New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-22
Cruisers and Their Varied Duties
~ ps,; of Their Services With Particular Reference to American
~ Cruisers in The War of The Revolution and The CicH War

find q vessel on the high seas in those dsys
must have been almost miracle. i. was
indeed so. For q captain Of a cruiser had
rarely any means Of obtaining information Of
an enemy's movements that was not so old
az to be Of but little use, unless his instinct
and his Judgment put him on the right track.
lie might sail for weeks in distant waters and
not see a ship, but il he were lucky he would
find what he was after and win fame, or prize
money or both. On the other hand, a. is
quite apparent, IL he sailed into the enemys
waters he would find possibly prizes in num-
bers, as we'll as enemys ships there to defend
them. As write these lines there are tales
in the papers Of another German raider in
the South Pacific which IL may be quite Diff
cult TO find, and this in spite OF cables and
wireless making distance negligible as far
as communication is concerned. The vast
ness Of the ocean, however, never changes.
The Civil War
Tho hardest work our steam cruisers had
in the Civil War was following up the Confsd-
crate raiders. The navy's great undertaking
was, of course, tho blockade Of the ports OF
the Confederacy, and it was maryellously sue
coGsful, even though not always complete.
Gradually, however, the United States forces
capturcO port aItCT port, until WI" NNS iab
of Fort Fisher, Wilmington and all the other
ports were absolutely closed. Charleston
alone was not captured until 1865, but, never
thelcss, was SO tightly blockaded for tie last
two years Of the war as 10 be practically in
ccessiblc. Now, TO maintain this blockade
taxed the navy's resources 70 the limit, and
II was not possible TO send a squadron Of
vessels like the Hartford or Kesrsargs
classes to run down such vessels as the Flor
ida, the Alabama and the Shenandoah. II is
true some ships were especially sent on this
GRAND Thus, the Vanderbilt, fast Atlant;
liner with paddle-wheels and a double walk
jnc-beam engine) presented 70 the government
for cruiser, was specially sent 10 the Cape OF
Good Hope, but she failed TO catch the Ala
bama. This vessel was afterward made into
a sailing ship, called the Three Brothers, and
messengers on the old Wall Street ferry
thirty years ago saw her frequently lying at
the pier just to the west Of the Montague
Street ferry slip. Other single vessels we're
equally unsuccessful, until the Kearsarge
found the Alabama at Cherbourg and sank
her In action. But these failures were in no
small measure due 20 the fact that English
colonial harbors were freely open 70 the
Confederate vessels, so that being able 70
cruise as rule under sail, and thus TO save
their coal. they could, when necessary, make
a convenient port for reftting and coaling.
Thus they had an opportunity to escape
capture unequalled in the history Of raiders
possessing no homo ports to go TO. And yet
in the end these raiders except the Shcnan-
doah all came to grief, usually through the
activities OF the United States ships. 1t
must, however, be borne in mind that the
destruction Of merchant ships by these raid
ers had absolutely no effect whatever on the
war. The North was not dependent on It's
merchant marine for anything needed in the
war, and the war was not heightened
day or its outcome in any way affected by
what these raiders did.
A very different condition of things e2istS
to-day. when a fleet Of German cruisers,
could they get to sea, migM very seriously
interfere with the success of the war. Such
vast numbers of men were being constantly
transported to Europe, even before we en-.
tered the war; such enormous quantities OF
supplies and ammunitions arc being sent to
France and England; and so all-lmportant Is
il that this traffic of men and supplies BE-
uninterrupted, that from the very beginning
England set TO work to destroy all German
warships at sea and to prevent others from
getting TO sea- As far as the latter effort IS
concerned, England has been slngulsrly sue
ccssful, the very few raiders that have got
on. mast the blockade, and the still smaller
number that have got home again, telling bet
ter than anything else how tight IS the
blockade Here again cruisers are most use
ful TO the English, but with them are the
ubiauitous destrOyors--ours are now there as
wcll-whose duties seem TO be endless.
tn Re Concluded Tomorrow