The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-03
AMERICA HAS SENT MANY EMPHASIZES
 ID OTHER SIDE
Rear Admiral Gleaves Says These Are Preparing to Aid in Sea Fight
 Expected

New York, June 2.-The United States now has large number oi first-cIass battIeships @preparing sfde by side with the best ships of the British nnvy for mn engagement on the high seas which is expected to oe- cur at any time with the German fleet" according to statement made in m address here tonight by Rear
 Admiral Albert Gleaves.
 @T am not going beyond the border line of secrecy" declared Admir- al GIeayes, .syvhen I say that a few days ago there came an alarm to the heads of the British navy that the German l battIeships were about to come out for the expected engagement on the high seas. know that the British navy heads gave the first-ciass Amer ican battIeships post of honor Tn preparation for the attack" LIMITED TO NARROW LINES I do not profess to know much of what is going on in the arena of war on the other side of the ocean," Ad- miral Gleaves continued. because l am kept busy with my own part of the game, which is the management of the cruiser and transport operations.
 Again I am limited to narrow lines III IIlG IndLLtT Ol SlNlt5 Out iiAoA HI" tion. and I would not go into details even If I did know such things. But believe I am within the limitations of orders when I say that the United States has large number Of first class battleships now preparing side by side with the best ships of the Brit ish navy for an engagement on the high seas which is expected to occur any time with the German fleet hot shinC work in Q with the British navy in making ready for this fight, are in the prime of con- dition and are fully prepared to win the engagement. We have about 150 vessels over there now and between S5,oo0 and 5oooo men aboard them"
 NAVY HAS QUADRUPLED Asserting that it was gratifying to note that the appropriat tion bill await ing the signature of President Wilson carries with it $1 300, 100000 to back up this rapidly growing navy of ours, Admiral Gleaves added that i've now have a navy of 19.00o officers and more than 100000 men, or "a navy four times greater than it was just before we entered the war"
 Describing the life of soldiers aboard transports, the speaker said that the men had everything that can be fur nished them to remind them of life ashore" from 15,000 to 20.000 meals are prepared each day aboard these trans- ports, he said, adding that leach ship is little world all to itself" AIRPLANES ON SHIPS Tn reply to a question as to whether it had been found impossible to carry airplanes on cruisers. Admiral Gleaves said
 All navies have been experimenting g along such lines, but the airplanes are | so fragile that they are often put out | of commission by the discharge Of the | big guns of a cruiser, and it is diff | ficult to take them on and off. Tho Seattle carried six and the North Caio-
 lima and the Huntington carried some ] but encountered great difficulty Asked if any method had been de- vised to destroy an oncoming torpedo l Admiral Gleaves replied:
 'Practically none" Asked how neal l to our shores German submarines had | approached. he referred his questioneI to the Secretary of the Navy 'whc knows"
 1 CYCLOPS MYSTERY In reply to a request to explain tho l disappearance of the naval collier Cy. | clops, he said:
 l T would take fortune teller l account for the Cyclops"
 1 Asserting that the "American sailo, l has no superior" Admiral Gleaves sai.
 that he had never heard of any dis. | crimination in the navy against en. l listed men of German parentage ant
 that there was mo caste in the Unite
 States navy except that of giving or. ders and obeying orders"
 
 i11O NHEAy T7ATT Vcyny -oD