The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-19
A DEFENCE OF THE NAVY.
The Record shows 1t Has Not Owed
It's Best Sims to Congress.

The Record shows II Has Not Owed
Its Best Ships to Congress.
To THE EDITOR op THE suN-Str: !
confess I did not sec the speech OF Mr..
Slayden Of Texas In January OF last
year which Another Student OF HIS
tory" brings to my attention In a letter
TO THE Sun, but I have no doubt Mr.
Slayden soundly whacked our navy ex-
pcrts. Did he quote any Congressman
who advocated steam Mt the time the
ravy opposed It's Introduction on shi;N'
And what Congressmen backed the
monitors against the navy's Judgment"
Mr.. Slayden no doubt recalled the fact
that Napoleon, who was n good deal OF
a somebody. did not recognize the ad-
va.itages OF steam when Fulton recoin-
mended its use en- ships. and that
many a long headed man opposed rail-
roads at the start. Even so bright n
man as T'enimore Cooper ridiculed the
WAYS hotter than foresight. and all
great inventions which upset all pre-
vious economic and scientific ideas have
found their opponents.
Granted, then. that there were some
niossbacks even In the navy navy OIL
GERS are but mem, II seems to me that
the IVY made pretty good use OF the
steamship. Very carly the old paddle
steamers like the Powhatan and MIS-
sissippi were known In many a foreign
port. ever In Asia. But these ships
suggest something critics Of navy back
wardness should not forget. Was II ig-
ORANGE. obstinany. prejudice or what
that led the Pacific Mall to build for
Its China trade In 1867 great wooden,
paddlewheel ships with walking beam
engines. like the Great Republic; and
was any politician wise enough to point
out the AWFUL mistake that II was max
ing? I remember these ships well. and
II was shown only too soon that they
could not compete with the iron screw
steamers. They vanished to the scrap
heap.
by 1855 the navy. however. had pro-
duc,d two inaryels for those days: first
the ship later known az the Florida,
which ran from Charleston TO off New
port at nearly eighteen knots under
steam only-a speed not equalled at sea
for many a long day and second. the
New Ironsides, the most powerful broad
side battleship OF her time. against
whvss battery no European ship of 1865
could have stood up for half IN hour.
She was burned about 1867 at League
Island, and even pictures of her are
scarce. And again in 1861 there was
on 'he stocks at the Brooklyn navy
yard the hull OF n very early now for
gotten dreidnought. the Colossus. n
monitor planned for three turrets. each
with two Is inch guns. the most power
ful sun anoGt. OF course she was never
completed. bat her rotten hull could he
seen until well on In the sos I have
been on II many times. Was the navy
behind the times in all this:
AS FOR IN. monitors. no one even AT
,rst. as / recall history. doubted their
value as fighting machines: their sea-
wottn!nass vas seriously questioned, as
we'll 1t might be. What did happen was
that some overenthusiastic officers be-
l!eved them invincible against shore bat.
t%eries. and much sorrow resulted.
Another Student OF History must
admit that our navy officers have al
ways been considered as the best edu-
Gated and clcarcst thinking men on blue
water. In any profession. even in politics,
some mon lag behind but politicians
hav. not To my knowledge ever shown
the way TO the navy. although many
OF them have helped develop II.
Thus TO refer again to Secretary
Hunt. his cooperation with the navy
was splendid and his encouragement
helped more than can be told. And as
quick as Congress gave tho navy the
means. the navy, unaided BY outsiders.
developed among other things our I'M
surpassed gan shops at the Washington
Navy Yard. At the same time our
earliest battleships. the Oregon. Mas.a-
chusetts and Indiana. far surpassed IN
offensive power any foreign battleship
OF their time. small as they were. We
went ahead with improved ships unit,
In 1905 W. refrigerated when we bull,
the Idaho aad Mississippi 1rccently sold
I, Greece, ships which Congress-. not
N" navy. nade smaller and less et'i-
Client than their predecessors. Ike the
virginia and Connecticut $500.