River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-09-09
MODERN WARSHIPS
They Are Vastly More Than Mere
Fighting Machines.
LIKE WELL ORDERED CITIES.

Zach One Has Its Own Police Force
and It's Court of Justice and Is as
Complete as an Ocean Liner or an Up
to Date Hotel as Living Place.
The modern warship is not only
fighting machine, but, like the big
ocean liner, she may be compared with
The most up to date hotel or even with
a we'll regulated commonwealth, ac-
cOrding to Rear Admiral Charles -.
Sigsbee, u. S. n, retired. The former
captain of the Maine has drawn a pic
ture Of one of Uncle Sans typical
fighting craft from new angle, and
he says:
when one of these great battlesh1ps,
with her many people, puts out to sea
she must be self supporting from her
own supplies. She is everything from
q village to a large city, according to
one capacity or another She has her
own police force, her own courts Of
justice and metes out her own punish
ment. IN no small degree she rewards
as well as Furnishes.
Normally and counting to the ut
termOst corner and creVice, she is one
Of the cleanest and most sanitary eS-
adjustments to be found anywhere.
Her spring cleaning is administered
every day and before the earliest busy
hours Of the forenoon. At her best
she is a beautiful souvenir of patriot
ism to the vision Of the patriot. At
her worst, after each coaling Of soft
coal that she burns, we find her as
grimy everywhere as a coal pit In
her war paint her white sheen has de-
parted somewhat, but her cleanliness
remains.
Her people drink germless water
distilled on board from salt water over
the side. She has her own ice plant,
ice water. pipe line cold storage
rooms, tubular fire mains and flushing
systems, hot and cold water supply
through pipes, and has bathtubs and
shower baths for either salt or fresh
water. She has no sewer gas, nor has
she the murderous mosquito that we
have on shore to usurp the iniquity OF
our old bugaboo, the household sewer
gas She has laundrymPn and tailOrS,
stewards, cooks and attendants. Her
range of special artifcers is long
one.
Her hospital and pharmacy are up
to date, and even her canteen, while
on the dry order of canteens, possesses
some of the combined qualities of q
cigar store, notion counter, confection-
cry and delicatessen store. With her
hardware, utensils and mechanical ad-
juncts of many kinds she could stock
Il gigantic hardware establishment on
shore. What hardware house keeps on
hand more than $1,OO0,OOO worth of
supplies?
''She has telephone system for In
ternal use and a wireless outfit for eX-
ternal communication. She is heated
by steam and lighted by electricity and
has scores Of electric motors. Her guns
are fired by electricity, and finally with
her powerful electric plant she could
provide the electric needs of a city of
more than $4,000 people.
''She harnesses and uses, with nice
application, tremendous forces or
steam. electricity and explosives. Her
satellites are scout vessels, hospital
vessels, supply vessels, repair vessels,
dispatch vessels, tugs, destroyers and
submarines. When the battleship has
done what the ocean liner does she has
not yet begun her reserve Of gigantic
accomplishments-he war specialties.
In her power of damage battleship Is
truly internal"
Admiral Sigsbee says that practically
all the enlisted men in the United
States navy are American born, which
is a great reversal of conditions that
existed before sails gave way to steam.
The present typical man-o'Wars man
Is much younger than his prototype,
but each year is increasing the average
age, and this is a great advantage to
the navy.
The young men who enter the service
and pass through only one or more pc
RODS of enlistment, preferring civil life
thereafter, carry with them a sense Of
discipline and n knowledge of mechan-
zeal niceties that have much influence
in shaping their lives and in populariz-
ing the navy throughout the country
lit no longer is the rule to seek men
only on the coast. Every state is now
well represented by enlisted men, espe
Fially those of the middle west.-NeW
York Times.