peTy. 80 one
could talk with him two minutes with
out being Impressed with respect for
| his courteous dignity. his famiiiar!."
with all the matters that are Of ip.pr-
| est f. world progress. and he possesses
| 10 the fail that quiet assurance OF tn
| American Who needs no affectatiOn 70
! impress his critic. y better example
Of quiet impressive American charar-'
| ter could not have been chosen. Take
| it all in all, the coming extension of
| the cruise may serve as an invaluable
| lesson to the PARKWAY world as to
what kind of people the Americans
! really are, rot what hidebound for
| eign writer's think we are"