Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-13
PASSING OF THE BROOKLYN
Effective warship In 1893, and
Others, on Way TO the
Junk Heap.

A trifle over eleven year ago the
cruiser Brooklyn, as the flagship OF Adj
miral Schley. in the battle OF Santiago
led the van in the pursuit Of the flying
fleet Of Admiral Cervera, and II was shots
from its guns which did the greatest
damage to the Spanish navy. Eleven years
ago the Brooklyn was the pride Of the
American navy, and IN up-to-date model
Of it's type Of battleship. Today II Is
lying partially dismantled and will prob-
ably never see active service again. It's
hull is perfectly sound, its engines in
perfect condition, and in every way the
vessel is as good as It was when It showed
It's power In Cuban waters.
The Navy Department has ruled, how
ever, that It was out OF date, and It will
be allowed to go into decay, while a more
modern and more expensive vessel will
take it's place in tho line OF the Atlantic
squadron Of the United States navy. With
out considering the sentimental and his
toric interest that attaches to the Brook
Ign, It appears to the luy mind as a serious
mistake to allow so formidable a fighting
craft to go in the Junk heap.
Junk dealers OF the world have been sud
denly elevated to a high place for the ad-
miration Of the people of activity. Any
junk dealer may for a day at least win
more fame in the public print than the
d%iscoverer OF the North pole and a great
deal more than the conquervr of a disease.
The Turkish government has appealed to
the Junk dealers to come to that troubled
country and buy and take away five battle
ships that are good for nothing but the
scrap heap. Incidentally American iron
and steel manufacturer are also invited
TO make bids for the secondhand stuff.
Also, incidentally, the world is reminded
that battleships are big heaps of scrap
most of the time. These five have been
owned by the Turkish government FOR a
long time, some of them since 1864, but
they have been good for nothing as light
ing craft for many years. They have been
listed as the Turkish navy, and served for
one of the great bluffs of the red devil
who was knocked off the throne a few
months ago. After all it is an open ques
ton II the old Abdul Hamid was not the
wisest Of the monarchs. He kept the old
hulks in commission and tsvy counted five
at much less expense than other rulers
have put their countries to In punding new
battleships for their navies. It matters
little how old the junk, and these of the
Turks served the purpose as well as those
great ~Dreadnoughts Of England and Ger
many ana tne united states. They cost
only a few thousand dollars apiece as COM
pared to the millions that have been
wasted in making other junk piles after
the latter-day methods of building mon
sters for the oceans, running them a few
trial trips, manning them with expensive
forces and then making out the plans for
new ships of larger size and more shooting
capacity The new government Of Turkey
is 10 renlapp tbpcp old pilae % f,,nL uttb
new battleships, to keep the list full, and
the British will get the joe or building
them, unless there is radical change from
the usual outcome. According to the re-
ports Of the metal trades brought from
England to Worcester, that is about all tho
work that is doing over there in the free
trade country, the building is monster
vessels for war in theory and for the junk
pile in fact.-New York Press.