VA fyxmll Winivmii^ ^i'bxM^ THE GIFT OF ..^...ClJm^.U!........ AlA.'^A.Z... ..^^...ff Cornell university Ubrary VA53 .A7 Personnel o* ,*|[i?„,MMilf olin 3 1924 030 753 739 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030753739 PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY-STAFF. TESTIMONY TAKEN BY THE JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE COMMITTEES ON NAVAL AFFAIRS SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, PURSUANT TO THE FOLLOWING JOINT RESOLUTION JANUARY 13, 1894. Resolved Try the House of Bepresentatives {the Senate concurring), That sub- committees of the Cotomittees on Naval Affairs of the Senate and of the Honse of Eepresentatives, to be selected by each of said committees, are hereby directed to act jointly, whose duty it shall be to fully investigate and con- sider the entire subject of the rank, pay, and all other matters relating to the personnel of the Navy ; to have power to send for persons and papers, sit during the recess, if any, and during the sitting of both Houses, and to report at any time after it convenes as may be convenient to such committees what legislation, if any, is necessary in the premises. WASHINGTON: GOTEENMENT FEINTING OFFICE. X894. A y^'^Y CONTENTS, Pagew Statement of Chief Constructor Philip Hichborn 3-9 Paymastor-Genenil Edwin Stewart 9-11 Medical Director Albert C. Gorgas 11, 12 Engineer iu Chief George W. Melville 12-22, 25-63, 138-143 Passed Assistant Engineer Frank M. Bennett 22-25 Surg. Gen. James F. Tryon 64-75 Maj. Augustus S. Nicholson, U. S. Marine Corps 75-89 Capt. George C. RceU, U. S. Marine Corps 90-99 Hon. Uriels. Hall,.M. C 99-123 Col. Commandant Charles Heywood, U. S. Marine Corps. .. 123-137, 143 2 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY— STAFF. STATEMENT OF PHILIP HIGHBORN, CHIEF CONSTRUCTOR, U. S. NAVY. Senator Btjtlbk. How long have you been in the service'? Chief Constructor Highborn. I have been in the service as a naval constructor for twenty live years. I have been in the Government service thirty-eight years. Senator Butler. Tou now have the relative rank of commodore 1 Chief Constructor Highborn. Yes. Senator Butler. State in your own way, if you please, what you desire the committee to hear in regard to the staff. Chief Constructor Highborn. Sometime ago I sent a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, relative to the construction corps and, I think, if you will permit me to read that it will cover the whole ground. Senator Butler. Very well. Chief Constructor Highborn. {See Appendix A.) Senator Hale. Have you a bill that embodies your ideas? Chief Constructor Highborn. Yes. Senator Hale. Does that receive the approval of the Secretary of the Navy? Chief Constructor Highborn. I do not know that it does. I have never heard from him in regard to it, but he realizes that it is necessary that something should be done for the corps. Mr. Wadsworth. That is on the th^ry that we are going to increase our Navy by building new ships every year? Chief Constructor Highborn. After you reach a certain number it will be necessary to keep up the standard by repairs and building. Moreover, officers are now frequently wi|:hdrawn from very important work in order to serve on special boards, whose place of meeting is several hundred miles from their respective stations, there being no other officers of the construction corps available for such duty. The work of inspection of steel plates, shapes, and armor forgiugs for the Navy is now being done almost entirely by officers of the line, a state of affairs which does not exist in any other country, such duty being invariably performed by officers of the construction corps, whose train- ing and experience especially fit them for such work. In the British service there are 7 chief constructors and constructors, and 14 assistant constructors on duty under Mr. White, the director of naval construction at the admiralty office in London. In the Bureau of Construction and Repair, of which I am the chief, and whose duties are similar to those of the department presided over by Mr. White, there are at present only 2 assistant constructors, and they are so fully occupied with outside work as members of boards, that they have lit- tle time to assist me in the strictly technical work of the Bureau. 3 4 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. Nearly $50,000,000 havebeeu expended during the past ten years on work coming under the immediate supervision of offlcers of the corps of naval construction, and the responsibility involved iu the prepara- tion of designs and actual work of construction is very great, and tor etficient performance requires the services of many more ofticers than are at present available for such duty. Senator Butlbe. Have you your bill with you^ Chief Constructor Highborn. I have. It explains itself, (bee Appendix B.) Senator Hale. How many now hold the rank of assistant naval constructor? Chief Constructor Highborn. Fifteen. Senator Halb. And vou provide for 30 in your bill? Chief Constructor Highborn. Yes; that would be the limit reached in 1902 by a gradual growth as shown by the foregoing tables. It should be borne iu mind that the bill really proposes no radical depart- ure from the practice of the Department for the past ten years, since it limits the appointments to three each year, a number which has several times been exceeded in the past. Senator Butler. Tliese 15 men are taken from the Naval Academy, are they not "J Cliief Constructor Highborn. For many years past all appointments to the corps have been made from graduates of the Naval Academy who have attained special distinction in their class and who had been recommended to the Secretary of the Navy by the academic board of the Naval Academy as specially qualified to take a post graduate course. The object of this bill is merely to regulate such appointments, and fix a final limit, so that the corps may gradually be brought up to a good worlcing basis, iu keeping with the duties and responsibilities devolving upon it. I' also submit a table giving the organization of the construction corps of England, Ffance, Italy, and Eussia. {See Appendix C.) Senator BuTLBR. Are the men composing the construction corps of those governments naval officers or civilians? Chief Constructor Highborn. Naval ofticers. Senator Hale. They are part of the establishment? Chief Constructor Highborn. Except in England, where, although tlioy ai'C members of the Royal corps of naval constructors and per- manent officials, they arc not subject to naval discipline, and their pay and retiring allowances are arranged more in conformity with those of the permanent civil ser\ ice. In all other countries officers of tlie con- struction corps are naval officers under military discipline. 1 had some talk with Enj;lish constructors when I was over there. They had no desire to have their organization different from what it was. They believed that they had greater authority in the position they occupied than they would if they were under military discipline. They thought that as soon as the queston of rank was raised an officer might be brought into a navy-yard or under control of others who would out- rank them without regard to ability. But the English case was the only one where I found the constructors preferring to be civilians. Senator Butler. They have no rank in the naval establishment? Chief Constructor Highborn. They have no military rank, but the director of naval construction is assistant controller of the navy, and as such has under him many naval officers, both line and staff, several having as high rank as rear-admiral. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. O Mr. Wadswokth. What is your idea? Chief Constructor Hichboiin. I prefer military rank. I am satis- fled that it is essential in order to properly manage work under the naval organization adopted for this country. Senator Hale. They have a pretty large corps of very skillful men? Chief Constructor Hiohbokn. They have about 231 people under the head of constructors and inspectors. Mr. Meyer. Why do you think their system would not operate as well here as in England? ~ Chief Constructor Hichboen. We formerly had that system, where the constructor was a civilian. It would not work well here at all. The organizations of navy-yards are strictly military organizations and it would be subversive of discipline to change the existing order of things by putting the greater part of the force under civil control. Senator Butler. How is the English corps organized? Chief Constructor Highborn. Mr. White, the director of naval con- struction, occupies a similar position to mine in the Navy Department. Senator Butler. I am speaking of the 231; are they under the direction of the board of admiralty? Chief Constructor Highborn. Entirely. Senator Butler. Without any military rank? Chief Constructor Highborn. Tes. Senator Butler. How do they regulate their pay? Suppose they take a young man in the bureau of construction; how is his pay regu- lated? Chief Constructor Highborn. It is regulated by time and service, on the principle of longevity pay — so much for assistants, and so much for naval constructors. They have assistant constructors, constructors, and chief constructors, one director of dockyards, and one director of naval construction. ApPB>fDIX A. Navy Department, Washington, D. C, Deeemher IS, 1S9S. Sir: 1. I have the honor to suljmit for your consideration a draft for a proposed bill to increase the efficiency of the corps of naval constructors of the Navy, and to request that the Department will bring the matter to the attention of Congress, with a favorable recommendation. 2. The objects intended to be secured by this proposed amendment to existing law are : (1) To limit the number of naval constructors to 20, of whom 5 shall have the relative rank of captain, 5 the relative rank of commander, and 10 the relatise rank of lieutenant-commander or lieutenant, according to dates of precedence. (2) To limit the nuimber of assistant naval constructors to 30, who shall have the relative rank of lieutenant or lieutenant junior grade, according to precedence, to entitle all assistants to commission from the President, as all other officers of the Navy of the same rank: (3) To provide for the slow and steady growth of the corps in a manner best calculated to maintain a high standard of efficiency. 3. Under the present laws the number of naval constructors is not limited, and therefore there is no regularity of promotion from the grade of assistant iiaval constructor. The naval constructors at present on the list are 14, a number very inadequate to the performance of the duties which now fall to them . Their relative rank does not compare with the importance of their duties as heads of departments in the navy-yards, nor does it compare equally with the rank of heads of other departments; therefore, by the proposed bill, one-half the list of naval constructors will have the relative rank of commander and captain, which will also render double the present number of officers eligible for selection as chief constructor. 4. The present list of assistant naval constructors includes 15 officers, of whom 3 are studying abroad in preparation for active duties. The number is unlimited by law. All those now on the list have been appointed by the Secretary of the Navy from graduates of the Naval Academy who have especially fitted themselves by a course of study abroad. Although the rank and pay of the grade is estab- lished by law, these officers are not entitled to commissions from the President, 6 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. an anomalj wliich grew out of a custom established during tlie war, and an exception to all other grades in the naval service. ^ ■ + „«+ 5. The proposed bill will place the corps on a regular basis as to appointmenx, growth, and promotion, which does not now exist, and which is justihed by tne responsible duties performed by its ollicers. . -4.4. 6 The provisions of the proposed bill regarding six years' service as assistant before promotion to the grade of naval constructor, and that pernntting not more than three appointments to the grade of assistant in any one year, will cause only one promotion during the next year, and the accompanying table shows that the appointments and promotions will he made at a rate only sufficient to provide for the normal growth of the corps, the full number of fifty being attained m 1902. 7 It is well known that the number of officers in the construction corps is insui- ticient; it has been and is impossible to obtain a sufficient number of officers forthe proper inspection of contract work, and the work in the navy-yards has placed upon the naval constructors an amount of work which has made it impos- sible to perform their duties with satisfaction to themselves and to maintain the close supervision of work esseutial to economical aud prompt execution of repairs and new construction. . 8 It has been aud is frequently necessary to take officers engaged upon important and responsible duties snfificient'to engage all their time and attention for service on boards at distant points, which considerably interferes with the efficient perform- ance of duty. [First indorsement.] Bureau of Construction and Eepair, Decemher 16, 1S93. (1) Respectfully forwarded to the Department. (2) The views herein expressed are fully concurred in by the bureau, which is of opinion that the passage of such a bill \v(mld add to the efficiency of the corps of naval constructors and be to the best interests of the Governinont service. (3) The proposition is submitted to the Department for consideration. (4) The paper relative to tlie organization of the construction corps of foreign navies (inolosure 1) and the proposed bill (inclosure 2) are forwarded herewith. Pnii.ip liiciinoRN, Chief Constructor, U.S.N., Chief of Bureau. Appendix B. A proposed Mil lo increase tlie efficiency of the corps of naval constructors of the Navy. [To .amcnil section 1J77, 11. S.] Of the naval constructors five sh.ill have tin- relative ranlc of ciiptain, live the rel- ative rank of commander, aud ten tlie relative ranlc of lieiitoiiaiit-coiuinandor and lieutenant. The President, by aud with the advice and c(msent (pf the Senate, may ai)point assistant naval constructors. The number of assistnnt naval cousti iietoTH .shall be limited to thirty, and they shall liave the;:elati\ e luiik of lieutenant, or lieutenant, junior grade. A.ssistant naval constructors shall have at least six years' service in that grade before pioniotion. The assistant imval constrnctors in the Navy, on the approval of this act, shall be commissioned by the President^ after a])pointment and confirmation as herein provided, and the number so conniiissioniid shall not be increased by more than three in any one succeeding year. Year. Constructors. Assistants. 1803 1894 1895 15. NoadditioiiM. Uaxlcr promoted. 17. Thnie addril. Capps puomutcd. 17. Tlir.^oiuM.-rt. llanltson, Street, and Taw- rcury proiiinied. 20. Threes iulded. No promotions. 20. Threi- add.-d. Stocker, Hibbs, and Snow promoted. 22. Thrive addnl. Hohson promoted. 24. Threnaddtd. Kock promoted. 2G. Threi- addcil. Kulim proiNoted. 28. Thri;e added. Spi-ar jirdmolod. 30. Three addf-d. Zalim promoted. 30. No additions. No promotions. 30. One addition. GiUmor promoted. 15 One atlded 18 Three added 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 20. Fernald retired. Three added 20. Feaster retired. One added 20. n ichbom retired. One added 20. Wilson retired. One added 20. No retirements. No additions 20. Hanscom retired. One added PEKSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. Metirement of naval constructors. Naval constructors. Eetired. IS'aTal constructors. Betiredi Ifovember, 1897. June, 1898. , August, 1899. April, 1900. Marcli, 1001. May, 1902. May, 1904. Stahl, A. "W May, 1919. October, 1920. Bowles, F.T September, 1922. October, 1922. Yamev "W" H "Woodward, J. J • Armistead, S.W September, 1924. Taylor,D.W Maxcb, 1926. From the above it will be seen that only 7 retirements occur during the next twenty-six years, so that unless the Department's previous policy of making at least 2 promotions for each vacancy is adhered to until the corps reaches a strength proportionate to the work intrusted to it, there will be little chance for advancement for many of those at present holding the rank of assistant naval constructor. Appendix C. BISTGLAKD. The organization of the construction corps in England has always been on the civilian basis. The overseers and inspectors mentioned below perform many of the duties assigned to assistant constructors in the U. S, Navy, and are eligible to examination and promotion to the permanent corps of naval constructors, their pay as overseers and inspectors being greater than that of assistant constructors, second and third classes. All of these officials are in addition to the foremen of the various departments, which are organized on very much the same basis as our own. In addition to the ofiScers enumerated in the following list, there are special inspect- ors for all contract work under the direction of the director of naval construction, a large appropriation being made annually to cover the expense of this work. The duties of the construction corps in England comprise the design and con- struction of hulls and their fittings, the design and construction of the motive machinery being under the engineer in chief of the navy. Director of naval construc- tion. Director of dock- yards. Cliief construc- tors. Con- structors. Assistant con- structors. Over- seers and inspec- tors. Total. 1 1 3 2 2 2 1 1 3 2 2 2 14 9 8 5 1 4 2 1 -3 69 34 20 16 21 25 72 46 29 18 26 2 - 1 2 9 13 Total 1 1 12 11 44 162 231 * Examiners. The above are concerned in the design, construction, and outfit of hnlls only. CORPS OF NAVAL CONSTRUCTORS IN PRANOB. Prepares plans and estimates of ships and engines ; has charge of the construction and maintenance of the same; makes allowances for the equipment of the fleet; has charge of tools, workshops, etc., in navy-yards. This bureau also has under it the construction and maintenance of buildings for use of the navy, hydraulic works, etc., being responsible for their proper care and maintenance, but having attached to it for this purpose a special personnel of civil engineers, not Included in the list of naval constructors. The bureau also has charge of general stores pertaining to its work, their pur- chase and transport, special officers from the pay and engineer corps being detailed for this work. In the actual work of construction of ships in government dockyards, and the supervision of work in private shipyards, the naval constructors are assisted by a 8 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. large corps of inspectors, not inclufled iu the accompanying list, these inspectors being men of superior technical training and eligible to promotion to the corps oi naval constructors after passing regular exaiiiiuations. While a great many duties come under the general direction of the bureau oi naval constructiou, it has detaileil for duty under its immediate supervision officers of the pay, engineer, and other corps, so that practically the entire corps of naval constructors can be assigned to the actual work of naval construction. Officers of corps of naval construction, France. station of officers doing hull work. S § •S Title. Eank. .2 o S .2 ,£3 1=^ ^1 g^ 1^ '3 ■s.g •9 & o iJ K H o ^ !i> r^ fi 1 1 Directorot naval coDstruction . Commodore — 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 g 1 Captain Coramander-.- Lieutenant ... h •f, 3 3 3 18 1 Do 3 4 1 5 1 6 6 1 4 1 8 1 2 8 4 18 39 3 12 5 Aasistant naval constructor . . . 15 Do a 1 2 5 7 Total 16 11 12 11 9 15 4 12 90 16 31 Officers of construction corps cliargcd with design and construction of— Hulls , 90 Machinery -H Special services (including both) 16 Students : - 10 Total 147 The Italian corps of naval constructors, ■which has recently heen reorganized, has under its jurisdiction the desi;j;n and construction of hoth hulls and machinery. More than three-fonrths of the naval coiintructors enumerated in the following list, however, are engaged upon hull work, being assisted in matters of supervision and inspection, as in the Frencli and English services, by a large number of civilian inspectors, who perform many of the duties which would otherwise be assigned to aasistant naval constructors. Officers of this corps engaged in machine construction are assisted by officers detailed from the corps of mechanical (lugineors (ufficiale macchinisti). Eanlt. Number. Inspector- general Inspectors of naval construction . Directors of naval construction . . . Naval constructors: First cla-ss Second class Vice-admiral . Rear-admiral . (Japtain Commander Lioutenaut-commander . Assistant naval constructors: First class Second class Assistant naval constructors . Lieutenant Subliuutcnant . 34 12 18 Total . Approximate nnmber engaged in- Naval constmction Ufaohlae oona tmctloii G9 20 PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. RUSSIA. Titles. lielatlre rank. Ntonber. ' 4 Naval constructors : 15 23 Assistajiit naval constructors : 42 25 24 49 Total 91 The corps of naval construction in the Russian service has to do with the desiga and construction of hulls only, the correspondiug work of design and construction of engines being performed by officers of the mechanical engineer branch, specially selected for that service. STATEMENT OF EDWIN STEWART, PAYMASTER-GENERAL, U. S. NAVY. Senator Btjtlek. State in your own way what you desire the com- mittee to hear in regard to the personnel of the Pay Corps. Senator Hale. Tou are chief of the Bureati of Supplies and Accounts? Paymaster-G-eneral Stewart. Yes. I came here because I was sent for. The Pay Corps has no bill to present, nor has it anything to ask for. Senator Hax,e. Tou would like to be let alone, would you? Paymaster-G-eneral Stewaet. If the Pay Corps is let alone you probably will not hear from us. But if any legislation is contemplated which .will affect the Pay Corps we should like to be heard on such points as will affect us. Of course, if the question of rank comes up, we should like to be heard on that also. I did recommend, in my last annual report, that we should have an addition of ten assistant jjaymasters. The number that we now have is barely sufficient for the ships in commission. If an additional num- ,ber of ships should be commissioned we should need an additional number of of&cers, and it would be better to have them in the lower grades. But, as I say, we are not asking anything for the present. Senator Hale. For the present you can get along? Paymaster-General Stewart. Certainly. We have been very much embarrassed because all the vacancies in the corps were not filled until yesterday. Now we shall get some relief. But we need every man we have in the corps, and ought not to suffer any decrease. Senator Btjtlek. I suppose we can get the list of the officers in the pay corps from the Naval Eegister? Paymaster-General Stewart. You will find that, with the excep- tion of about 5, they are all on duty, and those are either engaged in settling accounts or are sick; 1 is abroad on leave. Senator Hale. Prom your knowledge of the service you do not think it would do to abolish this pay corps? Paymaster-General Stewart. Not if you want a continuance of strict accountability of Government property. We are approaching 10 PERSONTSTEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. or nearing every day a stricter accountability tliau ever before, and the moment you do away witli tlic pay corps and allow that duty to be performed by people who have no special interest in that particular branch of the service I think the service will suffer. I see no objec- tion to filling vacancies in the pay corps, as they occur, from graduates of the Naval Academy, if yorr choose. But when a man goes into the pay corps he should be a paymaster and not a line ofBcer. Senator Hale. He should be appointed as a paymaster entirely, and attend to the business of a paymaster? Paymaster-General Stewart. Certainly. Mr. Wadsworth. How many vacancies are there in the pay corps? Paymaster-General Stewart. There were 6 until yesterday, when 6 names were sent in. Those gentlemen must pass an examination before they can be appointed. Mr. Wadsworth. To what exaniination do you subject them? Paymaster-General Stewart. An examination which embraces general information with regard to accounts and ability to keep accounts. Mr. Wadsworth. Bookkeeping? Paymaster- General Stewart. Bookkeeping and common-school education. Senator Hale. General intelligence? Paymaster-General Stewart. A sufficient examination to show that a man is able to do the work that will be imposed upon him. Mr. Wadsworth. What will be the iirst duty of these new officers? Paymaster-General Stewart. The first duty to which we shall assign these gentlemen who have just been appointed will be as assist- ants to paymasters or general storekeepers, so that they can be made familiar with keeping accounts. Senator Hale. You will not immediately send them on independent duty? Paymaster-General Stewart. Not until they have been on duty with some pay officer. Mr. Meyer. Is our system in that branch of the service similar to that of England, France, and other nations, or in what respect does it differ? Paymaster-General Stewart. I think it is the same. In the English service they have assistant paymasters who perform the duty corresponding to our clerks to paymasters; but in our service an assist- ant paymaster is ordered to a ship. Mr. Wadsworth. He has a clerk, has he not? Paymaster-General Stewart. Not unless his ship has a complement of over 175 men. Senator Butler. Do not the duties of the pay corps of the Navy correspond practically with the two Army bureaus of subsistence and quartermaster-general. Paymaster-General Stewart. Yes ; the duties of the pay corps of the Navy embrace those of the quartermaster, subsistence, and pay depart- ments of the Army. Senator Butler. They have charge of purchases anJ distribution of supplies. Paymaster-General Stewart. On ships we have charge of all the clothing and all the provisions of a ship. On shore we have charge of the purchase, custody, and issue of all nasal supj)lies. The clothing is manufactured under the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts. Senator Butler. The name of your Bureau describes its functions? PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 11 Paymaster-General Stewakt. Everything relating to accounts and property comes under the pay corps. Senator Btjtlee.. Thenit is more than the paymaster's corps in the Army? Paymaster-General Stewabt. Very much more. Mr. -Wadswoeth. You advertise for supplies 'I Paymaster- General Stewakt. Yes; we have charge of the purchase of all supplies. STATEMENT OF ALBERT CARPENTER GORGAS, MEDICAL DI- RECTOR, U. S. NAVY. Senator Butler. You are in the Medical Corps of the Navy? Dr. GoEGAS. Yes, sir. Senator Butlee. Will you state what changes, if any, you think necessary in that corps? Dr. GoRGrAS. I do not feel that I have any right to answer for the Medical Corps to-day, becatisel didnotknowuutillate yesterday after- noon that I was to come before this committee, and the Surgeon-Gen- eral himself desires to appear; he is in Philadelphia now, and hopes to have an opportunity of appearing before you, as you heard this morn- ing through a telegram from him. However, here is his bilJ, which, perhaps, you have already seen — a bDl which I think is very acceiJtable to the majority of the men in our Corps. Senator Butlek. Will you please read your bill? Dr. GoEGAs. Yes, sir. It is as follows : A BILL authorizing change of titles in the Medical Corps of the Navy. Be it enacted hy the Senate and Bouse of Representatives of the United Stales of America im Congress assembled, That ou and after the passage of this act the title of Surgeon- General, United States Navy, shall be changed to medical director-general, with rank of commodore, and it shall be constituted a permanent grade as in the Array, and promotion to said grade be made by selection, and term of office to continue until retirement. The medical director-general of the Navy shall also be chief of the Bureau of Medi- cine and Surgery, Navy Department. The title of medical director in the Navy shall remain unchanged, with rank of captain. The title of medical inspector in the Navy shall be changed to fleet surgeon, with rank of commander.. The title of surgeon in the Navy shall be changed to staff surgeon, with rank of lieutenant-commander. The title of passed assistant surgeon shall be changed to surgeon, with rank of lieutenant. The title of assistant surgeon shall be changed to surgeon, junior grade, with rank of lieutenant, junior grade. Be it further enacted, That no existing commission shall be vacated in the substi- tution of said new titles by the passage of this act, and that rank and precedence shall hereafter be determined by the date of commission held, respectively, in the several grades above designated prior lo the jiassage of this act: Provided, That henceforth all medical officers of the Navy shall be addressed by said new profes- sional titles, and where the title in any grade is changed a new commission in con- formity to this act shall forthwith be issued. Senator Butlee. Has that bill been introduced yet? Dr. GOEGAS. I am not sure ; I think it has. I think it has been sub- mitted to one of the naval committees of Congress. Senator Hale. In providing for the head of your bureau you make your bill conform to the corresponding part of the Army organization? 12 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STATF. Dr. GoEGAS. To the Surgeon-General of the Army. Mr. Meyer. What is the title now? Dr. GORGAS. It is now Surgeon-General. It is proposed to make the title Medical Director General. Senator Hale. At present the head of the bureau is selected, as m other bureaus, about once in four years, from the lower grades ; and then he serves that time as surgeon-general with the relative rank, and does not wait for retirement. This bill proposes to make perma- nent the ofiQcer at the head of this bureau until he shall be retired, just as is the case in the Army. The joint subcommittee thereupon adjourned subject to the call of chairman. Saturday, March 10, 1894. The joint subcommittee met pursuant to adjournment. Present: Senators Butler (chairman) and Hale; and Messrs. Meyer, Money, and Wads worth. George Wallace Melville, Engineer in Chief; F. M. Bennett, Passed Assistant Engineer; Philip Hichborn, Chief Constructor ; Edwin Stew- art, Paymaster-General, and Albert Carpenter Gorgas, Medical Direc- tor, TJ. S. Navy, were also present. STATEMENT OF COMMODORE GEORGE WALLACE MELVILLE. Senator Butler. State your position. Commodore Melville. Engineer in Chief, U. S. Navy. Senator Butler. How long have you been in the service? Commodore Melville. Since the 30th of July, 1861. Senator Butler. What is your present rank"? Commodore Melville. While chief of the bureau I have the rela- tive rank of commodore; that is a temporai'y rank only while occupy- ing the ofBce. My lineal relative rank is that of conimaiider. Senator Butler. Have you seen the bill, submitted by the Secre- tary of the Navy, for the reorganization of the line of tlie Navy? Commodore Melville. No, sir. Senator Butler. Tou do not desire then to say anything on that subject? Commodore Melville. No, sir. Senator Butler. Will you be kind enough to give the committee your views, in your own way, as to what changes, if any, are desirable in the staff corps of the Navy? Commodore Melvillk. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. It may perhaps be well to say here that in the exam- ination heretofore had, of the Secretary and the line oificers, the line officers have made no suggestion whatever with reference to the staff, and that no questions were asked them about the staff. T have seen it stated in one newspaper that Admiral Walker had gone over the whole subject of tlie staff. There is not a word of truth in that. Senator Butler. What Mr. Hale says is true. We propose to take up the line and staff separately. Commodore Melville. I thank the committee for that statement. I have prepared my statement under five different headings. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 13 Mr. Meyer. Does your statement relate specially to the corps of whicli you are chief? Commodore Meltille. Yes; as far as possible I have avoided all other subjects. For the consideration of the special joint committee appointed by the Fifty-third Congress to " fuUy investigate and consider the entire sub- ject of the rank, pay, and all other matters relating to the personnel of the STavy," the following matters relating to the personnel of the Engineer Corps are submitted as being subjects for investigation and rectification by said committee: (1) The necessity for increasing the number of ofQcers in the Engineer Corps to conform to the recent great additions to the steam power of the Kavy, and to enable the ofiicers of that Corps to perform their duties in a more efficient manner. The arguments and reasons in favor of this increase, together with a plan for effecting it without increasing the total number of of&cers in the Navy, are fully set forth in the accompanying paper marked Memorandum No. 1. (2) The propriety of conferring upon the officers of the Engineer Corps rank as naval officers, in place of the meaningless "relative" rank now held by them, in order that they may have legal authority for the per- formance of their duties and proper recognition of their position as a combatant element in the naval organization. The reasons for this change are given in Memorandum No. 2. (3) The necessity of making provision by law for the examination of chief engineers, when they advance from one grade to another, and of providing new legislation regarding the retirement from active service of engineer officers, as explained in Memorandum No. 3. Senator Hale. You speak of examination of chief engineers when they advance; do you mean when they are taken from one duty to another? Commodore Melville. No ; I said from one grade to another. We have four grades of chief engineers with the relative rank of captain, one grade with the relative rank of commander, one with the relative rank of lieutenant-commander, and another with the relative rank of lieutenant. Senator Hale. I understood you to say " duty." You say " grade;" that explains it. It was my mistake. Commodore Melville. (4) The necessity for legal definition of the duties of the Bureau of Steam Engineering in the Navy Department, the reasons for which are given in memorandum No. 4. (5) The desirability of providing for the detail of an officer of the Engineer Corps to act as professional assistant to theChief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering, for reasons set forth in memorandum No. 5. Those are the five headings. I am now prepared to discuss the ques- tion under the head of memorandum No. 1, if desired at this time ; if not desired now I wiU come before you again at any time the committee sees fit. Senator Btjtlek. Suppose you proceed now with the subject as you have it arranged. Commodore Melville. Then I wiU proceed with memorandum No. 1. Senator Hale. That is about theincreasel Commodore Melville. Yes. MEMOEANDtrM NO. 1. The officers of the Engineer Corps of the Navy believe that a con- siderable increase in their numbers is necessary before an efficient per- 14 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. formance of their required duties will be possible, and iu support of this belief they submit the following facts for the cousidci ation of your committee : Senator Butlek. Have you a table in that memorandum giving the list? Commodore Melvtllb. Tes. Senator Bittlbe. Then I wlU not interrupt you to ask you any ques- tions at this moment. Commodore Melville. The number of engineer officers now allowed by law is 191 ; the number actually in the service is 170, distributed for duty as shown by Table A, here following, the data in the table being compiled from the Navy Register of January 1, 1894. Table A. A.t sea, includiDg Coast. Survey and Pish Commisaion vessels Recoivinj;, traininp:, and Mchool ships Bureau ot Stf;ini EDgineerinp; Stet'l board and steel iusjiection Superintendent State, War, and Navy Department building. . Boards of inspection and survey Snperintendiuji eiigineer. Fish Commission Examining boai'd, naval engineers Inspecting machinery for new ves.sels On duty at navy-yards Board of inspection, merchant vessels Naval Aciidemy Naval Obser\'atory , Detailed to duty iu colleges Studying marine engineering abroad , Unemployed (sick, waiting orders, ou leave) , , Total. Chief en- gineers. 23 70 Passed assist- ants and assist- ants. Total. 10 3 2 2 1 3 25 32 1 6 1 1 1 9 176 Senator Butler. Will you explain about that superintendent of the State, War, and Navy Department building? Commodore Melville. There is a chief engineer who has charge of all the steam plant in that building. Senator Hale. The entire building? Commodore Melville. The entire building, all the way through. Mr. Wadswobth. It is all under one system, is it? Commodore Melville. It is all under one system. The chief engi- neer has always had on duty with him one passt-d assistant; about a year ago the passed assistant on duty was promoted to the grade of chief engineer, but notwithstanding that promotion he is still acting on duty there by assignment. That accounts for there being 2 chief engi- neers and no passed assistant on duty in that place. Senator Butlee, Why do they select an officer from the Navy for that duty? Commodore Melville. Because the entire plant is a steam plant and it is thought better to have a steam engineer to look out for it rather than a civil engineer or a military engineer. That has been the argument heretofore. Senator Hale. Tou have stated that there was one officer detailed to duty in a college; what college is that? Commodore Melville. The State college of Pennsylvania. The officer studying marine engineering abroad is Mr. Eobison, who is at PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 15 Paris. Now let me make an explanation with regard to the unem- ployed (sick, waiting orders, and on leave). When an officer comes home from a cruise he is granted a month's leave for each year's serv- ice he has had abroad; in other words, if he has had a three years' cruise, he gets a three months' leave of absence. That leave is going on in the case, sometimes, of 3 or 4 or a half-dozen officers at ±he same time. For instance, if a ship is put out of commission to-day, " James Jackson" is granted three mouths' leave after detachment. Senator Hale. How long has that been the practice of the Depart- ment? Commodore Melville. It has not always been a fixed custom of the Kavy Department until our friend, Commodore Eamsey, came there, and he rather insisted that each man should have Ms three months' leave, and be done with it. Senator Hale. To whom does that apply? Commodore Melville. To officers of all grades who have been abroad on service. Senator Hale. He thinks it better to have a- rule, and stick to it, if possible, than to vary from it. Commodore Melville. Yes, sir. But if an officer does not want a three months' leave, he writes a letter stating his wishes and asks to be assigned to duty instead. * Senator Butlek. Does he get full pay while on leave? Commodore Melville. 'No, sir; he gets leave pay, or waiting-orders pay- Senator Hale. Ton have stated that the full number of officers m your corps is 191 under the law, and that the number actually in ser- vice is 176; where are the other 15? Commodore Melville. They have not yet been appointed from the ISTaval Academy. If you remember, several years ago our corps was cut down from about 300 men to 176. A year or two ago we had an act passed to avoid the farther reduction of our corps. At that time we had been reduced to about 191 men. The act was made retroactive for one year, whereby we gained 3 or 4 men. When this new law was passed we were entitled to the number of men that would at that time be on the Xaval Eegister, which gave us 191. Senator Hale. What you mean is that your limitation is 191? Commodore Melville. Yes. Senator Hale. And that you have in the corps only 176? Commodore Melville. Yes. Senator Hale. And you are waiting for this number to be filled out from below? Commodore Melville. Yes. Senator Hale. Of the 191 to which you are entitled bylaw how many are, according to this statement of yours, in sea service? Commodore Melville. That is stated in the first item of the follow- ing table: ber. Per cent. Total at sea Total on shore duty Total in receiving ships . Total unemployed 41-48 50 3-41 5-U 100 16 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. Mr. Meyer. You state that 6 of your number are stationed at the Naval Academy at Annapolis ? Commodore Melville. Yes. Mr. Meyer. What are their duties? Commodore Melville. They are instructors in marine engineering for the cadets of all classes, both in the line and engineers. They do not teach physics in that department now. In regard to the shore duty of the engineer corps, shown by Table A, attention is called to the fact that there are many assignments formerly filled by naval engineers that have now been abandoned on account of paucity of numbers or have been intrusted to ofllcers of nonengineering branches. Senator Halb. Such as what? Commodore Melville. Inspection duty and all that. The navy-yard at Mare Island, Cal., the principal repair station that the Government has for all of its vessels in the Pacific Ocean, has at present but 3 engineer ofBcers attached to it, wliile the new naval station in Pnget Sound has none. For more than a year there has been no engineer attached to the fleet of ironclads in James River, although steam is the only motive power those vessels have, and they are absolutely dependent for their efficiency upon the maintenance of their machinery in constant good order. The inspection of steel mate- rial for new vessels, essentially an engineering pursuit and directly in keeping with the naval engineer's profession, is now almost entirely j)er- fornied by naval line oflQcers, sailmakers, and carpenters, simply because there are no engineers available for the work. Mr. Money. Are they competent to do that? Commodore Melville. I guess they can run the beam scale and things of that kind. I do not think they are as competent as engineer officers would be. Mr. Mone-^'. Who attends to all the steam machinery on the vessels now in the James River if there is no engineer there? Commodore Melville. Nobody at all, so far as I know. There are a lot of iron-clads and old-fashioned monitors there, but every once in a while when there is a little furore there is always a call for those ships. At the time of the Chilean affair the question was raised as to how soon we could get those ships ready for sea. So they ought to be kept in condition as nearly as possible, to be ready to be sent to sea at once. Senator IIale. They are laid off now? Conjmodore Melville. Yes. It has always been a question in the mechanical bureaus of the Navy Department whether or not those ves- sels are first-class harbor-defense ships if they had proper guns. Senator Hale. There is somebody there looking after them? Commodore Melville. Yes. Senator Hale. Who? Commodore Melville. A commanding ofiflcer and probably two or three subordinate officers. I know Commander Pigman is commander of the fleet. Senator Hale. There is not very much to that? Commodore Melville. No; but those vessels ought to be looked after. They should not be allowed to rust to pieces. Mr. MoiSHET. You think there ought to be an engineer officer to look after them? Commodore Melville. Yes; and we have always had one to look after such vessels until two or three years ago. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 17 Mr. Monet. Would not an assistant engineer be as useful for that purpose as a chief engineer of the Navy? Commodore Melville. Yes. Those vessels have to be moved around once in a while to prevent them from rusting to pieces. Some- times a chief engineer wlio is too old to go to sea is put on that duty, for he can attend to it as well as a younger man, and we can use the younger man for more active service. An act of Congress, dated February 26, 1879, authorized the detail of 25 naval- engineers as professors of marine engineering and iron shipbuilding in the technical schools and colleges of the country, and for several years thereafter, in fact until the building of the new navy had progressed far enough to demand the services elsewhere of all available engineers, various of&cers were so detailed in many parts of the country and rendered most valuable service to the cause of technical education, as proved by inniimerable letters from prominent oflcials of the Government and of colleges, commending their work, and the strenuous efforts made to secure renewal of such details. Senator Butlbk. Have you withdrawn any of those? Commodore Melville. All except two. There was a gentleman detailed for duty near Baltimore, at the Maryland Agricultural Col- lege, within a week or ten days. I have stated in the table that there was but one, but I was then giving the number up to the 1st day of January last. Mr. Wadsvtoeth. Why do they want an engineering officer at agri- cultural colleges? Commodore Melville. At those colleges they have a department of technical engineering. Take, for instance, the college at Cornell, where they have an agricultural department, and they have 560 stu- dents in engineering alone. That is one of the most famous colleges of the country. Mr. Wadswoeth. But what they teach there is more civil engineer- ing than marine engineering, is it not? Commodore Melville. Prof. Fuertes is the president of the civil engineering branch; Dr. Thurston, who used to be in our engineer corps, and Prof. Durand, recently from the engineer corps, are the heads of the mechanical and marine engineering departments. Senator Butler. Officers are generally detailed for services at those colleges or branches of colleges which have an appropriation from Con- gress? Commodore Melville. Yes. Senator Butler. You remember one of those young men who was sent to my State? Commodore Melville. Yes; I remember that Mr. Edwards was sent there. Senator Butler. He is very much attached to the State institu- tion. There was also a young man sent there by the name of McBlroy. He was succeeded by Mr. Edwards, I believe. They testify to the extreme efficiency of the graduates from the engineering classes of that institution. Commodore Melville. In consequence of reduced numbers in the Engineer Corps it has become necessary to withdraw these details in order that the imperative demands of strictly naval duty might be met, so that now there is but one officer on such duty. The result has been that a number of schools have been unable to start or maintain a mechanical course, and others have had the efficiency of their courses seriously impared. STAFF 2 18 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. I may state here that since I have been chief of the Bureau when a detail is asljcd for some officer for a college it has been denied usually if the college was richly enough endowed to employ an engineer officer without help, but if the college was poor we have generally made a detail to help it to that extent, the officer being detailed or on waiting orders, and having his pay supplemented by the college sufficiently to make it to his interest to go there. Mr. Money. Do I understand yo'i to say that when these gentlemeu are at colleges on waiting orders they receive, in addition to their pay as naval officers, pay from the college? Commodore Melville. Yes; theyaregivenleave, on waiting orders, or ordered by the Department to enter on that duty, and the colleges make up the difference in pay between what they receive from the Gov- ernment and what would be a proper compensation for the duties they perform. Sometimes they get a house to live in and sometimes money. Mr. Money. How long do they generally stay at these institutions? Commodore Melville. It is a three years' detail. The officer takes his "trick" at college the same as he woxild take his "trick" of service at a navy yard, or on other duty, and at the expiration of the term of his detail he goes to sea. Much as Congress has done for the technical education of the youth of the country it is doubtful if any one thing has been of more benefit than the passage of the act above referred to; and it is, furthermore, doubtful if Congress can, at this time, do anything that will be pro- ductive of better results in this respect than to so increase the naval engineer corps that these details can be resumed. That is what has always governed the details of engineer officers to these colleges. A poor college is always given an officer when we can spare him ; more especially at the colleges that have lately been estab- lished in the coal and iron legions of the Southern States — colleges where the instruction is to be more technical than classical, and which are to be important factors in the development of that section of the country, but which are still too young to have growu so rich by lega- cies and endowments tliat they can alford to be indifferent to or inde- pendent of this little aid from the Government. A statute law, similar to the one above referred to, has long been in existence, authorizing the detail of a certain number of Army officers as instructors or professors of military tactics in civil schools, and the present Congress, during- its extraordinary session in the latter part of 1893, amended this law by greatly increasing the number of officers who might be so detailed. If the General Government is under any obligations to extend a knowledge of military tactics throughout the land, it most surely should feel a similar obligation to aid in s])reading a knowledge of the most useful of the arts and sciences, especially as the art of the naval engineer is now one of the most important features of marine warfare. Furthermore, the naval engineers who would be available for this service are entirely competent to teach military tac- tics as well as the applications of their own jn-ofession, as they have undergone a long and thorough military training at the U. S. Naval Academy. Not only are many of the shore stations short-handed now on account of a dearth of engineers, but the number of such officers serving on the ships in commission is likewise dangerously small. The following table (B) gives the number of line and engineer officers on sea duty January 1, 1894. Flag officers and the members of their staffs are not included in the column of line officers, as they do not belong to the PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. 19 official personnel of any particular ship whicli serves as the flagship of the squadron : Table B. — U. S. Naval vessels in actual service January 1, 1894, showing number of commissioned line and engineer officers serving on them. Displace- ment. I.H.P. OlBcers. Line. Engi- neers. KorOi Atlantic Squadron. 1,550 3,990 1,050 930 843 1,426 1,600 3,795 8 8 8 4 1 3 1 1 2cl-rate turret ship. 3d-rate gunboat. 4tli-rate dynamite omiser. Total 7,620 7,664 28 6 Pacifie Squadron. Philadelphia 4,324 4,138 4,040 1,700 1,900 1,375 1,375 ■ 1, 020 8,815 5,400 6,666 3,660 613 668 650 365 11 10 11 8 9 8 8 8 4 3 4 3 2 1 1 1 2d-rate turret ship. 3d-rate gunboat. Do Do. £aii£eT. - Do. Total : . IB, 772 26, 737 73 19 Asiatic Squadron. SaltiiDore.. 4,600 3,250 1,900 1,700 1,370 890 10,064 733 753 3,405 850 1,513 13 9 8 8 7 7 4 2 1 3 1 1 Do Concord 3d-rate gunboat. 4:th-rate gunboat. 13, 710 17, 318 52 12 European Squadron. Chicago 4,500 1,700 5,084 3,436 11 8 4 3 3d-rate gunboat. Total 6,200 8,520 19 7 Sottth Atlantic Squadron. San Francisco 4,083 8,150 4,083 2,000 •900 10, 400 16, 600 8,869 6,400 225 9 16 13 8 7 4 5 3 3 1 BfewYork ; Total 19, 216 41,394 . 63 16 Special service. Pinta 650 840 685 1,250 1,485 116 190 200 306 490 2,240 1,720 4 1 4 9 4 2 4th-rate gunboat. Freight steamer. rem Thetis'. Dispatch boat. Torpedo boat. Gushing Total 4,926 5,145 24 6 EECAPITULATION. Ves- sels. Aggregate displace- ment. Aggre^t Officers. Line. ^°^i- neers. North Atlantic squadron Pacific' squadron Asiatic squadron European squadron South Atlantic squadron Total 7,520 19, 772 13, 710 6,200 19, 216 7,664 26, 737 17, 318 8,520 41, 394 6 18 12 7 16 25 66,418 101, 633 60 20 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. The above figures show an average of 9 line officers and 2-4 engi- neers to each ship regularly attached to a squadron. In addition to the above-named vessels there are in commission -t training ships {Richmond, Minnesota, Monongahela, Portsmouth), of au aggregate tonnage of 10,620, with 31 line officers and 2 engineers doing duty in them. In the Fish Commission and Coast Survey there are 9 small Steamers and 1 schooner, employing 33 line officers and 6 engineers. Six receiving ships anploy 21 line officers and 3 engineers. Ihree nautical school-ships [Enterprise, Saratoga, St. Marys), loaned to the cities of Boston, Philadelphia, and ^tfew York, have 11 line offi- cers and 1 engineer on duty with them. All the above data are compiled from the Navy Eegister of January 1, 1894. Senator Hale. In that table you have given the line and the engi- neer officers % Commodore Melville. Yes. Senator Hale. Xot the other staff officers t Commodore Melville. Xo, sir. Mr. Meyek. It might be useful at that point to inform the committee what are the relative actual duties of the 3 engineers on the Monterey. Senator Hale. Where is the Monterey? Commodore Melville. She is in the harbor of San Francisco just now, probably at Mare Island. Senator Hale. Take the Philadelphia; had you not better? Commodore Melville. Yes; perhaps I had better take the Phila- delphia; she is a cruising ship. She has four engineer officers — a chief engineer in charge, so that if he is liable to have to turn in, from sick- ness or other cause, he can be relieved by the chief assistant engineer on watch; there are three of those assistant engineers who are on duty four hours each and off duty eight hours each. During their four hours on duty they are down below all the time in the engine rooms and fire rooms, where they may be called, but always inside the bulkheads. In that way each engineer officer has eight hours of labor during the day. Senator Butler. Eight hours out of the twenty-four'? Commodore Melville. Yes. Now, take the line officer who is doing deck duty ; he probably would not have less than 4 or 5 watches ; 5 watches of four hours each would be four on and sixteen hours off duty. It is true they have their drills, but the engineer officers have their logs and their indicators to look after. Senator Hale. I want to get the complement of such a ship as the Philadelphia. It has 11 line officers and 4 engineers. Do you know what staff officers that ship has? Commodore Melville. It has a surgeon and, possibly, a passed assistant surgeon; I think it usually has 3. Senator Hale. And those are all that she has ? Commodore Melville. No; there is a paymaster, a marine officer, and sometimes a chaplain; the marine officer is not considered a staff officer. If the vessel is a flag ;]iip she would have a chaplain. Senator Butlee. On the average how many men has the engineer officer under him, on the Philadelphia, for instance"? Commodore Melville. I will say between 70 and 90 men, and I do not think I am 10 men out of the way — firemen, coal heavers, machin- ists, etc. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 21 Senator Hale. They are directly imder tlie command of the chief engineer on board? ^ Commodore Meltille. Tes. Senator Hale. How is that force divided 1 Commodore Melville. Into watches, and they are on duty four hours and off duty eight hours, except in cases of emergency, when not only the engineers, but all hands, are on duty six hours and off duty six hours. Such an emergency arises when the ship is being tried for speed. In other words, the complement of the engineer force, agreed to by Commo- dore Eamsay and myself, is so organized as to have on board about one-half or two-thirds of what would be necessary in time of war, so that the duties are very laborious, and there is plenty for them to do. Senator Hale. Do you have a chief engineer on each ship that is in commission? Commodore Melville. No, sir; on the larger ships only. Mr. Meter. Are there any petty officers in control of these men 1 Commodore Melville. Yes; the machinists, boiler-makers, and water-tenders; on each of the larger ships 10 or 12 petty officers probably, who are counted in the complement of 70 or 90 men that I speak of. They are enlisted men. Mr. Meyee. But they are petty ofQcers? Commodore Melville. Yes, sir. Mr. Meter, Do they hold the same relative position in the naval organization as a corporal or sergeant in a military company? Commodore Melville. Yes; but their position is not so well defined as that of a sergeant in a company, who is the workingman, looking out for company affairs; the machinist is more like a petty officer on deck, who is an enlisted man. Senator Butler. In case of the disability of one or two of these engineer officers on a long cruise are there any means of supijlyiug their places? Commodore Melville. There is no engineer officer to take their place. In that case they generally select the best petty officer on board and let him do the best he can. Mr. Monet. These line officers are sujpposed to have had some instruc- tions in engineering, are they not? Commodore Melville. Yes. Mr. Monet. Can they not take the place of the engineer officer? Commodore Melville. Ko, sir; positively, no, sir. They have had some engineering instruction at the Academy in marine engineering and physics, the same as you received at college, and in mechanics and mathematics; but as for practical engineering they know nothing what- ever about it. I state that j)ositively. We have some few men of the line who have had some instruction at the Johns Hopkins University, or have taken a post-graduate course in electrical engineering or some- thing of the kind, and thus have a smattering of what is styled engi- neering. Mr. Monet. You think the knowledge gained in the ordinary col- lege curriculum would not enable one to take charge of a ship in case of sickness or disability of the regular chief engineer? Commodore Melville. JSo, sir; he would only be in the possession of the engineering education gained in a schoolboy course of about two years. An engineer officer after his regular training at school is sent to sea for two years, and he might possibly be put in a navy-yard where he would get some practical knowledge for another year. Senator Hale. Had you not better explain in this connection just 22 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. how your corps is supplied with offlcers, how they come in at the l)ot- torn, what their education is, and what proportion come in from differ- ent avocations? Commodore Melville. At the present time the whole of the recruit- ing of the Engineer Corps is from the Kaval Aoademy. They are appointed to the Naval School as cadets along with the line cadets. Then as vacancies occur in the Engineer Corps they are filled by appointments from graduates from the Naval School. For instance, if there are now 7 vacancies in our corps we would want 7 men from the Naval School. I have never been on duty at the Naval School, yet Commodore Eamsay has many times explained it to me, and he and I agreed to this arrangement: We ask for 7 volunteers from the class of cadets as they stand; perhaps 7 volunteers step out who are willing to enter the Engineer Corps. If they do not the whole class of gradu- ates is divided into 7 different sections and the 7 men are drawn, 1 from each section, to get the 7 men to fill the vacancies in the Engi- neer Corps. Senator Hale. What special instruction do cadets have before grad- uation at Annapolis that would enable them, after designation to serve in your corps. Commodore Melville. At the end of the three years' course of study the engineer cadet is selected, and continues with his corps in engineering specially, instead of the studies he would necessarily pursue for line daty. Senator Hale. So that his studies are thenceforward directed spe- cially to enable him to perform engineering duties ? Commodore Melville. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. And other studies are dropped? Commodore Melville. Yes, sir. Our friend here, Passed Assistant Engineer Prank M. Bennett, is a graduate of the Naval Academy, and is fully acquainted with this subject. I am not so well posted as he is, and I should rather he would answer in regard to this subject. If I have made any mistake in what I have stated he can correct me. STATEMENT OE FRANK M. BENNETT, PASSED ASSISTANT ENGI- NEER, U. S. NAVY. Senator Butler. We shall be glad to hear from Mr. Bennett. Mr. Bennett. I think I can explain the matter satisfactorily. These cadets enter the Naval Academy on precisely the same footing as other cadets appointed by members of Congress, and they pass through the regular course of studies for the different years until the end of the third year. Then they are divided, according to the act of 1889, in proportion to the number of vacancies. The line and Marine Corps vacancies are put together in one group, and the engineer corps in another; then, as Mr. Melville has said, if the cadets do not volunteer to go into the engineer corps they are divided into seven equal sec- tions, and one is drawn from each section to fill the seven vacancies- that is, if the proportional number of vacancies existing entitles the engineer corps to seven. Senator Hale. Do you find that they generally volunteer ? Mr. Bennett. They have generally volunteered. Senator Hale. In ample numbers I Mr. Bennett. Yes ; but the chief advantage of having them selected PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 23 by sections ism aaviu^ them divided according to their standing, for in that way they get one at the head of the chxss, one in the middle, and one at the foot, thus making a good average; whereas, sometimes the volunteers all come from the head or from near the foot. Two years ago three of the first men in the class volunteered to go into the engineer corps. But ordinarily the leading men who go into the engineering branch do so with the view of becoming assistant naval constructors in the Navy. Those who go into the engineer corps drop their other technical studies and apply themselves wholly to the sub- ject of engineering with the view of acquiring the necessary informa- tion as to marine engineering, strength of materials,- and mathematics; when they graduate they go to sea, and there assist the chief engineer of the ship, being on duty in the engine room, besides performing deck duty and boat duty in emergencies, but they are ordinarily to be found in the engine room. At the end of two years, if they pass the final examination, they get a commission. Senator Hale. In what grade are they commissioned? Mr. Bennett. As assistant engineers with the relative rank of ensigns. Their classmates, who go in the line and Marine Corps, have both the rank and ofQcial position of genuine officers, but the assistant engineers get simply the relative rank of ensigns. Then, in addition to their technical education, they are detailed for instruction at anavy-yard, for instance, at the J^ew York yard, where they get experience and knowledge of methods of building and fitting marine machinery, and of duties on ship and shore. There are six or seven assistant engineers now on shore duty, who are really under instruction, and one of that class is in Paris. Mr. Wadswoeth. What is that man's name? Mr. Bbnne'i t. I think his name is Eobison. He is studying abroad. Mr. Money. Has there been any change very lately in the curriculum of engineering? Mr. Bennett. Yes, sir. Mr. MoNETT. Has there been an increase; in other words, has it kept up with improvements in machinery ? Mr. Bennett. They have tried to do so, and they have a great deal of practical shopwork which has been substituted for practical seaman- ship. I graduated in 1879; when I was there the training of line cadets was in seamanship as the profession j)ar excellence of the naval ofQcer. But now they are gradually dropping seamanship as it was taught at that time, so that the line cadets now get a great deal more engineering instruction than they did ten years ago, and perhaps more than they did five years ago. Senator IfALE. Because the ships are now so differently constructed? Mr. Bennett. Yes. The curriculum is still far Irom being what it ought to be as to steel ships. There is still a good deal of the older education thought necessary, based on seamanship as a profession. Mr. Money. Is it not qriite likely that they will continue to give more and more of that sort of study to those line ofilicers? Mr. Bennett. The curriculum of the Naval Academy is so full now in every department that I hardly think it possible to add anything. Mr. Money. Could they not add something and drop something else? Mr. Bennett. That possibly might be done. Some officers of the Navy have recommended a change of the curriculum so as to embilace more practical knowledge of marine engineering and gunnery, if the curriculum can be changed by dropping some things not so necessary, and adopting more practical studies instead, officers will be better 24 PERSONNEL OF THE NAV1 — STAFF. educated for the real calling they have adopted. They should, of course, be educated iu all that pertains to the line, the engineers, and everything else possible within the time allowed for the course. Mr. Money. That is why I asked you the question. Mr. Hale. Would it not be desirable that some of the under grades should be merged in order to promote the efiiciency of the service as a whole? Mr. Bennett. If I were running the Favy Department I would try to merge some of the lower grades and have the men allowed later to become speciaUsts, so that if a man's bent were for engineering let him be allowed to develop it so as to be the better prepared to follow engi- neering as a profession, and then I would give him the advantage of a post-graduate course in college supplemented by experience at a navy- yard. Senator Hale. Could you do that with only a four years' course 1 Mr. Bennett. Yes; for the beginning. I think, also, it would be of more advantage to have line officers educated iu steam engineering than in seamanship as a profession, and after that I would have them follow their own bent. ]Mr. "VVadswoeth. What do you mean by seamanship, the ability to manage a vessel? Mr. Bennett. Yes; but when I say seamanship I mean the old sea- manship which was based upon tacks and braces — what was meant by the old and honorable profession of seamanship. But there is a mod- ern seamanship which is much greater — the ability to handle ships under high speed and under favorable and unfavorable conditions, in which a knowledge of machinery is important, which is, of course, an art and science, a more important one than the old seamanship in which oiBcers were educated. We now have a new profession, and if my idea were adopted I think it would simplify matters very much. But it takes time, especially in the Navy, for conservatism to be overcome. Mr. Meter. You have seen a good deal of service ; you have been at sea the usual length of time? Mr. Bennett. Yes, sir. Mr. Meter. In your duties as assistant engineer you have had your watches, of course. What is done by an officer on watch? And will you explain, if you please, the specific functions of an engineer officer? Mr. Bennett. He has charge of the machinery for the time being. He has a number of men under him, and is charged with their disci- pline and good conduct, as well as with the efficient operation of all of the machinery. He is not stationed at any one particular place, as is the case with a machinist who is generally stationed about the engine to answer signals to stop and start. He has a number of other men under him also, for other duties, some getting out coal, some feeding the furnaces, others oiling the engine, and special men to keep the boilers fed with water. But the officer of the watch has to oversee all the work. He goes to the tire rooms to see that the water is of sutH- cient height iu the boilers, and he moves about constantly to see that the men are not idle, or lax, or shirking. He has a general superin- tendence of the whole work, both as an officer in charge of the men and as engineer in charge of material. Senator Hale. He is responsible for the efficient operation of the motive power of the ship? Mr. Bennett. He is directly responsible. Mr. Meter. Did the contingency ever arise when you had to do the PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 25 actual work with the machinery ; for instance, when there was a break- age? Do you not have men who do that work? Mr. Bennett. It does occur sometimes that the engineer has to work with his own liands. In my last cruise there was a serious breakdown at night; it was a small ship, and for lack of men the chief engineer and myself both worked — that is, actually performed manual labor — in making the necessary repairs. The ship at the time was in Hell Gate, which is a very bad place to anchor, and we wanted to get this work done that night so as to get the ship underway, which was done by 7 o'clock the next morning. Ordinarily, however, the chief engineer or his assistant does not perform manual labor, though an emergency may arise when even an admiral or anybody else would have to do so. Mr. Monet. The officers are supposed to be instructed so as to be able to do that manual work when necessary ? Mr. Bennett. Yes, sir; a naval officer of any corps is supposed never to give a command to a man to do anything that he can not do himself. Mr. Meyee. Tour relative rank was at that time ensign"? Mr. Bennett. Yes, sir. Mr. Meyee. Suppose some accident had occurred; suppose you .had been sick, and there was no other officer to take your place; do you not think that an ensign of a ship, who may have graduated in the same class with yourself, would have been thoroughly competent to take j^our place, and to supervise that work? Mr. Bennett. In general I should say no, depending of course upon the ensign. Some ensigns have given a good deal of study to engi- neering. There used to be a prejudice in the Navy against any mechan- ical pursuit. When I entered the service, nearly twenty years ago, a knowledge of engineering was considered degrading. I do not make that as a general statement, but that idea existed in the minds of too many naval officers. That prejudice has been overcome, to some extent, and there are now some young line officers who have taken up the study of engineering and tried to learn something about it. I have known here and there ensigns who were regarded as competent to go into the engine room as to go on deck; but such cases are few. In general I think an ensign would be less competent for duty in the engine room than on deck. But if properly educated they could exchange duties, though even in that case each would do the duty of the other in an inferior manner, trusting largely to luck to get through his watch without something happening. STATEMENT OF COMMODOEE MELVILLE— Continued. Senator Butlee. 'Sow, commodore, you may proceed with your statement. Commodore Melville. I have given the tables classifying the ves- sels into different squadrons, together with the vessels in the special service, and a recapitulation. Mr. Wadswoeth. A cruising ship, one of these modern men of war, has no sails, it is true; but on an old ship where you had both sail and steam (for instance, on the Kearsarge) when you were under saU alone the engineer officer had practically nothing to do? Commodore Melville. Yes. Mr. Wadswoeth. She was under saU alone, as it happened, when 26 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. she struck recently, or perhaps they were just getting the fire uudor her boilers. Commodore Melville. I think she was under steam when she struck. Mr. Wadswokth. I hope I did not interrupt you. Commodore Melville. Not at all; I was just going to say that during the first twenty -five years I was going to sea as an engineer the ships were very seldom under sail, and yet during that time I was never on a ship that I did not make repairs with my own hands. I am a mechanic, and I did the work. Although I sailed to China on the Tennessee and had 6 machinists, I worked the whole of that time with my own hands, and my hands were as hard as those of the men. The reason I had to do the work myself was because the men we had shipped were not good mechanics and could not do the work. I was under no obligation to put my hand to a piece of manual labor, for a commissioned officer is not supposed to perform manual labor, but to keep proper discipline on board the ship. Still, when the necessity demanded it I did it. An inspection of Table B shows that our most powerful ships in commission — those of 5,000 horse-power and upwards — have but i ofBcers in tlieir engineering departments, one being the chief engineer and the other the watch engineers; the latter are thus obliged to stand watch in three watches, a requirement that prevents them from ever getting a whole night's rest when at sea, and which taken into consu. eration with the jjhysical discomforts of their post of duty and the mental strain imposed upon the officer who must superintend and be responsible for hundreds of rapidly moving parts, soon produces a condition of exhaustion inconsistent with continued efficiency. The only exception to this unfortunate condition of the engineers on our large ships is the case of the Neiv York, of 16,500 horse-power, which vess('l has a chief and 4 other engineers; the corresponding vessel of the British navy, the Blake, has (i engineers besides the chief, or 7 in all. That information is taken from the British Naval Register. Senator Hale. What is the fact in the service as to the commanders of these ships, for they, after all, are responsible, regarding the desir- ability of securing more engineer ofQcers from the Department than can be had ? Commodore Melville. With very few exceptions they desire addi- tional engineer officers. Senator Hale. And they make applications for additional ofdcers from the engineer corps'? Commodore Melville. As a rule, no; because the engineer officers of a ship will somehow manage to stagger along under their load, and where their feUow-officers of the line have from twelve to sixteen hours off duty, the poor devils down below worrying themselves to death are on duty four hours, and off' only eight. Senator Hale. Still the presumption would be, would it not, that the officer in charge of the ship, if he is an intelligent man, would know the needs of the ship; and if he wanted more officers from any corps would he not apply for them ? ' Commodore Melville. You would naturally supj)ose that he would. Senator Hale. He can not run his ship without skill. Commodore Melville. He can not; but a great many of them do not seem to understand that they can not; they seem to have the idea that an engine is like a music box — you wind it up and it will run itself. We know that an engine has to be taken care of in every part. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 27 I have seen an engine driving a ship at 10 to 12 knots an hour stopped in one second because the journal was hot, not having been lubricated properly, for want of sufficient care; and the heating of a set of bear- ings means a loss of from $20,000 to $30,000 in the efficiency of that ship during the whole cruise, for it can not be driven up to full speed after that. Senator Hale. The officer in charge of the ship ought to be at least morally responsible for that. Commodore Melville. Yes. Senator Hale. You do not think, generally, then, that the officers in command of ships are pushing for more engineer force? Commodore Melville. No, sir. The difficulty is that there is not space enough in the wardroom to accommodate additional officers, and if they have half a dozen line officers they prefer to accommodate them in the staterooms rather than to crowd in more engineer officers. The usual complaint is lack of accommoda^ons for officers. Mr. Monet. You do not suppose a commanding officer would sacri- fice the efficiency of his ship in order to have better accommodations for the line officers, do you? Commodore Melville. They do. Senator Butler. The point, 1 understand, is that the commanding officer of a ship is going to get along with as few engineer officers as possible? Commodore Melville. That is correct. Senator Butlee. But, in your judgment, the efficiency of the service would be very much improved by having a larger number of engineer officers on board"? Commodore Melville. That is what I wanted to say. Mr. Meter. I understand from you that it is the result of your obser- vation that one reason why commanding officers of ships and officers of the line are rather inclined to favor the diminution of the engineer force is that an increased number would incommode the line and make them less comfortable on account of want of space for quarters'? Commodore Melville. Yes; I have two ships now in my mind's eye; I do not think it proper to call the officers by name, though I could do so, if necessary. On the cruise of the Enterprise in Europe there was an assistant in addition to the chief engineer, and before she sailed the commanding officer moved heaven and earth to try to get rid of him, for no other reason than that he did not want two engineers on board — and he was a very inefficient commanding officer, too. The Dolphin went around the world with but one engineer officer, so that if anything had gone wrong there was nobody to take his place. I tried to put an engineer officer on board that ship, but, time and again, the then chief of navigation stood me off with the Secretary, so that I could not put a skilled officer on board in order to have a responsible engi- neer on board to take care of the ship in case the chief engineer broke down. Senator Hale. "What did the commander want? Commodore Melville. He did not want another engineer on board. Mr. Wadswobth. Please tell me how many engineers the TorTctown has. Commodore Mbllville. The Yorhtown has a displacement of 1,700 tons, 3,660 horse power, 8 line officers, and 3 engineer officers — 1 chief and 2 assistants. Mr. Wadsworth, How do you consider her manned? Has she enough engineers? 28 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVr — STAFF. Commodore Mbllyille. She has hardly enough to answer the pur- pose. She is not a very large ship, however. Mr. "Wadsworth. I ask because I have been told that she had steamed 28,000 miles without a dollar's expense for repairs. Commodore Melville. She is a remarkably fine ship. I mean that her machinery performed remarkably well. Mr. Wadsworth. She went around to Peru and into Bering Sea. Commodore Melville. Yet at the same time, with only that force, it means watch and watch all the time that she is at sea; the engineer is on four hours and off four hours, which is pretty hard work. Senator TTat.e. Tell us about the GMcago. Commodore Melville. The Chicago is 4,500 tons, 5,084 horse power, and has 11 line officers, and 4 engineers. That is a very small horse- power for her tonnage. Of the 4 engineers, 1 is chief engineer and the other 3 are assistants. So they are four hours on duty and off eight. Senator Hale. Do you think a ship of that size ought to have more than 4 engineer officers'? Commodore Melville. Tes; I think she ought to have 4 watches, because they have additional duties; if a breakdown occurs the engi- neer officer has to go below; the machinery is divided up among 3 assistant engineers, and if anything goes wrong after he gets through with his watch he remains on watch or goes below to superintend the repair of that part of the ship. Mr. Wadsworth. That remark applies also to the line officers, does it not? Commodore Melville. Tes; but you must remember that the Chicago has 11 line officers and only 4 engineer officers, so we must make the comparison of 11 to 4. Mr. Meyer. You refer to the cruise of the Dolphin with 1 engineer officer. What was the duration of that cruise? Commodore Melville. I think it was a year or a year and a half. It was a cruise around the world. Mr. Meyer. Have you any information as to whether during that period the engineer officer in charge was at any tinie disabled from the performance of his duties by reason of sickness? Commodore Melville. I do not know how much he was disabled, but I do know that he time and again applied for additional assistant engineers, because his duties were too arduous, and every application came to the Department indorsed by the commanding officer of the ship to the effect that he did not think additional engineer officers were necessary. Mr. Meyer. It is true, however, is it not, that there was no serious accident on that cruise? Commodore Melville. Yes. Mr. Meter. Who was in command of the Dolphin ? Commodore Melville. I do not at this moment remember who was in command at that time. Mr. Meyer. Everything went along smoothly? Commodore Melville. Everything went along. Mr. Money. It might have been good luck. Commodore Melville. Yes; that is not the proper way to run a ship. Senator Butler. You may proceed with your statement. Commodore Melville. In ships of from 3,000 to 5,000 horse-power, like the Bennington and Detroit, for example, the chief engineer has but PEKSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. 29 two assistants, who are assigned to wliat is termed " supervisory watch" at sea; in theory the officer on watch need not remain coLstantly at his post, but in practice he can not sit complacently in his quarters and allow his responsibilities to take care of themselves, so that in reality the duty imposed upon the two officers amounts to standing watch and watch, six hours on duty and six hours off, or twelve hours daily, day andnightfordaysandeven weeks at a time. Such a condition reduces those who have to bear it to the mere animal existence of a beast of burden, and the only reason that educated officers can be found to endure it is that they hope that a change for the better can not be far off. In the case of the smaller vessels, some of which, however, are of more than 1,000 horse-power, the table shows that they have but one engineer officer. If the vessel is a torpedo boat or is engaged in some special service that requires her to go to sea for only a few hours at a time, one engineer may be sufficient, but is manifestly inadequate for any vessel that is intended to make long sea voyages. By referring to the column in Table B showing the number of line officers attached to the different ships and reducing the number on each ship by three to account for the commander, the executive officer, and the navigator, who do not stand watch, it appears that in almost every case the smallest number of deck watch officers is 5, an arrangement that allows the deck officers to get two whole nights' rest in every live, and to maintain a condition of good health and usefulness, especially as their post of duty is in the open air and sunshine. With all respect for the traditions of the old Navy, in which the position of the deck officer in charge of a ship under sail and responsible for the working order of the multitudinous and complicated details of rigging, was a most severe and trying one, the naval engineers' now claim that the officer of the watch on the deck of a modern mastless war vessel has infinitely less care and responsibility for working details on his shoul- ders than has the watch officer in the engine room of the same ves- sel. The motive appliances of the ship, much increased in complica- tion, have been transferred from the upper deck to the hold, and it seems only sensible that the number of officers detailed to superintend that motive power should be at least as numerous as they were under the older and more simple order of things. The engineer officers of the Jifavy, in view of the foregoing, feel that it would be only a matter of justice to them, as well as a step towards increasing the efficiency of the ships in which they serve, to so increase their numbers that they may be stationed for duty in the same number of watches as are main- tained by the deck officers. The recapitulation of squadrons in Table B shows that we have 25 cruising vessels on squadron duty, of an aggregate displacement' of 66,000 tons and 101,000 total horse power. Add to these the 6 small vessels on special service, 7 vessels repairing or otherwise out of com- mission at navy-yards (Atlanta, Boston, Iroquois, Essex, Alert, Ban- croft, Alarm), and 13 single-turret monitors, and we have a total of 51 vessels aggregating 109,000 tons displacement and 12 !,000-horse power as the strength of the fleet on January 1, 1894, exclusive of tugs, and obsolete sailing and receiving ships. The vessels now building for the new Navy or so nearly completed as to be undergoing trials are sho^^n by the following table, marked 0. 30 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. Table C — Keic vessels undergoing trials, or building for the new Navy. Kame. Columbia Castine Marblebead . . . Olympia Iowa Indiana Massachusetts Oregon Brooklyn Minneapolis.. . Maine Texas Puritan Ampbitrite ... Monadnock ... Terror Cinfinnati Italei;;b Katabdin Montgomery . . Ericsson Gunboat Xo. 7. Gunboat No. 8. Gunboat No. 9. Total.... Displace meut. 7,850 1,050 2,000 5,600 11, 296 10, 200 10.200 10,2 9,153 7,350 6,648 6,300 6,060 3,990 8,990 3,990 3,183 3,183 2,183 2,000 120 1,200 1,313 1,313 125, 830 I.H.P. 21, COO 1,600 5,400 13, 500 11,000 9,000 9,000 9,000 16, 000 21, 000 9,000 8,600 3.700 1,800 3,000 1,600 10, 000 10, 000 4,800 5,400 1, 800 1,750 1,600 1,600 180, 950 Typo. Ist-olass cruiser. 3d.rate gunboat. 3d-rate cruiser. Protected cruiser. Ist-class battleship. Do. Do. Do. Armored cruiser. Protected cruiser. 2d.class battleship. Do. Double barbette turretship. Do. Do. Double turret monitor. Protected cruiser. Do. Harbor-defense ram, 3d-rate cruiser. Torpedo boat. Gunboat. Do. Do. Mr. Money. Is that the whole of our force. Commodore Melville. It was the whole of our force on the 1st of January la&t. There are 24 new ships in sight. Senator Butler. State their aggregate horse power and displace- ment. Commodore Melville. The aggregate displacement is 125,830 tons, and the aggregate horse power is 180,950. Senator Hale. Those are larger than the ships named in the pi-e- vlous table? Commodore Melville. Yes; there are some heavy battleships, like the Indiana. Mr. Money. Many of those ships nearly ready are of war strength? Commodore Melville. Yes. The GolumUa has had her steam trial; the Castine has been put out of commission ; the MarUehead will be commissioned within a month. The Olympia is not yet in commis- sion; the Indiana is nearly ready; the Oregon will be ready inside of a year; the Maine has been ready for steam trial for more than a year: the Texas is almost ready for the first trial; the Cincinnati and Raleigh are promised to be ready between the 1st and 15th of April next; and the Katahdin should be ready for steam trial in May. Senator Hale. I remember that in the debate in 1889 I said that it would be five years before the Maine and the Texas would be at sea ready for service, and I have been criticised a good deal for that asser- tion; it was said that that was a statement that would not be borne out by the facts. Commodore Melville. You were about right. Senator Hale. I was inside of the mark. Senator Butler. When these ships shall be ready for service how are you going to get engineer oflBcers for them? Commodore Melville. We will not have them. If all these ships are put in commission we shall have so small a force of engineers in them that, I do not care how good the niachinists may be, the machinery win not have proper attention, although in some cases the machin- ery has cost more than the whole ship aside from the arming and armor plating. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 31 Senator Hale. I suppose there will be some question about the line officers and enlisted men ? Commodore Melville. Not only that, but one of these ships is like the watch in your pocket, if it gets wet and is not taken care of it is going to rust out. If these ships are at a navy-yard or in dry basin tliey should be looked over and taken care of every day by an officer who knows best how to do it. Eeally that is what must be done. You can not begin to make appropriations to keep the whole fleet in com- mission. Senator Hale. I do not suppose that it is expected that these large ships will be kept in commission and out over the waters of the globe, but, as you say, they should have the finest care and inspection all the time in order that they may not deteriorate. Commodore Melville. You can very readily understand how close the adjustment is when I tell you that, in a ship like the New York, if the adjustment varies beyond the thickness of half of a sheet of light foolscap the engine will stop, and if you make the variation twice as great as the thickness of a sheet of foolscap the machinery will ham- mer itself to pieces. Senator Hale. That is pretty fine work. Commodore Melville. Yes; and if you let that machinery rust out while the vessel is lying in a dry basin at a navy-yard the ship will become practically useless. Table C shows that there are in all 24 new vessels soon to be added to the Navy, ranging in size from the great battle ship loica to the tor- peixO boat Ericsson, and that these vessels aggregate 126,000 tons dis- placement and 181,000 horse power, using round numbers in each case. In other words, the completion of these vessels, which will take place within the next two years, will more than double the tonnage of the Navy and increase its aggregate horse power to two and one-half times what it is at present. If there are too few engineers in the Navy now, what can be said of its condition two years hence after this enormous amount of machinery has been added to if? If we should follow the practice of the British navy in assigning officers to ships it will require 88 additional engineer officers for these new ships, that number being found by taking the number of engineers actually serving in British ships of about the same size and power, as given in the Navy List for January, 1894. We have taken the tonnage and horsepower of the English ships and their engineer officers, and made a comparison with the tonnage, horse power, and engineer officers of our ships. What I have stated has been gleaned from the English Naval Eegister. Senator Hale. In other words, taking the British standard, in addi- tion to the 170 odd yoii will want 88 engineer officers for the new ships ? Commodore Melville. Yes; and then be no better or worse off than the English service. Senator Hale. That would run you up pretty well toward the end of your list? Commodore Melville. Yes. We have asked for about 3(i3 men, all told, in our appeals heretofore. Without knowing what building programme Congress wiU authorize for the Navy in the future, it is impossible to make an exact estimate of the number of officers that will be hereafter required in the Engineer Corps, but in order to provide for the proper performance of duty on the vessels now in service or under construction; to provide for enough engineers at the various working navy-yards, and to permit of the renewal of the detail of 25 of these officers to technical schools, due 32 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. allowance being made in all cases for officers not on duty, by reason of sickness or other causes, it is believed that the Engineer Corps should be increased to not less than 300 officers. Senato bill No. 1289 of the Fifty-second Congress (identical with S. 276 of the jjresent Congress) provided for a total membership of 303 for the Engineer Corps, and was favorably reported by the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs by Eeport No. 576, a copy of which is attached hereto. This report sets forth at length the reasons for increasing the corps to the above-mentioned figure and also quotes several opinions of the Secretary of the Navy and other officials favoring the increase, to all of which the attention of your joint committee is respectfully invited. Senator Hale. Those reports and opinions cover the details, do they ? Commodore Mblvilli5;. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. Did I not introduce that bill and make the report you have just mentioned? Commodore Melville. Yes, sir. Senator Hax,e. How did you get those numbers? Commodore Melville. Do you mean the manner in which we are going to select them ? Senator Hale. Yes. Commodore Melville. We propose to have it run through about ten years, a gradual increase for ten years, taking all that come from the Naval Academy and those who do not come from there, but from the technical and scientific schools of the country, making the waste about 10 or 13 per year. Mr. Wadsworth. The Secretary of the Navy has stated that the number of graduates from the Naval Academy were about 50 per year. Commodore Melville. Sometimes more and sometimes less. Mr. Wadsworth. Would not that number furnish you a sufficient supply? Commodore Melville. No, sir. Mr. Wadsworth. Is your waste more than 15 per year? Commodore Melville. It has not always been so, but during the last ten years our Corps has run down instead of being increased, although Congress has allowed our Corps 191 men ; we gained 6 last year and lost 11. Senator Hale. Why did you not get enough to fill the gap ? Commodore Melville. A suffioicent number were not graduated from the Naval Academy. Every graduate for five years has received an appointment. Senator Hale. Do you mean to say that for the last five years there has been no naval cadet graduated who has not gone into one or the other of the branches of the naval service? Commodore Melville. Yes. Senator Hale. They have all been provided for? Commodore Melville. Yes. Senator Hale. The Secretary said that he thought the graduations should be 50 per year. Commodore IMelville. We have not had a sufficient number. As I say, last year we lost 11 men and gained 6. Some of the best men we have ever had in the Engineer Corps have come from private schools and colleges where they have no military training as they have at Annapolis. When we had the old classes at the Naval Academy the best men who came into the Engineer Corps from private technical schools and colleges were sent to the Naval Academy for military train- ing, and they laughed at the curriculum of the Naval Academy, saying that it did not amount to anything, they passed through so easily. We PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 33 have lost Mr. Hollis, who has gone to Harvard on a large salary, and another man has gone into hydraulic engineering, in Boston, at a salary of $15,000. Senator Hale. That is what accounts for the large reduction in the Corps. Commodore Melville. Yes; we have lost so many because they have been so sought for as instructors in private technical schools and colleges. Prof. Thurston, at Cornell, is an ex-offlcer of the Navy, and so is Prof. Durand, who resigned and went out. So it goes all the time. In fact, sometimes I feel ashamed to remain in the service, because the best brains and blood are going out all the time. At the naval school they expect to get a technical education and then resign. Senator Hale. The larger your classes are the larger will be the number of these resignations, and you will find that your corps will be depleted all the time by this outside service carrying them off. Mr. Wadsworth. In a time of emergency, perhaps, they will all come back. Commodore Melville. Oh, yes; they will come back. Not long ago I was at Harvard College, and President Eliot took my arm to walk with me through the dining room, and said to me: "Mr. Melville, I am prouder of the man I got from your corps than I am of any pro- fessor who has been assigned to us for the past ten years." That was something for President Eliot to say, but that is a fact. Senator Butlek. Please proceed with your statement. Commodore Melville. The question of where to obtain the 109 officers to increase the Engineer Corps from its established strength of 191 to 300 now presents itself for consideration. The economical obli- gations imposed upon Congress by the financial condition of the coun- try forbid the discussion of any project that would ultimately add the salaries of more than 100 officers to the naval appropriation bill, and makes it necessary to devise some scheme for increasing the Engineer Corps that will not involve any considerable expense. It is believed that this can be done by making transfers within the present naval organization without in anyway impairing its efficiency as a whole. Under date of February 29, 1892, in a letter regarding the i5roposed transfer of the Revenue Marine Service to the Navy Department, addressed to Hon. Eugene Hale, of the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs, Mr. Benj. F. Tracy, then Secretary of the Navy, wrote as fol- lows: There are at present 717 line officers on the active list of the Navy, of whom only 310 are in cruising ships and 33 in Coast Survey and Fish Commission vessels, making 350 actually engaged in sea duty. Of the remainder 230 are engaged upon miscellaneous shore duties, 83 in work connected with the construction of the Navy, and 44 are unemployed. As the work of reconstruction of the Navy is gradually completed the 83 officers now occupied in this work will be set free for other employ- ment. As long as the 134 Revenue-Marine line officers, of whom 107 are actually perform- ing sea duty, remain on the active list, they will continue to perform service in the revenue cutters. As their numbers gradually diminish the number of officers in the regular Navy available for other duty will gradually increase as the work of recon- struction approaches completion. The 83 officers so employed, together with most of those unemployed, amounting to 120 in all, will be amply sufficient to take the place of the Revenue-Marine officers who pass out. Under these circumstances it is clear that the proposed addition to the number of line officers to take the place of the gradually diminishing Revenue-Marine Service is absolutely unnecessary. In a statement made before the House Committee on Naval Affairs, May 20, 1892, Mr. Traoey said further on this subject : We have 750 line officers in the Navy now. Not one-third of that force can he employed at sea even when oui new ships are completed, because we shall not keep STAFF 3 34 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. in active commission, I assume, our fjvoat battlo-sliiiis and our largest cruisers. They -will lie laid up iu time of peace, wilh a uiero skoloton cvew upon them to keep their machinery iu motion and turn them over once in a while to see that they are in repair, so tliat they can be ({uickly brought into commission in time of emer- gency. They are too largo and too expensive and too risk}' to be kept constantly moving for uo other duty than the mere polieiiig of the sea and of the coast. Therefore it is not likely thai we shall over have a. force in active commission that ■will take o^ er from 250 to 300 of these oflicers on active duty at sea. Therefore we can spare enough offlcers from the Navy to man the Revenue-Marine ships as the Eeveuue-Marine officers retire. Tlie letter and statement of Mr. Tiacey, above quoted, are printed in House of Representatives Report No. 1677, Fifty-second Congress, first session, on pp. 4 and 10, respectively. ^Yith tlie facts tlius well establislicd tliat the Engineer Corps is suffer- ing from a dearth of numbers and the line from a superabundance of the same, a natural remedy for both evils would be to transfer a num- ber of officers from the line into the Engineer Corps, thus relieving the congestion of the one aud tilling the gaps in the ranks of the other. The education and training of the offit^ers in the junior grades of the two corps is not so dilferent as to render this impracticable, but such a scheme of transl'er could ijot be applied to the line officers from the grade of lieutenant up, as their education is based entirely upon sea- manship as a i)rofession. In more recent years some instruction in steam engineering has been given at the Naval Academy to cadets intended for line officers, and for several years subsequent to 1883 line and engineer cadets received the same professional education. While the engineering education of the junior line officers is not such as to make them engineers in any sense of the word, yet it is sufficient for a groundwork udou which to build professional knowledge acquired by practice on board ship and in navy-yards, and would naturally be added to by study when the young officer found himself confronted with a new profession. Of the -50 officers of the rank of lieutenant (junior grade) and ensign it is believed that a sufficient number to bring the strength of the Engineer Corps up to 300 can be found who will be com- petent, after some exi^erience, to undertake the duties usually assigned to junior engineers, and it is hoped that your committee will regard with favor the proposal to make the translcrs as being a. change calcu- lated to benefit both arms of the service. I believe in that. Senator Hai.e. How would you select them? Commodore Melville. You sent me a note the other day asking me to prepare a bill. 1 will prepare the form of a bill and send it to you, but I will tell you now how I propose to do it. Take the whole list of 250 junior lieutenants and ensigns, apjjoint an examining board consisting of 1 line officer and 2 engineer officers; the reason I want a majority of engineers is because they will be tlie best able to select proper officers; after examination select the 100 men who are the best; commission them and transfer them in their proper parallel places with the engineer officers with whom they graduated ; do not examine them for promotion until they have had a certain amount of service, so as to give them their fair value in succeeding examinations. . Senator Hale. How do you think it would flork to pick out of these 250 young officers the 100 crack men; would they want to go into the Engineer Corps ? Commodore Melville. I do not know why they should not; they have always complained that we have had the cream. Mr. Monet. If you put the best men on board the ship into subor- dinate places do you not impair the efficiency of the ship? Commodore Melville. I propose to select the men, not from the PERSONNEL, OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 35 250 who are best np in mathematics and applied mechanics, but those who show a special aptitude for engineering. We all know that the best mathematicians do not make the best commanders, generals, or fighting men. Senator Hale. Tour bill will cover the details'? Commodore Melville. Yes. Mr. Meyer. Do I understand from your argument that you are in favor of the Eevenue Marine belonging to the l^Tavy, or do you simply state it, for the purpose of quoting the Secretary of the E"avy as au- thority, that there are too many line officers? Commodore Melville. That is what I wanted to show, and where we get our men from. I quote the Secretary of the Navy and other authorities to show that there are too many line officers and not enough engineers. Mr. Meyer. It was not a question of the undesirability of the rev- enue marine? Commodore Melville. No, sir; it was simply an argument that has been furnished that there were too many line officers in the Navy. Mr. Meyer. The Secretary made the argument because, in his judg- ment, it would tend to relieve the glut that now exists in the line? Commodore Melville. Yes. But think for a moment how this would relieve. If we have 10 men at the head of the list and 100 in the junior grades, if we double the number at the head of the list the promotion is supposed to go through twice as fast. If we reduce the list at the bottom one-half, they will get through to the upper grades only one-half as fast. This would relieve the glut in the line to-day. Mr. Wadsworth. Is the pay of officers in the staff corps larger than in corresponding grades in the line? Commodore Melville. In the first grade only. The staff officers' pay goes by longevity, with an increase every ^ve years. Mr. Money. The congestion is at the top, not at the bottom ? Commodore Melville. But suppose we have 10 in the admiral's list, and suppose we have 200 men below; do you not see liow long it will take them to get through and become admirals? The argument of the line is that if we only have 100 men below they would get through twice as fast. Mr. Money. Promotions are made from the lower grades? Commodore Melville. Let us go to the extreme to prove the con- clusion. Suppose there were no lower grades, and that they were all admirals. That would be going to the extreme. The fewer we have in the lower grades the more rapidly they can be promoted to the higher. Senator Hale. To a certain extent the great glut is in the middle grades. There is no difficulty in a man, after he gets to be captain, being promoted to commodore or admiral. The glut is right below that grade, in the grades of commander, lieutenant-commander, and lieu- tenant. Commodore Melville. Yes; there is a terrible glut there. Mr. Wadsworth. Would you order these officers to appear before a board? * Commodore Melville. I think so. The scheme would be to examine their record and see how they stood at the naval school, what their abilities were as mathematicians or physicists, and their standing in applied mechanics. Mr. Wadsworth. A man might not make a good engineer who is not of a mechanical turn? Commodore Melville. Yes. 36 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. Mr. Wadswoeth. If lie does not like mechanics, althongh he would be well up in his studies, he would not make a success. Commodore Melville. This plan would bring the tflo grades of the service closer to each other. At present the line officer complains that the engineer has the advantage. This plan will give the line officer some chance to secure the advantages that he says the engineer officer has. [Senate Eeport No. 576, Fifty -second Congress, first session.] The Committee on Naval Affairs, to which was referred Sejiate bill 1289, have had the same under consideration and submit the following report : The increase provided for in the first section of the bill is 14 chief engineers and 100 assistant and passed assistant engineers ; a total increase in the Engineer Corps of the Navy of 114. The following table shows the composition of the Engineer Corps and its assign- ment to duty, corrected up to March 10, 1892 : Composilion of Engineer Corps, TJ. S. Nary, and ils assignment to Auty, corrected up to March 10, 1S9S. Chief en- gineers Passed assistant engineers and as- sistants. Total. At sea* In Bureau of Steam Engineering Office of Naval Intelligence Superi)itending engineer, Fisli Commission Examining board, naval engineers Inspecting macbinery for new vessels Superintendence State, War, and Navy Building Board of Inspection and Survey Board of inspection United States and foreign vessels. steel board and steel inspection On duty at navy -yards Experimental board Ironclads, James Eiver Receiving ships and training ships Naval Academy Special duty Sick, on leave, or waiting orders 58 19 79 12 1 1 3 29 2 1 1 4 32 2 1 4 6 i Total number in the service 120 189 •Does not include 10 naval cadets who are preparing for commissions in the Engineer Corps. The number of engineer officers required for sea and shore duty after the 1st of January is shown by the two following tables Cestimated). Provision is herein made for certain vessels building or being repaired, but which will be ready for sea and in need of engineers long before the Corps is increased to the membership provided by Senate bill No. 1289 — H. R. No. 288. The number of engineer officers herein allowed to each vessel is the least number possible for efficiency when cruising at moderate power in time of peace. War con- ditions would render the service of a much larger number absolutely necessary. See copy of a letter attached hereto, addressed by the engineer in chief to the Secretary of tibie Navy on this subject in connection with recent preparations for war with Chile. Estimate of number of engineer officers required for sea duty after January 1, 1892. Passed assistant engineers and as- sistants. Total. Alarm, Alert, Gushing, Fern, Michigan, Monocacy, Palos, Pinta, Petrel, Ranger, Thetis, Torpedo Boat No. 2, Vesuvius, Yantic, five Coast Survey and two Fish Commission vessels — twenty-one steamers, requiring one engineer officer each Adams, Alliance, Enterprise, Essex, Dolphin, Gunboat No. 6, Kearsarge, Iroquois, Marlon, Machiaa, Mohican, Nipsic, practice vessel — ^thirteen YOfiaelA, requiring two engineer officers each ..••..-..••.m»— ..-. 21 26 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 37 M^tiMate of numher of enginem' officers required for sea duty aft&j' January 1, 189^ — Cont'd. CMofa. Passed engineers and as- sistants. Atlanta, Bennington, Boston, Concord, Cruiser No. 11, Detroit, Harbor Defense Ram No, 1, Lancaster, Montgomery, Pensacola, Yorktown — eleven A'^easels, requiring three engineer ofl&cers each Amphitrite, Baltimore, Cliarleston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Miantonomoh, Monadnock, Monterey, Newark, Oregon, Philadelphia, Puritan, Raleigh, San IFrancisco, Terror, Tex as —nineteen vessels, requiring four engineer officers each Cruiser No. 6, Cruiser No. 12, Crusier No. 13, New York — four vessels, re- quiring five engineer officers each Seventy vessels, requiring in all Assuming that three-fourths of all available vessels are in commission at one time, the number of engineer officers necessary for sea duty in time of peace is 132 Estimate of engineer officers required for shore duty^ January, 189S. Chiefs. Passed engineers and as- sistants. Chief of Bureau of gteam Engineering Assistant to chief of Bureau Designing, drafting room, Bureau of Steam Engineering Division of Logs and Records, Bureau of Steam Engineering . Technical correspondence, Bureau of Stea«n Engineering Naval Intelligence Office Superintending engineer. Fish Commission Examining hoard, naval engineers Inspectors of machinery — At contractors'. New York At contractors', Baltimore At contractors', Philadelphia At contractors', Bath At contractors', Boston At contractors', Elizahethport At contractors', San Francisco At contractors', Richmond At subcontractors' At torpedo boat, Dubuque Superintendent State, "War, and Navy building Training ship for firemen Board or inspection and survey, east coast Board of inspection, merchant vessels Steel board and steel inspection Navy-yai-d : New York Portsmouth Boston Philadelphia Norfolk "Washington Mare Island Two new yards, provided for Storehouse duty at navy-yards Experimental hoard, New York Iron clads, James River Receiving and training ships Training station, Newport Department steam engineering, Naval Academy Detailed as instructors in colleges - . . Total number required for shore duty Number for sea duty with three-fourths vessels in commission, as per t duty table , Allow 10 per cent for sickness, leave, etc . . Total number required for efficiency . 101 200 20 83 220 38 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. It will be seen that the total number for supplying effectively the demands of the Navy for sea and shore duty is 303, an increase of 114 over the present list, as stated above. In view of the increase in the number of war ships, completed and provided for with modern, complicated machinery, propelled almost entirely by steam iiower, your committee is of opinion that this number added to the Engiueer Corps of the Navy is not only not excessive, but necessary to meet the requirements of the service. This opinion is sustained by the Department, as will appear from the following- extracts from the reports of the Secretary of the Kavy and the Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering. From the annual report of the honorable the Secretary of the Navy for the year 1890, p. 28 : " Of equal importance with the above changes is the demand for an increase in the number of the Engineer Corps. At present tiiere are not enough engineer officers in the Navy for ordinary working purposes, and if no additional ships were building an enlargement of the corps would bo necessary. The importa.ut additions that are now being made to the fleet emphasize still further the urgent necessity of immediate action. The engines of the new ships, with their great complexity and delicate adjustment, require the highest kind of expert treatment, and unless a sufficient force is provided the safety of the ships will be seriously endangered. A bill for this pur- pose has been introduced in Congress, whicli provides also Jbr the selection oi a cer- tain number of graduates of technical schools for appointment in the Engineer Corps. With the general principles underlying tliis bill the Department heartily. concurs, and it earnestly asks tliat action may be taken upon it at the coming session." The Chief of the Bureau oi Navigation, in his annual I'eport for the year 1890, says: "The number of the engineer officers allowed by law is inadequate to the duties required of that corps. " From the annual report of the honorable the Secretary of the Navy for the year 1891, p. 38: " The report of last year pointed out the necessity of Congressional action in refer- ence to-the naval personnel, both of the line and Engineer Corps, and suggested certain measures that might have the effect of a partial remedy. » « i' n it it n "In reference to the Engineer Corps, whose necessities are of a somewhat different character, no board was deemed necessary, the reports of the Engineer in Chief having pointed out with clearness and ability the measures conHidered necessary by him to promote the efficiency of the coi]is. These measures, and es])6cia]ly the increase in the number of the corps, were made the subject of recommendation in my report of last year. It was th<'n stat(;(l 1hat there Avere not at the. lime 'enough engineer officers in the Navy for iirdinary Avorking purposes, lyid if no additional ships were built an enlaiT^ement iiC t)ie corjis would bo nee<'SH!iry. ' A modern man- of-war is a vast and complex machine, needing intelligent and trained minds to insure a perfect working of the parts, iiiilnre in any one of which may be fata] at a vital moment; and the sense of responsibility, the physical and nervous strain upon the engineer officer charged with the care and supervision of this network of machinery is very great. His duties arenot only cif the higlu.^st importance, forupon him mainly depends the efficiency of the motive power, bnt they : ire at the s.'ime time arduous and dangerous. Manual labor and subordinates are at his service, but he can not be everywhere, and he should have the assistance of men like himself to bear their share of his load. "It is false economy to put in our new vessels all that is most advanced in high- pressure machinery and the multitude of engines and devices by which steam and mechanical appliances .arc made to do the work of man and then to provide an insufficient number of officers to control them. From the annual report of the Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering for the year 1888, p. 25: "* * * In view of these facts I would recommend that the number of engineers be increased to not less than 300. Unless something is done in this direction before long the costly machinery in ournew vessels can not receive tlie constant intelligent supervision while under way, and when overhauling and rc|i:iiring while in iiort which is absolutely necessary to keep it in proper condition and to ])revent break- downs." From the report of the Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering for the year 1889, p. ^o : "The statements made in my report of last year as to the necessity of increasing the number of officers in the Ihigineer Corps hold good with even greater force at the present time, owing to the steady decrease of the number of officers in the corps and PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 39 the increase in themimlier of motlei'n liigii-powerert ships soon to he in sevvioe, each new one with more auxiliary macliiuei-y scattered about in different compartments than its predecessor, and all of which requires intelligent and constant care. The Bureau is constantly embarrassed in finding offlcers lor necessary duty on account of the insufficient numbers in the corps. Tiie numbers allowed to ships have been reduced as low as prudence will permit, and in some cases even lower than circum- stances would seem to ■ j ustify, owing to the inadequate training and insufficient number of the petty officers, which throws much of the work that should properly be done by them on commissioned officers. " On shore the officers have to be taken from their regular duty for steam trials and other purposes, with attendant delay in tliat duty in all cases ; and requiring them, on their return, to work long after office hoiirs and on Sundays to keep the current business from i'alling behind. " When all the new vessels now appropriated for are in commission it will be impossible to properly officer them in the Engineer Department and carry on the other work of the corps with the number allowed by law. I therefore renew my recommendation of last year that the number of engineer officers be increased to not less than 300; and even this number will be found to be insufficient to give the proper care and supervision to the machinery of ships completed and building unless assisted by a sufficient number of intelligent and skilled artificers and well- trained firemen. "Attention is called to the comparison made in my report of last year between the number of engineers in our Navy and in that of Urcat Britain, and to many recommendations in the report by the board of admirals on the British naval maneuvers for 1888 for an increase in the number of engineer officers. If imitations of some of the conditions of war made the insufficiency of numbers apparent, it does not seem wise to wait till war comes to profit by the lesson." From the annual report of the Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering for the year 1890, p. 23: " In my former reports this subject has been dwelt on at some length, as it was deemed one of the most important with which we have to deal. It is with regret that I have now to report that matters are now in still worse condition than they were a year ago, and that troubles as mentioned as likely to occur are already apparent, for the number of engineer officers now in the service is not sufficient for the proper performance of the duties required of them. All that I have heretofore said can be repeated with emphasis, but in this report I shall only call attention to a few of my former recommendations in connection with what will now be pre- sented. •* * * « rf # * "When my last report was published, but one shiji (the Yorktown) with modern machinery had been commissioned; since then three others (Bnltimore, Charleston, and Philadelphia) have been placed in regular service, each with one to two less engineer officers than they should have for safety and efficiency, and less than they would have if the corps was sufficiently large to permit the proper detail, but still more than will be possible when the number in the corps has been reduced to tbe legal limit of 170. As had been foreseen, the worry and anxiety undergone by these officers in their endeavors to keep things going and in order, with the insufficient number of trained men at their disposal, has proved too much for some of them, and they are breaking down. A policy which leads to such results can only be produc- tive of disaster to the service. It requires a very simple calculation to show that the present legal numbers in the Engineer Corps will not be sufficient to properly officer the ships now in commission and those for whose construction approjiriatious have already been made, and tliis without taking into account the number required for shore duty and to provide for sickness and an occasional leave, etc. Something must be done, and done promptly, or we shall not only have some serious breakdown to repair which might have been avoided, but also an accident more than likely to be attended with loss of life. # * jt >t * ;t * "There is still another and very important point that, is generally overlooked when considering the Engineer Corps of the Navy, and that is that it is a part of the mili- tary organization and second to none in importance. In the naval battle of the future the engineer staff will have a difficult and important part to perform, and if there is failure in the engine room no amount of skill and bravery on the bridge may suffice to avert disas- ter. Celerity of movement has decided many a naval battle, and ivill decide many more, and the celerity of movement of a modern ship depends directly on the skill of her engineer officm-s." From the annual report of the Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering for the year 1891, p. 26: "It is with regret that I am again conrpelled to report that the number of engineer officers is insufflcient for the proper performance of the duties belonging to them 40 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. and to emphasize the fact that unless measures are taken at once to remedy this condition and to stop the steady decrease in numbers, we shall before long have a dainful awakening by a serious breakdown or accident on some of our vessels. There is a limit to even a naval engineer's endTirame ; and while the officers of the Engineer Corps will do their best to make all needed repairs and keep in efficient condition the magnificent machinery of the new vessels, from which the country justly expects so much and in which it takes a proper jiride, they can go no further than the limit of their physical strength ; when this has been reached the machinery must take care of itself. "The necessity for an increase of the Engineer Corps is recognized throughout the service, and it was gratifying to find in tlie annual report of the Navy IJi'partment for last year that both the honorable the Secretary and the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation recommended it. "Inasmuch as the bill introduced in the last Congress has failed with the close of its sessions, I give herewith the features which I believe should be embodied in any measure for an increase of numbers. "The number of engineer officers should be at least 300, and even this number will be inadequate unless supplemented by a sufficient number of intelligent and skilled artificers and well-trained firemen. The division into grades should be in accord- ance with the duty to be performed, and as far as practicable arranged so as to give reasonable promotion in order to keep the ablest young men in the corps. At pres- ent we are constantly losing bright and promising young men by reason of slow promotion and overwork. « « # jf * )* ^ "I have given the matter of the necessary number of engineer officers most care- ful study and consideration, and am preijared to submit, at the proper time, details in regard to the number needi'il and a scheme for recruiting the Corps. I need not go into this here, as the important point is to secure action by Congress ; when this is assured, I can submit a mcuiorandum to the Uepartment for transmission. I may say here, however, that the number of officers asked for is neither a guess nor an approximation, but is a careful estimiitc based on the actiuxl duty to be performed at sea and on shore; it was made by considering the needs of every sliix) and every shore station, making allowance for the fact that nil our sl)i]iH will not be in commission at once, and that some jirovision nuist be made for sickness and leave. In other words, it is the miuiiiiun number which, in my opinion, will bo .idequate for ordinary circumstances iu time of peace; it will be altogether too small in time of war. " It should be added that the proposed increase should be made gradually, in order to secure thoroughly good men. Twenty each year till the full number is reached would provide for this gradual increase, and still allow for the reduction due to retirements and resignations of some of the younger men, who can not resist the tempting and lucr.ative positions offered them in various mechanical and electrical engineering establishments and technical schools. Much as we need the full num- ber asked for now, I w«uld reg;ird it a misfortune to have the entire iiiciease occur in one or two years, as it would be impossible to secure the required number of com- petent men iu that time." As germane to this branch of the subject your committee appends hereto and makes a part of this report a letter from the Chirl' of the JJureau of Steam Engineering to the Secretary of the Navy, bearing date January 25, ].X1)2, accom- panied by a table showing the number of engineer ollii^ers now attached to certain cruising vessels and the numbers absolutely re((uired for each vessel in case of war. Navt Dbpautment, Bureau of Steam Engineering, WusMngion, January US, 189S. Sir: In view of the fact that preparations are being made for carrying on a foreign war, should it beconn-, necessary, I have to call your attention to the fact that the number of engineer ofliiers now attached to the various vessels iu commission is barely enough to admit of the performance of their duties in time of peace, and is wholly inadequate for conditions of war, when increased vigilance and the constant presence of an officer on duty in charge of the niachiuery department would become imperative. ^ In order to provide enough officers for the proper performance of duty in case of war, I earnestly recommend that the n umber of passed assistant or assistant engineers on board the vessels likely to be engageil in active war oi>erntions be increased, the instant that war exists, by the numliers shown in the table a]i]ionded to this letter. Without this increase 1 believe that the macliinery dcii;utmen1s of the vessels named will be found inefficient in war, and that disaster to the vessels and consequent dis- grace to the country will be the pi!ohable result. PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. 41 In case the necessity of sending officers to the vessels now in commission arises I am prepared to recommend the detail of certain engineer officers now on shore duty, whose detachment from present duties would he injurious to the puhlic interests, hut which I consider a lesser evil than allowing vessels, liable to face the conditions of war, to remain shorthanded. Shore duty abandoned for the above-mentioned necessity can be temporarily pro- vided for by the detail of retired officers, as authorized by section 1462, Revised Stat- utes of the United States, and by the employment of skilled draftsmen and clerks, whose work would be supervised by regular engineer officers. Very respectfully, Geo. W. Melville, Engmew-in-Chief, U. S. Navy, Chief of Bureau, The Secretary of the Navy. Table showing the number of engineer officers now attaelied to certain cruising vessels and the numbers absolutely required for each vessel in case of war. !N"umh6r of engineers now on board. Number of engi- neers abso- lutely req uired in case of war. Vessels, Chiefs. Passed assistant and assist- ants. Chiefs. Passed assistant and assist- ants. 1 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 5 5 Chicago ,,. 5 PhiladelpMa Boston 4 Atlqnta-. Bennington _ 3 3 Yorktown 3 Eaaex . . 2 2 Iroquois 2 2 Thetis X To recapitulate: the number of engineer officers on these vessels should be increased at once in case of war by the addition of passed assistant and assistant engineers as follows: For the Baltimore, 2; Charleston, 2; San Francisco, 1; Chicago, 2; Philadelphia, 2 ; Neivarlc, 2 ; Miantonomoh, 2; Boston, 2; Atlanta, 2; Bennington,!; Concord, 1; Tm-ktown, 1; Essex, 1; Mohican, 1; Iroquois, 2; I'antic, 1; Thetis, 1. With the proposed increase of 20 each year, in addition to the retirements and casualties, it will take about six years to iill the Engineer Corps to the comple- ment provided for in the bill. The manner of appointing assistant engineers In this bill involves a change in the method now allowed by law, such change being considered necessary for the reason that the classes of naval cadets graduating from Annapolis are not large enough to supply on the average more than about 10 men for the Engineer Corps each year, and as at least one-half of these would be neces- sary to make up the waste due to casualties and retirements, it is necessary that a supply be obtained from some other source in order that the increase contemplated in the bill may be effected rapidly enough to be of material benefit. The graduates of technical schools appointed naval cadets under the provisions of this bill will enter the Navy upon precisely the same footing as to rank, pay, and position, as the cadets just graduated from the lour years' course at the Academy, and the two years of probation which these cadets from civil life will undergo will furnish ample opportunity for them to become familiar with the traditions and customs of the service, and will allow both themselves and their superior officers to judge of their aptitude for the service. The age limit of admission provided for these civilian candidates is the same as that of naval cadets at the end of the four years' coiuse as determined by existing laws. 42 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVT — STAFF. The maimer of examining the cadets of the Engineer Corps before granting them commissions, as provided liy this hill, is the samt- as is provided by existing law for naval cadets of the engineer division. The number to be appointed as assistant engiuoors is in keeping with existing law (excepting, of course, the additional tAveuty, until tlie contemplated roster is eom- plete). The method of filling vacancies from graduates of future years is exactl,\ the same as that prescribed by existing law, whenever the number of graduates in any year is not sufficient to fil'l.the vacancies of that year. This bill does not interfere with the present edurse at the Naval Academy, but simply asks that, in addition to the number of engineer graduates which thai insti- tution supplies, the Navy be given the benefit of the sup]ily from the many good engineering schools of the country. With this bill a law the study of engineering will be encouraged, as contemplated by the act approved February 26, 1879, and the coimtry will have, in case of war, a larger number of engineers at its command. The colleges which teach engineering will then bear the same relation to the Naval Academy that the increasing number of valuable marine engineering works now bear to our navy-yards. By giving our ship aud engine builders a cha.nce for work we have vastly increased our naval resources, and this bill aims to do the same for the personnel which is to direct the results of their labors. The. establishment of an official status for the officers of the Engineer Corps by assigning rank to them, instead of relative rank as heretofore, appears to the com- mittee to be a just and necessary measure in view of the great inijiortauce of this branch of theservice and the responsibilities these officers have to .issuineonmodern war vessels, where steam engineering has practically replaced the old steamship, and where the chief engineer and his assistants have control over a large part of the entire crew of the vessel, and upon the exercise of whose authority depends the efficiency of the ship as a fighting machine. The conferring of this rank is in accordance with the laws relating to staff offi- cers in the Army, aud does in n(j way contliot with the right to command now vested bylaw in the officers of the line. This is pro\ ided for by section i of the bill, which confines the authority of the engineer olfieors to their own department. Any official or person who gives orders or directions controlling the operations of bodies of men nmst have some right or authority for his action, and in a military organization rank, and rank alone, confers this authority. Without rank there can be no legal responsibility, and there can be no legal authority for giving orders to others, and no legal reascm why (djcdience should be rc^ndered. The rank makes the officer and is his sole warrant for the exercise of his functions. An officer with- out rank is a contradieticin of terms, aud .any person placed in so anomalous a posi- tion must necessarily act in a tentative and inefliciiMit manner, depending upon his personal qualities alone for his influence, and upon the good sense aud good will of others in recognizing and deferring to the correctness ol' his Judgment. The engineer officers of the Navy are now in precisely this .anomalous position. From the unimportant auxili.ary part which steam engineering had in the Navy of forty years ago it has slowly advanced, with the development of niechanical inventions, until now it has ceased to be auxiliaiy, and is the department njion whose efficiency depends entirely the efficiency of the whole ship as a fighting machine. Its officers, however, have not been granted a statns commensurate with the continually growing importance oi' their duties and responsibilities, and, being obliged to exercise their functions without antliority of law, are still dependent upon the good will of their subordinates for the execution of orders upon A\hich the usefulness of the whole ship depends. The responsibilities of the engineer on a modern man-of-war are seccmd to none in importance, excepting those of the commanding officer, and tlie latter himself would be powerless to inflict injury upon an enemy unless supported by the intelligence, skill, energy, and courage of the engineer, who must coolly perlorm his duty and control his men in the presence of the enemy, and, under the most trying conditions of battle, to be shot at without the opportunity of shooting back. The rank conferred by this bill appears to your committee to be fair and just. In the Army actual rank is given to e\ery department of the staff as well as to field aud line officers, even to the medical corps and chaplains. Why, then, should this most important branch of the naval service be discriminated against by confining it to mere relative rank ? Your committee can see nothing in the reason or policy of such discrimination. The rank of captain, comnjandei-, lieutenant-commander, lieutenant, lieutenant junior grade, and ensign corresponds with the rank of officers in the staff corps of the Army and equalizes those in the stall coi-jis of the Na\'y. The committee recommend the passage ol the bill with an amendment as follows; Strike out the word "mechanical" in line 17, page 2. personnel of the navy — staff. 43 Memorandum: 'So. 2. Tlie engineer officers of the Navy respectfully submit for tlie consid- eration of your joint committee tlie following arguments regarding the rank that they believe should be accorded them in the naval organiza- tion: In spite of the great development of marine engineering within the last quarter of a century and the change from the sailing frigate to the mastless war steamer, which change has been perfected during the same period, the status of the naval engineer remains now practically the same as it was twenty-flve years ago. Although acting as an officer in a military organization, charged with the control and discipline of enlisted men, and amenable in every way to military law for his personal and professional conduct, he has no rank as an officer except the nebu- lous and uncertain standing conferred hy the de&aition of relative ranlc. This is expressed by section 1476 of the Eevised Statutes, and the effect of this statute is to give engineer officers simply relative rank in regard to the officers of the line of the K"avy but not naval rank in the jSTavy. This is a subtle but very material distinction which should now cease to exist, whatever advantages may have attached to it under an order of things now obsolete. It is a distinction which places the engineer officers, as regards rank, outside of the Navy, as though the Engineer Corps is not a portion of the Navy, but a distinct and separate service. The actual or positive rank of the line officers of the Navy — that is, rank without qualiiication — is conferred by section 1362 of the Eevised Statutes, and the contrasting of the wording of the two sections shows that section 1362 bestows actual rank, while section 1476 gives only rela- tive rank. The naval engineers, having no rank to begin with, it is mani- festly an absurdity to say that they have relative rank with another class of officers who do have rank. To illustrate this point we may state that the line officers of the Navy have relative rank with the officers of the Army, and the officers of the Army have relative rank with the line officers of the Navy. The Army and Navy, being distinct and sep- arate services, having no connection with each other, this comparison or relative rank is necessary as a mere device to show how the officers of one service stand in rank or position to the officers of the other service. In precisely the same manner '2 horses, or other objects, have relative value, height, or weight, provided they each have, to begin with, some value, height or weight, between which comparisons can be made. A comparison or relation of rank between officers of the Army and Navy is obviously proper, but a similar comparison can not be made between the line and engineer officers of the Navy, as they both belong to one service and perform their duties together. Their official actions can not be separated; they serve in the same ships, in the same uavy- yards, on the same courts, boards, and commissions; their joint action is for one and the same purpose; they are inseparably united as regards their naval duties, just as the various ranks of line officers serving on board the same vessel are one and inseparable; hence, why there are cogent reasons why all persons in a military organization should have rank in order that there be no clashing of authority or doubtful subordination, no conceivable reason can exist for any rela- tive rank between them. That rank is essential to the engineer offi- cers of the Navy for the proper performance of their duties, has long been conceded, but to make the concession as little as possible it was made the mere shadow or suggestion of rank by the undefined term 44 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF, "relative," about which no satisfactory construction has even been or can be made. What is particularly desired to be impressed is that " relative " rank is proper onlybetween officers of totally diftereut services, such as Army and Navy for example, but that it has and can have no application between officers of the same service, unless used to indicate order of precedence of officers of the same rank. Line officers, when forced to make excuses for the present status of the staff in the Navy, assure (.longressional committees that relative rank is as good as any other kind of rank, and that the commission of a staff officer confers upon him all the rights that any other officer enjoys, including that of command in his own department. {See pam- phlet addressed to the naval committees of the Fifty-second Congress in regard to Senate bill No. 1289 and H. R. No. 288; signed by 10 line officers). If this theory were carried out by the line officers in their construction of law and regulations in the service, or if it had any foundation in fact, the grievances of the engineers in this matter of rank would be materially lessened. As a matter of fact, relative rank is understood by the line officers to be merely a name, an empty com- pliment, carrying nothing with it but the right to masquerade in a uniform similar to that worn by real officers. The little value placed by the Department itself on "relative" rank is clearly shown by the TJ. S. Naval Eegulations, article 23, section 2, which says: A captain or commauder, when chief ol'a bureau of the Navy Department, shall have the relative rank of commodore duriiig the time he holds such office, liut his actual rank and title shall remain unchanged. The late Admiral Porter regarded the relative rank of the staff as merely honorary, and in a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Navy on this subject said : This honorary rank, very properly, lacks the power of command, and has been conceded for the purpose of establisliing the status of civil officers on board ship. The parties who rei/rive it arr quasi-civil officers with quasi-iivil duties; but in order to identify them with their surrouudiugn and give propriety to their presence, they are favored with the coiuplimeut of rank. If anything else is needed to show just how relative rank is regarded by the line officers, the following extracts from a letter published in the New York Evening Post will supply it: Now, the line has already conceded to the stuff a uniform and assimilated rank amply sufficient to give them a higlily respectable social position, anil for the per- formance of their duties ; but they look upon their as.sumptioii of ' 'dc facto rank" as an insult to the naval profession. After all, what good is rank wjtlujut the privi- leges and right to command which necessarily pertain to itf And every line officer knows, from the moment hi- enters tlie Naval Academy, that the so-called rank of the staff' is, and always must be, a mytli; \\i» one attiiclu;s the slightest value to it; it absolutely means nothing, and it is sheer nonsense to talk of equality of line and staff on board ship; it can not exist; the oldest fleet officer must always be snbor- dinate to the captain, and every staif officer, no matter what his rank niay )ie must be subordinate to the executive officer, who is the second in command, and the pre- siding officer of the wardroom mess. * ' * » ■ t Staff commissions do not say a word about rank ; the. term is not once mentioned in connection with the staff' officer's name, and therefore no line officer or seaman is juBtitied in obeying anyone whose rank is not distinctly stated in his warrantor commission. These are not the wild expressions of a rabid staft-hater, but a cool and earnest confession of the faith of the line; they represent the views that line officers express in their talk and writiiigs, and which they practice in their official relations with all staff officers. When it is PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 45 reflected tliat the majority of the eugiueer ofQcers are graduates of the Haval Academy and that they are compelled, by virtue of the status now accorded them by law, to accept this kind of obloquy from their own classmates, often their inferiors in academic standing, without any legal grounds for denying it, your committee will understand one of the chief reasons why the engineers ask to have their position defined beyond the reach of cavil or contempt. Suppose that the infantry oflicers of the Army, as the largest branch of the service in point of numbers, were to assume this attitude towards the cavalry officers, for example: What effect would such arrogance have upon the discipline of the Army, and how many members of Congress would support it by voting to restrict the cavalrymen to relative rank? The principle of one kind of rank for all is recognized to the full- est extent in the Army, all the corps of which, without exception, have the same ranks and military or Army titles. The officers of the ordnance corps of the Army have no relative rank with the officers of the infantry corps; and the engineer officers of the Army have no relative rank with those of the artillery corps, and so on ; the rank is absolutely the same for officers of all corps and the titles of the rank are the same also. In the Navy alone has the invidious distinction been made, and is sought to be maintained, of giving proper rank to only one class of officers to the exclusion of another class just as necessary to the public service, and having precisely the same professional, educational, and social claims. The Army system produces perfect harmony of feeling, concert of organization, and efficiency in action; and is what should be adopted in the Navy to produce the same desir- able results. The two following paragraphs from the regulations governing the Army clearly establish the extent to which command may be exercised by staff officers who have real rank : Officers of engineers or ordnance, or of the Adjutant-General's, Inspector-Gen- eral's, Judge-AdTOcate-General's, Quartermaster's and subsistence departments, though eligible to command, according to their rank, shall not assume the command of troops, unless put on duty under orders which specially so direct by authority of the President. (Sec. 16, Art. iv, U. S. Army Regulations, 1889.) An officer of the pay or medical department can not exercise command, except in his own department; but, by virtue of his commission, he may command all enlisted men like other commissioned officers. (U. S. Army Regulations, 1889, sec. 18, Art. IV.) Under similar regulations, based upon law, the right of the naval engineers to'exercise command would be restricted to their own depart- ment, where they most surely need that right, and would prevent any danger of their seizing upon the command of the ships, which ridicu- lous possibility the line officers say they fear. This alleged danger is, in fact, tiie only argument that the line officers can find to sustain their objections to staff rank, and this is arrived at only by the elaboration of fine-spun theories and false logic. The dogma that rank and com- mand are inseparable, asserted in line memorials to Congress, and found in the utterances of the champions of line exclusiveness, is too false and glaring to merit counter argument. It is disproved by the actual conditions of the Army, the Marine Corps, the National Guard, the hue of the Navy itself, and by a thousand circumstances and facts patent to the most superficial observer. Eank and command are con- stantly separated and exist independent of each other. The naval engineers ask for no authority outside of their own depart- ment. They ask only such recognition within it as any officer should have who takes the risks and bears the brunt of battle, and who 46 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. directs the operivtions of men during it. In other words, they ask Con- gress to legalize the functions they now perform by sufferance and not by lawful authority. Why officers devoting their lives to the service, who have always had a certain portion of the crew to organize, muster, discipline, station, and drill in the various maneuvers intended to make the vessel efficient and destructive, and who iiom this time on Avill have under their control from 25 to 60 per cent of the entire ship's company, should be denied recoguition as a military element in a fighting organization would be incomprehensible to any one not familiar with the deep-rooted , century-grown prejudices of the line against every- thing naval not pertaining directly to itself. The line officers are the only element within the United States opposing this particular recog- nition by Congress of the military character of the naval engineers, and with the influejice of their disproportionate numbers have prevented by steady and virulent opposition legislation aiming to increase the efficiency and usefulness of another corps of the Navy. Naval engineers have been and are being continuously spoken of contemptuously by their line associates as "noncombatants," "civil officials," etc. The engineers resent these assumptions of those who arrogantly claim all fighting duties, and no cunning evasion or perversion of facts, no statements to the eifect that the engi- neers are influenced by sentiment, and that they aspire to the command of ships, can draw attention from the fact that the naval engineers of to-day are "combatants" in the strictest sense of the word, and that as such they should receive proper recognition. The naval battle of the future will be a thing of horror and of sudden wholesale carnage, if nerve directs; the ship will fight with her engines as well as with her guns, and the ram will be a more dangerous weapon and one more feared than the battery.; and if her engines or boilers or the courage of those operating them fail it will be a far more serious catastrophe than the failure of the battery, for it will leave the ship a mere drift- ing mass absolutely at the mercy of the enemy. Let those who decry the engineers as "noncombatants " take home the lesson to be learned from the loss of the Victoria. It was not powder that there worked destruction — it was steam; and if such horror can occnr in peaceful maneuvering what might not happen in time of bat- tle? Here is a ship lost under the exact conditions of battle — rammed by another — and see how the "noncombatant" engineers came out of it: "The whole engine-room staff on watch perished to a man." So says London Engineering, and, in further commenting on the dreadful catastrophe, says: The loss of life in the engineering department is a commentary on the devotion displayed by the men of the staff. In the Victoria the number of combatant officers above the rank of midshipman, not including admiral, was 15, namely, captain, com- mander, 7 lieutenants, staft' commander, 3 marine ofScers, and 2 sub-lieutenants. Happily, of these 15 only 1 was lost, their duties not calling upon them to place them- selves in the positiona of greatest danger. The number of engineer officers was 6, namely, fleet engineer, 2'engineers, and 3 assistant engineers. Of these 6 5 wore lost. Out of 10 engine-room artificers 6 were lost; and of 110 stokers and leading stokers 74 were lost. These figures are, of course, approximate and may require correction ■when the facts are more fully known. Undoubtedly in a case such as this the heroism of the occasion is with the engine-room staff. They have to dive below, while others work toward the deck. Their awful position in the event of the ship cap- sizing needs no comment, and the fact that the engineer officers and men of the Victoria braved these dangers in the discharge of their duty, and went to what they must have known was certain death, forms one of the most noble pages in all the glorious annals of the British navy. Hnman mind can not imagine a position of greater nervous and mental strain than is endured by men who are in battle fastened in PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 47 these death traps. If ever discipline and command of men is needed it is right here. A stampede of animals is bad enough, but earth holds no such utter and fatal demoralization as a stampede of men. Surely the man who, at a critical moment, by his nerve, training, and sense of duty and responsibility, keeps these men at their stations, and makes of 1:hem a fighting factor that can be absolutely depended upon should be recognized as commanding them, and that by something more than sufferance and the honorary compliment of "relative" rank. It is much easier to control men where they have their danger constantly in sight, and where, if necessity compels, they can jump and save them- selves, than it is in an air-tight fire room, and beneath the battle hatches of an engine room, where the rupture of a steam pipe from any cause means the death of all in that compartment. And the officers who do this and successfully aid the captain in carrying out his plan of battle are fully as important and deserving of just treatment as the officers who control the guns' crews and direct the fire of the gans as directed by the captain. It is a question of men and ability, not one of corps prejudices. That eminent authority on international law, Woolsey, defines a combatant as follows : A combatant is any person directly engaged in carrying on war, or concerned in the belligerent government, or present ■with its armies and assisting them; although those who are present for purposes of humanity and religion, as surgeons, nurses, and chaplains, are usually classed among uoncomhatants, unless special reasons require an opposite treatment of them. The naval engineer and his division of men (which the engineer does not "command," but is "in charge" of, according to the line officers' dictum), by faithfully executing the captain's orders, enable him to overtake a flying foe, to use his ship as a huge projectile with which to strike his enemy, or to avoid a similar attack aimed at himself, and in performing these functions they are taking active part in the battle and contributing to the combatant qualities of the ship far more than can any line officer and his division at a gun, firing or withholding the fire of the gun as the captain directs. Yet the line officer is a "com- batant" and the engineer officer is a " nonconibatant ! " If there is any truth or sense in the line officers' definition of the noncombatant status of the engineers, then, according to the practice of all civilized nations, when a sea fight is imminent the engineer and the men of his division should, like women and children, be allowed to seek a safe place by going on shore or removing to a distance in the ship's boats, whence they could contemplate in harmless glee the pretty effect of bursting shells or speculate in idle curiosity as to how the engagement might come out. It has been argued by line officers for many years before Congres- sional committees that if the naval engineers are given rank they will lose the titles that identify them with the engineering profession. Besides being unnecessarily solicitous about the affairs of others, this is a false assumption set up to argue against simply for the lack of some real objection and shows how utterly void of logical merit is the ground of opposition to staff rank. In the Army such titles as " major and paymaster," "captain of engineers," "captain, medical depart- ment," "colonel. Seventh Cavalry," and many more to be found in the Army Eegister and in the lists of confirmations by the Senate in the Congressional Eecord, show both the ranlc and the corps or profes- sion of the officer, and this is just where the naval engineer titles are deficient, for there is nothing about them to indicate even relative rank 48 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. or conuectiou vrith the naval service. In the Navy Dopartinont build- ing to-day there are 5 chief engineers of the Navy on duty, no two of whom are in the same grade or of the same relative rank ; the senior one has the relative rank of commodore and the junior that of lieuten- ant, the others being graded with captain, commander, and lieutenant commander, respectively, although their naval titles do not show any difference whatever between them. What sort of a military organiza- tion would that be in which officers from the rank of captain to tha t of brigadier-general, both inclusive, were known by precisely the same title? And who in the naval scrAice or out of it can extricate any meaning of rank or position from the title of "passed assistant engineer," a title which, meaningless enough in itself, is further com- plicated by being associated in the Navy Eegister with two grades of relative rank, one of which is the same as that of one kind of chief engineer? The fact of the matter is that the titles so jealously guarded by the line officers as being theirs by right of their calling are not professional titles at all, but merely the designations of different ranks. In civil employment sea officers of the deck department have the professional titles ot masters and mates of their respective vessels; but when mili- tarily organized in a navy a distinction of ranks became necessary, and the ranks had to have names by which they might be recognized. As, originally, the deck officers were the only naval officers, they have come in time to look upon these names as peculiar to themselves — to their profession. A glance at the meaning of these titles — many of which, such as captain and lieutenant, are common to army as well as to navy, and to many other organizations — will show that they desig- nate rank oidy, and not profession. Admiral, commodore, commander, ensign, are all adaptations or corruptions of titles in foreign languages, none of which has any connection with seamanship or a sailor's duties, and all of which are army names of different ranks, just as appropriate to one naval corps as to another. The rank of all naval corps should be expressed in unmistakable language, about whose meaning and application there can be no question. It should not be a quasi rank, but a complete one. Following is the opinion of the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs, Fifty-second Congress, on the question of rank for the naval engineers, as expressed by that committee in its favorable report on Senate bill 1289, to increase the efficiency of the Engineer Corps of the Navy. {See Eeport No. 576, Fifty-second Congress, first session, Senate.) . The establishment of an official status for the officers of the Engineer Corps by assigning ranlc to them, instead of relative rank as heretofore, "appears to the committee to be a, just and necessary moasure in view of tlie great rmportiince of this branch of the service and the responsibilities these officers liiive to MHsume on mod- ern war vessels, where steam engineering has practically roiilaeed the old seaman- ship, and where the chief engineer and his assistants have control over a large part of the entire crew of the vessel, and upon the exercise of whose authority di-pends the efficiency of the ship as a figiiting machine. The conferring of this rank is in accordance with the laws relating to staff officers in the Army, and does in no way conflict with the right to command now vested by law in the officers of the line. This is provided for by section 4 of the liJll which confines the authority of the engineer officers to their own de])artmeiit. ' Any official or person who gives orders or directions controlling the operations of bodies of men must have some right or authority for his action, and in a military organization rank, and rank alone, confers this authority. Without rank tliore can be no legal responsibility, and there can be no legal authority for giving orders to others, and no legal reason why obedience should be rendered. The rank makes the officer and is his sole warrant for the exercise of his functions. An officer without rank is a contradiction of terms, and any person placed in so anomalous a position PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 49 must necessarily act iu a toiitiitive and inefficient manner, depending upon his per- sonal qualities alone for his influence, and npon.the good sense and goodwill of others iu recognizing and deferring to the correctness of his judgment. The engineer officers of the Navy are now in precisely this anomalous position. From the unimportant auxiliary part which steam engineering had in the Navy of forty years ago, it has slowly advanced, with the development of mechanical inven- tions, until now it has ceased to he auxiliary, and is the department upon whose efficiency depends entirely the efficiency of the whole ship as a iighting machine. Its officers, however, have not been granted a status commensurate with the con- tinually growing importance of their duties and responsibilities, and, being obliged to exercise their functions without authority of law, are still dependent upon the good will of their subordinates for the execution of orders upon which the usefulness of the whole ship depends. The responsibilities of the engineer on a modern man-of-war are second to none in importance, excepting those of the commanding officer, and the latter himself woiild he powerless to inflict injury upon an enemy unless supported by the intelligence, skill, energy, and courage of the engineer, who must coolly perform his duty and control his men in the presence of the enemy, and under the most trying conditions of battle, to be shot at without the opportunity of shooting back. The rank conferred by this bill appears to your committee to be fair and just. In the Army actual rank is given to every department of the staff as well as to field and line officers, even to the medical corps and chaplains. Why, then, should this most important branch of the naval service be discriminated against by confining it to mere relative rank ? Your committee can see nothing in the reason or policy of such discrimination. The rank of captain, commander, lieutenant-commander, lieutenant, lieutenant jun- ior grade, and ensign, corresponds with the rank of officers in the staff corps of the Army and equalizes those in the staff corps of the Navy. The committee recommend the passage of the bill with an amendment as follows : Strike out the word "mechanical," in line 17, page 2. Memoeandtjm No, 3. The following arguments are submitted by the engineer officers of the Navy in support of the belief that certain changes are necessary in the present laws governing retirements and promotions in the Engineer Corps : Of the 70 chief engineers now on the active list of the Navy, only 8 are less than 50 years of age, the youngest one of the entire list being 46. The senior passed assistant engineer, who will not, in the regular order of things, get his promotion until next May, is now 52 years of age. An examination of the ages of the passed assistant engineers, in connection with their probable promotions, shows that the majority of them will be between 45 and 50 before reaching the grade of chief engi- neer, and will therefore perform the duties of chief engineers of war vessels between those ages and 62, the present retiring age. After spending a life from youth up to 60 or more years of age amid the changing vicissitudes of climate and duty incident to the naval service few men are physically fit for the efficient performance of the duties of chief engineer of a modern cruiser or battle ship; duties that from their nature make the position the most wearing, trying, and exhaust- ing of any sea calling, and which can not be well performed by a man who is not physically athletic and vigorous. The chief engineer is always on duty, night and day, and must at any moment be fully informed of the exact condition of every detail of his department. He must be climbing up and down ladders almost constantly from one part of his department to another, inspecting the cramped and intricate divisions of the double bottoms, examining the interior of boilers, and in many other ways always adding physical exhaustion to mental worry and strain. That the chief engineers in the Navy are now as a class too old for the efficient performance of their duties at sea is plainly shown by the STAFF 4 50 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. many instances of physical breakdown that have occurred and are constantly occurring since the new type of ships have been added to our fleet. In 1890, soon after the BaUimore had been placed in service, an accident due to the failure of the machinery of that vessel at a critical moment caused the commanding officer to ask for the detach- ment of the chief engineer, the request stating that no fault was to be found with the zeal or intentions of the chief engineer, but that he was simply physically unfit to perform the duties of his position. The chief engineer in question, who was detached from the vessel, was then 57 years of age. In June, 1893, the Philadelphia sailed from New York with orders to proceed to the Pacific with dispatch. The amount of work and anxiety which this long distance steaming at high speed put upon the chief engineer, who was then 55 years of age, was enor- mous; yet he managed to withstand it until the ship left Oallao for Honolulu, when he broke down and was put on the sick list for "nervous prostration." Two days later, while still on the sick list, he attempted suicide by cutting his throat. That the duties of his position were altogether too severe for a man of his age is clearly shown by the following extract from a letter regarding him, sent by the captain of the ship to the Engineer in Chief of the Kavy: He worked hard, and wi thout intermission — I could almost say uiglitand day — and as a result (giving the juniors full credit, of course) the engines did not slow down from New York to Eio, and we also reached Callao without having to stop for coal, keeping up good speed to the very last. With an entirely new crew — almost entirely new — the work or anxiety must have heen greatly increased. He only went on shore once in Eio, and then on duty, and the same in Callao, where he inspected the coal. In fact, I think it would have heen better for him if he had gone ashore oftener, hut he knew how anxious the Department was to get the vessel to the Pacific and then to this place. I never sailed with one who tried to do his level best harder than did McNary, but the loss of sleep and anxiety told upon him. I have the very greatest sympathy for him. It is sad to think of his giving out. Of numerous other examples similar to the above, the case of the chief engineer of the San Francisco is the most recent. This oflQcer has just been sent home from the squadron in Eio Janeiro physically broken down and unfit for duty after only about four mouths' service in the ship; he is 61 years of age, which is nine years older than the captain of the San Francisco and within a year of the age of the admiral in command of the fleet at Eio. It is claimed by the line olfi- cers, with considerable show of reason, that their promotion is so retarded that the commanding oiiicers are too old for their positions, yet it is a fact that in the majority of our ships in commissiou the com- manders are younger than the chief engineers. In the fleet now at Eio Janeiro, for examj^le, the oldest commanding officer is 54, and the youngest chief engineer is 55. On the Detroit, which vessel was recently obliged to attack a foreign war vessel in defense of American rights, the chief engineer is 60 years of age, eleven years older than the com- manding oificer; nevertheless, in action, the efficiency of the ship would depend more upon the physical and mental alertness of the chief engineer than upon the same qualities in any other individual officer except the captain. If the commanding officers should be com- paratively young men, there is much more reason why the chief engi- neers should likewise be young. In the line of the Navy the promotion of officers who for any reason are unfit for active service is well guarded against by laws requiring both physical and mental examinations preliminary to all promotions. In the Engineer Corps these examinations are required until the officer arrives at the lowest grade of the list of chief engineers, when they PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 51 cease. Although there are chief engineers witli relative rank of cap- tain, commander, lieutenant-commander, and lieutenant, it is held by the Navy Department that there is only one grade of these oiflcers and consequently no examination required for passing from one relative rank to another, the chief engineers advancing by seniority and receiv- ing no commission or other warrant for their change of relative rank than a letter from the Department informing them of their changed status. This makes it possible for a chief engineer notoriously unfit for sea duty, by reason of physical infirmity, to be promoted from one relative rank to another and kept on the active list, simply because the medical examining board has no official occasion to report upon his dis- ability. Aa the pay of a chief engineer depends upon his length of service only, without any reference to the relative rank he may hold, it is obviously to his interest to remain on the active list as long as possible, as the longer he stays the greater will be his pay, eventually, on the retired list. And the present practice allows him to do this by affording immunity from medical examinations. The different relative ranks within the grade of chief engineer were created by the act of Congress of March 3, 1871, and it is probable that it was then the understanding of Congress that these officers should be examined and commissioned for each advance in relative rank. The Navy Department, however, held otherwise, and its ruling has, after a lapse of years, come to have the force of law. In an opinion given by the Attorney-General on this subject, dated March 18, 1892, it is stated that — Were this anew question, and one which your Department had not already decided hy a practice of twenty years, strong grounds might be urged for the view that it was the intention of Congress by the act of 1871 to create three grades among the chief engineers and to make new appointments and new commissions essential in promotions i'rom one to another. The practice of twenty years, however, can not be lightly overturned, and when there is grave doubt as to the proper oonBtruotion the practice is controlling. General Order No. 393 of the Navy Department, dated March 25, 1892, containing this opinion of the Attorney-General in full, is appended hereto for the information of your committee. The Judge- Advocate-General of the Navy, in his report to the Sec- retary for the year 1893, recommends that the law for the examination of officers as to their physical, mental, moral, and professional qualifi- cations for promotion be made to embrace chief engineers upon promo- tion to higher relative rank in their grade, and the naval engineers hope that your committee will see fit to approve this by recommending to Congress the establishment of different grades among the chief engineers and the distinguishing of those grades by different titles, in order that the law in regard to examinations may be ai^plied to them and physical wrecks thus prevented from occupying space on the active Mst. This may work hardship to some in preventing them from arriv- ing at the higher rates of retired pay, but it is a necessary measure if the efficiency of the service is to be regarded as of more importan'ce than the pecuniary needs of individuals on the retired list. Such a law will prevent those who are already broken down from being pro- moted into a higher grade but it wiU not entirely remove the evil of having chief engineers 55 or 60 years of age who will have to go to sea to break down whenever a steaming emergency arises. A remedy for this would be to reduce the age for compulsory retire- ment of engineer officers, now fixed by law at 02, to not more than 55, as the usefulness of a sea-going engineer is in the majority of cases gone at that age. In the British navy, inspectors of machinery retire 52 PERSONNEL OF THK NAVY STAFF. at tlie age of 60 and have the option of retiring at 65, M'hile fleet, staff, and chief engineers retire at the age of 55, with the option of retiring at 50. Fleet, staff, and chief engineers may also retire after thirty years of meritorious service. Other engineer ofiicers who reach the age of 45 before being promoted to chief engineer are also retired. The adoption of practice similar to that of the British navy would greatly benefit our service. A much better remedy than the above would be to extend to the Engineer Corps of the Navy the operation of existing law in regard to voluntary retirement after thirty years service in the Army and Marine Oorps. As the law referred to makes retirement dependent upon the officers application for it, it should be modified to the extent of making such retirement possible in necessary cases whether the officer con- cerned applies for it or not, the Navy Department being authorized to select officers for retirement under the operation of such a law if enacted. However distasteful this might be to individuals, it would result in providing a class of vigorous, self-reliant, and efficient chief engineers for our war vessels, and it is earnestly hoped that your com- mittee will see its way clear to making recommendations in this direc- tion. Genkral Order ) Navy Department, No. 393. S TVashingion, D. C, March S5, 1S9S. The following opinion of the Attorney-General of the Uiiitod States is published for the information of the Navy : B. F. Tracy, Secretary of the Navy. Department op Justice, Washington, D. C, March 18, 189S. The Honoralile the Secretary op the Navy: Sir : On the 13th ultimo you requested the opinion of the Attorney-General on the question — "Whether in the division of the seventy chief engineers into three grades by relative rank, as provided for in sections 1390 and 1476 of the Revised Statutes, three grades of chief engineem were created, within the meaning of the word grade as used in sections 1493 and 1496 of the Revised Statutes, wliich'provide that no line officer and no ofiiccr not of the line shall be promoted to a higher grade on the active list until his physical, meuta], moral, and professional fitness therefor has been established to the satisfaction of the board of examining officers appointed by the President; also wliether, upon the adviincomcnt of a chief engineer from the third to the second, or from the second to the first or highest grade of relative rank, such officer slionlil he subjected to examination before a board of officers, as required in the case of officers promoted to a higher grado, and given a new commission after confirmation by the Senate, as is done in the cases of all officers of the line and of all of those of the several staff corps except naval constructors, civil engineers, chaplains, and professors of mathematics. (Sections 1477, 1478, 1479 and 148o' K. S.)." ' Section 1390 of the Revised Statutes is as follows : '•' The active list of the Engineer Corps of the Navy shall consist of seventy chief engineers, who shiill be divided into throe grades by relative rank as provided in chapter 4 of this title : " Ten chief engineers; " Fifteen chief engineers ; and "Forty-five chief engineers, who shall have the relative rank of lieutenant-com- mander or lieutenant. "And each and all of the above-named officers of the Engineer Corps shall have the pay of chief engineers of the Navy, as now provided. " One hundred first assistant engineers, who shall have the relative rank of lieu- tenant or master ; and "One hundred second assistant engineers, who shall have the relative rank of master or ensign ; and the said assistant engineers shall have the pay of first and second assistant engineers of the Navy, respectively, as now provided." Section 1476 provides as follows : PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 63 "OfSoers of the Engineer Corps on the active list shall have relative rank, as follows : " Of the chief engineers ten shall have the relative rank of captain, fifteen that of commander, and forty-five thatof lieuteiiaut-commander or lieutenaut. " First assistant engineers shall have the relati^'e rank of lieutenant or master, and second assistant engineers that of master or ensign." The concluding part of section 1480 is as follows : "The grades estahlished in the six preceding sections for the staif corps of the Navy shall he filled hy appointment from the highest members in each corps, accord- ing to seniority ; and new commissions shall he issued to the officers so appointed, in which the titles and grades established in said section shall he inserted; and no existing commission shall be vacated in the said several staff' corps, except hy the issue of the new commissions required by the provisions of this section ; and no officer shall he reduced in rank or lose seniority in his own corps hy any change which may be required under the provisions of the said six preceding sections : Provided, That the issuing of a new appointment and commiRsion to any officer of the Pay Corps under the provisions of this section shall not eff'ect or annnl any existing bond, but the same shall remain in force, and apply to such new appoint- ment and commission." These three sections were derived from sections 7 and 10 of the act of March 3, 1871 (16 Stats., 536). Section 7 of that act was as follows: " That the officers of the Engineer Corps on the active list of the Navy shall he as follows : "Ten chief engineers, who shall have the relative rank of captain; "Fifteen chief engineers, who shall have the relative rank ot commander; and "Forty-five chief engineers, who shall have the relative rank of lieutenant- com- mander or lieutenant. , " And each' and all of the above-named officers of the Engineer Corps shall have the pay of chief engineers of the Navy, as now provided. " One hundred first assistant engineers, who shall have the relative rank of lieu- tenant or master ; and " One hundred second assistant engineers, who shall have the relative rank of master or ensign; and the said assistant engineers shall have the x>ay of first and second assistant engineers of the Navy, resjjectively, as now provided." It will he observed that the word ' ' grades " used in section 1390 did not occur in the original act, and was the result of the revision. Section 1493 and section 1496 of the Revised Statutes, which require physical and other examinations before promotions may be made from one grade to another in the active list of the Navy, first appeared in the act of April 21, 1864 (13 Stats., 53). At the time this act was passed the grades of engineers in the Navy had been established by the act of August 31, 1842 (5 Stats., 577), in which the Secret.iry of the Navy was authorized to appoint a requisite number of cliief engineers and assistant engineers, not to exceed one chief engineer, two first assistant, two sec- ond assistant, and three third assistant engineers for each steamship of war in the actual service of the United States. The chief engineer was given the right to share in prize money as a lieutenaut, the first assistant engineer as a lieutenant of marines, the second assistant engineer as a midshipman, and tlie third assistant engineer as the forward officers; but none of the engineers should hold any other rank than as an engineer. By act of March 3, 1859 (11 Stats,, 407), chief engineers of more than twelve years rank with commanders; chief engineers of less than twelve years, with lieutenants; first assistant engineers, next after lieutenants; second assistant engi- neers, next after masters; third assistant engineers, with midshipmen; hut the rank conferred no authority to exercise military command, and no additional right to quarters. It is perfectly evident from this history of the grades among engineers that when the sections 1493 and 1496 were enacted in 1864, such grades were not regulated by the relative rank with the line incident to them, but that the relative rank was assigned merely for the purpose of establishing precedence between the staff' officers and officers of the line, and also for ths distribution of prize money. By the act of 1864, already referred to, a new grade among engineers was created, that of fleet engineers. When the act of 1864 went into effect, therefore, the examinations required for promotions from one grade to another, applied in the Engineer Corps to promotions from third assistant engineer to second assistant engineer, from second assistant engineer to first assistant engineer, from first assistant engineer to chief engineer, and from chief engineer to engineer of the fleet. The act of 1871 in effect abolished the grade of third assistant engineer and the grade of fleet engineer, and the question now presented is whether that act, by providing diff'erent relative ranks for the three divisions of the chief engineers, thereby created three different grades of chief engineers, promotion from one of which to another was enjoined by 54 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. the act of 1864, now emboilied iu sections 1493 and 1496. Were this :i iio-w ques- tion, and one which your Department had not already decided by a jiiaotioe of twenty years, strong grounds might be urged for the view that it was the inten- tion of Congress by the act of 1871 to create three grades among the chief engineers and to make new appointments and new commissions essential in promotions from one to another. The practice of twenty years, however, can not bo lightly over- turned, and when there is grave doubt as to the proper construction, the practice is controlling. The use of the word "grades" iu section 1390, iu referring to the three different relative ranks of chief engineers, lends weight to the contention that "grades," as used in sections 1480, 1493, and 1496 should be held to apply to the three classes of chief engineers. But the fact, already alluded to, that the word "grades" appeared first in section 1890 in the revision of the statutes, and did not appear in section 7 of the act of 1871, which was the parent section, weakens that argument very much. It is clear that the mere fact that different relative rank is assigned to officers whose office is designated by tlie same title, does not neces- sarily put such officers in different grades. Take the case, for instance, of a passed assistant surgeon to whom a different relative rank is given from that given to an assistant surgeon. It was decided by Acting Attorney-General Jenks (19 Opins., 169) that a passed assistant surgeon and an assistant surgeon areofficerS of one and the same grade, but belong to different classes in such grade. And this conclusion was based on the reasoning of the Supreme Court in the case of the United States rs. Moore. (95 U. S.,760.) There is language in the opinion of Attorney- General Devens (16 Opins., 414) which may support the view that chief engineers are of three different grades, but the question was not before him, and his intima- tions were in the nature of illustrations rather than well-considered conclusions. He did not have before him what, as I have said, is all-controlling in the construc- tion of a doubtful statute — the practice of the Department for more than twenty years. Were it now to be decided that the chief engineers are by law divided into three grades in promotion from one of which to another examination, appointment by the President, confirmation by the Senate, and a new commission are essential, it would require that nearly every chief engineer in tlie first two QJassesnow acting should be examined and appointed and confirmed by the Senate though thoy have discharged the functions of those two first classes and enjoyed the privileges thereof for many years. It is not so important that the construction of a statute as doubt- ful as this be exactly what Congress intended as that a construction, acted on for twenty years, should be uphold. The conclusion follows, therefore, that the grade of chief engineer is one grade; iihat" promotion to that grade from iirst assistant engineer re(iuires examination under sections 1493 and 149G; that the relative rank among the chief engineers changes with tlieir seniority iu that grade, but that such change may be indicated by a notification from the SBleted, shall be filled by the promotion of naval cadets from year to year in the manner now Ijrovided by law. Sec. 3. That the Engineer in Chief of the Navy shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, from the list of the ofhcers of the Engineer Corps of the Navy not below the grade of commander, and shall hold oflice for the term of four years: ProOT(?e<^,. That nothing in this act shall be construed to affect the term of office of the present Engineer in Chief: Provided further, That an officer of the Engineer Corps of the Navy not below the rank of lieutenant-commander may be detailed as assistant to the Chief of the Bureau of Engineering in the Navy Department, and, in case of the death, resignation, absence, or sickness of the Chief of the Bureau, such officer shall, unleiss otherwise directed by the President as provided by section 179 of the Revised Statutes, perform the duties of such chief until his successor is appointed or such absence or sickness shall cease. Sec. 4. That officers of the Engineer Corps of the Navy shall not be entitled, by virtue of their rank, to command in the line or in the other staff corps. . Sec. 5. That the title of the Bureau of Steam Engineering in the Navy Department is hereby changed to the Bureau of Engineering, and its duties shall comprise all that relates to the designing, build- ing, fitting out, and repairing of all main and auxiliary steam, hydraulic, pneumatic, and electric machinery and appliances used on board of naval vessels, not including gun carriages, torpedoes, torpedo tubes, and fittings. Sec. 6. That all boards for the examination, inspection, or survey of machinery, engineering material, tools, contracts, and supplies shall, when possible, be composed exclusively of officers of the Engineer Corps, as shall also all boards of investigation, courts of inquiry, and courts-martial to which are submitted questions of professional fault on the part of an engineer officer; and in courts-martial, where an engineer officer is on trial for breach of naval discipline or for moral fault not less than one-half of the court shall be composed of officers of the Engineer Corps, unless the exigencies of the service render it impossible to assemble within a reasonable time a sufficient number of engineer officers as members of the court. ' Sue. 7. That the senior engineer officer attached to a vessel of the Navy in commission shall command the engineers' division and shall be resi)onsible to the commanding officer for the preservation and efficient working of all machinery and appliances under the cognizance of the Bureau of Engineering; for the discipline, instruction, and training of the enUsted men of the engineers' force, and, in general, for the execution of all details of duty in connection with the engineering department of the vessel. He shall have no authority Independent of the com- manding officer, and in the performance of his duties shall be regarded by all officers as executing the commanding officer's orders. In no case where the number of enlisted men of the engineers' force exceeds 60 shall the engineers' department, when the vessel is under way, be left in charge of any other than a commissioned officer, and in detailing engineer^officers for sea duty a sufficient number, not including the senior engineer, to stand watch in not less than four watches shall be 60 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. assigned to each vessel having such number of enlisted aieu in the engineers' force. Tlic oflicev on duty in the engirieering department shall be regarded as the representative of the commanding olBcer so far as the duties of that department are concerned, but he shall at all times be subject to the orders of the senior engineer in precisely the same manner that the oflficer of the deck is subject to the orders of the executive officer. Sec. 8. That the pay of the engineer in chief shall be the same as that of line officers when serving as chiefs of bureaus in the Navy Department. The pay of all other commissioned ofiicers of the Engineer Corps on the active list shall be computed as follows: On the date of first commission the sea pay to be considered as $1,400 per year, with an annual increase of >S<80 for each succeeding year of service on the active list: Provided, That in no case shall the sea pay allowed exceed $4,500 per anniim. In computing the pay of any oflicer under the pro- visions or this act his first commission shall be considered to have been dated six years subsequent to his "date of precedence" as published in the Ofdcial Kegister of the Navy, after said "date of precedence" shall have been corrected to conform to section 1493 of the llevised Statutes. OfScers on shore or other duty shall receive 10 per centum less than their sea pay when jirovided with quarters, but when not pro- vided with quarters they shall receive sea pay; ofQcers on leave or waiting orders shall receive 20 per centum less than their sea pay: Provided, That officers on leave for a period longer than three months at their own request shall receive 30 per centum less than their sea pay : Provided further, That no greater reduction than 20 per centum shall be made while on sick leave. Sec. 9. That officers of the Engineer Corps of the Navy shall be placed on the retired list when they arrive at the age of 60 years, and officers so retired shall receive 75 per centum of the sea pay to which they are entitled at the date of such retirement, as established by the preceding section of this act. An officer of the Engineer Corps who has been 30 years in service may, upon his own application, be placed on the retired list, and shall receive 60 per centum of his sea pay, as established by the preceding section of this act. The President may, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Navy, place any officer of the Engineer Corps, who has been 30 years in service, upon the retired hst: Provided, That the number of engineer officers retired by virtue of 30 years' service shall not exceed six in any fiscal year. Seo. 10. That nothing in this act shall be construed to affect the pay of officers now on the retired list. Navy Department, Bureau of Steam Engineering, Washington, JD. C, March 14, 1894. Statement to accompany draft of a bill to increase the efficiency of the Engineer Corps of the Navy, submitted to the Joint Committee on Naval Affairs, Fifty -third Congress, by the Engineer in Chief of the Navy in compliance with the direction of said committee. Section 1 of the proposed bill establishes the number of officers for the Engineer Corps and the number in each grade. The urgent reasons existing for the increase of the corps i)rovided for by this sec- tion are set forth at length in Memorandum No. 1 laid before your committee on the 10th instant. The change in titles for engineer officers involved in the first section of this bill is simply in accordance PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 61 with similar changes that have been made in the titles of line oflQcers in the Navy, and is designed chiefly to do away with the present absurdity of having ofiQcers of several different ranks bearing precisely the same titles, while others have titles indicating neither rank nor profession. Within the memory of the older officers of the Navy the titles of line officers were mainly those indicating professional duty, as "master commandant," "sailing-master," "second-master," and "master's mate," but the absurdity of having officers graded in a mil- itary service without any distinction as to rank appearing in their titles was the source of endless confusion, and remedial changes were gradually brought about. In 1837 the title ot master-commandant was changed to commander by act of Congress and at the same time sailing-master was shortened to master; this latter title remained in the Navy until 1883, when Congress changed it to lieutenant. The most direct titles anywhere in use for staff officers are those of the medical branch of the British army, who arc called "Surgeon-Cap- tain," "Surgeon-Major," etc., these titles showing clearly and briefly both the profession and the rank of the officer, but as some of the names indicating rank in the U. S. Navy are already compound words it ^^'0uld be awkward to adopt the British practice, and is therefore thought better to follow the example of the line officers of our Navy and adopt the name of an officer's rank as his title, the profession to be indicated by the addition of the name of the corps to which the officer belongs, the same as is done with all classes of officers in the U. S. Army. Thus, "Lieutenant, Engineer Corps," will show at once both the rank and spe- cialty of an officer who is now disguised by the more than senseless title of "Passed Assistant Engineer." Section 2 of the proposed bill defines the manner in which the Engi- neer Corps is to be increased; naniely, by transferring junior officers of the line into it. In the bill now before Congress relating to the Engineer Corps (S. 276, H. E. 3462) provision is made for effecting the desired increase by admitting into the service graduates of technical schools which have well-established courses of engineering, and there is no doubt that young men obtained irom such sources would be better fitted to take up the calling of naval engineers than are the junior line officers of the Navy, whose engineering education has been very limited. In view of the fact, however, that the removal of a considerable number of line officers from the lower grades will establish a more healthy ratio between the numbers of line officers of command rank and those below that rank, and will at the same time reduce the total number of line officers to an average per ship more uearly approaching the con- ditions of well-organized foreign navies, it is thought wise to recom- mend the transfer proposed in the bill; an additional advantage lies in the fact that the tranfers will not increase the total number of officers in the Navy and consequently will involve no increase in appropria- tions if the pay of officers of different corps is equalized, as is proposed. Section 3 of the proposed bill establishes the manner of appointing the Engineer in Chief of the Navy, which is the same as that now pro- vided by law, and also provides for the detail of an officer as assistant to the Engineer in Chief, the necessity for creating such an office being explained in the memorandum No. 6, submitted to your committee the 10th instant. Section 4 of the bill restricts the right of command of engineer officers to their own department, where they now exercise command by sufferance and not by warrant of law. The wording of this section is copied irom sections 1169 and 1183 of the Revised Statutes, relative to medical and 62 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. pay ofBcers of tlie U.S. Army, and is therefore more moderate than ia required by the circumstances of the case. The parallelism between the duties of engineer ofQcers of the Army and of engineer officers of the J^avy is as complete as the diflerence between the services will admit. The duties of Army engineers, as prescribed by sections 1162, 1163, 4653, 4664, and 46G5 of the Eevised Statutes, show that they are the mechanical officers of the Army in exactly the same sense that the naval engineers are the mechanical officers of the Navy, and that the duties of both are exactly the same in kind and quality, each designing and superintending the particular mechanical work of their respective services. The parallelism is made more perfect by the fact that in both services the best trained minds find tlieir most useful employment in the engineering arms, except that in the Army the conditions are such that officers are contented to remain and give their best work to the Government, while the status now accorded the naval engineers is such that after a few years' experience the most valuable and competent men are driven out of the service, thus giving the fruits of their education and trainiug to civil pursuits. The Army fengineer, besides having actual rank as an Army officer, is recognized as having the right to exercise command according to his rank, if directed by authority of the President (Sec. 16, Art. iv, U. S. Army Eegulatious), but as it is desirable to propose naval reforms that will not antagonize any element in the service, the naval engineers are willing to propose for themselves simply the authority that is given in the Army to the surgeons and ])aymasters, knowing that this can not provoke any contention that will jeopardize the plans for improv- ing the Navy as a whole. In effect then, section 4 of the proposed bill will merely legalize the functions now daily exercised by engineer officers. Section 6 of the bill submitted changes the name of the Bureau of Steam Engineering to Bureau of Engineering, and defines the scope of the duties of that Bureari. The change of name is desirable because marine engineering is not now limited to the consideration of steam- actuated machines, as was the case more than thirty years ago when the present title of the Bureau was adopted. The name, as it now stands, implies an inconsistent limitation upon the scope of the engi- neering department of the Navy and subjects it to constant attack from those bureaus whose duties are such as to afford leisure for exam- ination of the statutes in search of laws that are open to eqtiivocal interpretation. The desirability of making this change in the name of the bureau and the importance of giving legal definition to its duties are set forth in memorandum No. 4, submitted to your committee the loth instant. Section 6 of the proposed bill provides that boards or courts for the inspection of engineering material or the investigation ol' purely engi- neering matters shall be composed entirely of engineer officers, which proposition is merely in line with the comnion-sense practice of busi- ness administration throughout the world. That doctors are best fitted to deal with medical questions, farmers with matters relating to agriculture, bankers with questions of finance, and engineers with engineering problems are propositions too self-evident to need any defense. The proposal relative to the composition of courts-martial is intended as a matter of simple justice to eugineer officers, who now, in common with all other staff officers, must stand tria' before courts in the composition of which line officers are always in the majority; this being the case even when the offense is a purely professional one. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 63 Article 1782 of tlie U. S. ISTavy Eegulations now provides that "Ib detailing oflBcers for a general court-martial for the trial of a medical, pay, marine, or engineer officer, it is deemed proper, if the exigencies of the service will permit, that at least one-third of the court shall be composed of officers of the same department or corps as the person to be tried." This regulation, considered in connection with the fact that a staff officer is seldom or never detailed to a court-martial for the trial of a line officer, amounts to a reflection upon the jjrobity and ability of staff officers which is very unwarranted, and a source of humiliation to them. Section 7 defines, in general, tbe duties of engineer officers on board ship, a definition that is badly needed, as the engineers came into the service long after the position and duties of other officers had been established by laws and customs, the result being that the status of naval engineers afloat is based upon rules and orders issued by various officials at various times, often suited only to particular circumstances, and frequently conflicting, contradictory, or imi)erfect. Section 8 of the proposed bill deals with the matter of pay, and is practically the same as the provisions regarding pay contained in Senate bill No. 1584, introduced (by request) by Mr. Hale, February 5, 1894. The engineer officers make this proposition to accept the rates of pay proposed for line officers in order that this matter of pay in the B"avy may be simplified, but the proposition is entirely contingent upon a similar equalization of rank. The present pay table, which allows staff officers in the junior grades a considerably higher rate of pay than is received by junior line officers of the same grades, was agreed to originally by line and staff officers as a sort of compromise, the staff officers having been induced to accept the higher pay in lieu of naval rank. Such a disposition does not now exist in the minds .of the junior engineer officers (who are about the only ones who wiU be injuriously affected by the pay table proposed in the Hale biU) and they now wish the rank and consequent official standing in the service to which their education and training entitles them in preference to a gratuity for renouncing their just rights. Section 9 of the proposed bill deals with the matter of retirement of engineer officers, the reason why it is desirable to change existing laws on this subject being fully set forth in memorandum No. 3, submitted to your committee the 10th instant. Section 10 of the bill is the usual clause exempting retired officers from the operation of any new laws that may be enacted relating to the Navy. 64 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. Sattjkdat, March .17, 1894. The joint subcommittee met pursuant to the call of the chairman; present, Senators Butler (chainnan) and Blackburn, and Mr. Money and Mr. Meyer. Admiral John G. Walker, Surg. Gon. James Eufus Tryon, Maj. Augustus S. Nicholson, Oa^jt. George 0. Reid, Lieut. Com- mander SeatonSchroeder, and Lieut. John C. Cohvell ^\■ere also present. STATEMENT OF SURG. GEN. JAMES RUFUS TRYON. Senator Butler. Please state your present position and length of time in the service. Surg. Gen. Teyon. Surgeon-General, U. S. Navy; over thirty years in the service. Senator Butler. This is a joint committee appointed to take into consideration the subject of the personnel of the Navy. Will you be good enough to state, in your own way, what changes ought to be made in yiJur corps 1 Surg. Gen. Tryon. I think I can best state the wants of the Medical Corps of the Navy by reading an extract from my annual report to the, Secretary of the Navy upon the subject. [Extract from the annual report of the Surgeon-General, U. S. Ifavy, 1893, Medical Corps of the Kavy.] Legislation is requested to place this branch of the service on the same basis, regarding rank and position, as has already been granted by Congress to the Medi- cal Corps of the Army. Professional men in the Medical Corps of the Navy, serving in an established, recognized service like the Army, should at least enjoy the same privileges of rank and title. By reason of unwise regulations and laws the Medical Corps of the Niivy has never received the recognition it is entitled to, although composed of officers of the highest professional standing and educational training. During the many years prior to the law of 1870, and since then medical officers of the Navy have borne only obsolete titles and a quasi rank that should never be per- mitted in a military service. While the status of the Medical Corps of the Army has been clearly delined by 3aw, and with an established rank, perfectly satisfactory to that branch of the service, nothing has been done for an exactly similar corps in the Navy. The reason for this can only be explained by the existing dift'erences between the two services. The Army, by its organization, service, and discipline, is thoroughly harmonious, ■while the Navy is not, and this has arisen from adopting traditions in the American Navy which should not exist, and in which officers of equal rank, of whatever corps, should be on the same plane of equality. In the personnel of the Army there is no loss of efficiency or conflict of authority due to positive rank being conferred on all officers. The continuance of this distinction in the personnel of the Navy, so destructive to the interests and efficiency of the service, must necessarily continue until ol)liter- ated by Congressional action. Such action, it is hoped, will be recommended and enacted at an early date. When it is taken into consideration that at the close of the war not an officer of the Medical Corps of the Navy received the slightest ncogiiition for his services, while like service, based on war record, in the Medical Corps of the Army received immediate acknowledgment, and while many officers of the line of the Navy received promotion for war service, it can hardly be considered out of place at this late date, with the growth of the Navy, the Government, and the advancement of modern ideas and times, to represent thewauts and requirements of the Medical Corps of the Navy. The basis of changes comprises no increase of pay, no increase of numbers, but a just recognition, by suitable and proper titles, accompanied, in each grade, with the positive, absolute, and fixed rank accorded to the Medical Corps of the Army. The title of Surgeon-General should be changed to Medical Director-General, PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 65 more appropriate for the Navy, aud should constitute a permanent grade, as in the Army, to be promoted by selection and to hold office until retirement by age. This officer should also be chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. The title of Medical JOireotor should remain unchanged; that of medical Inspector to fleet surgeon ; surgeon to stafif surgeon ; passed assistant surgeon, au absurd title, to that of surgeon ; assistant surgeon, another uncomplimentary title for a professional man, to surgeon, junior grade. A bill is herewith submitted embracing the recommendations made to the Secre- tary of the Navy in my annual report. A BILL aathorizing change of titles in the Medical Corps of the Navy. Be it enacted iy ilie Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That on and after the passage of this act the title of Surgeon- General, U. S. Navy, shall be changed to Medical Director-General, with rank of commodore, and it shall be constituted a permanent grade as in the Army, and pro- motiou to said grade be made by selection, and term of office to continue until retire- ment. The Medical Director-General of the Navy shall also be chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department. The title of Medical Director in the Navy shall reamin unchanged, with rank of captain. The title of medical inspector in the Navy shall be changed to fleet surgeon, with rank of commander. The title of surgeon in the Navy shall be changed to staff surgeon, with rank of lieutenant-commander. The title of passed assistant surgeon shall be changed to surgeon, with rank of lieutenant. The title of assistant surgeon shall be changed to surgeon junior grade, with rank of lieutenant junior grade. Be itfwfher enacted, That no existing commission shall be vacated in the substitu- tion of said new titles by the passage of this act, and that rank and precedence shall hereafter be determined by the date of commission held respectively in the several grades above designated prior to the passage of this act : Provided, That hence- forth all medical officers of the Navy shall be addressed by said new professional titles, and where the title in any grade is changed, a new commission in con- formity to this act shall forthwith be issued. It will be observed that the changes authorized by said bill necessitate neither increase of rank, pay, nor of the number of medical officers of the Navy. The bill as presented, relating to the wants of the Medical Corps, was transmitted January 25, 1894, to the honorable Secretary of the Navy with the request that it be brought to the attention of the "joint committee " recently appointed to consider the per- sonnel of the Navy. The principal arguments in favor of the bill have already been established by acts of Congress that have been passed from time to time for the benefit of the Medical Corps of the Army since 1862. First. An act to reorganize and increase the efficiency of the medical depart- ment of the Army, dated April 16, 1862, states : "That the Surgeon-General appointed under this act shall have the rank of a brigadier-general. There shall be one assistant surgeon-general and one medical inspector-general of hospitals, each with the rank of a colonel of cavalry. » * » Sec. 4. That the Surgeon-General, the assistant surgeon- general, medical inspec- tor-general, and medical inspectors, shall, immediately after the passage of this act, be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, by selection from the Medical Corps of the Army. » * * Second. An act reorganizing the several staff corps of the Army, -dated June 23, 1874, states: "That the Medical Corps of the Army shall hereafter consist of one surgeon-general, with the rank of a brigadier-general ; one assistant surgeon -gen- eral, and one chief medical purveyor, each with the rank of a colonel. « * * Third. An act to increase the efficiency of the Medical Corps of the U. S. Army, dated June 26, 1876, states : * * * That in addition to the grades now allowed by law, there shall be four surgeons with the rank of colonels, eight surgeons with the rank of lieutenant-colonels, to be promoted by seniority from the medical officers of the Army. * * » Fourth, an act to define the grade of certain medical officers of the Army, dated July 27, 1892, states : " That from and after the passage of this act the grade of cer- tain medical officers of the Army below that of surgeon-general shall be as follows: Those holding the rank of colonel, assistant surgeon-generals; those holding the rank of lieutenant-colonel, deputy surgeon-generals." This recent act, passed less than two years ago, authorized change of titles in tb§ STAFF 5 66 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. Medical Corps of the Army. A similar enactment is now requested by the Medical Corps of the Navy. Why a distinction should he made between two precisely similar professional corps in the military service of the United States of America, and allowed to exist during all these years, is incomprehensible to me. This is particularly remarkable when we have on record the fact that exactly the same question relating to existing dif- ferences between the Medical Corps of the Army and Navy of the United States, and now submitted for consideration and action bj; the "joint committee on per- sonnel," was settled nearly one hundred years ago in France, and in 1795, owing probably to the spirit of equality that prevailed during the time of the French Republic, the medical corps of the navy of France was made to conform in all respects with the medical corps of the army of France, by the following order issued by the President of the French Republic at that time and dated June 30, 1795 : "Les oificiera de sant^ do la marine seront assimiMs aux ofBciers de saut^ des armies de terre pour le classement et le traitement. II en sera de mSme pour les accessoires, les indemnit^s, les congas, les retraites, et autres attributions. (Sign^.) " CAMBACfiRBS, President." If the subj ect of increase of men for the Navy, and other questions relating to their welfare, are to be considered by the joint committee, I request, respectfully, to be permitted to present my views relating to the establishment of an organized hospital corps for the service. Senator Butler. We shall be glad to hear from you on that subject now, if you are prepared. Surg. Gen. Tryon. All of the principal foreign naval services have an organized Hospital Corps, and one has existed by law in the U. S. Army for several years past, and I think that one should be established without delay in the U. S. Navy. We should have an organized corps, suf&cient to meet the require- ments of the naval service, and to embrace the men who are now employed as baymen, or nurses, on board ship, and the apothecaries in the service. My idea is that a man should enter the service under reg- ulations of the Navy prescribed by law for the hospital corps. That he should enter the service as a bayman apprentice, and be sent to a naval hospital, or to a training school for nurses, to be thoroughly trained in his duties as a professional nurse. Then, after thorough training as to his duties, he should be detailed for duty on board ship, where his instructions should be continued by the medical officers of the vessels to which he is assigned. My idea is that, after he has been examined for enlistment, he should be rated as a bayman apprentice, and sent for instruction to a training school for nurses, to be established at the principal naval hos- pitals, and when competent to perform his duties to be detailed to sea- going ships and to stations; that, after three years' continuous service in that capacity, he should be entitled to the rate of bayman of the second class, and eligible for duty at hospitals and receiving ships. On the completion of his second enlistment he should have the rate of bayman first class, and be eligible for the position of apothecary if found qualified. By pursuing this course of instruction the naval service would be equipped, in less than twenty years, with an eflflcient and reliable hos- pital corps, and every person in the Navy holding the appointment of apothecary would have been qualified for his position by having passed through the several mentioned enlisted rates. Senator Butler. What system have you now! Surg. Gen. Tryon. We have no system at all. There is not a train- ing school for nurses at any of our naval hospitals; there is not a man employed on board ship who is at all familiar with his duties, and men are selected indiscriminately from the crew to perform the intelligent duties of a nurse. On board the U. S. S. Chicago, where I recently PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 67 served as the senior medical officer, two negroes were detailed as nurses, both ignorant and worthless, and with no knowledge whatever of their duties. Mr. Money. Are these men just detailed from the crew ? Surg. Gen. Try ON. They are just detailed from the crew. You may be surprised, but such is the case. This is the first opportunity I have had of calling the attention of the committee to the subject, although I have commented upon it in different reports to the Department. The system of nursing on board ship in existence to-day is the same as that which prevailed upon my entrance into the naval service over thirty years ago, and it is difficult to understand why this important subject in naval administration has been so long neglected. Senator Btjxlbr. What would be your idea about the pay of these men? Surg. Gen. Teyon. My idea would be to give them the following rate of pay: For baymen apprentices during first enlistment, $18 per month; for baymen of the second class during second enlistment, if continuous, $22 per month, and for baymen of the first class during third enlistment, if continuous, $25 per month. In this way, I believe, we would be able to secure a good class of men; and, by giving them the opportunity of promotion to the position of apothecary, where the salary is already fixed at from $720 to $1,000, the hospital corps of the Navy would be able to retain their services. Senator Butlee. Apothecaries are stationed on shore, are they not? Surg. Gen. Trton. They are stationed on shore and on board ships also. We have now about two hundred apothecaries and nurses employed in the iTavy, without any definite status or organization. They should all belong to a properly instructed hospital corps, created by law, and subject to such regulations as would increase their efficiency. Senator Btjtlek. Then your proposition is to increase the enlisted men by that number? Surg. Gen. Teyon. Yes. Senator Butlee. And to make that a separate and distinct corps? Surg. Gen. Teyon. Yes. Mr. Money. Have you prepared a well-digested draft or memoran- dum of a bill in writing for that purpose? Surg. Gen. Teyon. I am about doing so. Senator Butlee. You have not yet prepared something of that kind ? Surg. Gen. Teyon. I have not yet prepared a bill. I am now only stating my views in a general way, but I have the matter pretty well formulated in my mind, and can present a bill that will give the com- mittee a very clear idea on the subject. This change is certainly a necessity. Senator Butlee. What is your idea of the age at which these men should first enter the service as baymen? Surg. Gen. Teyon. I think we should take young men not over 25 years of age, good respectable young men, who have good recom- mendations. This system of a training school for nurses would involve no expense, because we have medical officers at hospitals. ' All we need is to have the authority of law in order to perfect such an organiza- tion. When a young man is enlisted as bayman apprentice, he should be sent at once to a training school for nurses, established at the differ- ent naval hospitals, for instruction in every subject pertaining to the duties of a nurse. In the course of three, four, five, or six months, or whenever found qualified, nurses who have been trained for their duty will be available for duty ashore and afloat. 68 PEESONNEL OF THE PfAVY — STAFF. Senator Butler. A man would Eot be enlisted as a bayman? Surg. Gen. Teyon. Eio; as bayman apprentice; he would receive the same pay on first enlistment as a bayman now receives, but he should have the advantage of an increase of pay by continuous enlistment. Senator Butler. We should be very glad if you would prepare a bill and present it, embodying your ideas, and we will have it printed. Surg. Gen. Teyon. I shall be pleased to do so. Senator Butler. Have you anything further you desire to submit this morning ? Surg. Gen. Teyon. I have nothing further to state, except that I represent the Medical Corps and our wants, and I think our corps should be placed on the same basis as the Medical Corps of the Army. Mr. Money. That would not involve any addition to or change in the number. Surg. Gen. Tbyon. Ko increase of number; it would merely give the proper title, which I think should be given, to a body of pro- fessional men, and, at the same time, make the grade of Surgeon-Gen- eral permanent and a military promotion. Mr. Money. As in the Army? Surg. Gen. Tryon. Yes. Senator Butler. After the Surgeon-General of the ISTavy has had his four years' service in that position what becomes of him ? Surg. Gen. Tryon. I will take my own case. I was appointed by the President as Surgeon-General of the Navy, with the relative rank of commodore and Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery for the period of four years, after which 1 resume my lineal rank and become liable for any subordinate duty to which I may be assigned by order of the Navy Department, although previously having occupied the highest position in the Medical Corps of the ISTavy. Thus you will observe that the position is not promotion in a military sense as exists in the Army, where the Surgeon-General has been advanced permanently to another and a higher grade. Senator Butlbb. You really occupy about the same position as the chief of a bureau in any Deijartment? Surg. Gen. Tryon. Yes; except in case of bureaus filled by officers of the line, who, after leaving their positions as chiefs of bureaus, are stiU in the line of promotion to be advanced to the higher grades. Mr. Meyer. You have made a very strong and cogent argument for putting the IMedical Corps of the Navy upon an equality with that of the Army. I agree with you that tliere is no reason why the Medical Corps of the Navy should not be treated as well as the Medical Corps of any other department of the Government. But, independently of that, wiU you kindly state, as briefly as you see fit, why the change you propose is desirable, and, in your opinion, necessary? Suppose there were no Army regulations, or suppose they were entirely differ- ent and not as favorable as those of the Navy. You would not make the argument, I presume, that the grade should^ be changed because the Army regulations are different from those of the Navy. I should like to know, independently of what exists in any of these organiza- tions, upon what basis you desire this change to be made? Surg. Gen. Tryon. I simply referred to the organization of the Medical Corps of the Army for the reason that it is the only military branch under our Government upon which a basis for comparison could be made. If deprived of this argument, I would propose as a basis of organization for the Medical Corps of the Navy the medical depart- pients of the different foreign naval services, PEESONNEI. OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 69 In tlie Russian navy medical officers attain the highest military rank known (general-admiral, corresponding to fleld marshal), and eujoy the same honors and pensions as the line; in the British navy they rise to the rank of vice-admiral and receive the same decorations, etc., as the line, the director-general of the medical department being a K. C. B. In the Spanish navy they attain the rank of vice-admiral (teniente general), and enjoy, equally with the line, naval honors, rewards, and pensions; in the French navy they attain the rank of rear-admiral contre-admiral); in the Austrian navy they attain the rank of rear- admiral (contre-admiral), wear the same uniform, enjoy the same privi- leges, and receive the same retired pay as the line; in the Dutch navy the senior medical of&cer, inspecteur, has the rank of majjor-general, and the Dirigerend Officers van Gerondheid that of brigadier; and in the North German navy the senior medical officer, General Stabs- Artz, has the rank of general-major. Mr. Meyek. The Medical Corps of the ]S"avy now has what is called relative rank? Surg. Gen. Tryon. Yes. Mr. Meyer. "Your suggestion is, that the officers should have posi- tive rank, actual rank? Mr. Money. Permanent rank? Surg. Gen. Tryon. Yes; well-defined rank. Mr. Meyer. In what respect would the efficiency of the service be promoted if the proposed change were made ? I do not see, for instance, if you have what is called actual rank, instead of relative rank, that a surgeon on board ship could assume command of anything. He would still be subordinate to the captain of the ship. In what respect would it be an advantage to the service to have that difference made between actual rank and relative rank ? Surg. Gen. Tryon. I can give my views with regard to relative rank and actual rank if you desire. Mr. Meyer. I should like them, and I should like also to have your reasons or your argument as to why it is more desirable and more to the interest of the service to have a change made to actual rank from relative rank as it exists now. Surg. Gen. Tryon. I have given this subject careful consideration; rank of officers can only be relative when compared with that of officers of some other military organization. The Navy being a military organization its departments are neces- sarily military, and officers having charge of these departments must be vested with authority so as to render them efficient. All the authority any officer has is derived from his commission wjiich defines his rank. The right to exercise that authority goes with the order of the Secretary of the Navy detailing him to perform a cer- tain duty, and it is absurd to say such order conveys no authority to execute it. Every commission conveys rank and no commission can be without it. Mr. Meyer. The surgeon is detailed to duty or assigned to duty on board ship. Is it your idea that his orders should emanate directly from the Secretary of the Navy, and that he should be independent of .the commanding officer of the ship? Surg. Gen. Tryon. All orders for sea or other duty, whether to a surgeon, admiral, lieutenant, paymaster, or engineer, emanate directly from the Secretary of the Navy. The surgeon is never " independent of the commanding officer of the ship" to which he has been ordered. 70 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAJf\f. On the contrary is always subordinate to tlie commanding officer of the ship to which he is attached, whatever maybe his rank. "Itelative rani;:" in the same organization is an absurdity. Eank, or the right oY precedence, of officers can only be relative when com- pared with that of officers of some other organization, e. g., the Navy with the Army or with a foreign navy or with a diplomatic cor]3S. This is already regulated and defined by the Revised Statutes, giving the relative rank between officers of the Army and those of the Navy, providing that a brigadier- general shall have the relative rank of commodore, and so on down through the different grades. If a medical officer with the relative rank of commander is ordered as a member of a board of survey composed of officers of the line holding the rank of commauder, precedence as to position on the board between these officers is detei'mined by seniority, so the word "relative" is both surperfluous and meaningless. Line officers have given the word "relative" a meaning which was never contemplated by the existing law; therefore to promote harmony and efficiency between the several corps of the Navy it should be abol- ished. Mr. Meyt;k. Your relative rank now is that of commodore? Surg. Gen. Tryon. Yes. Mr. Meyer. Suppose you had the actual rank of commodore, in the way you propose in your bill or in the way you suggest, in what res- pect would it be to your advantage or to the advantage of the service? Surg. Gen. Tryon. It would establish without question the rank of the medical officer holding the position of Surgeon- General in the Navy. I consider the term "relative" useless and vicious. The Medical Corps of the Army have defined rank and the efficiency of that branch of the military service has been enhanced thereby. It is believed an equally beneficial result would follow its adoption in the Medical Corps of the Navy. Any bill, however, conferring "rank of" on officers of the Medical Corps of the Navy should contain a proviso that " no department regu- lation shall be issued inconsistent with law." Mr. Money. That goes without any provision, for no department has any right to issue regulations inconsistent with law. But, in that con- nection, I want to ask you this : Suppose we make the change you sug- gest, and strike out the word "relative;" and then suppose you are ordered on board shiji, or that some other gentleman in your corps is ; and then by accident of battle, sickness, death, or for any other reason, the commanding officer of the ship should be displaced by one of infe- rior rank to you, would you take your orders from that officer of infe- rior rank? Surg. Gen. Tryon. Most emphatically, yes. Mr. Money. There would be no hitch? ' Surg. Gen. Tryon. Of course not. I should like the committee to understand clearly the distinction between ranik and command. I am, for example, a medical inspector with the relative rank of com- mander, and I am ordered to a ship in command of an officer junior to myself in rank. The order of the Secretary of the Navy placing him in command of thait ship, confers on him the authority of commanding officer. In case he is disabled by accident of battle or sickness or in case of his death, the command of the ship would devolve upon the line officer next in rank to himself, and so on through all of the several descending grades of the line, and the medical inspector with the rela- PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 71 tive rank of commander or with tlie ranh of commander would be subject in all respects to bis orders as commanding officer. Mr. Monet. You tbink tbat -would not interfere with discipline? Surg. Gen. Trton. Never; why sbould it? I should recognize the commanding officer on board ship if he were only a midshipman. Mr. Money. Are those the views held by the officers of your corps? Surg. Gen. Teyon. Most assuredly. Mr. Meyiir. Have there not been cases where, for instance, an engineer officer has refused to receive orders from the executive officer of a ship because that executive officer was of inferior rank? Surg. Gen. Tkyon. I do not know of any such instance. I know such an idea would never be entertained by me. Mr. Meter. Ton hear a great deal that goes on in your branch of the service; have you heard of such instances? Surg. Gen. Trton. I could not really answer that question. I have paid no attention to it. I have my own ideas in regard to this whole matter. Mr. Money. Tou consider yourself a representative of the ideas of your corps, do you not? Surg. Gen. Tryon. Of the Medical Corps of the ISTavy, yes. Mr. Meter. You think it would create no possible confusion to adopt your idea? Surg. Gen. Tryon. I do not see how it could. Mr. Meyer. Do you contemplate that the medical officers shall be addressed by their title and rank? Surg. Gen. Tryon. I have distinctly stated in the bill, relating to the Medical Corps of the Navy, and that has been submitted to the committee for their consideration, "that all medical officers of the Navy shall be addressed by their professional titles." No officer of the Medical Corps of the Navy wishes to be addressed as commodore, captain, etc. Senator Btjtlbe. Is there anything else you desire to say in this connection? Surg. Gen. Tryon- I should like to say a word in case any reduc- tion in the Medical Corps is contemplated. I should like to say that the whole branch of the service amounts to only 170 medical men; that in case the Navy is increased, we want an increase of numbers ; and that the force of the Medical Corps of the Navy should be governed by the number of men and number of officers in the service. Mr. Money. And the number of ships? Surg. Gen. Tryon. Yes. If you are going to increase the Navy by 2,000 or 3,000 men you necessarily require additional medical officers to treat them. I make this observation because I have. heard that there is some bill that has been introduced, I have never read or seen the bill, involving a reduction of the Medical Corps. Mr. Monet. What bill is that? Surg. Gen. Tryon. I heard that such a bill had been introduced in Congress containing such a provision. Mr. Meter. You regard the present force of your corps as adequate to the present demands? Surg. Gen. Tryon. I do. Mr. Meyer. You do not think it could be reduced with any degree of safety? Surg. Gen. Teyon. No. If a thirty years' retiring law is adopted for the Navy its provisions should include the Medical Corps, and if any 72 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. allowance is to be made in any bill for lofficers on duty and not provided witb quarters, the same should apply to the Medical Corps. I consider that the medical officers of the Navy have the same responsibilities as the line and are entitled to the same consideration. The same stagnation exists in the Medical Corps of the Navy as exists in the line. During the next fifteen years there will be only fifty one retirements, and a large number of surgeons on the Navy list will not be promoted to medical inspector with the relative rank of com- mander until they are 61 years of age. Mr. Money. There is nothing in the Secretary's bill about reducing the staff. Surg. G-en. Tryon. He does not say anything about the staff corps. Someone told me that a bill had been introduced by Mr. Hale by request. I have not seen the bill. Senator Butlee. That is not before this joint committee at all. Is there anything else you would like to say'? Surg. Gen. Teyon. No; unless legislation is contemplated for the Navy. If so, I would urge that the claims of the medical dejjartment be considered as provided for by the resolution of Congress creating the Joint Committee on Personnel. Department op the Navy, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Washington, D. G., March 34, 1894. Sir:. I beg to transmit herewith copy of bill, with accompanying memorandum, prepared at the request of the "joint committee on the personnel of the Navy," of which you are chairman. The original has been forwarded to the honorable Secretary of the Navy. I shall be pleased to be notified if further information is required by the committee. Very respectfully, J. E. Tryon, Surgeon-Oeneral, If. 8. Navy, Hon. M. C. Butler, U. S. Senate. A BILL to organize the hospital corps of the Navy of the United States, to define its duty, and roga- late its pay. Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the hospital corps of the United States Navy shall coii- Bist of baymen apprentices, baymen second class, baymen first class, and apothe- caries; and all necessary hospital service at naval stations on shore, on receiving ships, training ships, and seagoing ships of the Navy (including ambulance service) shall be performed by the members thereof, who shall be regularly enlisted in the naval service. Said corps shall be permaiiently attached to the medical department of the Navy, and shall not be included in the effective strength of the Navy, nor counted as a part of the enlisted force provided by law. Sec. 2. That the Secretary of the Navy is empowered to enlist and appoint as many apothecaries as, in his judgment, the service may require, but not more than one apothecary shall be stationed at any hospital, laboratory, station, or ship with- out special authority of the Secretary of the Navy. Skc. 3. That 1)aymen of the first' class of the hospital corps may be detailed as acting apothecaries by the Secretary of the Navy, upon the recorameiidation of the Suvfjeon-General, whenever the necessities of the service require it, and while so detailed they shall be allowed the rate and pay of an apothecary. PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 73 Sec. 4. That the pay of apothecaries shall be $60 per month, as now provided, ■with an increase to $80 per month after fifteen years' continuous service as apothe- cary in the Navy, or after fifteen years' continuous enlistment in the Navy, with the rate of bayraaa apprentice, hayman second class, or bayman first class, when appointed apothecary. Sec. 5. That no person shall be enlisted and appointed an apothecary of the Navy unless he be a graduate of pharmacy, or has served by continuous enlistment as bayman apprentice, bayman second class, and bayman first class, and shall have passed a satisfactory examination before a board of two or more medical oflicers of the Navy as to his qualifications for the position ; and no person shall be designated for such examination except by written authority of the Secretary of the Navy. Sec. 6. That the Secretary of the Navy is empowered to enlist or cause to be enlisted as many men in the hospital corps as the service may require, and to limit or fix the number, and make such regulations for their government as may be neces- sary; and any enlisted man in the Navy shall be eligible for transfer to the hospital corps as a bayman apprentice. Upon enlistment or transfer, as baymen apprentices in hospital corps, they shall be admitted for instruction to the training schools for nurses authorized by this act to be established by the Secretary of the Navy at the principal naval hospitals. While undergoing instruction they shall perform duty as ward masters, cooks, nurses, and attendants in hospital, and as stretcher-bearers, litter-bearers, ambulance attendants, and such other duties as may, by proper authority, be required of them. If found unfitted by any cause to receive instruc- tion or to perform intelligently the responsible duty of attending to sick and wounded men the fact shall be reported to the Secretary of the Navy, who shall authorize their discharge from the service. Sec. 7. That the pay of baymen apprentices of the Hospital Corps, first enlist- ment, shall be $18 per mouth ; that the pay of baymen, second class, if continuous enlistment, shall be $22 per month; that the pay of baymen, first class, if continu- ous from first enlistment, shall be $25 per month. Sec. 8. That all benefits derived by existing laws, or that may hereafter be allowed by law, to other enlisted men in the Navy, shall be applied in the same manner to the enlisted men in the Hospital Corps of the Navy. Sec. 9. That upon the passage of this act all apothecaries in the Navy shall be required to enlist in the Hospital Corps of the Navy or resign from the service, and shall be eligible for duty both ashore and afloat. Sec. 10. That nothing in this act shall deprive an enlisted apothecary of his appointment, and that they shall retain their position in the Hospital Corps of the Navy, and shall be eligible for duty both ashore and afloat. Sec. 11. That all acts and parts of acts, in so far as they contravene the provisions of this act, are hereby repealed. MEMOEANDtTM. The following comments are submitted for consideration in connec- tion with "A bill to organize the Hospital Corps of the Navy of the United States, to define its duty, and regulate its pay," prepared at the request of the Joint Committee on the Personnel of the l^avy. There will never be an eflScient medical department on board ship or an eiHcient hospital organization until the entire existing system of appointing baymen or nurses and apothecaries is abolished. Sick quarters on board ship and hospitals on shore are places for the treatment of sick, and only those trained and educated especially for these duties should be employed. Every modern hospital at the pres- ent day has its training school for nurses, and such training should be started at once at our principal naval hospitals. By such a course the medical department of the Navy would soon be provided with a competent " hospital corps," composed of men thor- oughly trained for service on board seagoing ships and for duty at the several naval hospitals throughout the United States. As this necessary reform will involve but slight additional expense to the Government, it is strongly recommended that a hospital corps be organized, to consist of baymen apprentices, baymen second class, baymen first class, and apothecaries; that these men be enlisted under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed; that they be of good 74 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. character and intelligence and capable of pursuing a tliorouglj course of hospital training; that their services be utilized at the hospitals as nurses while undergoing instruction, and when perfectly familiar with all their responsible duties drafted tor service on board shi]) or duty at other hospitals. Men now employed in liospitals as nurses should be retained if wilUng to enlist in the hospital corps and undergo the course of instruction prescribed. By a circular letter recently addressed to medical officers in charge of hospitals at the principal naval stations they were requested to inform the Bureau on the following ])oints : (1) Whether the nurses at the hospitals under their charge had any previous training for the duty before appointment. (2) If they considered them perfectly quaUfled for their duties. (3) And their etticicncy as compared with the trained nurses employed in the large civil hospitals of Bostou, New York, and Phila- delphia. An examination of the reports received from the several naval hos- pitals in reply to the Bureau's inquiry shows clearly that: (1) Few of the men emj^loyed as nurses have had any previous train- ing or experience in their duties. (2) With few exceptions, they are not efficient and qualiiied for their duties. (3) They do not compare favorably with the trained nurses in large civil hospitals. If the service in our naval hospitals, so far as it relates to nursing, is to be placed on an equal footing with that of similar establishments of the country, measures should be adopted at once towards improving the present status of hospital attendants. Under the present system of apjjointments there is no uniform standard by which qualifications of the candidate lor position of nurse can be determined, nor is it to be exx)ected that a better class of men will be secured or better results attained until some plan is instituted by which they can be properly prepared and fitted for the intelligent performance of the duties associated with the position. The question of introducing into the service a better class of men and of properly fitting them by a systematic course of training for the responsible jiosition as nurse and apothecary in our hospitals and on board of our ships is one that demands immediate attention. Under the present plan of organization, as soon as a ship is placed in commission one or two landsmen are selected from among the mem- bers of the crew and sent down to the sick bay to begin their duties as baymen. It is hardly necessary to state that the services rendered by such a class of men, without previous knowledge or training as nurses and with no adaptability for such duties, are unreliable. The following classification of baymen with pay of each grade is recommended: Apprentices, $18 per month; second-class, $22 per month; first-class, $25 per month. Eegulations determining promotions to be based on length of service and adaptability for their duties. The aim of such instruction would be to furnish them with a thorough medical and surgical training, to give them the advantages of lectures, demonstrations, ambulance work, and practical experience, and, above all, have them interested in their work, which makes the helpful and successful nurse. Organized hospital corps composed of men who have been specially PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 75 trained and disciplined for their duties should form a part of the medi- cal department of every military organization, whether Army or Navy. An act "To establish a hospital corps of the Army of the United States" was approved March 1, 1887. Such organizations have existed for many years in the principal navies and armies of the world. In England the necessities of a hospital corps to improve the effi- ciency of the medical department of the British navy was recommended in a report made by a special commission on the subject and imme- diately adopted by the British admiralty. The system has proved most advantageous, and men are enlisted, instructed, and trained for this special work. In the French navy the same course has been pursued, and the organ- ization of their hospital corps constantly improved by additional decrees issued in 1883, 1885, and 1887. The pay specified for the several rates proposed in the bill is not considered excessive and is • absolutely essential in order to secure a desirable class of men. The slight increase of pay proposed in the bill for apothecaries is based upon long and faithful service. The rates by which the men enlisted in the hospital corps are desig- nated are considered appropriate and applicable to duties they wOl be called upon to perform. It is believed that the provisions contained in thi^bill are necessary and afford the only means by which the present defective system, so harmful to the interests of the service and so unjust to sick and wounded officers and men of the Navy, can be remedied. The number of nurses and apothecaries employed at present in the ' Medical Department of the Navy is about two hundred, and by enact- ment of the proposed bill these men will be immediately available for service in an organized hospital corps and without additional cost to the Government. STATEMENT OF MAX AUGUSTUS S. NICHOLSON. Senator Butler. Please state your rank. Maj. Nicholson. Ma-jor-adjutant and inspector of the Marine Corps. I should like to say, Mr. Chairman, and gentlemen of the committee, that I am here rather unexpectedly. The commandant of the Marine Corps is sick, and the regulations of the Navy Department provide that, in case of sickness or absence on leave, or on duty, I shall exer- cise the functions of that ofGlce. Therefore, I am now discharging that duty, which explains my being here to represent him in his position as commandant of the Marine Corps. Senator Butler. Tou may proceed in your own way. Maj. Nicholson. I will make my statement first, and that wiU lay a foundation for any questions. Before the formation of the Navy, before a single American vessel "went into com- mission in the Revolutionary war, Congress wisely provided for the establishment of a corps of marines. The absolute necessity of establishing and maintaining a body of men who should combine the duties of a trained soldier with some knowl- edge of those of the sailor met with the ready recognition and approval of the fathers of the country, and their action and subsequent legislation have been justi- fied,, from the first combat in the Revolution, through the Revolution, the war with Tripoli, the war of 1812, the Mexican war, the conflict in Florida, and the civil war, as well as by the action of the marines in quelling riots, defending the public prop- erty, maintaining the public peace, and adding strength and efficiency otherwise impossible to our Navy down to the present day. 76 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. From time to time the Corps lias been increased or reduced as wai or public policy suggested. In 1 867 an attempt was made to abolish and transfer it to the Army, which brought forth such a storm of pro- test from the highest and most experienced officers of the Navy, and so nnich evidence of its usefulness and efficiency, that the Committee on Naval Affairs rect)mmended, after thorough investigation, that the Marine Corps not only should not be abolished, but that its organiza- tion as a separate Corps should be preserved and strengthened. {See Eeport No. 213, Thirty-ninth Congress, second session. House of Eep- resentatives.) In 1874 the grade of brigadier-general commandant was abolished. In 1875, by a proviso to tlie naval approi^riatiou bill, the total number of olhcers was reduced to seventy-live, and from that time on, though the law under which it was organized provided for a sufficient number of officers and men, the appropriation acts have failed to provide for their \}a,j and employment. The injustice of these acts, and the lack of wisdom of impairing the efficiency of this branch of the service by these reductions, was set forth in the Senate reports, No. 7C2, Forty-sixth Congress, third session, 1881; No. 931, Fiftieth Congress, first session, 1888, and a communication from the Secretary of the Navy to the House Committee on Naval Affairs, dated January 31, 1881, a copy of which, together with the reports mentioned, are appended. Congress has nineteen times by joint resolution tendered its thanks to th^ marines or expressed its higli appreciation of their valor and good conduct, and their services through the civil struggle do not need recapitulation. Their conduct in Formosa and Korea is well known; also their services during the whisky raids in Broolilyn in 1871, the labor riots of 1877, the great fires of Boston and Portland. At Alex- andria, in Egypt, they were liighly complimented by the British com- mander in chief for gallant conduct and valuable assistance in protect- ing lives and property. The history of the Panama expedition in 1885 shows the value to the country of the marines in cases of emergency; when in less than twenty-four hours from the receipt of the order a battalion of 2G6 officers and men, gathered from Portsmouth, N. H., Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington was organized, fully equipped, and on the steamer en route to Panama. These are only a few instances in the long history of valuable and efficient services rend- ered both afloat and ashore by this Corps, without that encouragement which has from time to time been recommended, and little recognition from the Government; and they have been rewarded only by reductions in their number, both rank and file, which imposed more duty on the remainder, already overworked, and seriously impaired the efficient performance of the important duties required of them. It is not, however, in relation to the history of the Marine Corps, so much as to its duties and needs, that misapprehension and lack of information prevail. The " History of the Marine Corps " says in rela- tion to the nature and value of the services of marines : Trained as they are both on ship Tjoard and on land, the marines combine the discipline of soldiers and sailors, in such a manner as to render their services indis- pensable in connection with a properly organized navy of our country. Accustomed by the very nature of their training to the dangers of sea and land, the value of their services can not be overestimated. * » » a trained marine is equally at home in the evolutions of a parade ground, the duties of a camp, and the require- ments of the quarter-deck. Such a combination of fitness and efficiency can be learned and maintained by the thorough training which the school of the marines alone iomishes. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 77 In late years the number of navy-yards and shore stations requiring a force of marines to guard them has been increased, without any corre- sponding increase in the corps, and there are now detachments stationed at Portsmouth, N. H., Boston, Newport, E. 1., Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Washington navy-yard, Washington Headquarters, Il^orfolk, Port Eoyal, S. 0.,tMare Island, Oal., and Sitka, Alaska, with the prospect of another in the near future at Puget Sound, making in all twelve stations. The result is that the portion of the Mai'ine Corps on shore duty is, and has been for some years, overworked. This number of stations to guard, and the small number of ofBcers and men to do it, has made it necessary for the efficieut performance of duty to detail men for guard duty every other day ; that is, day on and day off, and in no case do they have more than two days' interval between tours of duty, and the same applies to oflicers. A tour of guard duty for a man means two hours on post (as sentinel) and four off, day and night for twenty-four hours j and when off post he is not allowed to leave the guard-house, or take off his clothing and accouter- ments. A day off' guard means that as soon as a man is relieved from his tour of duty he must clean himself and get ready for drill or target practice. After this, he assists in the daily cleaning of the barracks and quarters, and then, at about 1 p. m., he is allowed to go on liberty, provided, as not infrequently occurs, his services are not required in the afternoon. Practically, therefore, an enlisted man in the Marine Corps is on constant guard and other duty twenty-eight hours out of every forty-eight, during which time he has had but one night of unbroken rest. This, in all climates, summer and winter, is arduous duty. Compare this duty with that of the Army. The "Manual of Guard Duty, IT. S. Army," paragraph26, is : •' Except in cases of emergency, no duty will be required of the old officer of the day, or the old guard, until four hours after they have been relieved." (Marines are at drill within an hour of such time.) Paragraph 27, " Details for post guards will, as far as practicable, be made so as to insure privates an interval of not less than six days between tours." And again, " Except in cases of emergency, privates will not be detailed for guard duty oftener than once in five days. When necessary to fulfill this requirement the number of posts will be diminished." In the Marine Corps men come off guard one morning to go on the next, or at best two days later. The officers getting one, two, or at best three days off, on wliich days they attend office every morning, act as members of boards or courts, attend all, drills and target practice, assist the commanding officer in the various details of his command, one having charge of and being responsible for the clothing, arms, and accouterments, another the rations of the command, and all laboring in every way to keep the command up to the proper state of discipline and efficiency. (In the Army the officers have anywhere from seven to fifteen days interval between tours of duty.) There is no question of the value of the services of this overworked body of men to the country, in guarding and protecting from loss by fire and theft billions of dollars' worth of property, and at the same time forming an efficient, well- trained body of. troops, available for instant service, afloat or ashore, at home or abroad; and they have been rewajrded by having their numbers reduced and their duties increased; they have seen their commandant's rank reduced from that of a general officer to a colonel, a colonel with a command of 2,100 men and 74 officers, when in the Army there is a general officer to 1,660 78 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. men, and in the Navy one of that rank to 326 men. They have seen the number of their officers, which has always been far below that allowed to the same number of men in the Army or Navy, still further reduced, until now there is only 1 officer to 30 men, while in the infantry of the Army there is 1 to 14, and in the Navy 1 to 8. The written opinions of such eminent commanders of the old Navy as Far- ragut, Stewart, Porter, Eowan, Stringham, Paulding, Dupont, Sands, Eodgers, Foote, Davis, Warden, and Dahlgren, and those of such experience and able men of the present and more modern era as Kim- berly, Jouett, Fyfte, Meade, Carpenter, Beardslee, Potter, Kantz, Eemey, O'Kane, O'Neill, H. 0. Taylor, Shepard, Brice, and many oth- ers, all of which are on file at headquarters of the Marine Corps, and which show in an unmistakable manner the high regard they have for marines, and their appreciation of their importance on board the ships of the new Navy, which even iu a greater degree than the old time ships seem to demand the presence of these trained men to help man the guns. The late Admiral of the Navy says in an article on the value and services of the marines : It must not he supposed that the marine's whole duty is to march up and down a ship's deck with a musket on his shoulder. His life is one of hardship, and in addi- tion to his various duties on hoard ship, he has to perform many of the duties of a sailor, and when landings are to be made, and the storming of forts undertaken, he takes his full share. The innumerable instances in which the marines have performed efficient service with the Army on shore have been honorably mentioned by all the officers who have served in battle with them. This is true, for in landing parties they are superior in discipline and more proficient in military training, which makes them most necessary as a nucleus and a rallying point in case of a break or temporary disas- ter. Taking this for granted, it is evident that if they are necessary to a ship they should be made as efficient as possible. To attain this end there should be enough men not only to do the guard duty, but to man, under the officers who have trained them, with whom they have been associated on shore, and whom they know, at least, a portion of the battery, and to make an efficient force when it becomes necessary to land troops to protect our interests abroad. Each guard should have an officer to command it. A sergeant in charge of a guard can never have the influence over his men, exact the obedience and faith- ful performance of duty or the respect that should be shown his com- mand. His opinions or requests concerning the welfare of his men are not given the attention or weight that a commissioned officer can com- mand. Marines on board the new ships which have no masts, spars, or sails are doing much the same duty as sailors. In addition to their guatd duty, which gives them two hours on post and four, six, or eight off, according to their number, they keep their own part of the ship clean, and are required to be drilled in the boats and at the batteries the same as sailors. They keep their arms and accouterments in good order and must at all times present a neat and soldierly appearance to l,ct as a guard of honor. They assist about the decks in hoisting boats, etc., and in some ships are detailed to close the water-tight compartments in case of collision. Except in cases of emergency, they are not required to coal or paint the ship. With their present numbers it would be unjust to require them to do such work, for when the ship is in dock being painted, or at a wharf being coaled, more sentinels are required, thereby materially increasing the military duties to be performed} and PEKSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. 79 week after weekj-wheu a ship is lying in port without painting or coaling, while the seaman is having liis all night m bed, the marines are walking their posts as sentinels. With an increased number of men, so that it would not be a hardship, they could coal ship or do other such work, and at present are frequently called upon to do this and other work that it is necessary for them to perform. The marine officer at sea, excepting the fleet officer, might be required to stand watch or perform such other duties as may be assigned to him, for in a few years all the junior officers will have graduated from the Naval Academy, and be equally competent with the line officer to perform any duty pertaining to his profession. The board of officers detaiLd to prepare the recent Navy regulations inserted a regulation of this kind, but it was stricken out after leaving their hands. This board was composed of Oapt. W. S. Sampson, Commander P. E. Chadwick, Lieut. T. B. M. Mason, Chief Engineer Edward Parmer, Paymaster Michler, of the Navy, and Capt. George 0. Eeid, of the Marine Corps, officers selected on account of their well-known fitness for compiling regulations governing modern naval conditions and requirements. The seaman can never, from the nature of circumstances, fill the requirements for a trained military force on shore to oppose the mili- tary troops in foreign countries, when called upon to laud from the ship. His duties are most important in his own branch, and he, like the marine, requires special training in the details of his profession. Neither can replace the other, and both are essential to au efficient NavyJ each supplementing the other in making a perfect whole. Look at the different circumstances under which they go on board a ship going into commission. The sailors, who have been recruited on receiv- ing ships at different navy-yards to serve for three years, and many of them have been, possibly, two or three months in the service, are brought together for the first time on the deck of a new ship. They are assigned to gun divisions and companies, under the officers. They are new to the shi^is, to each other, and to their officers, and their officers are new to them. They have not been under discipline for some time, some of them never. The officer, who has been for three years on shore duty, or in the Coast Survey, is a trifle out of practice in drilling and commanding men; therefore, it takes some time for all hands to get shaken down to their work, to know each other, and famil- iarize themselves with their duties. Even then, the crowded deck of the ship is no place for instruction in the school of the soldier, or to exercise men at company drill, or in battalion maneuvers. Again, the exigencies of the service require frequent changes of sailors from one division to another, which is discouraging to officers and men, for an officer, after he has taken pains to bring his division to a state of efficiency knows his men and feels himself in touch with them, and they have a mutual liking and respect, does not relish finding some morning that two or three of his men have been replaced by new ones from another division. The marine is enlisted at a recruiting station for five years, and immediately goes under training to perfect himself in the details of his profession. When a guard is needed for a ship only well-drilled soldiers are selected, commanding officers being required to send the best men at their disposal; consequently the marine guard goes to the ship thoroughly trained and disciplined, having been drilled together in the school of the soldier, company, and battalion maneuvers, instructed at aiming and sighting guns, and target practice. They are accustomed 80 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. to discipline, to tlieir officers, and to each other. The officers have been continually with troops during their tour of shore duty and understand their men. Once on board ship the guard, barring casualties, remains- the same during the cruise. There can be but one result from this con- dition of aftairs. The marines are bound to be as i^roflcieut a body of men, for service afloat or ashore, as can be found. The advent of the new Navy, with its battle ships, coast-defense ves- sels and cruisers, carrying ho sails, spars, or rigging, calls for a new type of men. These ships are floating batteries, and as the chief duty of our l!favy in times of peace will be to uphold the country's dignity and honor abroad by landing troops when necessary, the new Navy is more in need of a well-trained military body, who are also competent to man the batteries in action, than the old Navy ever was. The marines' duties as a police force at sea in time of peace or as a body of sharpshooters in an engagement sink into insignificance when compared to the vast field of usefulness which is opened to them in the secondary batteries of the new Navy, which batteries, in a large meas- ure, will render less important a force of sharpshooters in future naval engagements. The marines have time and again shown their ability at these bat- teries when they have been thrown into friendly competition with their sailor brothers at target practice, for their trainiug at target practice at shore stations develops in them the necessary qualification for an exx^ert in the use of a gun that is sighted and fired like a rifle. What a great measure in the interests of efficiency and economy the pSi'ma- nent assignment of marines to the secondary battery would be! The regulation board, above mentioned, composed of eminent naval com- manders, unanimously adopted a regulation so assigning them, but, like the other recommendations concerning the officers, it was stricken out after leaving their hands. In the course of a few mouths the strength of marines borne on the ships of the NaVy will be about 1,000, and according to the present organization of the ship's company they will in action be detailed as sharpshooters only. Sharpshooters in a modern naval engagement, when ships engage in action at a distance varying from 1 to 3 miles, would be of little value, considering that the effective range of their rifles is from COO to 800 yards. At longer ranges they would be a good target for the rapid-fire guns of the enemy, and there would not be any left if the enemy did close-to within their range. If these 1,000 men were assigned to the batteries, where they are just as efficient as the sailors, and could be ready as sharpshooters if needed, that number of seamen would be made available for service in other ships, thus reliev- ing the Department of the embarrassment under which it is now laboring in finding men for the complements of the ships about to go into commission. Compare the relative cost to the Government of this number of marines and sailors, and see how much less expensive the marines are. In the following table the relative rank is that given in the classification table, issued March 13, 1893, and the pay for the sea- man branch is that authorized by President Harrison (see Navy Department, General Order 409, February 25, 1893). PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 81 IS'GTE. — In this table the 750 seamen class have been equally apportioned amon^ those grades that marines are the equivalent of, though ordinary seaman is one grade below private m the claBsification table. Landsmen are green reomitB at everything, and apprentices of the second and third class mere boys, and in no way comparable with a trained marine. ^ i m g >.s s t>^09 i g i Q :J|^ a •f^ s B a g §° S P'.S s ftO g s s JS» ^'ri p. '^'S p< A a o g| i ii 1 SJ » >i t>i t-. ^ t>^ pig rC |£ 3 gs § g a i PI faOO PI p) 1=] o o f4 a ^ a o a M a Ik 1^ 39 $29. 65 57 $22. 59 100 $19. d7 'i'l $17. 46 750 $17. 39 30. 00< -■250 24.00 iJQ 40.00 57 35.00 100 30.00 ■^4 t250 19.00 {260 21.00 ' Seamen. t Ordinary seamen. J Apprentices, first class. Cost per month. Marines, 39 first sergeants, at $29,65 $1, 156. 35 Seamen, 39 petty offtcers, first class, at $40 1,560.00 Difference 403.65 Marines, 57 sergeants, at $22.59 1,287.63 Seamen, 57 petty officers, second class, at $35 1,995.00 Difference 707.37 Marines, 100 corporals, at $19.47 1,947.00 Sailors, 100 petty officers, third class, at $30 3, 000. 00 Difference 1,053.00 Marines, 54 buglers, at $17.46 942 84 Seamen, 54 buglers, at $30 1,620.00 Difference 677.16 Marines, 750 privates, at $17.39 13,042.50 Seamen, 250 seamen,, at $24; 250 ordinary seamen, at $19; 250 apprentices, first class, at $21. 16,000.00 Difference 2,957.50 Total excess of seamen's branch over marines: Per month 5,798.68 Per year 69,584.18 The pay given a marine is Ms average montlily pay, and includes everything he gets, i. e., retained pay and the money value of his allow- ance of clothing. To carry this argument a little further, let us calculate the number of men that will be required to man the secondary batteries of aU the ships in the Navy, including those now building. The following" table, compiled from the armament table for the Navy, shows the number and kind of guns that will then be in use and the number of men in each gun's crew: Class of gan. Number. Men in crew. Total men. 348 47 108 10 47 4 4 3 3 3 992 188 324 47-millimfiter li C 30 141 1,675 STAFF- 82 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. Senator Butler. Is that the number of cannon in the entire Kivy? Maj. Nicholson. ISTo; that is a description of the guns. In this table Gatling guns are left out as tliey are only effective at very short ranges, and special details can be made for them on coming to close quarters. The Secretary of the ISTavy, in his annual report, recommends an increase of 2,000 men for the Navy. Two thousand men for the Navy, apportioned in the various grades, will cost the Government about $140,000 a year more than the same number of marines. Of this num- ber of men required nearly 1,000 can be furnished at once without any increase of expense by stationing marines on board ships at the bat- tery in addition to their duties as sharpshooters. Therefore, any increase in the Marine Corps, and assigning them to the secondary bat- teries, will promote efficiency and economy. Senator Butler. Let me interrupt you there. "What do you mean by secondary batteries — the smaller guns ? Maj. Nicholson. The smaller guns. The guns I have enumerated in this table all belong to secondary batteries, because they are sec- ondary in importance to the large guns now being made. Let us see what the sentiment in foreign navies is toward marines. Statistics show that England, whose navy must ever be her bulwark of protection and offense, and whose navy is the finest in equip- ment and personnel in the world, had afloat on her ships nearly 8,000 marines during the past year, an increase on previous years. Esti- mates for 1893-'94 x)rovid6 for 15,005 oflicers and men, and papers state that their strength will eventually reacli 16,000; their duties on board ship are similar to ours, and they man part of the battery in action. In Germany the marines who had been taken off the ships were recently put baclv on the large ironclads. The reason given is that they were formerly very useful as sharpshooters, and now do similar duty by manning the secondary batteries. In France the marines are divided into engineers, infantry, and artillery, a total of 1,887 officers and 31,686 men. They form the colonial troops of France, and are stationed in homo and colonial ports as the personnel of coast defenses. The marines (fusiliers) on board ships are sailormen who have had special instruction in musketry and military discipline. Thus in the French navy, where marines have been withdrawn from ships, it has been found necessary, or desirable, to form a body of riflemen, specially instructed in musketry, to take their places. To do this in our Navy would call for specially instructed seamen — men at an increased rate of pay — to take the places of marines already instructed. In the preceding arguments and statements it has been attempted to show — (1) That the Marine Corps has always been, and is to-day, most essen- tial to an efficient Navy. (2) That its faitliful services, value, and efficiency have never received suitable recognition from Congress ; that its present organization is not founded on any military basis, and not calculated to produce the great- est possible efficiency, and that its strength is too small in proportion to the duty expected and required of it. (3) It is thought that it will be productive of increased efficiency and economy in the Navy to increase the Marine Corps and assign it, under its own oflicers, to the secondary batteries of the ships. (4) That the tendency of the leading naval powers abroad is towards an increase of their marines and enlarging the scope of their duties at home and abroad. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF, 83 It is, therefore, recommended that the active list of line ofiicers of the Marine Corps shall consist of the following : 1 commandant, with the rank and pay of a brigadier- general; 2 colonels, 2 lieutenant-colonels, 6 majors, 24 captains, 24 first lieutenants, 24 second lieutenants, and that the general staff shall consist of 1 major, adjutant and inspector; 1' major, paymaster; 1 major, quartermaster, and 2 captains, assistant quartermasters ; the adjutant and inspector, paymaster, and quarter- master to have, after thirty years' service, the rank and pay of a lieu- tenant-colonel. This number of officers is but one-fourth of that allowed to the same number of men in the Navy and one-half that allowed to the same number of men in the Army, and is absolutely necessary, not only to place the organization of the Marine Corps on something like a military basis, but to increase its efficiency, by having enough field offi- cers to command the various stations, and enough other officers to avoid the necessity of having so many noncommissioned officers in charge of detachments afloat and ashore, and relieve the officers on shore from the excessive duty they are now performing. It is also recommended that there shall be appointed 12 post quarter- master-sergeants. The duties of post quartermaster-sergeants are now performed by sergeants detailed from the line of the Marine Corps, and, as their duties are important, it is necessary to relieve them from their appropriate duties, the line of the Corps thus losing the service of that number of sergeants. The duties of post quartermaster- sergeants should be performed by sergeants specially trained for that duty, and they should receive pay commensurate with their duties and responsibilities. (Extract from the report of the board of officers, September 21, 1891.) In view of the fact that a number of new ships will shortly be put in commission, causing a further drain on the force of marines on shore, it is imperatively necessary that an increase be made in the number of men now appropriated for. Ten sergeants, 40 corporals, 12 drummers, 12 flfers, and 426 privates in addition to the present number should be immediately appropriated for to enable the Corps to meet the demands upon its strength for service on shore and afloat. This would give a sufficient number of men for duty on all ships at present in commission and about to be placed in commission in the near future, and would also leave enough on shore to properly guard the Government property at the various navy-yards and stations. When all the ships now con- templated for the S'avy are completed I consider that the whole force of marines now allowed by law (sec. 1596, E. S.) will be necessary. Should these men on board ship be stationed at the secondary bat- tery it would make a like number of sailormen available for diity on other, ships and be a saving to the Government of about $90,000 a year. This would be a still further measure in the interest of economy, for — It would then be possible to transfer a guard to a vessel about to be placed in com- mission from the marine barracks to which she is nearest without the many transfers from the diiferent stations that are now made necessary before a guard can be col- lected. This would avoid the use of so much money for transportation. The duty on shore would also be better and there would not be so many desertions and the consequent loss to the Government of clothing would be saved. (Extract from Annual Report of the Commandant of the Marine Corps to the Secretary of the Navy, 1893.) Mr. Monet. Tou have stated the number of marines in the British service and the proposed increase. What proportion would their whole personnel, their tonnage, guns, etc., bear to ours? Maj. Nicholson. I am not prepared to answer that. Mr. Money. Is it out of proportion to ours? 84 PERSONNEI, OF THE NAVY STAFF. Maj. Nicholson. That I do not know. I think Admiral Walker covild answer that question better than I can. Mr. Money. Then I will ask the admiral. I will ask you, Admiral Walker, if the tonnage, guns, etc., of the British marine corps service is out of proportion to ours ? Admiral Waikbr. I can not say jjositively, but I shoiild think they do exceed ours. In the English service they have really two marine corps — the marine artillery and the marine infantry — for duty on ships and on shore. I should think the percentage in their service would be larger than ours, though I can not say positively. Senator Butler. Will you state how it is in the French service? Admiral Walkee. In the French service the marines proper do not go to sea at all. They are colonial troops, though they have their blue jackets to act as marines on board ship. Senator Bdtleb. The French blue jacjkets correspond with our marines on board ship ? Admiral Walker. Tes; the French have a large corps of marines, but they are confined to their barracks. Senator Butlek. But they are assigned to ships when they are needed? Admiral Walker. No ; they never go on board ships. Mr. Monet. So they are not to be counted in at all? Admiral Walker. Not in this connection. Maj. Nicholson. Those men are especially instructed, as I under- stand it, before they go aboard ships, and specially drilled, but they are not called marines. Mr. Meyer. What are the distinctive duties of marines in the French service as contrasted with the duties of sailors? Maj. Nicholson. They perform sentinel duties and assist in police duties. It has been a long time since I have been at sea, and I think Admiral Walker could answer those questions better than I can. But I think they have to perform guard duty, and they are drilled in tlie working of guns on board ships. The regulations require that our marines shall know the drills of all the guns composing the batteiies on all ships in commission, and they may be distributed at any time under officers of other divisions at the guns in case of emergency by the cap- tain of the ship, but they are to be relieved from that duty when the emergency has passed. In battle, however, when not distributed, they are simply stationed as a body of sharpshooters on deck, to be knocked down without having a chance to shoot back. Senator Butler. How is the Marine Corps supplied ? Do you get your commissary and quartermaster's stores through the paymaster of the Navy ? Maj. Nicholson. No, sir; we have a quartermaster whose duty it is to provide quarters, clothing, and rations for the Marine Corps, and to take charge of barracks and provide supplies. He sends an estimate to Congress every year for all necessary supplies in his department. Senator Butler. How many stations have you in this country? Maj. Nicholson. I think we have 13 marine stations, including the Naval Home at Philadelphia. Senator Butler. In different parts of the country? Maj. Nicholson. Yes; from Sitka around to Port Eoyal, S. 0., where they have recently built barracks. Senator Butler. And these the quartermaster looks after? Maj. Nicholson. He does everything in the way of supplying rations, clothing, and supplies of all kinds to these men, with the PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. 85 exception of tlie men vho are afloat as guards on board ships; tliey are rationed by the Xavy Department under a separate estimate made for that i)iirpose by the paymaster-general of the Na^^j-, who estimates for a thousand men, at present. Senator Butlee. What assistance has the chief quartermaster of the Corps? Maj. XiCHOLSON. He has two captains; one is stationed here and the other one is at Philadelphia. The assistant quartermaster in Philadel- phia is in charge of our manufacturing bureau. The clothing for our corps is made there. The contracts are made with the quartermaster and the supplies are delivered through the quartermaster's oflice in Philadelphia. Those supplies have to undergo very thorough inspec- tion, and after they have been passed upon, then we have two cutters, and the clothing is cut in our own department, the assistant quarter- master's department, and made up by operatives outside, as in the Army. That system was adopted because we found that there would be a great saving in this respect; the clippings from the cuttings of material amount to a great deal. In olden times a gTeat many of the contractors in the country did not understand that they would have those savings, so that their bids made clothing more expensive than is the case under the present system, because we have the benefit of those clippings. Those clippings are saved, put away, baled, and when a sufiicieut amount has accumulated they are weighed and sold at public auction and the proceeds turned into the Treasury of the United States. Senator Btjtlek. When a ship goes into commission, and wants a certain number of marine officers or marines, how does the ship get them? Maj. Nicholson. The chief of the Bureau of Navigation notifies the commandant of the Marine Cordis that a ship will go into commis- sion on a certain date, and he sometimes has them ordered in advance, and the commandant makes his detail accordingly. Those men are collected and at the proper time sent to the port, for instance, at Xew York. They are detailed from the larger posts to make up the comple- ment of a ship. That complement is established by the Secretary of the Navy. They go aboard the ship at the time the ship goes into com- mission. ^ Senator Butlee. When they return from the cruise are those marines retui-ned to their barracks ! Maj. Nicholson. They are transferred to their nearest station from the ship, and their accounts are transmitted to the paymaster of the Marine Corps. During the cruise the marines may get liberty money; that is, it is within the discretion of the commander of a ship to give them what liberty money he thinks they should have, and I bebevc that is regulated accorcUng to their classification and conduct. Their accounts are transferred, and they are paid the amount due on the ship's books at the end of the cruise, they are then granted leave of absence for ten days by the colonel commandant with permission to report at any station they may elect. Some of them have come from New York, some of them have come from Norfolk, and they prefer to report at the station nearest thefr home. That furlough is given them, provided, of course, they have been good men, and theii- conduct record is aU right. Senator Bxjtlee. Who looks after the men whUe they are on board ship? 86 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. Maj. Nicholson. The marine officer, and the paymaster of the ship pays them. Senator Butler. And he transfers the accounts to the paymaster of the Marine Corps'? Maj.,i!fiCHOLSON. Yes. If the captain has given them their allow- ance of liberty money the paymaster transmits a statement of those allowances to the Treasury Department, as to the money that has been paid on that account. That money is, necessarily, in the iirst instance, paid out of the Navy pay; but, upon the paymaster rendering his statement to the Treasury Department, that Department takes it out of the Marine Corps' pay and transfers it back to where it belongs, the Navy pay. The two appropriations are interchangeable in that way, so that the pay is always available. Senator Butler. I did not catch very clearly what your suggestion was about the assignment of marines to secondary batteries. What is your idea about that? Maj. Nicholson. I think they should have these batteries on board ship, for, as at present, wlien in action they simply stand on dress parade on quarter-deck to be shot at. Senator Butler. So your idea would be to make the assignment of these secondary batteries on board ship permanent? Maj. Nicholson. Yes; that is my idea. They are now in the hands of the sailors, and takes that many sailors from the ship to man the batteries. Senator Butlbk. Has not the commanding officer of the ship the authority or right to do that 1 Maj. Nicholson. He has the right to do it, yes; and they are not, however, stationed at the guns as a body, but may be distributed among the guns' crews in an emergency. I suppose that if three or four sailors were killed he would order three or four marines to take their place during the emergency. Mr. Money. If the commanding officer thought he could fight his ship any better by doing so, would he not order these men to the batteries, without any law or regulation providing for it specially ? Maj. Nicholson. I can cite instances, if you want them, where the records of the marines aboard ship ]iave been good, and after informa- tion to that effect has reached the Navy Department the marines were taken away from the guns and not allowed to stay there. On board a certain ship in Chinese waters every man in the guard received a prize for excellence in rifle practice, witli great guns and the smaller guns, and those-men were afterwards taken away from the guns. Mr. Money. Were they taken away at the request of the captain of the ship ? Maj. Nicholson. No; they were taken away after the captain had said it would impair the fighting efficiency of the ship to take them away; but they were taken away. Mr. Money. Were they taken away for the purpose of impairing the efficiency of the ship ? Maj. Nicholson. I do not say that they were taken away for that purpose; I would not like to say that; but I say that the captain of the ship stated that it did impair the fighting efficiency of the ship. Mr. Money. That is not the question. You say that they stand on the quarter-deck to be shot at without any chance to fire back. Now, will not the captain of a ship, whose duty it is to win the battle, place these men where they will do the most good ? PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 87 Maj. NiOHOLSON. I think lie would be derelict in his duty if he did not. Mr. Money. As a matter of fact does he not do that? Maj. Nicholson. No, sir; he fights, first, with his sailors, and then, in case of emergency, after the sailors have been knocked out, he would call on the marines; but the guns being manned, he will not put the marines there until there is a vacancy for them. The ordnance regu- lations provide how those guns shall be manned, and there is a sufOi- cient number of men to man them. The marines are simply there to do guard duty and as sharpshooters, and they are not placed at the guns until those who have been working the guns have been killed or disabled. Mr. Monet. Ton would simply put the mariaes in place of the sailors at the secondary batteries? Ma,]. Nicholson. I would have the complement of the ship reduced that number of seamen, and that would supply in a large measure this increase of seamen that is asked for. Senator Butlbb. Would you have that done by law or by regula- tion? Maj. Nicholson. I should have it done by regulation of the Depart- ment, I suppose. The Department regulates the disposition of the forces. I do not think that law should provide for the disposition of the forces. Mr. Money. Tou have said that the proportion of field officers to the number of men in the Army is much greater than in the Marine Corps. Is not that accounted for by the fact that they actually have those men at hand, as it were, while the Marine Corps is scattered over the face of the globe? Maj. Nicholson. There are very often posts where they have very few men commanded by field officers. Of course the number of field officers in a regimental organization is prescribed by law, and many of those commands devolve upon officers of junior grades. Mr. Money. The fact that a field officer commands only a few men may happen by reason of casualties of battle, march, sickness, etc.; but, as a matter of fact, and on the general average, or whatever you may term it, are not the marines scattered in smaU detachments and so far separated that the order of a field officer would not reach them, whereas the field officer of the Army has his men near at hand or at such convenient distance that they can be easily reached with orders? Maj. Nicholson. In answer to that I think I have stated that the marines are scattered from Sitka to Portsmouth, N. H., and that in one instance, after the order went out from the Navy Department, within twenty-four hours, there were 266 marines absolutely on board ship at New York and ready to sail for Panama. Mr. Money. But in actual operations where does the duty of the field officer come in ? Maj. Nicholson. Of course the marines would have to be concen- trated. Mr. MoKBY. But you can not concentrate them quickly when they are so scattered on detached service. Maj. Nicholson. The marines would go ashore from the different ships. Mr. Money. Tour idea is, then, that there ought to be about as many field officers to the number of men as is the case in the Army? Maj. Nicholson. I think so; I do not see why any branch of the service should have an advantage over others in command. I think it 88 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. is only fair that they should be equalized iu proportion to the number of men and duties that they have. Mr. Money. It is not a question of advantage, but it is a question whether the efficiency of the service really requires it. Maj. Nicholson. It seems to be required in other branches of the service. Mr. Money. But my point is whether it is required in this. Maj. ISTiCHOLSON. Our ofticers perform the same duties; and we have posts where on a mere peace organization they would have five and six companies of the Army. Senator Butlbb. What is the smallest number of marines sent on board ship? Maj. Nicholson. A sergeant's guard would be sixteen men. Senator Butler. Commanded by a noncommissioned officer? Maj. Nicholson. Tes, sir. Senator Butlbe. Suppose it became necessary — and I suppose it is necessary — to put marines on all the war ships, would you have com- missioned officers to take charge of those marines? Maj. Nicholson. That would involve an increase of the Ibrce. Senator Btjtlee. Would you now? Maj. Nicholson. No, sir; not unless you took them from all the stations you have, and depleted the forces at the navy-yards. Senator Butler. I am asking as regards the keeping up of the quotas at the stations; would you have enough to put a commissioned officer on board each ship ? Maj. Nicholson. No, sir. Senator Butler. I understood you to say that you thought it inad- visable to put these marines in command of a noncommissioned officer on board ship. Your idea, then, would be to put the complement of marines in charge of a commissioned officer. Maj. Nicholson. I would in all cases, except in very small vessels, down to the class of ships such as the Marblehead and the Detroit. In old times, I believe, the larger ships and third-class sloops of war always had guards. Mr. Meyer. Would it not be competent, in case of emergency, where a marine guard is under the command of a noncommissioned officer on ship, for a line officer of the Navy to take charge of that guard? Senator Butler. He has his own duties to perform. Maj. Nicholson. That would impose an additional duty upon him. Mr. Meyer. One question I desire to ask, if you have the informa- tion: What percentage of desertions is there from the Marine Corps? Maj. Nicholson. The percentage of desertions this year has been very small in comparison with what it has been heretofore; I think the percentage of desertions this last year has been only 12 or 15. Mr. Meyer. Of the number of enlisted men? Maj. Nicholson. Yes. Mr. Meyer. How does that compare with the desertions from the enlisted men of the Navy? Maj. Nicholson. I do not know; I could not answer that question, because I have no means of getting that information. Mr. Meyer. You mean that out of every 100 men enlisted there have been about 15 desertions ? Maj. Nicholson. Yes. I think that is due to the fact that they are overworked. They enter the service and they are forced ahead, put on guard duty and police duty, and worked to death. A man who comes off of guard duty at 9 o'clock in the morning goes to his quarters and PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 89 gets ready for target practice or drill, and is kept at that for an hour or two, and policing his quarters; then at 1 o'clock he gets his liberty, after eating his dinner. The next morning he has to go on duty again. It is day off and day on. Mr. Money. Is he at hberty from 1 o'clock in the afternoon until the next morning'? Maj. Nicholson. Oh, no, sir; he is required to be in by or before 12 o'clock at night. Of course, occasionally if a man is off duty for two days, and there is special reason for it, he can get twenty-four hours, liberty if he asks for it. Senator Butlee. Is there anything else you desire to say to the committee. Maj. Nicholson. I should like to say this, Mr. Chairman: In enu- merating the. distinguished offlcers in the Navy who had spoken favor- ably as to the necessity and efficiency of the marines I omitted the name of one who is one of our most distinguished officers of the Navy, from the fact that I had not been shown anything where he had put himself on record^that is, Admiral Walker; and I shoiild be very glad if the committee would put him in my place here and ask him questions about the Marine Corps. ' ^ Maj. Nicholson submitted the following table: Strength of the XJ. S. Marine Corjis under the different acta. t3 a k 1 a . 1 1 1 ■a (0 a o 1 o 6 1 o O 3 i in PI 3 1 1 1 is CO J 1 09 1 to g 1 i CD ■an I ha <1 Act July 11, 1798 1 4 Ifi n 48 48 16 16 720 Act , 1799 1 4 IR IS 56 48 9S 95 890 Act Mar. 3, 1809 1 6- •?n IS 56 233 f,^ 95 1,484 Act Apr. 16, 1814 •>. 'n ^9 'IR 117 233 M^ 46 2 180 Act Mar. 3,1817 9 ?4 16 73 73 9,1 9,1 750 Act June 30, 1834 1 4 13 20 20 4 80 80 30 30 1,000 Act Mar. 3, 1847 1 4 4 17 24 24 4 105 105 55 55 2,000 Act Jldy25, 1861 1 5 1 2 4 20 30 30 i 200 220 30 60 60 2,500 3,074 Men punished. U. S. S. Baltimore 1 U. S. S. Chicago 2 TJ. S. S. Lancaster 3 U.S. S. Marion 1 V. S. S. Newart 3 U.S. S. PMladelphia 3 U. S. S. Portsmouth ; 1 U.S. S. Eichmoud 2 U. S. S. Yantic 2 U. S. E. S. Vermont 1 U.S. E. S.Wabash 1 Total Number of men afloat, 821, 20 90 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. STATEMENT OF CAPT. GEORGE C. REID. Senator Butlbe. Please state your rank and length of service. Oapt. Eeib. Captain in the Murine Corps; I wilt have been thirty years in the service on the -id of July next. Senator Butler. Have you any suggestiou you desire to make in regard to the reorganization of the Marine Corps? Capt. Eeid. In the first place, I think we should have more men. Senator Butler. How many"? Capt. Eeid. I think we should have in all 3,000 men, the number provided by law now. I think we should have more officers. We have not oflicers enough to perform the duties properly at the shore stations, and not nearly enough to do tliat and furnish officers for such ships as, I think, should have marine officers — ships of the size whose guards would warrant and require it. Mr. Money. Are you considering the uew ships that are to be put in commission! Capt. Eeid. Yes. We have not officers enough to do the duty neces- sarily required of us. We are required to be thoroughly informed and ready to pass an examination upon which depends our commission. We arere(iuired to be drilled in the use of all manner of arras used in the service — great guns, small arras, rifles, etc. We are required to be informed in regard to signaling, and to liave a knowledge of ordnance, of field engineering, torpedoes, and electricity; of artillery; of drawing; of fire tactics, infantry tactics, and ileld artillery; and we are required to acquire this knowledge to enable us to pass examination upon which depends our commission. To acquire this knowledge requires more time for study than officers of the Marine Corps can possibly command at their stations. Considering their present numbers and duty, a man who goes on duty today and remains on until to-morrow morning can not have his time at night, as he mu,st visit his sentinels after midnight, and turn out again at reveille; and we have not ofticers enough to give time between tours of duty for the necessary amount of study to acquire such knowledge of these different subjects as will enable him to pass an examination when he comes np for i^romotion. Again, when an officer is young he does not so much feel the effects of onerous duty; but when he passes the age of 45 and still has the duty of officer of the day to perform one day on and two days off he feels it very much, and to properly i^erform those duties produces a condition, both mentally and physically, from which you can not get the best results ; he will not have that cheerfulness, that interest, that energy and industry that every of&cer should have in order to give the Government the best that is in him. Senator Butler. Are not the duties of an officer of the Marine Corps very similar to tJie ordinary garrison duties of an Army officer? Capt. Eeid. Yes, sir; only augmented by reason of the fact that the officer of the day has to perform many of the duties of a company officer. Besides a general supervision of the garrison, he attends drills and all formations, inspects all meals, superintends the issuing of rations, the policing of the quarters, the washing and scrubbing necessary to keep the garrisonin proper condition, most of which duty is done in the Army by company officers. We have no company organization, and no com- pany olficers to perform that duty. In the Army the duties of the officer of the day are of a supervisory character, and general in their nature. With us they are very much in detail. PERSONNEL Ol' THE NAVY STAFF. 91 Senator Btjtlee. Now, will you be kind enough to give the commit- tee some idea of the duty of a marine officer on board ship ? Capt. Eeid. The regulations require that he shall have his men thoroughly drilled and instructed in the use of small arms, and at the guns of tne main and secondary batteries; that he shall exercise his men at the prescribed drills and instructions at such times and places as the captain may appoint; that he shall instruct and exercise his men in ijulliug boats; that he shall make daily inspections of his men, their arms, accouterments, and clothing, their quarters, and storerooms; that he shall be attentive to the comfort and cleanliness of his men ; he shall have charge of and be responsible for the arms, accouterments, clothing, and all Government property belonging to his department, and shall keep the books and accounts of the same; he must attend to the theoretical instruction of his noncommissioned officers, and he may be detailed as superintendent of target practice, and may be required to make "intelligence" reports. He is always available for duty as judge- advocate or member of courts and boards. Senator Butler. Was that drill taken by naval officers or by marine officers '} Capt. Eeid. By marine officers. Senator Butler. Entirely? Capt. Eeid. Entirely. We had the two 5-inch guns of the main bat- tery on the Chicago — a fall crew for each gun. Twenty-four men were detailed at these, the balance of the guard being on the quarter-deck as riflemen and sharp-shooters. Senator Butleb. They do orderly duty, too, do they not? Capt. Eeid. Yes. WehadSorderlyposts, a man at each, constantly; the men who were put on as orderlies were a number of picked men. Orderly duties are performed by men who are picked on account of their intelligence, good character, etc. We generally had from 6 to 8 posts, including orderly posts. The guard was divided into 2 watches, and at sea stood watch the same as the sailors, in addition to their duty as sentinels. Senator Butler. Does thab orderly perform duty night and day? Capt. Eeid. Yes. I should like to say that, I think, there should be some provision made to relieve the block or stagnation of the condition of promotion in the eorps. I have been, within a month or two, of thirty years in the service, and I shall not in the ordinary course of things be a major until I am past 62 years old. Senator Butler. How old are you now, if it is a fair question? Capt. Eeid. Fifty-three years old. Senator Butler. How long have you been a captain? Capt. Eeid. I will have been a captain ten years the 2d of next month. I was nineteen years and ten months a lieutenant, and I was promoted captain on the 2d of April, 1884. Senator Butler. What is the cause of this stagnation of promo- tion? Capt. Eeid. The first cause is the very small number of field officers in the line of the Marine Corps as compared with the whole number of officers. Another cause is that at the breaking out of the war and at times during the war a large number of appointments were made at the same time, at one time about 30, again there were 8 or 9; in July, 1864, there were 10 appointed. Between these officers appointed at the same time there is, as a rule, but little difference in age, and as those who were appointed in 1861 come to fill the positions of field 92 , PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. oflScers those appointed subsequently must mark time in their grades awaiting vacancies through retirement of officers but little older than themselves, and this condition of things will exist for a long time, and whenever a number of officers ai^pointed at the same time come to fill the grades of field officers. One of the field officers in the Corps to-day- is two or three years younger than I am. Therefore I, coming into the service three or four years after him, am No. 5 on the list of cai)taiijs, and he is next to the commandant. Many of his juniors, however, axe older than he. A law regulating promotion in the grades of captain and first and second lieutenants after length of service in each of those grades would relieve this condition of things and conduce greatly to the efficiency of the service. Senator Butlee. What is his rank, lieutenant-colonel? Oapt. Reid. His rank-is colonel, while there are older officers than he who are still captains. He came in before the limit as to age. Senator Blackburn. You have but one colonel in the Marine Corps? Cai)t. Eeid. We have one colonel and one colonel comniundaint, both of them ranking as colonel. The head of the Corps is called the com- mandant of the Corps, and his rank is that of colonel. Senator Blackbukn. Before the grade of brigadier- general was dropped how many colonels had you ? Capt. Eeid. One brigadier-general and one colonel. Senator Blackburn. So that wlien the grade of brigadier-general was dropx^ed you did not lose the place; you simj)ly dropped the grade one'? Capt. Eeid. Yes. Senator Blackburn. And you got two colonels Instead of one? Capt. Eeid. Yes. Mr. Meyer. Is the colonel stationed at this city? Capt. Eeid. Ko, sir; he is stationed at New York. Senator Blackburn. The colonel-commandant is stationed here? Capt. Eeid. Yes. Mr. Meyer. What are the relative duties of colonel and colonel- commandant? Capt. Eeid. The colonel commands a post, his command not being extended out of the garrison at New York, while the colonel-command- ant's command extends all over, afloat and on shore. Mr. Meyer. The one in command of the post at New York has no jurisdiction over any other station? Capt. Eeid. No, sir. Mr. Meyer. While the colonel-commandant commands all stations? Capt. Eeid. Yes. Senator Butler. All the reports are made to the colonel-command- ant from the entire Marine Corps? Capt. Eeid. Yes. Mr. Money. How many marines are under the colonel at New York? Oapt. Eeid. I do not know the strength of his post to-day; I know what it was recommended by the board of which 1 was 'a member, and our recommendation corresponded with the recommendation of a board that had formerly been in session considering the same subject that it should consist of 235 enlisted men at least. That recommendation was brought about through the court-martialing of a man for sleeping on post, and he made the defense that he was going on duty day on and day oif ; that he had come off duty the previous day a little before 12 o'clock, had gone on liberty that night, and had come into the barracks between G and 7 oclock in the morning, and been placed on guard PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. 93 again at half past 8; that he had been doing this duty for some days, and that he was not able to keep awake on account of not having had sufficient sleep. A board was ordered to investigate and make rec- ommendation as to what amount of guard duty was proper for men to perform, and how many men it 'would take to so perform the guard duty at that yard as to enable these men to have a proper and reason- able time off duty. We recommended that in order that ai,man might have two days off duty, and that they might have men enough for that purpose that they'should have 235 noncommissioned officers and privates at that post. Senator Butler. When a ihan is off guard he has his ordinary gar- rison duties to ]3erform, has he not, such as policing, etc.! Gapt. Ebid. Yes; this morning at my post the guard was relieved at about a quarter to 10 o'clock. At 10 o'clock there is recitation for noncommissioned officers. Before that there is recitation for officers, if they have time, and at 10 for noncommissioned officers. At half past 10 there is drill. We have no field pieces, and our drill is com- pany drill, skirmish drill, bayonet drill, and signal driU, and other drills of that character. Senator Butler. The man who was on guard last night does not have to drill this morning, does he? Oapt. Ebid. Yes; we would not have men enough otherwise; they frequently having to do duty day on and day off. Guard duty is done by dividing the guard into three reliefs ; we allow three men to each post; each man has two hours of duty walking his post, and four hours off; and he must do that duty for twenty-four hours. Senator Butler. But in the meantime, when he is not walking on post he is at the guardhouse f Capt. Eeid. Yes; for four hours he is at the guardhouse, and then two hours on post during the twenty-four hours. Kow, in order to have men enough to have company drill, or to have battalion drill, we must often take the two reliefs on guard who are not actually at that time^on post. That we have to do, for otherwise we would not have men enough to practice those drills. Senator Butler. That is not customary in the Army? Gapt. Eeid. It is prohibited in the Army, but we can not do other- wise. Senator Butler. I never heard of that before at any post. Gapt. Eeid. We can not do otherwise; my judgment is that that is the cause of our desertions, very largely. Mr. Money. Too often it is the cause of desertion, no doubt. Capt. Eeid. Yes; it is too much duty to be required of men. They know that in the Army a man is off duty for four, five, or even six days at a time; so they naturally want to go where they can do better. Mr. Meyer. I understand that you have no company or battalion organization in your corps'? Capt. Eeid. We have not. When the number of men will admit we have battaUon drill, if the weather permits ; but we have very few posts where we have men enough to have battalion drill. Senator Butler. Are the officers subjected to the same rule as regards the performance of duty? Gapt. Eeid. Yes. For instance, if an officer had come off duty this morning he would be required to drill this morning if we had battalion drill; if it is company drill, then the officer of the day does it. But if there are two companies the officer who comes off' this morning must drill this morning. 94 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. Senator Btitler. How maay ofBcers have you at tlie barracks here? Oapt. Eeid. Only three. Senator Sutler. How many men ? Capt. Eeid. I have DJt altogether. Senator Butler. Do those officers keep up the entire complement of guard duty! Capt. Eeid. Yes. Senator Butler. As officer of the day and otherwise? Capt. Eeid. As officer of the day, and performing the other duties mentioned. Senator Butler. Tou have not officers enough to have officers of the day and officers of the guard? Oapt. Eeid. No. The officer of the day has to do the principal features of the duty of officer of the guard. I should like to say a word in regard to one other matter. We have no fleet officer of marines by laAV, though we have by regulation. Senator Butler. What do you mean by a fleet officer of marines? Capt. Eeid. He is the officer in charge of all the marines of the squadron when they have to land together, and he is required to have battalion organization composed of the marines of the dilferent ships of the squadron; he is required to keep the flag officer informed of the condition of this battalion and of its necessities. The officers of the guards make their reports and forward their returns, etc., through him to the commandant. In other words, he is the senior marine officer in the squadiou, and whenever they land as a body he is the one who has charge of that battalion. Whilst the other fleet officers — engineer of the fleet, surgeon of the fleet, and paymaster of the fleet — usually have the relative rank of commanders (I believe the lowest rank they can be taken fi'om is that of Ueu tenant- commander), with the pay of a higher grade, the fleet officer of marines is a captain and has only the corre- sponding rank of lieutenant. Senator Butler. Lieutenant in the Navy, you mean? Capt. Eeid. Yes, sir. In other words, when there is a battalion of marines landed he is a battalion commander with the rank of a com- pany officer. I think his position merits more rank, and his age and length of service in almost any other branch of the service would bring more rank. Senator Butler. Suppose a marine fleet officer should be a major, or, in a very large squadron, a lieutenant-colonel, il' the number of marines justified, what would be his duties or position on board ship? Would he sail with the captain of the fleet? Capt. Eeid. Yes, on the flagship. Senator Butler. Then he would have the same duties with refer- ence to the battalion that he has now as captain? Capt. Eeid. Precisely. Senator Butler. Would he be required, in addition to that, to per- form any detail duties on board ship? Capt. Eeid. The regulations say that he may be required to perform other duty. He may be judge-advocate or member of courts and boards or superintendent of target practice, or he may be required to peform any appropriate duty that the commanding officer of the ship may see fit to have him perform. Senator Butler. Take, for instance, the squadron of evolution, known as the White Squadron. How many marines would there be in that squadron? Capt. Eeid. In the 4 ships? PBESONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. 95 Senator Butleb. There were 8 ships at one time. Oapt. Ebid. Yes. There was one ship that had none at all, and some ships that had a sergeant's guard. There were 56, all told, on board the flagship; there were 40 each to the Atlanta and the Bos- ton, and 17 on the Yorhtown. There were 1.53 in the battalion when they were landed and when they took all the men that could be spared from each ship. Senator Butler. Which you commanded as captain? Capt. Eeid. Yes, sir. Senator Btttlek. Would that not be a major's command"? Oapt. Eeh). Yes, it would be; there were four companies, and that number would, in the Army, constitute a battalion. Senator Butler. No question about that. So that when this bat- talion is called together to land, or for any other purpose, you, as cap- tain, had command of them '>. Oapt. Eeid. Yes, under a naval officer. Senator Butler. I understand that. Oapt. Eeid. But I was in command of four companies. Senator Butler. And responsible for them ? Oapt. Eeid. Eesponsible for their handling and for whatever they did. Mr. Monet. Subject to the orders of the captain? Oapt. Eeid. Subject to the orders of the captain and of the senior officer on shore with me. Mr. Money. Even though you outrank him ? Capt. Eeid. I could not outrank the others, because there was no officer in the squadron who commanded a battalion that was junior to me in rank. Mr. Money. But if they put a Meutenant-colonel to command a bat- talion, then what? Oapt. Eeid. In regard to rank? Mr. Money. Yes, Oapt. Eeid. The regulations say that where the force of sd,ilors and marines are landed the senior officer shall take command. Mr. Money. Whether a marine officer or a naval officer? Oapt. Eeed. Yes; whether a marine officer or a hne officer. Mr. Money. That is, on shore? Oapt. Eeid. Yes. Mr. Money. Not on board the ship ? Oapt. Eeid. No, sir; the regulations require that everybody on board shall be subordinate to the executive officer and the commanding officer of the ship, and to the officer of the deck. Mr. Money. There is not often, I suppose, any conflict of authority, is there? Oapt. Eeid. There can not be. Of course, they have their little dif- ferences of detail and all that, but there can be no conflict of authority because we are specially prohibited by law, as marine officers, from exercising command over a ship or naval station. Senator Butler. Is there anything further you desire to say? Oapt. Eeid. I could say a good deal, Mr. Senator. This is a new r61e for me. Senator Butler. You may proceed with anything further you may desire to say. Oapt. Eeid. I have touched generally upon the subject. I think that the duties of marines on board ships should be enlarged; that is, I 96 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. think that instead of a disposition of them as riflemen or sharpshooters, in addition thereto they would be found most efficient and most valu- able at the guns of the main and secondary batteries when the com- manding officer of a ship should see fit to use them there. Their oppor- tunities for becoming expert marksmen are certainly superior, and their opportunities for perfecting themselves in the drills and any kind of target practice are equally good on board ship with those of the rest of the ship's company. They get a discipline in barracks and an organ- ization that can not be had in any other way. Both the commissioned officers and the noncommissioned othcers have facilities for perfecting themselves in the knowledge and the practice of the use of arms of the Navy. I think the discipline that is required of men in barracks is a good and healthy thing for a whole, ship's company. I believe that their association with the ship's company stimulates the sailors to friendly competition and emulation, and is a good thing for both sail- ors and marines. Senator Btjtlee. Tour idea, then, as I understand it, is that there ought to be an assigment of marines permanently to the secondary batteries? Oapt. Eeid. I think it should, be left in the hands of those in com- mand. Senator Butlee. In command of the ship? Capt Eeid. In command of the ship. In my judgment, whoever is responsible for the fighting of the ship should have the disposition of every man on board. Senator Btjtlee.- He has the right to make assignments now? Gapt. Eeid. By regulation, yes. Senator Butlee. What is the difficulty then? Oapt. Eeid. Well, I do not know, unless it be a desire to man all the guns without utilizing the marines for that purpose. I think it is a waste of good material to dispose of them as sharx)shooters alone. Senator Butler. I do not quite see what the joint committee are to do in that respect, except possibly to recommend. Capt. Eeid. I do not Icnow what you can do. Perhaps you can simply recommend. I would, if I could, have a certain number of noncom- missioned ofiiceis selected and specially instructed in ordnance and gunnery, and from these men I would select the principal noncom- missioned officers for the guards going to sea. I would, as far as I coald, have an officer in charge of a guard. A noncommissioned officer is not in a position, and can not be in a position, to do for his men as an officer can. I think there should be officers enough to send an officer to each ship that has a complement of men of over 20 — a second lieu- tenant for a small gua,rd, a first lieutenant for the next larger, and a captain for the largest. Senator Butler. How would you have these noncommissioned ofla- cers instructed? Oapt. Eeid. I would have a school of instruction for them, as we have the nucleus of one here at head6 determined by the company reports'? Capt. Eeid. Yes. Mr. Meyee. Have you in your command many privates or noncom- missioned officers, who, in your judgment, would be competent and worthy of becoming commissioned oflicers? Capt. Eeid. I can say that I have during my service seen men in the ranks whom I deemed comiieteut to bear commissions, though few who possessed the educational qualifications required of officers at the pres- ent time. Mr. Meyer. What I refer to is the qualifications and soldierly apti- tude of the men. Capt. Eeid. Yes; so I understand. Mr. Meyer. In your opinion the fact that a private was disappointed in securing a coveted commission would cause him to desert? Capt. Eeid. I believe that, couijled with the prospect of having a long enlistment to serve out in the ranks, would be apt to have such a tendency. Mr. Meyer. Assuming that theory to be correct, based upon the gen- eral tendencies of men, yet would not the opportunity of becoming offi- cers incite a great many to remain in the service? Capt. Eeid. Yes. Senator Butler. I did not understand you to say that it would nec- essarily induce him to desert. Capt. Eeid. Not necessarily. Senator Butler. But that it would discourage him? Capt. Eeid. Yes; and that he would not be so efficient under such circumstances. Mr. Meyer. But where one man was discouraged' in the way you suggest, would not a great many still continue their efibrts ? Capt. Eeid. That might be the case if they should have reason to hope that they would be ultimately successful. Mr. Meyer. I have no doubt that in your experience you have found a great many enlisted men who were men of intelligence and educa- tion. Capt. Eeid. Yes; and some very surprising cases of that sort, one in particular, a man who had held a high civil office. Senator Butler. Did he serve out his time? Capt. Eeid. No, sir; he was discharged by order of the President. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 99 Mr. Meyee. Do not a great many men of tliis kind enlist — young men who have been at schools, who have had some educational train- ing at primary and public schools, young men whose parents may have been poor and without means, but who are bright, intelligent, and of good deportment? Capt. liEiD. I think not a great many of that class enlist, because 1 think those who are steady and industrious can do better outside of the service and retain their freedom of action. Mr. Meyer. But you have found such instances? Capt. Ebid. I have; and it is more the case now than in years past, I think. Mr. Meyee. Does it not appear to you that if young men of that kind, having the proper ambition and the industry to pursue the nec- essary studies, had an opportunity to become commissioned officers in time it would have a very good influence upon the service? Capt. Eeid. I think so. Mr. Meyee. Has it "not occurred to you that our laws should afford opportunities to men of that kind? Gapt. Eeid. I think yes, with iiroper restrictions; and if such an inducement were held out we might get a greater number of such men in the service. Mr. Metee. Do you not think we would get more young men of that kind if opportunity were afforded to rise? Capt. Eeid. I think that would be an inducement, undoubtedly. I have known a college student to enlist in the Marine Corps, and more than one instance of that kind. Mr. Money. What induced him to enlist in the Navy? Capt. Eeid. I never knew. Senator Bxjtlee. Did he serve out his term of enlistment? Capt. Eeid. I do not know. Satttkday, April 7, 1894. The joint subcommittee met pursuant to the call of the chairman. Present : Hon. M. C. Butler, chairman, and Hon. Eugene Hale, of the Senate committee, and Hon. Adolph Meyee and Hon. Hernando D. Money, of the Ilonse committee. Hon. Uriel S. Hall, M. C, and Commodore Francis M. Eamsay, TJ. S. Navy, also appeared before the joint subcommittee. STATEMENT OF HON. UEIEL S. HALL, M. C. Mr. Hall. Gentlemen, when this resolution was passed by the House of Eepresentatives touching the question of the personnel of the Navy I, having been made cognizant some years ago bf the difficul- ties that arose between the line and the staff, interested myself in the resolution, and took as active a part as I thought, under the circum- stances, would be appropriate to secure the passage of the resolution through the House. I wish this morning to ask your kind indulgence while I present to you my views on this matter of the importance of establishing a mill-- tary rank for the staff' of the Navy, the same as now exists for the line Gf the Navy ; the same that now exists in the staff' and line of the Army, 100 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. and tlie same that now exists in the staff and lino of the army and navy of every civilized nation on earth except in the Navy of demo- cratic United States. In the first place, before making a hasty resume of tbis matter, I will say that there has not always been, as now exists in the line of the Navy, an antipathy toward, or dislike for the staff, or opposition to them having rank, or a belief that the staff was not entitled to military rank. There is no such thing as relatire rank; that is simply "keei)- ing the word of promise to the ear but breaking it to our hope," and is, indeed, a ''juggling with words; " that it has no meaning in law, in practice, or anywhere else; that it sliould mean raMk, but the line say it means nothing. In 1816 a petition was presented by sixteen captains of the U. S. Navy, that being the highest rank in the line of the Navy at that time, praying the Secretary of the Navy in the following language: We consider the medical department of siicli great importance to the Navy of our country, that no reasonable measures ought to he omitted which could have a ten- dency to retiiin in the service the professional ability of those gentlemen, who, by their experience, knowledge, zeal, and humanity, have procured the esteem and confidence of those with whom they have been associated; and we also beg leave to express our belief that no reasonable inducements would be objected toby Congress jO procure for those who are engaged in a perilous service, and who are constantly exposed to the diseases of all climates, tlie best medical aid which the country affords. To effect this it must be obvious that the ranlc Notice it does not say relative rauk. They used Saxon language that meant what it said. To effect this it must be obvious that the rank and pecuniary emolu- ment ought to bear some proportion to what gentlemen of professional eminence would be entitled to in private life. This petition was filed in May, 181C. We find that in December, 1816, 4 captains of the line also addressed a petition Senator Butler. By whom was that first petition signedf Mr. Hall. I have not the signatures of those 16 captains. Senator Butler. But it is a fact that they sent that petition to the Secretary ? Mr. Hall. It is a fact, as shown by the records. Neither have I the names of the 4 captanis of the line who sent the petition I am about to read, but I will supply them if desired. The four ea])tains used this language: We have heard with pleasum that it is the intention of the medical officers of the Navy to address a respectful memorial to you — That is, to the Secretary of the Navy — requesting that measures might be taken by the Department to procure for them a definite rank in the service, an increase of pay, and the establishment by law of the rank of hospital surgeon. Mr. Secretary Upshur, in his rei)ort of December, 1841, in calling the attention of Congress to this question, declared that — The evils resulting from the want of a proper naval code are of the most serious character, and will, if not remedied, ultimately ruin the naval service of our country. What can be expected of a community of men living together under cir- cumstances tending to a constant excitement and collision, with no fixed laws to govern them, and where even rank and station are imperfectly defined! The neces- sary consequence of such a state of things must be disputes, contests, disorders, and confusion; sometimes unauthorized power will be assumed, and at other times lawful authority will be disobeyed. It is impossible that a wholesome discipline can prevail in this uncertain condition of official rauk and authority. PEESONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. 101 Mr. Secretary Henshaw, in his annual report for 1843, bore testimony to the justice and necessity of the principle in the following language : The medical department of the naval service requires talent, education, and moral worth properly to fill it of as high order as in other branches of that service, but the surgeons and assistant surgeons have no military rank. He does not say "no relative rank;" he says "military rank," the only rank known to any thoroughly organized military organization. A modification of the law by which medical officers in the naval service shall be entitled to rank in a manner similar to that prescribed in the Army might be bene- ficially made. I will give a hasty r(5sum6 of what seems to be to me, under the Dar- winian theory at least, the growth of science that has developed and brought about this condition. Prior to the introduction of steam as a motive power in the Navy we had the sail ship. On that sail ship was the captain in absolute com- mand, which we still believe in his having. That vessel had on board also the captain's purser, the name of which was afterwards changed to paymaster — ^not captain's paymaster, but paymaster in the Navy — and the captain's surgeon. The captain was complete autocrat of the ship and furnished by his orders alone every movement, and when abroad in foreign waters, as he sometimes was for two years, away from the command of the Navy Department, virtually he had supreme and complete control, as had those under him, so far as their duties went. Gradually an advancement was made in each and every one of the branches that are now comprised in the staff. In the paymasters' branch improved methods of financiering were devised. The purser, sometimes called the captain's purser, became a bonded oflScer of the Grovernment, requiring years of education and training in advanced methods of bookkeeping to fit him for the duties of his office, which required an intricate system of accounting. There- fore that office rose in dignity, and he had placed under him clerks and others to aid him in his duties as paymaster, in order that he might the more faithfully discharge the duties of his office and account for the moneys in his charge. Hence, the office of purser rose to a dignity that it had not theretofore assumed. Next came the Medical Corps. In the advancement made in the sci- ence of medicine and surgery, hygiene, and sanitary regulations, the Medical Corps gradually rose in importance. It has continued to grow in importance from that day to this, until now the Medical Corps of the Navy is regarded as one of the most important parts of a well-regulated ship. There is certaiuly, with reference to the question of peril, no branch of the Navy that is required to meet greater peril in time of peace than the Medical Corps. They never touch at a foreign port, in any tropical clime, that the medical officer is not, on the first appre- hension of danger of contagious diseases, put in a small boat and sent ashore, the boat pulling away from the shore and standing off out of harm's way, leaving the medical officer to make his investigation as to the presence of yellow fever, cholera, or any other epidemic and conta- gious diseases at the port. I understand that there is no question about the danger that medical officers are in at such times, and no question as to thefr brave a,nd fearless discharge of duty. As I have just stated, the importance of the Medical Corps has con- tinued to advance with the advancement of the science of medicine . until I conceive the culmination was reached in 1894, when our vessels \ were attacked with yeUow fever in a Brazilian port, those vessels being 102 PERSOISTNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. in the squadron composed of the San Frdiicisco, the Xew YorTc, the Newarlc, the CharleHton, and the Dclroit, with complemei)ts of 1,828 men and oflicers. Yellow fever was a severe epidemic at that time at the port of Eio de Jaueiro. While the entire ci-eAV of merchant vessels stationed there died of the disease, and the disease was introduced on board every other man of war in the harbor wi tli disastrous effect, the American squadron, in consequence of the skill and vigiUincc of the medical oflicers of the American ISTavy, escaped the disease entirely, and I have been told that the information reached Washington on yes- terday, or the day before, that this squadron had appeared at one of the West India Islands, and that it was entirely free from every vestige of yellow fever. While men on board merchant vessels and the naval vessels of other nations were dying by the score, and while the disease actually got aboard the United States vessels, yet by the vigihince, the care, and the skill of our surgeons on board the United States vessels 1,828 men and officers came out without ajiy serious difflculty, entirely as the result of proper and scientific sanitary regulations. I conceive that there is no danger mucli greater than the danger met by the Medical Corps of the Navy. In 1 his connection I have an article that appeared in the New York Herald, but probably it is not worthwhile to call the atten- tion of the ('ommittee to it. I have been speaking of the adxancement made in the science of medicine, of surgery which has necessarily brought with it the dignity and im])ortauce of that body of men in the military afl'airs of the Navy. This recpiired additional powers in that corps and additional men as apoth(H"iries, nurses, etc., under the medical officer. Coupled with that is the engineering corps. In former days, when the wind performed the functions of the sole motive power of the Navy, there was no use Tor an engineer. But eventually the engine was introduced on board the ship, and with it came the engineer; and the position of engineer has risen in dignity until we are now educating the engineers at the Naval Academy, and an engineer can be dispensed witli less easily than any other part of the naval force. Not only does the engineering corps of the Navy become a combatant, in every sense of the woi'd, but its advancement has kept pace with the improvements in naval apparatus during and sincie the war. The ramming power of a vessel, given to it by the engineering corps, is cer- taiidy eijual in destruction to that performed by the guns. By force of scientific advancement that corps has gradually risen in power and dignity, gradually drawing power from some other source, and the only other source lias been from the line oflicers; that power being brought to it necessarily, not by the influence of any body of men in Congress, but by a set of circumstances as immutable as the laws of nature. That power is necessary to enable us to keep abreast of the civilized nations of the world, and the rest of the world recognizes this fact. I have here quotations from the la^\'S of dilfereut nations with reference to the navies of the world, from which we find that the staff officers of all the leading navies of the world have like dignity and rank with the line officers. Mr. Money. From what have you read those petitions and extracts, from reports of former Secretaries of the Navyf Mr. Hall. I find them embodied in an address delivered by Hon. Aaron F. Stevens, of New Hampshire, in the House of Eepresenta- tives. Mr. Metek, What was the date of that address? PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. 103 Mr. Hall. Jaunary 23, 1871. The Stevens bill was introduced in 1870. I will reach that, and at that time I will give you a history of it. Tn order to be absolutely certain as to the accuracy of these quota- tions I shall not depend upon them as embodied in Mr. Stevens' speech, although I have verified them ; and in order to carry up the history of the matter to the present day, I will introduce at the close of my remarks the regulations of the navies of the different countries, and of our own Army, taken from data recently furnished me. Now, gentlemen, it seems to me there is a showing on the question of growth. It has not been the result of any feeling of dislike or hos- tility toward the line of the JN"avy ; none whatever. It is here seen that the staff of the Navy has gradually increased in importance and dignity from no other cause than from the great advancement in science and civilization, to which all liae prejudices and everything else ought to bend and give way. I will now come down to 1846. On the 31st of August, 18i6, Mr. Secretary Bancroft issued an order giving to the staff officers compos- ing the naval corps the rank (not the relative rank, but the rank) of the line; probably not as high rank, for I believe the highest rank at that time was captain, though when the captain was flying the pen- non of a fleet I believe he had the rank of commodore. I am not posi- tive about the rank at those times. Mr. Monet. That was a courtesy title at that time. Mr. Hall. In 1846, Mr. Secretary Bancroft gave this order and established the rank of surgeon. That was afterwards confirmed by act of Congress. Afterwards, paymasters and engineers were also given rank, and that was endorsed by act of Congress, I believe, in 1854. There was no such thing as relative rank, for they did not use those words in that day. They did not propose to dodge a plain and honest fact by any quibbling, by any verbal legerdemain with the Eng- lish language. This put a peaceable end to any strife or bickering about rank in command of the vessels of the Navy, virtually, until the war. When the war opened in 1861, or 18G2, we find that the line was immediately invested with other and additional ranks. That was aU right. I have not a word of criticism to make of that. The ranks of rear-admiral and commodore, corresponding to major-general and brigadier-general in the Army, were created, and afterwards I believe the rank of vice-admiral and admiral was created, and probably the rank of lieutenant- commander, and ensign; I am not positive in regard to that. i>levertheless, there were a great many additional ranks given to the line officers of the Navy, but none to the staff; they were left just where they were until Secretary Welles, upon the recommendation of the Attornej^-General, issued a regulation restoring the rank to the staff to about where it would have been if new ranks had been created for the staff' and had advanced as the line had diiring the war. The result was that no disturbance followed, no bickering, no ill-feeling. The most peaceful period of our Navy was during the existence of the Welles' order. We hear of no strife between the line and the staff from 1865 until 1869. But in 1869 Mr. Borie became, nominally. Secretary of the Navy, though, really and as a matter of fact. Admiral Porter was the Secre- tary of the Navy, with regard to the regulations between line and staff. The whole management of the personnel of the Navy was administered entirely by Admiral Porter. Admiral Porter really, though Secretary Borie, nominally, issued a famous order, completely 104 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. annulling the Wells order or regulation. On March 3, 1871, the follow- ing section (1469) was adopted by Congress. The Secretary of the Xavy may, in his discretion, detail a line officer to act as the aid or exeiiitive of the commanding officer of a vessel of war or naval station, which officer shall, when not impracticable, he next in rank to said commanding officer. Such aid or executive shall, while executing the orders of the commanding officer on hoard the vessel or at the station, take precedence over all officers attached to the vessel or station. All orders of such aid or executive shall be regarded as proceeding I'rom the commanding oHicer, and the aid or exeontive shall have no independent authority in consequence of such detail. While that section was on the books we find also this section in the books : Skc. 1470. staff officers, senior to the officers so detailed, shall have the right to communicate directly with the commanding officer. Wliile those provisions were in the statutes the acting Secretary of the Navy at that time issued an order virtually destroying and annul- ling that last section of the statutes entirely, allowing the executive ofdcer, even if he is only an ensign, to order, on board that vessel or ■on deck, his senior in rank, and possibly his senior by twenty-five years' service if he is a staif' ofQcer to rejiort to the executive. The report so made was not contemplated by the statute to be made to the executive oHicer in charge of the vessel at the time but to the com- manding officer. Mr. Money. Let me interrupt you a moment to ask whether your idea is tliat a staff officer ought not to be subordinate to a line officer. Mr. Hall. Not in rank. Nor in command of his immediate subordi- nates. I think I will make that perfectly clear, so that the miserable veil that has been drawn down (through the efforts of the line officers) over the eyes of good cominon sense will not in the least obscure the real merits of this controversy. My idea, Gen. Money, is to have the matter of rank settled between the line and the staff and allow the commissions of both line and staff be followed by giving it its full force, intent and effect, and not have the commission and fre(iuently the statute annulled by either Navy regulation or line snobbery or oppres- sion. Mr. Money. I understand you, I think; but you speak of a staff officer, the senior in grade and years of service, being compelled to report to his junior in raidc. How would you avoid that? Mr. Hajll. I will show you. Senator Butlek. Mr. Hall has already pointed out how the statutes avoid it. iVIr. Hall. The statute avoids it in this way: Sec. 1470. StafiF officers, senior to the officers so detailed, shalljhave the right to communicate directly with the commanding officer. We have no objection to that. If the line officer is senior in rank to the staff officer, the staff officer can report to him without any loss of dignity, and if he is the commanding officer he is senior in rank. Mr. Meyer. Do you not recognize the power or authority of the commanding officer to communicate his ideas tlirough the executive officer, who, you may say, holds the same relative position to the com- manding officer that the adjutant- general holds to the commanding officer of a brigade or a division ? Mr. Hall. Yes ; but who ever heard of a brigade commander hav- ing to report to an adjutant- general by army regulation? I do not deny but what the division commander can transmit his orders to the brigade commander by an adjutant-general. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 105 Senator Butler. That you do not deny? Mr. Hall. No, sir; I do not pretend to deny that". There is going to be no real difficulty in our way when we get down to the facts in this case. Senator Butler. May I ask you if that order you have referred to, by Secretary Borie, is still in force? Mr. Hall. Yes; I regard it as still in force in its spirit, and it has done more and is doing more to disorganize and demoralize the per- sonnel of the Navy than any and all other causes combined. Senator Hale. It has become a statate now. All that matter was taken up afterwards, and the provisions of the Revised Statutes cover all that. Mr. Hall. To what section do you refer? Senator Hale. Section 1469. Mr. Hall. Yes, I read it. I did not understand your statement to be directed to that matter. Senator Butler. You have not read the order, but you are referring to a regulation prepared by Admiral Porter. Mr. Hall. I maintain that it is in force. You will get my idea presently. I maintain that the order of Admiral Porter annulling the Wells order is still in force in the Navy, and that is what is causing the difficulty between the line and the staff. Senator Hale. What is the point of that order ? Mr. Hall. It was to annul and destroy the regulation of Secretary Wells which gave the staff the same rank as the line. Wells' regula- tion broaght order out of chaos and peace out of strife, and Porter's reversed it exactly and produced the bitterness, demoralization, and strife which now exists. But here is the effect of it. Admiral Porter's general order, repeal- ing the Welles order and reducing the position of staff officers, was read at full muster on board every vessel of the U. S. Navy in commission, and the staff officers were ordered then and there, in the presence of the officers and crews, to remove every mark and insignia of rank in gold lace and to assume the lower marks of stripes of color; and this was accompanied, in many instances, by jeers of triumiih and marks of indignity on the part of line officers. L want to try to impress upon the minds of this committee a picture of what occurred at that time. There were old staff' officers who had served during the entire war, who had been brave and fearless men, who had to appear at general muster on board the vessels, and were there ordered by a line officer, probably an ensign, a man below them in rank, never again to appear on deck with this insignia of rank that was theirs by right, but to go immediately below and remove the insig- nia of their rank, and put on only the stripes of color indicative of the lower rank, to which this Porter regulation said they were entitled. Now, Eear- Admiral Porter at that time said that the word "rela- tive" had no significance; that relative rank did not mean rank at all; that relative rank did not mean actual rank; that relative rank, as he expresses it, means that the staff' of the Navy is "with us, but not of us." That was his constant direction and teaching to the line oiiicers of the Navy; that the staff was simply a necessary evil that they had to keep with them. This has resulted, not as some line officer's call "a tempest iii a tea- pot," but in a destruction of that harmony, good fellowship, regards, and contentment, indispensable to a military organization. I say that noth- ing has occurred in years that could have more thoroughly destroyed 106 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. that harmony, tliat peace, and that good will and fraternal feeling that should and must exist, if a perfect military organization is to be kept Tip. It starts at Annapolis. We find the cadete at Annapolis throwing paper balls at the engineer who is lecturing upon the science of engi- neering; and we find it passing np, all along the entire line and through every vessel, until it reaches the Chief Engineer of the Navy; and when we turn to such men as Melville andTryon, theOhief Engineer and the Surgeon-General of the Navy, we find every one of those men indignant and outraged in their feelings. There is to-day such a feeling existing, and rightly and justly existing, as I maintain, that prevents that mili- tary discipline and organization that should exist in any military body in the world, and does not exist in any other military body on earth except the Navy of the United States. Mr. Monet.- You do not mean to say that the cadets have a disposi- tion to jeer at the engineers? Mr. Hall. Yes; I do. Mr. Money. I want to state as a fact that two men, who stood at the head of their graduating classes, one writing to me directly and the other through his Eepresentative, have asked me to try and get them into the Engineer Oor^js. Mr. Hall. T understand that there are men who are peculiarly quali- fied for the engineering profession and love it, and I can understand how a man with a mechanical turn of mind might very well prefer to go into that branch of the Navy; but the minute he graduates at the head of his class and is assigned to the Engineer Corps he has no rank ; he is at once snubbed by every line officer and -put in a position where he no longer receives the dignity that he should. Senator Hale. Do you not think you are putting that rather strongly, Mr. Hall? Mr. Hall. I am aiming to put it strongly, Senator; for strong lan- guage will alone convey the idea. Senator Hale. A bright young officer, who has sought entrance to the Engineer Corps, knowing all these disadvantages you speak of, when he becomes an officer in the service, do you not think you are putting it pretty strongly to say that he is snubbed by every line oflicer ? Mr. Hall. I should, perhaps, amend that remark, and I thank you for the correction. I will put it this way: That every line officer has it in his power to snub him, and in many instances will be protected by his senior line officers if he does so, and that whenever an engineer comes in contact with a line officer who is so narrow between the eyes that he wants to show his authority as executive officer in charge he does so by requiring the engineer to report to him, although the execu- tive officer may be far the junior in rank of that engineer. Senator Hale. Have you been at times on large ships of war and seen the officers together ? Mr. Haxl. I have been aboard vessels, but I am not posted on such matters. Senator Hale. You have not been on short cruises on board such vessels ? Mr. Hall. No, sir; I have not. These matters are perhaps never developed on short cruises, for the vessels are too close to Congress for these line officers to indulge in any such thing at such times. Now I want to impress this point upon the committee. I have read the testimony of Chief Engineer Melville of the Navy, and I have read the testimony of Dr. Tryon before this committee. Those gentlemen would not use the language they did use if this were not a serious mat- PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — STAFF. 107 ter, if this were not a matter that went down deep into their hearts and rankled tHere. When I hear men whom I respect as liiglily as I do Dr, Tryon and Chief Engineer Melville say that they have been humiliated and disgraced by a lot of men until they rise and swear like tars, I know that it means something; I know that it does not mean a tempest in a teapot. I have been unable to talk with a single staff officer who had any respect for himself, who is not a cringing cur, who did not speak out like a man and say that it was an outrage and a shame that they should be subject to indignities of that kind. I propose to collate, as far as 1 can, instances of that kind. I have not time to do so now in the short time in which I have to address you, as I shall have to touch upon other matters of importance. If it serves no other purpose than to let the line officers of the U. IS. Navy know that Congress has its eye on them and that if they do not stop this business the end may come in some legislation to hurt them severely. I want to say further in this connection that there is one shot in the line officer's locker that he always fires when he is without other argu- ment, and that is that the staff officers of the Kavy want to command and want to take charge of the vessel. That is a favorite argument. They say that rank and command mean the same. Mr. Money. Let me make one remark : They never have said that before this committee. Mr. Hall. Probably not. Mr. Money. Whatever they may say in other places they have not said that here. Mr. Hall. I have often heard the arguments of the line officers. They have always used that as a last argument. They will say that rank and command mean the same thing and they always try to bring that in. I am glad to know that they are afraid to take that position before this committee, that rank and command mean the same thing. It is not necessary for me to go into any discussion before this com- mittee on that question. I can make no better illustration than to refer to this case at Hono- lulu. Mr. Blount went down there without any rank at all and took command of a rear-admiral who was there in charge at that time of one or more of our naval vessels, and gave him command. Rank and command have nothing to do with each other. Eank is an attribute of legislation; command springs from the Executive branch of the Government. A rear-admiral may be on board a vessel and not have command of the vessel at all. Rank is something that springs from the statute itself, given by the Legislative Department of the G-overn- ment, while command springs from the Executive Department of the Government alone. Senator Hale. Do you think there could be a case where a rear- admiral on board a vessel would not have the power of that rank? Mr. Hall. I believe the statute itself gives the power. I recognize the fact that there can be cases of that kind. If the admiral chooses to assert himself he can command, but if he does not the captain com- mands. I do not know that that point is material, however. I simply threw that out as an illustration of the point I was trying to make. But I see that there is no necessity of arguing before this committee upon the point thrown out by the line officers that rank and command mean the same thing. Now, let me refer to the question of the power of this joint committee to deal with this subject-matter. I suppose the committee itself has no question about its power. The resolution that passed the House of 108 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. Eepresentatives, after omitting the preamble, wliicli I believe was stricken out finally, is as follows : Resolvedly the Souse of Eepreseniatires (ike Senate concurring). That subcommittees of the Committees on Naval Affairs of the Senate and of the House of Rejjresenta- tives, to be selected by each of said committees, are hereby directed to act jointly, ■whose duty it shall be to fully investigate and consider the entire subject of the rank, pay, and all other matters relating to the personnel of the Navy, etc. I suppose tliere can be no question but that this committee has com- plete power to deal with the entire subject-matter. Now, the question naturally arises : Will it be better for you gentle- men to remove what is called the congestion in the way of promotion of the line and ignore entirely this great trouble, canker, and cancer that has been gnawing at the vitals of the personnel of the Navy for years? Senator Butler. I think I may state, in that connection, that there is no disposition ou the part of the joint committee to ignore the staff. Mr. Hall. 1 know that, or I should never have come before you. I know you gentlemen want to act fairly with the staff, as well as the, line. Senator Bxjtlee. We are simply disposin^n' of the line first, in order to avoid the conflict of which you speak; and then we propose to take up the staff and dispose of that. Mr. Hall. I do not know what course the committee will take in regard to that, but I wisli to say that it will be entirely satisfactory to the staff' to aid in any way in tlicir power to remove the congestion of promotions of the line, provided the same bill has a provision for the removal of the injustice of which the staff complain. But unless this course is taken, 1 think every friend of the staff will use all means in his power to prevent legislation that will look to aiding the line alone. Senator Hale. Let me see how you get at this. Section 1474 of the Revised Statutes provides that : OiScors of the Medical Corps on the active list of the Navy shall have relative rank as follows : Medical directors, the relative rank of captain. Medical inspectors, the relative rank of commander. Surgeons, the relative rank of lieutenant-commander or lieutenant. Passed assistant surgeons, the relative rank of lieutenant or master. Assistant surgeons, the relative rank of master or ensign. Would you strike out the word "relative?" Mr. Hall. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. Then you would say : Officers of the Medical Corps on the active list of the Navy shall have rank as follows? Mr. Hall. Yes, sir. The Stevens bill that was introduced in 1870 gave the staff officers the same rank as the line officers. That bill orig- inated in the House of Representatives, and was carried through the House after a full discussion by nearly a unaniinous vote. But when was 1870? It was just after the war. What kind of men did we have in the House at that time? We bad men wlio had served through the entire war, had been in active service, and understood the importance of military harmony. Mr. Monet. I think at that time there were no men in the House from the South who had been in the Army. Senator Butlek. Certainly none from the South who had served in the Navy. Mr. Hall. We had in the House at that time men who were thor- oughly posted in regard to military organization, and knew how vitally PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. 109 important it was to have peace and harmony. That bill was passed, as I say, almost unanimously by tbe House of Representatives. Then came the Grimes bill, which originated at Annapolis, Md., so far as I can learn. It was introdu(;ed by Senator Grimes, probably a relative of one of the line ofUcers of high rank. Senator Hale. Senator Grimes was chairman of the Senate Com- mittee on Naval Affairs at that time. Mr. Hall. Yes; that bill used the phase " assimilated rank." Sen- ator Grimes died before that bill passed. Then Senator Cragin became chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs of the Senate, and he wanted to adjust the differences between the Grimes bill and the Stevens bill. So he said: "Well, gentlemen, why will it not do to just use, not the word 'assimilated,' but the word 'relative?'" So the word "relative" was then put in the statute, and that is the word that has caused all this discord. But it was introduced in the endeavor to adjust or compromise the differences between the two bills, and has played the devil with the question of organization and military rank, as all so-called "compromises" of the right always does. Shortly afterward, in 1875, Senator Edmunds was chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Senate, and he gave an opinion upon this matter. Now, you may take the speeches made by Senator Cragin and the speeches made by members of the House of Representatives, and there is no question but that this relative rank meant absolute rank, military rank. There is no such meaning given to it in those siieeches as is given in the Porter regulations of the Navy. By the way, I should love to see the time when the regulations of the Navy would pass from under the Secretary of the Navy and become in some degree what the regulations of the Army are, because those those naval regulations at present can simply be used in times of high feeling to destroy a statute, and they have annulled statutes. But, stiU, that is aside from the question. To return, Senator Edmunds gave an opinion upon that question. His opinion was asked and he gave it, as follows : "Washington, May 4, 1875. Dear Sir : I have your note of April 28, inclosing a copy of the act of Congress of March 3, 1871, and asking my opinion of its force and eiiect touching the resiJective rights, as between each other, of the oflficers of the line and staff of the Navy. I have reviewed the subject (not altogether novel), and have no hesitation in stating my opinion. I leave out of view, as probably a court might be obliged to do, what was said in the debates on the passage of the law, and take the statute itself. . It may be premised that no rank or grade in the Naval Establishment is intrinsi- cally more honorable or worthy than another. From the a dmiral to the powder boy each station is honorable and worthy, and the occupant also in proportion as he does his duty. There ought, therefore, to be no feeling between the line and staff that either is more or less dignified, worthy, or honorable than the other ; and so, I take it, all desire only to conform to the law. We come, then, to the words of the statute. Section 5 provides — "That the officers of the Medical Corps on the active list of the Navy shall be as follows : "Fifteen medical directors, who shall have the relative rank of captain,'' etc., going through all the corps and grades. It is plain that those gentlemen are "officers," and that they "are on the active list of the Navy," as much so, indeed, as any officers of the line, for there is no qualification in these respects. Stopping here, there is nothing to indicate what relations are to exist between these staff corps and the line. One is as great and good as the other. But the unity and harmony of the service demands that their rela- tions be defined. The law, then, looking to the fact that there are already fixed orders and ranks in the line, proceeds to give rank. What is rank? Bank is defined by the best authority to be " the relative situa- tion or grade which officers hold with respect to each other, or to different depart- 110 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. inents of the service." Rank itself, then, is in respect of persons of the same class or branch of service purely a thing of relation. .Had the law, then, nsed the word rank without qualification or description, and said "rank of captain,^' "rank of commander," etc., it might have been construed to apply to the relations of the ofacurs of the staff corps among themselves, and not to have brought them into any relation with the other branches of the service. It is declared, then, that these officers shall have the "relative rank" of captain, etc. — that is, a rank referred to, connected with, and belonging to the already established situation of the officers of the line. The word "relative" does not indicate either superior or inferior ; it has nothing to do with degree, but it is a word of connection and union. It seems to me, therefore, that in respect of the official intercourse, etc., between the officers of the line and staff they must stand in exactly the same relation to each other as if all belonged to one branch of the service alone. If confirmation of this construction of the law were needful the twelfth section of the act furnishes it completely. First. As to the line itself, when the office of chief of a bureau is filled by a line officer below the rank of commodore it is provided that such officer should have the "relative rank of commodore" while he holds such office — that is, he has, by rela- tion, all the rights, dignities, and privileges of an actual commodore for the time being. Second. As to the executive officer: He may be, under circumstances, of any rank, but "as such aid or executive" shall, etc., take precedence over all officers (this includes line and staff alike) attached to such vessel or station; and all orders of such aid or executive shall be regarded as proceeding from the commanding officer, and such aid or executive shall have no independent authority in conse- quence of such detail. Thus acting as the mouthpiece of the officer in command, line and staff alike, and not differently, must obey, because it is the order of the officer in command. It is as clear as words can make it that the executive officer can not apply one mode or rule to the line and another to the staff. The law measures his powers and duties without any distinction, except in the special provision in favor of the stafl' officer " senior to the officer so detailed," that they may " commu- nicate directly with the commanding officer." The word " senior " here can mean nothing else than senior in rank. Neither age or length of service could, without absurdity, have anything to do with the matter. My conclusion is that the rank of the staff is, by the act referred to, brought into uniform relation with the rank of the line, and that their rights, dignities, and privileges are, in their respective spheres and in regard to each other, made coequal; and, as the statute states touching processions, courts-martial, etc., one single respective rank is mentioned as the guidcj which is to be the standard of all proceedin gs. No officer in the line, therefore, can in my opinion, rightfully say or do anything to a medical director, for instance, having the " relative rank of captain" in the Navy, that he could not rightfully say or do to a captain in the line, and this rule will of course apply to all other corps and ranks. Trusting that this statute may come to be understood and executed by all branches of the naval service in the same intent, and with the mutual good- will and'respeot that should characterize such honorable career as belongs to them all, I am, very truly, yours, G. F. Edmunds. But despite the intent of the lawmakers, despite the opinions of those best entitled to know, this word "relative" was seized upon by over- ambitious and undue scrupulous line ofiicers, to abuse, humiliate, and degrade their brother staff ofdeers. Gentlemen, this is an outrage that you ought to correct, and at once. I do not believe that we can afford to deal unjustly with men who have shown the heroism, the nobility of heart and soul, the patriotism and love of country, that the long history of the staff brings to our minds. I have run over roughly a few of the instances of the heroism of the staff of the Kavy. I want to cite the case of Ambler. Dr. James M. Ambler, of Virginia, was a surgeon in the Navy, and went on the unfor- tunate Jeannette expedition. De Long, the commander of the expe- dition, divided the men of the expedition, after the Jeannette anuk, into three parts, and those three parts headed for the Delta of the Lena; Melville, a staff ofiicer, being in command of 11 men; De Long, a line officer, being in command of 14 men; and another man, (Jhipp, being in command of 8. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. l-ll We should never in the world have kuown what became of a single soul on board the Jeannetfe if it had not been for Melville, who is now Chief Engineer of the TJ. S. Navy. Melville alone had the pluck and good judgment to bring his 11 men out safe and sound. When De Long's expedition landed at the mouth of the Lena, instead of taking his boat and going down to the main Lena he turned to Dr. Ambler and said to him: "You are the strongest man in the party; you go ahead with one man and try to find the natives and bring us some relief." Dr. Ambler turned to him and said : " I am the only medical officer here; I ask you to revoke that order; I know that if I go with that other man I will be saved; I know that if I remain here the chances are ninety- nine out of a hundred that I will be lose, but I believe that my place is here to attend you and those who are sick." He stayed. The next that was seen of Dr. Ambler, when a party returned, was his arm sticking up out of the snow where he had been snowed under, and every life was lost. That is only one individual instance of hero- ism. Melville rescued every man who had been pnt under his charge, and recovered the bodies and every paper of De Long and his men. I could also cite the instance of Dr. Henry Harvey, as brave a man as ever lived, and who now rests in his grave solely because he showed the heroism that seems to have clung to that class of men. When his vessel, the Vandalia was in that terrible hurricane at Samoa, he stayed below, and while death was on all hands, and safety could alone be found in the topmasts, he stayed below, and his last act was to set the broken limb of a sailor, and, handing him a tub, tol-d him to save his life if he could, and the next second the vessel was overwhelmed by the last great tidal wave. Take the case of Dr. Tryon, now surgeon-general, saving the lives of wounded natives in the South American war amid great peril to his own life, I could multiply such cases indefinitely. Mr. Money. If it will not interrupt you, I should like to ask you a question. Mr. Hall. It will not interrupt. Mr. Money. You said a moment ago that you wanted absolute rank instead of relative rank; that it might save the officers of the staff the humiliation of reporting to their juniors. You say you have read Sur- geon-General Tryon's statement. I want to recall his statement to you. I asked him : Suppose we make the change you suggest, and strike out the word "relative;" and then suppose you are ordered on board ship, or that some other gentleman in your corps is; and then by accident of battle, sickness, or death, or for any other reason, the commanding officer of the ship should be displaced by one of inferior rank to you, would you take orders from that officer of inferior rank ? Surgeon-General Tryon. Most emphatically; yes. Mr. Money. There would be no hitch? Surgeon-General Tryon. Of course not; I should like the committee to understand clearly the distinction between rank and command. And then he continues with his statement. According to your view, he could not do that without humiliation and degradation ? Mr. Hall. Oh, no; you do not get my idea; I am not talking about the commanding officer; I am talking about the executive officer. - 1 said a moment ago that if an ensign should become commanding officer the staff would have no objection to reporting to him. But the trouble is in staff officers of superior rank reporting to an executive officer of junior rank. Senator Butlek. There is not the slightest difficulty in regulating that matter in the Army, is there? 112 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. Mr. Hall. None whatever. Senator Btjtlek. An adiutant-general, inspector- general, or a quar- termaster never expects to have command, except under some extreme circumstances, such as hai)pened in the case of the Jeaiuiette, but are never likely to happen again. There is no trouble about regulating that in the Army? Mr. Hall. Nobody ever heard of it until the objection was raised by the line. Senator Btjtlee. I understand the point you make is this : That where a medical ofQcer or staff oflflcer of the Navy of high rank is on board ship he should not be required to report to a junior who happens to be an executive officer. Mr. Hall. That is it. Senator Butlek. He would bear about the same relation to the com- manding officer of the ship that an adjutant-general would bear to a commanding officer of brigade? Mr. Hall. Certainly; and who would be found advocating a superior Army officer reporting to an adjutant- general? Mr. Money. Let me understand,-because I am only trying to get information. I am not prejudiced in favor of or against anybody. Sup- pose the executive officer were to take precedence without changing his rank at all, then what? Mr. Hall. But his rank would become changed at once. Mr. Meyer. Are you not aware that the executive officer of a ship, in giving orders, is merely the mouthpiece of his commanding officer? Mr. Hall. That is exactly what the line claim. He is a mouthpiece for the captain only so far as the regulation of the police afl'airs of the ship, and in that it is all right; but whenever you require an old staff officer, senior in rank to an ensign, for instance, to march on deck at the time that reports are made and walk up to that junior officer and make his report, he is not acting then as the mouthpiece of the com- manding officer, but is usurping the place and rank of the commanding officer, in violation of section 1470. But the fact he is reporting to a junior humiliates him before all the officers and men on board the ves- sel, and destroys the harmony that should exist in aiiy military organi- zation. Senator Hale. What you object to, then, as I understand, is the old point that came up twenty-odd years ago, as to the authority and rec- ognition of the executive officer. You make no question about the rank of the officer in command of a vessel or ship? Mr. Hall. None whatever. Senator Hale. He may happen to be a lieutenant-commander, and he may have on board a surgeon who has the relative rank of com- mander. Mr. Hall. Yes. Senator Hale. Now, it is no' humiliation to a commander who is a surgeon to report to a lieutenant-commander who is in command of the ship? Mr. Hall. None whatever; we have no objection to that. Senator Hale. But I understand that your point is a captain, for the purpose of maintaining discipline under the present law, has what is called an executive officer next in rank Mr. Hall. Not necessarily next in rank. Do not lose that point, Senator. Senator Hale. He is very apt to be next in rank. Mr. Hall. Possibly; but in many cases he is not. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 113 Mr, Monet. Let us ask Commodore Eamsay who is next in command. Commodore Eamsay. The line officer next in rank. Mr. Hall. Suppose the line officer next ia rank is on shore, who is executive officer then ? Commodore Eamsay. The next man; the same as when the captain is on the shore the next man is the commanding officer of the vessel. Senator Hale. Mr. Hall, what you object to is on the formal matter of reports, which, of course, must go to the head of authority on board the ship. Ton object to them being made to the executive officer instead of to the commander? Mr. Hall. Tes, sir^ Senator Butler. That is, where the staff officer is of superior rank? Mr. Hall. Only in that case. Senator Hale. Do you think it is an important matter? Mr. Hall. I do indeed. With us people who live on land it might not be a very important matter, for if I meet a man and he does not want to recognize me, I turn my back on him and don't care a snap. But on board a man of war under military discipline, and where men must be cooped up together for several years, it is a matter of the first importance to establish and maintain rank, as given by law. Mr. Money. I take it that you were a soldier in the late war? Mr. Hall. Hardly. I was only eight years old at that time. Mr. Money. Excuse me; I thought you had been in the war. I was, and I have seen a lieutenant dash up and say in the most impera- tive tone to a division commander, "Move your forces to the right," or to the left, as the case might be, and dash oif. Senator Bxjtlek. Mr. Hall does not object to that. Mr. Hall. Not at all. For that is the case of a commanding officer in time of war conveying his orders in time of battle by a courier. Senator Btjtlee. That is not the point he makes, because a com- manding officer in time of war has the right to communicate his orders through anybody, even through a private soldier, if he sees fit. Mr. Hall's point is that the commanding officer of a division in the army, for instance, should not be subject to the orders of a commanding officer of a brigade. That is the point that Mr. Hall makes. Mr. Hall. Certainly. Senator Butlbk. The superior officer has a perfect right to commu- nicate his orders to a subordinate by any medium he pleases. A gea- eral in command of a division may transmit his order to a brigade or regimental commander by a courier. As a division commander I have done that hundreds of times, perhaps a thousand times. But that is my order when I do that. When a brigade commander comes to my head- quarters to report, however, he does not report to my adjutant-general. Mr. Hall. I adopt that as part of my remarks, and thank the chair- man for it. Mr. Mbyhr. Mr. Chairman, when you were in command of a division, as you' were, you do not mean to say that it was an improper thing, or would have been derogatory to the dignity of a brigade commander in your command, to report to your adjutant- general? Senator Butlbe. l^o; not if he made a point about it. What I mean to say is this : That it would not be proper in me, as commanding officer of a division, to require one of my brigade commanders to report to my adjutant-general if he had any report to make to me directly. When I have a report to send to a brigade commander I necessarily send it through my adjutant-general. In that case it is my order. But in case a brigade commander comes to me for orders or instruc- STAPF 8 114 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. tioDS he does not go to the adjutant-general to get them, and it would be humiliating for me to require him to do that. That is Mr. Hall's point. Mr. Hall. That is it. Mr. Meyer. I understand that was the custom in the Army. Senator Butler. If the brigadier-geueral chose to waive his right of course he could do so. He could ask information from a courier if he desired to do so, but I would have no right to require him to report to an inferior oflBicer. Mr. Hall. The statute does not require a report to the executive officer. The statute expressly says that the report can be made to the commanding offlcer. But the regulations, formulated by the line, make him report to that executive officer, to his humiliation. Mr. Money. I should say that the Secretary of the Kavy had no right to make that regulation. Mr. Hall. But he did it. It is like the case of the man in the pen- itentiary under sentence by a justice of the peace. He was told that he could not be put behind the bars by sentence of a justice of the peace; but there he was, all the same. Mr. Money. At any rate there is no appeal on that question to this joint committee for that disregard of the statute. Mr. Hall. In that you are mistaken; for if Congress will strike that word " relative" out of the statute and prescribe definitely the powers and duties of that executive officer there will be no longer any trouble. I want to make a suggestion in regard to a question that was asked me a moment ago by Senator Hale. I believe there are about 2,000 pages in the Regulations of the Army. I have been able to find but 3 lines in those regulations which relate to the question of rank between the line and the staff of the Army, and that is in section 18, article 4, of the U. S. Army Regulations for 1889. An officer of the pay or medical department can not exercise command, except in his own department ; but, by virtue of his commission, he may command all enlisted men, like other commissioned officers. Notwithstanding that this is all the regulation on that subject, there has never been a ripple on the waters of the Army. But now, gentlemen, let me read you a commission of an officer in the U. S. Navy. Here is one signed by Grover Cleveland. I omit the caption and name: Know ye, that, reposing special trust and confidence in the patriotism, valor, fidelity, and abilities of , I have nominated, and, by and wi th the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint him to the grade of assistant engineer (with the relative rank of ensign) from the Ist day of July, 1883, in the service of the United States. The words' " with the relative rank of ensiga " are interlined In ink, you understand. The rest is lithographed, and those words are very carefully put in by some line officer. He is, therefore, carefully and diUgently to discharge the duties of an assistant engineer. It is a wonder that they did not put in the words "with the relative rank of ensign" again. By doing and performing all manner of things thereto belonging. And I do strictly charge and require all officers, seamen, and marines under his command to be oledient to his orders as an assistant engineer. What does that mean? Does that mean anything? Or is it merely an old and obsolete form that has come down from feudal times? If it means anything on earth it ought to give that engiueer power to control PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. 115 and command tlie men that are under Mm necessary to run tlie engines. A commission to a medical officer ought to give him the power to con- trol the apothecaries and nurses in his own ward. A commission to a paymaster ought to give him power to control his own clerks. Senator Hale. That is the actual point, that when a ship goes to sea and an emergency arises you think the senior engineer oMcer ought to command all those under him. Mr. Hall. I do, and that is the way the commission reads, subject to the commanding officer of the vessel, and only in the discharge of his duty as engineer. There is not an order issued on board a vessel that is not a military order. Beuator Hale. And you would have the ranking medical officer command the line officers under him'? Mr. Hall. No, certainly not; but the apothecary and nurses under him and necessary to the discharge of his duties. Senator Hale. And the same with a paymaster'? Mr. Hall. In the discharge of his duties, those under him; that is all. Mr. Mbvbe. Is not that the existing j)ractice? Mr. Hall, No, sir; they have no rank at all. Understand me, I ake exceptions in all cases. Where a Une officer goes on board a vessel who is disposed to do the fair and right thing and is a broad-gauge man, no trouble may arise. But law is not made, as I understand, to prevent righteous men from doing wrong, but it is made to prevent a dog from acting the cur when he can do so with safety. When yoii get such a man away at sea, a man who merely lives to exercise command and boss it over others, then he uses that opportunity to show what he calls his authority — to boss and rule everything on board that vessel. Gentle- men, we ought not to destroy the personnel of the Navy by driving the iron and steel out of the souls of our men, by giving a little uarrow- gauged man the power over men who aim to discharge their duties in the Navy. I believe it to be demoraliziug in its tendencies and destruc- tive of military organization. Mr. Meyee. Are there any instances, within your knowledge, where commanding officers of vessels, either by themselves or through their executive officers, have attempted to override the authority of a staff officer by going to the men under their command directly and giving them orders or instructions without transmitting those orders through the head of that staff' department! Mr. Hall. I can give you, Gen. Meyer, all of the instances you will want to read; but what was the use of appealing, for those appeals, in times past, did not reach headquarters in time to do any good if at all. They had to go through line officers, and they did not reach the Secre- tary in any way to correct the abuses or bring about the relief. Senator Hale. Mr. Borie was Secretary but a few months. Mr. Hall. But all of the first part of Secretary Robeson's adminis- tration was as unjust to the staff as Borie's, and when Secretary Thompson came in he was under line control, absolutely as much so as Mr. Borie. Mr. Meyee. I desire to ask you one other question before you pass from the present subject. Take the case of paymasters; when you ask for positive rank for the staffs Mr. Hall. I just ask for military rank, Mr. Meyee. Do you mean to say that a paymaster, for instance, who shall have the rank of ensign, or lieutenant, or lietenant-com- mander, or commander, shall be designated by that title? 116 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. Mr. Hall. I do not care wliat title they give liim so lie has tbe rank clearly and unmistakably. Mr. Meyee. Observe that I make a distinction between title and rank. Do you want them to have the title of the grade in which they now have relative rarik, ho called? Mr. Hall. In the case of paymaster and engineer I should certainly say yes to that. Mr. MoNBi . I think it was Dr. Tryon wIjo said in his testimony that it was very absurd to call a doctor a colonel. Mr. Hall. It seems to me so. What the title would be I do not know, but that is immaterial, except so far as rank would follow title or title -^ould follow lank. Senator Btttler. I have no difficulty about getting at your point. As illustrated in the Army it is this : The Snrgeon-Generalof the Army has the rank of brigadier-general, but very few people call him general. Then 1 believe a quartermaster has the actual rank of colonel, and so on down to assistant quartermasters, who are captains. Tour idea is that these officers of the JSTavy should have actual rank and not rel- ative. Mr. Hall. Yes. Mr. Money. Those cases are not parallel, because you can not trans- fer an of&cer from the line to the staff'. Mr. Hall. But Congress can and ought to transfer an oflcer in the Medical Corjis of the jfavy to the same rank as a line ofScer. An offi- cer in the Medical Corps of the Navy should sustain exactly the same relation to the line that he does to the staff. Mr. iMEYBE. As I understand, a surgeon in the Navy, by reason of having the relative rank of commander, is entitled to wear the uniform of a commander; that is, he is to have the same insignia that belongs to his rank in the medical staff', but he is entitled to wear the uniform of his relative rank. Mr. Hall. Yes. Mr. Meyer. That is an admission that he has the official or social prestige to which that grade would entitle him. Mr. Hall. Yes; but what does that toggery admission amount to when he is snubbed and treated as an inferior by every line officer who may so desire. Mr. Meyer. Now, what more does he want, according to your idea? What more could he get? Mr. Hall. What 1 want is to eliminate that word "relative," and give him rank. The word "relative" means nothing. It simply means something to dodge behind in order to persecute the staff. After that word "relative" is stricken out, then I want that correction made that I have been aiming to make clear, but which Senator Butler has made much clearer than I did — and that is about requiring a senior staff' officer to report to a junior line officer. Senator Butler. Then, to take the Engineer Corps as an illustration, you want further to have the engineers possess actual rank to give them authority over the people who are legitimately under their charge? Mr. Hall. Yes. Senator Butler. Not by reason of their relative rank. Mr. Hall. By reason of their actual rank. Senator Butler. -Just as a lieutenant of ordnance or captain of engi- neers in the Army would have absolute control— subject, of course, to the higher and paramount authority of his commanding officer — over the men immediately under him? ^ PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. 117 Mr. Haxl. Yes; you get my idea clearly. I thank the committee for the kind attention I have received, and will attach hereto the information called for during my remarks by the committee, and such other remarks necessary to make them clear. That " relative rank " is not regarded as rank in any military sense is shown by the expressions of line officers in their numerous news- paper comments on the line and staff question, and by the official opinion of the Navy Department, given in sec. 2, art. 23, of the U. S. Navy Regulations, 1893, as follows : A captain or commander, wlien chief of a bureau in the Navy Department, shall have the relative rank of commodore during the time he holds such office, hut his actual rank and title shall remain unchanged. All that the staff oflcers ask for is the conference of rank to define their legal status and authorize them to exercise command in their owu departments. In the U. S. Army all staff officers have actual rank and legal warrant for exercising command in their own departments, as shown by the following extracts from the Eevised Statutes : Sec. 1151. The Corps of Engineers shall consist of one Chief of Engineers, with the rank of brigadier general, six colonels, twelve lieutenant-colonels, twenty-four majors, thirty captains, twenty-six first lieutenants, and ten second lientenimts, and the battalion: Provided, That no promotion shall be made to fill any vacaucy in said corps above the rank of colonel. Sec. 1158. Engineers shall not assume nor be ordered on any duty beyond the line . of their immediate profession, except by the special order of the President. Tliey may, at the discretion of the President, be transferred from one corps to another, regard being paid to rank. Sec. 1168. The Medical Department of the Army shall consist of one Surgeon-Gen- eral , with the rank of brigadier-general ; one assistant surgeon-general, with the rank of colonel of cavalry; one chief medical purveyor, and four assistant medical purveyors, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel of cavalry; sixty surgeons, with the rank of major of cavalry; one hundred and fifty assistant surgeons, with rank of lieutenant of cavalry, for the fijst three years of service, and the rank of captain of cavalry after three years of service ; and five medical storekeepers, with the rank of captain of cavalry. All the original vacancies in the grade of assistant surgeon shall be filled by selection, by examination, from among the persons who have served as staff or regimental surgeons of volunteers in the Army of the United States dur- ing the late war. Sec. 1169. Officers of the Medical Department of the Army shall not be entitled, in virtue of their rank, to command in the line or in other stafl:' corps. Sec. 1182. The Pay Department of the Army shall consist of one Paymaster-Gen- eral, with the rank of colonel ; two assistant paymiasters-general witli the rank of colonel of cavalry; two deputy paymasters-general, with the rank of lieutenant- colonel of cavalry; and sixty paymasters, with the rank of major of cavalry. Sec. 1183. Officers of the Pay Department shall not be entitled, in virtue of their rank, to command in the line or in other staff corps. The authority of staff officers of the Army to command in their own corps, but not to exercise general command, is further established by the two following U. S. Army Regulations: Officers of Engineers or Ordnance, or of the Adjutant General's, Inspector General's, .Judge Advocate-General's, Quartermaster's, and Subsistence Departments, though eligible to command according to their rank, shall not assume the command of troops, unless put on duty under orders which specially so direct, by authority of the President. (Sec. 16, Art. IV, U. S. Army Eegulalations, 1889.) An officer of the Pay or Medical Department cannot exercise command, except in his own department; but, by virtue of his commission, he may command all enlisted men like other commissioned officers. (Sec. 18, Art. IV, U. S. Army Eegulations, 1889.) 118 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. In contrast witli tlie foregoing laws relative to rank and command in the Army staff corps we have the following from the Eevised Stat- utes applied to the naval staff: Sec. 1474. Officers of the Medical Corps on the active list of the Navy shall have relative rank as follows : Medical directors, the relative rank of captain. Medical inspectors, the relative rank of commander. Surgeons, the relative rank of lieuten- ant-commander or lieutenant. Passed assistant surgeons, the relative rank of lieu- tenant or master. Assistant surgeons, the relative rank of master or ensign. Sec. 1475. Officers of the Pay Corps on the active list of the Navy shall have rela- tive rank as foUovrs ; Pay directors, the relative rank of captain . Pay inspectors, the relative rank of commander. Paymasters, the relative rank of lieutenant commander or lieutenant. Pa.ssed assistant paymasters, the relative rank of lieutenant or master. Assistant paymasters, the relative rank of master or ensign. Sec. 1476. Officers of the Engineer Corps on the active list shall have relative rank as follows : Of the chief engineers, ten shall have the relative rank of captain, fifteen that of commander, and forty-live that of lieutenant-commander or lieutenant. First assistant ongineers shall liave the relative rank of lieutenant or master, and second assistant engineers that of master or ensign. Sec. 1488. The relative rank given by the provisions of this chapter to officers of the Medical, Pay and Engineer Corps shall confer no authority to exercise military command. Eegarding the term "military command" used in sec. 1488 it is but proper to state that in a military organization all orders given by a superior to a subordinate are military orders or ('(immands. The order of the surgeon to a bayman to scrub the sicli-bay Hoor or of the engineer to a machinist to start an engine are as much military orders as are the orders of a line ofBcer to a seaman to sweep the deck or furl a sail. The staff officer's commission enjoins, "All officers, seamen, and marines under his command to be obedieiit to his orders," but as the statute law (sec. 1488, before quoted) positively denies the staff officer the right to exercise military command, it is obvious that there are no "officers, seamen, and marines," lawfully under his command, and the wording of the commission is consequently an empty phrase. The only existing warrant that the naval staff ofQccis have for exei-cising author- ity over their subordinates is contained in art. "^'^ of the Navy Regula- tions, quoted below, concerning whicli it is hardly necessary to say that the only constitutional authority ior coiilening tlic riglit of conDmaud is the President "by and with the advice and consent of tlie Senate," and that the delegating of this authority to the coiiiiunnder of ;i ship is not only improper but illegal. The coniniandiug officer holds a. com- mission from exactly the same source that staii ofliccrs' commissions are derived, and therefore he lias no more Icgiil right to give theui authority for performing their duties than they have to authorize him to exercise his particular functions: Officers of the staff .shall, under the commanding officer, have all nocesHaiy author- ity within their particular departments for the duo perfonnance of their respective duties, and they shall be obeyed accordingly by their subordiuati'S. They shall not, by virtue of relative rank and precedence, have any .additional right to quarters, nor shall they have authority to oxerci.so military command; nor shall they take precedence of their commanding officer; nor shall they take pre- cedence of the aid or executive of the commanding officer while executinu' tbe orders of such commanding officer on board of the vessel or at the station to which they are attached; nor shall they he exempted from obeying the lawful comminids of officers of the line who may be charged by proper authority with the details of military duty incident to the naval service. (Art. 22, U. S. Navy Regulations.) An examination of publications relating to foreign navies shows that the rank of staff ofiScers is generally expressed as absolute rank, although the line officers of our Navy always sujiply the word "relative" when PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. 119 preparing intelligence office reports or other information relating to staff officers, especially if it is supposed that such "information" will find its way to the rooms of Congressional committees. The Taschenbuoh fur die Kaiserlich Marine, dated 1893, and giving laws, regulations, etc., governing the German navy, contains the fol- lowing: On page 115 : The mechanical engineer corps, whose members belong to the military branch, is fiUed from the chief machinists of the Navy who possess the required qualiiioations. On page 116 : The requirements for promotion to the grade of assistant engineer, with the rank (mit dem range) of sub-lieutenants, are — And so on, defining the requirements for the other grades, and using the words, with the rank, in each case, without any hint whatever as to "relative" rank. On page 125 : The naval paymasters are royal officials (Eeichabeamete), with fixed military rank (bestimmten militarischen Rang.). The Taschenbuch does not give the status of the medical officers, but in the Imperial German IiTavy List for the year 1894, the title sur- geon-general at the head of the list of medical officers, on page 99, is followed by the words "with the rank of rear-admiral" (mit dem range als Kontre-Admirale). ^ Following are extracts from the British and French naval laws, show- ing an absence of "relative" rank in defining the status of staff officers: BRITISH NATT. Extracts from the regulations, 1879. (As amended by order in coun- cil of 17th February, 1886.) Printed on page 562 of Eoyal Navy List, of January, 1894: The officers of Her Majesty's navy shall be divided into two branches, namely: A military branch and a civil branch. # # * # » * # The civil branch shall consist of the undermentioned officers, and they shall rank in the following order, with the officers of the military branch, as herein expressed : Denomination of civil officer. Tears' service of seniority. To rank with— Inspector-general of hospitals and fleets . Secretary to an admiral of the fleet Paymaster in chief Ch'ief inspector of machinery - . ._. Deputy inspector-general of hospit.llsandfleets. Inspector of machinery Secretaiy to a commander in chief Inspector of machinery Secretary to a commander in chief Fleet surgeon Meet paymaster Meet engineer ■ Of 8 years of 5 years Under 8 years. Under 5 years. Kear-adrairal, according to date of commission. Captain of 3 years' seniority. (Captain of 3 years' seniority, ac* C cording to date of commission. Captain of 3 years. Captain under 3 years. Do. Commander. (Commander, according to date of ( commission. And SO on down to engineer student (So. 34), who ranks with naval cadet, according to date of entry into the service. 120 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. FRENCH NAVY. Law regarding the organization of the corps of engineer officers of the navy, dated August 3, 1892. [Translated literally from tlie Balletin OfBclel de la Marine, 1892, No, 20, page 208.] Article 1. The corps of engineer officers of the navy is composed as follows : One engineer inspector-general, 6 engineer inspectors, 20 chief engineers, 100 principal engineers of lirst class, 200 principal engineers of second class. Art. 2. The grades of engineer officers of the navy correspond to the grades hereafter designated: Engineer inspector-general, after rear-admirals and before captains of ships ; engineer inspector, captain of ship or colonel ; chief engineer, chief of battalion fmajor); principal engineer of first class, lieutenant of ship or captain; principal engineer of second class, ensign of ship or nontenant. Note. — The alternate ranks given in above classification refer to army and not naval titles. The word grade is used in the French official publications in the same sense that rank is used with us. There is nothing in the wording of the above law to indicate or imply relative rank. The law regarding the personnel of the Italian navy is published in the Gioriudi Militare per la Marina, No. 2, 1878, Vol. I, and contains the following : On page 5, article 1 : The personnel of the royal navy is composed of military corps and civil eftploy^s. The military corps are, 1, the corps of the line; 2, the corps of enlisted men; 3, the corps of engineering; 4, the medical corps; 5, the pay corps. The civil emjiloyi's are, 1, the ]irofessorB and masters in the maritime military institutes; 2, the accountants and storekeepers, etc. On page 12, article 27 : The authority and the allowances for special service, on board ship as well as on shore, are not according to rank, but according to the position which an officer holds. But an officer of any graiU; can not exercise authority over an officer of a corps other than his own, nor perform the functions of it. From the above it seems tli:it, in the Italian navy the medical, pay, and engineer corps, whose membeis in the U. S. ISfavy are sneered at by the line officers aw being " noii combatants," are officially classed as belonging to the military branch. Also, that they have the right to exercise command in their own departments. It is not neces.sary to go outside of our own country to find naval precedents for statil' officers huAing absolute rank, as is shown by the following: [Extract from the law for the gOTcrnment of the MasHachusetts militia. Chapter 367, acts of 1893.] Sec. 29. The officers of the naval brigade shall consist of one captain, who shall be chief of brigade, and whose rank and i).'iy shall be the same as that of a colonel of infantry; a commander, whose rank and pay shall lir the s.ame as that of a lieu- tenant-colonel of infantry, and ^^■ho shall be chief of staiJ' and executive officer; and a stall' to consist of a brigade adjutant, an ordnance officer, an equipment officer, a paymaster, who shall be the mustering officer for the brigade, a surgeon, an engi- neer, a signal officer, and two aids. These officers, except the signal officer and two aids, shall be lieutenants and have rank and pay corresponding with that of cap- tains of infantry. This law shows that the surgeon, paymaster, and engineer not only have absolute military rank, but they also have the titles of that rank. The reason for this is not hard to find, for service in the militia is vol- untary, and we can not imagine a person with the abihty to be a naval engineer, surgeon, or paymaster voluntarily accepting a position that would impose an officer's responsibilities upon him and at the same PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 121 time deny him the status and dignity of an officer, in which unfortu- nate position the staff officers of the regular Navy are to-day. The person who organized the Massachusetts naval militia is a retired line officer of the Navy, and the fact that he has been obliged to aban- don the entire line contention regarding the propriety of "relative" rank for the staff, in order to obtain suitable staff officers for his brig- ade, is a sufficient commentary upon the silly and illogical position assumed by the regular line officers on this question. As an instance of the nature of the warfare waged by the line against the staff* attention is called to some data given in the tables printed by your committee as part of the testimony of Eear -Admiral John Gr. Walker, U. S. Navy. The British navy is well known to be a service of sound and economical organization in which the relative numbers of officers of the various corps and the number on the average per ship is a sensible proportion arrived at after long experience. The number of ships is given as 333 and the established number of commissioned line officers as 1,744 (the actual number is 1,588). On the basis of 1 ,744 the average number of officers per ship is 5 ; just double the average in our Navy, and consequently a bad showing for our line officers; the propor- tion of the British line officers (1,744) to the various staff corijs of that navy is likewise bad for our line officers, who for some reason wish to show that we now have too many siirgeons, engineers, etc. So to bring the number of British line officers up to a size that will give compari- sons advantageous to our line officers they coolly add to the 1,744 nearly 1,100 officers (including midshipmen) of the naval reserve, Indian marine, and some other colonial establishments. This makes the alleged "total number of officers" 2,819, which figure affords comforting com- parisons. The officers of the naval reserve have no connection with the regular Navy, except that a few of them are assigned for instruction to gunnery and training ships and occasionally to crui.sing ships, and they should not be counted as performing duties that are done byline officers in the U. S. Navy any more than should the officers of our own naval reserve be counted with our line officers, which, it is unnecessary to say, has not been done by our line comi)ilers of " data." To swell the number of British line officers our interesting line people count in 104 line officers of the Indian marine, but they do not count with the British engineers 53 officers of that branch who belong to the Indian marine, nor do they count 165 engineers in the naval reserve. The counting of one class of officers of the reserves and not another is manifestly a misrepresenta- tion, especially as an examination of the tables reveals the fact that if the reserve engineers were counted the ratio of engineers to shi^js in the British navy would be greater than in our own, and this is an unfortunate condition that our line officers wish to avoid admitting, irrespective of what the real facts are. One instance of this kind is enough to show the character of the evidence submitted to the joint committee, although the tables referred to contain many misrepresentations of the same nature as the one pointed out. BANK AND COMMAND DISCRIMINATED. One of the stock arguments against real rank for naval staff officers, which has been repeatedly advanced by the line officers (who, it must again be emphasized, are the only objectors), is that real rank for the staff would entitle them to command the ships. In other words, if a fleet 122 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. siirgeon, paymaster, or engineer, witTi tlie relative rank of commander, should be given the real rank and be called commander in the Medical, Pay, or Engineer Corps, it is alleged that one or all of these officers would claim the command in case of the death or absence of the com- manding ofilcer to the exclusion of the next line officer — a lieutenant- commander. This allegation is really frivolous and absurd, and the authors know it, but they make it on the assumption that Congress is not familiar with the details of military life, and that by constant iteration it may have an effect. In the first place, the practice of the Army and Marine Corps for nearly fifty years past shows that staff officers, although possessing real rank and titles indicative of membership in a military organiza- tion, do not claim command, as is alleged naval staff officers would do. Second. Naval line officers themselves, altliough all eligible to mili- tary command, recognize very clearly, as regards themselves, that rank and command are not identical. In the U. S. I>I"aval Regulations, pre- pared by them and approved by the Secretary of the Navy, we find the following : Art. 43. Should the captain of a ship be rendered incapable of exercising com- mand, the executive officer shall succeed him until relieved by orders from the flag officer commanding, or the Na^-y Department, even though there be officers on board as passengers higher in rank than himself. This is certainly conclusive evidence that rank alone, even of the most military kind, does not confer command, for this legulation refuses the command to officers whose rank and status would make them eligible, if ordered to command, and confers it on a junior who would not, ordi- narily, be selected. This fact that command is conferred not by rank but by definite orders is emphasized by Art. 45, which says, " No officer can place him- self on duty by virtue of his commission or warrant alone." Third. That the possession of real rank does not render officers insub- ordinate or unduly ambitious in grasping for command, is shown by the relations of the various line olfloers to each other. They all have real military rank, yet we do not find that the navigator (who is senior to all the watch officers) attempts to interfere with them or give them orders simply because he is their senior and has real rank. It is so thoroughly recognized that rank is an altogether different thing from command, that the regulations in numerous places give instructions relative to duty, which would be absurd if rank and com- mand were synonymous. Fourth. Although a trifling point, it may not be amiss to notice that another objection sometimes urged is that, if the staff' had real rank with military titles, it would lead to confusion, as there would some- times be several captains of different kinds on board ship. Even sup- posing that there could be any confusion (which is really an absurdity), it could only exist in the minds of some of the crew, and they have merely to execute the orders they receive, and are not called on to decide who is the commanding officer. But the absurdity of such a claim is shown by the fact that, at our navy-yards there are sometimes as many as six or eight captains and commanders of the line, besides one or more of the Marine Corps, yet no doubt ever arises as to which is in command. Likewise, the presence of a captain of marines never raises the question as to whether he or the line captain is in command of the ship. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 123 Fifth. Light is thrown on this subject by the practice in the naval militia, as showing how the matter is viewed by unprejudiced people who have entered this auxiliary service without the prospect of pecuniary reward. In this service the engineer ofiicers have real rank and military titles. It is safe to say that unless this were the case no competent engineers could be found to accept the positions. Finally. The preceding statements have been made to show the absurdity of the various objections raised by line ofiicers based on the allegation that rank and command are identical. It should now be stated that to render all such claims absolutely baseless, however ingeniously presented, naval staif ofScers ask for real rank on the basis of that possessed by the medical and pay officers of the Army, for whom it is expressly provided that they shall not exercise military command except in their own department or corps. Satuudat, April 28, 1894. The joint subcommittee met pursuant to adjournment. Present: Senators Blackburn (in the chair) and Hale, and Mr. Money. There were also present Col. Commandant Charles Heywood, TJ. S. Marine Corps; Samuel B. Caldwell, apothecary, U. S. lifavy; and Mr. Lodewyck Hoornbeek, editor of Our Navy, the organ of the enlisted men of the Navy. STATEMENT OF COL. COMMANDANT CHARLES HEYWOOD. Senator Hale. Please state your name, rank, and present duty. Col. Hbtwood. Charles Heywood; I am colonel commandant of the TJ. S. Marine Corps. I desire to say that when I was summoned to appear before this committee a short time ago I was so sick that I could not appear, and Maj. Nicholson came to represent me. He made the statement which I should have presented had I been here. I now desire to present a bill for the consideration of the committee, and to offer my reasons for supporting that bill. Senator Hale. The statement that was presented by Maj. Nicholson was the one that you would haye presented had you been here, and to which you agree? Col. Heywood. Tes, sir. Senator Hale. You prepared it yourself ? Col. Heywood. Yes, sir. Maj. Nicholson, who is adjutant and inspector of the Corps, represents me whenever I am sick or absent from the office, in accordance with Navy Eegulations. Senator Hale. And now you have, as I understand, a bill to sug- gest, and your reasons in support of it? Col. Heywood. Yes, sir; and I will now read it. A BILL to increase the efficiency of tlie Marine Corps and to etiualize the grades of officers therein. Sec. 1. That the active list of line ofiicers of the Marine Corps shall consist of one- commandant, with the rank and pay of brigadier-general; two colonels, two lieu- tenant-colonels, six majors, twenty-four captains, twenty-four first lieutenants, and twenty-four second lieutenants : Provided, That vacancies in all grades of the line, except those of commandant and second lieutentant shall be filled by promotion by seniority from line officers on the active list of said Corps : And provided further, That the commissions of oiiScers now in the Marine Corps shall not be vacated by this act: And provided further, That of&cers in the grade of captains, first and second lieutenants, shall, after twelve, ten, and four years' service in these respective grades, have the rank and pay of the next higher grade, but nothing in this section shall be 124 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. construed to increase the total number of line oflScers on the active list of the Marine Corps: And provided further, That the original vacancies created in the grade of sec- ond lieutenant in the Marine Corps hy this act shall be filled by selection and appointment, in the manner novr required hy law, from the classes of the Naval Academy, in equal proportions as near as may be, from the classes of naval cadets completing their full course of instructions during the tirst, second, and third years, respectively, after the passage of this act:- Jnd provided furthei; That vacancies in the grade of commaudaut shall be filled by selection from the oilicers on the active list of the Marine Corps, not helovr the grade of field officer. Sec. 2. That the officers of the Marine Corps above the grade of captaiu shall, before being promoted, be subject to such physical, mental, and moral examination as is now or may hereafter be prescribed by lavr for other officers of the Marine Corps. Sec. 3. That the adjutant and Inspector, paymaster, and quartermaster of the Marine Corps shall, after thirty years' service, have the rank and pay of lieiTtenant- colonel: Provided, That vacancies occurring in the offices of adjutant and inspector and paymaster shall be filled by the President, by selection liom the line officers on the active list of the Marine Corj)S below the grade of major, vrho have been not less than twenty years in the service: And provided further. That vacancies in the grade of quartermaster shall be filled by promotion, by seniority, from the assistant quar- termasters. Sec. 4. That the senior officers of marines of ileets or squadrons shall be denom- inated " fleet officers of marines " and designated in the same manner as are other fleet officers, and shall in addition to their duties as commanding officers of the guards of flag-ships, perform such duties as are or may he prescribed, and the officers designated as "fleet officers of marines" shall, while so serving, have the rank and pay of the grade next above their lineal rank in the Marine Corps: rroridcd. Thai such temporary increase of rank and pay shall cease on the relief of such officers from duty as "fleet officers of marines." Sec. 5. That there shall be appointed, in addition to the number now authorized hy law, twehe post quartermaster sergeants. Sec. 6. That the baud of the United States Marine Corps shall consist of one leader of the band, wlio shall receive the pay and emoluments of a second lieuten- ant of marines, and shall be appointed by the colonel commandant of the Marino Corps; one assistant leader, who shall receive seventy-five dollars per month, and the rank and allowances of a sergeant-major of marines, and sixty musicians, who shall be enlisted as privates, of wlioin twenty-five shall be rated as of the first class, and shall receive each sixty dollars per month, and thirty-five shall be rated as of the second class, and shall receive each fifty dollars per month. Tho sixty musi- sians shall receive the allowances of privates of marines, in addition to the pay as above. STATEMENT TO ACCOMPANY THE DRAFT OF A PROPOSED BILL "TO INCREASF. THE EFFICIENCY OP THE MARINE COUPS, AND TO EQUALIZE THE GRAIJES OF OFFICEHS THEREIN." The object of the proposed organization is te increase the efficiency of tho Marino Corps; first, by placing it more nearly on a footing with the udlitary organizations of similar constitutions and strength; and secondly, by encouraging its officers and enlisted men to that increased diligence in their profession which is certain to result from a suitable recognition from Congress. Although the size and organization of the Corps entitles the commandant to the rank and pay of brigadier-general, he, in fact, only has the rank of cidonel. No reason can be assigned for such a discrimination as this, and many reasons cau bo assigned why it should be otherwise. The present rank of commandant is not commensurate with the dignity of a mili- tary organization the duties of which embrace every quarter of the globe; there is no general officer in a corps of 2,100 men, while in tho Army there is one for every 1,315 men, and in the Navy one for every 391 men. Prior to the late war the highest grade in tlie Navy was that of a captain, and the rank of colonel, which is relatively the same, was given to the commandant of tlie Marine Corps as an appropriate rank at that time. At the present time there are two higher grades, viz, commodore and rear-admiral in the Navy, and while the rank of brigadier-general in the Army, which, by section 1466, Revised Statutes, is made relative to that of commodore, was given to the comnmndant of the Marine Corps by the act of March 2, 1867, it was taken away by the act of June 6, 1874, and the officer now holding that position ranks only with a captain in the Xavy , although the same reasons that existed in 1867 for giving the commandant of the Marine C'or]>« the rank of brigadier-general exist to-day. The Marine Corps, with its 75 officers and 2,100 enlisted men, is an appropriate command for a brigadier-general. All the departments of this corps are subject to PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 125 and under the guiding hand of the commandant. The various oatiraates, as well as expenditures, are all supervised by him, and must have his authority to have elfeot or lorce. All orders affecting the movements of troops, or pertaining to the efS- ciency and discipline of the Marine Corps, emanate from his office. The work is con- stant, never ending, and certainly the reasons and causes that led to the creation of the grade of brigadier-general in the Marine Corps in 1867fare ecxual if not in greater force now than then. The heads of the different departments and corps of the Army are given this rank. It would therefore be only an act of justice to the Marine Corps to give its com- mandant the rank of brigadier-general, which is not only commensurate with his command but corresponds with the rank enjoyed by officers of the Army and Navy having similar responsibilities and command. The first section, though calling for an addition of 8 officers more than at present allowed by law, does not increase the whole number of officers in the Corps, which was authorized by section 1596, Revised Statutes, but provides for a better -distribution of line officers in each grade, as follows: 1 brigadier-general, comman- dant, 2 colonels, 2 lieutenant-colonels, 6 majors, 24 captains, 24 first lieutenants, and 24 second lieutenants, being a total of 83, which is five less than the number of line officers authorized by section 1596, Revised Statutes. The Marine Corps, being a military body, it is deemed important and necessary to its efficiency as such, as well as eminently just, that its officers should be distributed in the various grades proportionately to the number of enlisted men. Under the present organization there are, besides the commandant, but 7 field officers of the line, while there are 12 posts or shore stations of the Corps, and 10 of these are appropriate commands for field officers. Many of the officers performing duty in the Mariue Corps corresponding to that of field officers are junior in rank by one or two grades to those exercising functions of similar importance in the Army and Navy. The proposed organization will furnish officers of proper rank for such duties and tend to correct the existing disparity in the proportion of field officers, as well as the proportion of officers in other grades, to the number of enlisted men, but will still leave the number of officers far below that allowed to the same number of enlisted men in the infantry of the Army and in the various corps of the Navy. Whilst the number of officers of the different grades stated in the first section is absolutely necessary to meet present demands, it is by no means an adequate num- ber of officers, taking the present organization of the Army as a basis. With 3,000 enlisted men, the equivalent of 3 regiments on a war footing, the proper proportion of officers would be as follows : 1 brigadier-general, 3 colonels, 3 lieuten- ant-colonels, 3 majors, 30 captains, 30 first lieutenants, and 30 second lieutenants; making no allowance for lieutenants to perform duty as regimental adjutants, and regimental quartermasters. And^ with the Marine Corps increased to 3,000 enlisted men I would earnestly recommend the number of officers be increased beyond that called for in the first section of the proposed bill, to correspond to that of an army organization with similar enlisted sSength. The necessity for the number of officers mentioned in the first section of the act is shown by the following table, giving a list of stations of the Marine Corps and the number of officers required at each to secure efficient performance of duty : Distribution, of line officer^ of the Marine Corps necessary to perform and secure efficient duty. Briga- dier- Colonel Liou- tenaiit- colouel. Ma^jor. Cap- tains. Lieu- tenants. Aggre- Commandant, headquarters Navy- yard. New York Navy -yard, Mare Island, California Navy-yard, Boston, Mass Navy -yard, Norfolt, Va Navy -yard, Portsmouth, N. E Navy-yard, Leagne Island, Pennsylvania . Navy -yard, "Washington, D. C Manne harracks, Washington, D. C Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md Naval station, Sitka, Alaska Recruiting duty and inspection Naval station, Newport, R. I Aid to Brigadier-General For duty on board ships TotaL. 1 7 7 5 5 4 5 4 4 4 2 1 2 1 31 126 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. Under the present organization it will be seen that a condition of things exists in regard to the promotion of officers het^voen the grades of major and second lieuten- ants that can only be detrimental to the service. The following table shows the average length of time the first 7 captains were in the grade of lieutenant, the length of time lln^y will 1ic in the captain's grade, and the age and length of time in the service when promoted major, licutouant-colonel, and colonel. o a ft S 1 . K a k . Si; .91 4 Pi 3 a o r3 1 o the serv- omoted. Captaina. o o ;2 O 03 t 00 1-* c o c g-f II o ti ftS= fe: a Y-^ o f=S o O M O &■" p 1862 1876 34 14 w 18 62 Sept. 26, 1900 w 68 w C.F. Williams.... 24 38 H. C. Coclirane ... 1S63 1879 37 10 16 52 Aug. 19, 1902 2.1 00 39 Mariue Corps, 3 Navy ...41 Vi'.C. Muse 18C4 1880 37 10 14 51 Sept. 11, 1902 22 59 38 jylariue Corps, 2 Navy... 40 J.M. T. Xomig... .loU4 1884 41 20 10 51 Mii.v 6, 1003 19 00 39 Marine Corps, 2 Navy... 41 Geo. C. Eeirt ISB-t 1884 44 20 10 54 Oct. 3,1903 10 03 30 E. K. Robinson . .. 1S64 1884 4-1 20 10 51 Ifcb. 2K, l!l()4 20 01 40 Marine Corp.';, 2 Army ..42 r. H. Harrington . 1S04 1885 42 21 9 51 Doc. 3,1904 19 01 40 39. G 18.2 51.9 20.7 00.3 40.1 p 5-3 ^ S-T' ■i " =^ += ■si ail u fe| C3 t ■S3 r- ft'O a? .5^ = fTj a Captains. 11 ■^ a V a., .^ ? ^ it a *l 5^2 s c ^ r=5 <«-< hS£ -^.5 a '^■s g .£ ^ ^■? fcl) a ^ H 61 wt= <1 Q R C. F.Williama.... Oct. 3, 1903 41 Dec. 3,1004 4-2 62.2 Jan. 27,1906 Feb. 28, 1904 4:1 02 Jan. 27,1900 45 63.10 Apr. 8,1906 Ilcr. 3.19U4 42 61 Nov. 7,19110 J. M. T. Young... .la)i. 27,1906 42 63 Nov. 7,1900 4-1 63.5 Jan. 17,1907 ,)uuel0,]907 Gt'<) C. lleid Dec. 15,1904 E. E. Kobinson... Apr. 8,1906 42 63 Jan. 17,1007 45 6;}. 7 Juno 10, 1907 June 19, 1907 Nov. 7,1906 42 63.7 June 2 1907 42 62.2 44 63/3 Col. Hbywood. You will observe that the first captain entered the service in 1862, at a time when promotions were a little more rapid than they are now, on account of the many vacancies caused by the war. He reached the rank of captain at the age of 'M. Up to date, 1894, he has been a captain eighteen years. His age is now 52. He will be promoted majjor in 1900. That will be the first promotion to major by retirement that we have. He will then have been a captain twenty-four years, be 58 years of age, and will have been thirty-eight years in the service when promoted major. That is the rank corre- sponding with the rank of lieutenant-commander in the Navy. He will be promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1903. My own retirement will promote him. Senator Hale. What age will he be then? Col. Hetwood. He will be 01 years old. He will receive his ijro- motion to colonel in 190-1. At that time he will have been forty-two PEKSONNEL OF THE NAVY — STAFF. 127 years in the service, and will be 62 years and 2 months old. He will retire January 27, 1900. Senator Hale. In other words, he received his promotion to captain comi)arative]y early; then he remains an unduly long time as captain before he is promoted to major; then when he receives his promotion to majior he gets three promotions in three years.^ Col. Heywood. Four years after he receives his commission as major he will be promoted to colonel, tlius obtaining three commissions within that time. He will be promoted to major in 1900 and retires in 1906. Senator Hale. But he gets three promotions right off within three or four years ? Col. Heywood. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. I suppose because the numbers are small? Col. Heywood. Yes, sir ; the number of held offlcers is too small. Senator Hale. That is a feature of yonr service, evidently, that the men remain captains for a long time? Col. Heywood. Yes, sir. That is where the "hump" is, as they say. I do not know why that expression came to be used. The trouble is that at the average age of 60 years and 3 mouths, at which captains become majors, they are too old to perform the active duties required of officers of that rank. The annual report of the Secretary of the Navy says that officers of the line, under the present law, reach the grades of lieutenant and lieutenantconimauder, corresponding with the grades of captain and major in the Marine Corps, at the average age of 36 and 40 years. That is under the present -law. By the pro- posed law they will reach the grade of lieutenant at 30J years, and lieutenant-commander at 40 years. Senator Hale. I do not suppose he would have very much to do as major; the captains do the active work, do they not? Col. Heywood. Ifo, sir. A good commanding officer ought to attend to all battalion drills and inspections. These drills occur at least twice a week. In addition to this he has his office to attend to, and should be physically competent to take command of a battalion for any active service he may be called upon to perform, such as have frequently happened in the cases of riots, etc. If he is unable to perform that duty and puts it off on a captain he should be retired. Senator Hale. When did you enter the service? Col. Heywood. I have nothing to complain of. I entered the serv- ice in 1858. Senator Hale. You went iii the service in 1858 at what age? Col. Heywood. At the age of 18. Senator Hax,e, You entered as what? Col. Heywood. As second lieutenant. Senator Hale. When did you become first lieutenant? Col. Heywood. I became first lieutenant in April, 1861, and captain in November, 1861. Senator Hale. Then you became captain at what age? Col. Heywood. At 21. I was the youngest captain that was ever commissioned in the regular service. I commenced at the bottom of the list and went up. I received my promotion to major in 1876. Senator Hale. Then you were a captain fifteen years? Col. Heywood. Yes. Senator Hax.e. And you became major in 1876? Col. Heywood. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. Vv'hen did you become lieutenant-colonel? 128 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. Col. Het^^ood. In Marcli, 1888. Senator Hale. Then yon were major twelve years? Col. Heywood. Yes, sir. You see my case is hardly fair for pur- poses of comparison, becaiise I entered the service when so very young and had the advantage of the many casualties caused by the war. There are very few cases on record of an officer entering the Marine Corps so young. But, as I say, I liave nothing to complain of in my own case. There are a number of men below me in rank who are older than I am in years. Senator Hale. When do you retire? Col. Heywood. In 1903. I have been thirty-six years in the service this April. Senator Hale. Then, if nothing happens to prevent, you will hold your present position for about twelve years. Col. Heywood. For thirteen years. Col. Forney is three years younger than I am and will be the next commandant if selected by seniority. The next man on the list who can be selected for command- ant, if you take them in the line of promotion, will be Oapt. Young, He will roach the grade of colonel commandant in 1907, and will re- tire June 10, 1907. The next is Capt. Robinson, the sixth on the list, who will be promoted to colonel commandant June 10, 1907, and will will retire June 19, 1907, being on the active list only nine days. But, of course, i^romotion to commandant is made by selection, and he will probably not be selected for that very short time. I would like to invite attention to the fifth man in the above list, Capt. Reid, who entered the service- in 1804, and will be promoted major in 1903, at 63 years of age, and will never get beyond that grade, as he retires in 1904, after thirty-nine years' service. Mr. Money. You are colonel commandant and Col. Forney is col- onel 1 Col. Heywood. Yes, sir. I have. asked that the commandant of the Cori)s should have the rank of brigadier-general, and have given, my reasons. Senator Hale. Those reasons are pretty strong to you, I suppose? Col. Heywood. Yes, sir; to me they are conclusive by comparison with other branches of the service. By making a comparison of officers who hold the rank of general ofQcers in the Army, and the correspond- ing ranks in the Navy, which are those of commodore and rear-admiral, it will be seen tliat in the Army they have 1 general officer to every 1,315 men; that in the Navy they have 1 general officer to every 391 men; that in the IMarine Corps we have 2,100 men commanded by a colonel. In the Army they have 1 colonel to 353 men; in the Navy they have 1 officer of the corresponding rank, captain, to 96 men; in the Marine Corps we have 1 colonel to 1,050 men, taking the command- ant as a colonel. The proportion of men to officers of the grade of colonel, lieutenant- colonel, and major in the Army and Marine Corps, and the correspond- ing grades of captain, commander, and lieutenant-commander in the Navy, is shown by the following table: Colonel and corresponding rank. Army 1 to 353 men. Navy 1 to 96 men. Marine Corps 1 to 1,050 men. Lieutenant-colonel and corresponding rank. Army 1 to 275 men. Navy - 1 to 62 men. Marine Corps 1 to 1,050 men. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 129 Major and corresponding rank. Army 1 to 117 men. Navy I to 56 men. Marine Corps 1 to 300 men. Mr. Money. You want to change the rank of colonel-commandant to brigadier- general ? Col. Hbywood. That is my proposition. We have asked that the colonel commandant should have the rank and pay of brigadier- general. Senator Hale. Is there any exigency that you can think of where you would ever have under one command as many as 1 ,1^*^ ^^^ or 500 men? Col. Heywood. At Key West, during the Virginius trouble, I had' as a captain 800 marines under Iny command, organized as a brigade. Again, during the trouble on the Isthmus of Panama I had as a major 800 marines and 300 sailors under my command, also organized as a brigade. At the time of the Chilean trouble the steamship Ohio was chartered, and if she had sailed I would have been on board that ship with all the men on shore in the Marine Corps and 500 additional who were to be enlisted for the purpose. This would have made a total of about 1,500 men. Of course, we have but a small corps, and it is only in cases of emergency like these quoted above that large numbers are assembled, but the commandant has at all times the general command over the entire 2,100 men, issuing orders to all parts of the globe wherever marines are statiened, ashore and aiioat, and this command certainly seems to entitle him to the rank of brigadier- general. Senator Hale. And they are distributed around? Col. Heywood. They are distributed around. We have over 1,000 marines on shore now, but we could assemble all stationed at the East- ern yards here in twenty-four hours. Senator Hale. Where have you 1,000 marines, half of your Corps? Col. Heywood. We have 160 marines in California, and the remain- der are at the Eastern yards. Senator Hale. What are they doing thete? Col. Heyavood. They are stationed there for guard duty, protecting the vast amount of Government property. Senator Hale. Do you not need more than half of your Corps on the new ships? Col. Heyvtood. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. Why do you have so many on shore? Col. Heywood. We have not enough onshore now to do the duty that is required of them. The men are doing duty day off and day on. Senator Hale. What kind of duty do they perform at the navy- yards? Col. Heywood. Guard duty. For instance, they have in the New York yard a great many million dollars worth of property which is sit- uated in one of the worst localities in Brooklyn. Senator Hale. How many marines are there? Col. Heywood. We are a little short of the authorized number. The board that met some time ago allowed us 235, and we have now about 216. Senator Hale. How many men are there at the Washington navy- yards? Col. Heywood. Ninety-four at the yard. We could turn out with our headquarters force, including clerks, daily duty men, and others, staff 9 130 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 160 men. That is the estimate I made yesterday. That would leave the yard and property unprotected. Senator Hale. How many have you at Norfolk? Col. Hbywogd. We have 75 at the Norfolk yard. Senator Hale. And how many at Mare Island? Col. Hbywogd. We have about 160 at Mare Island. Senator Hale. Then at those four great active building yards, as you might call them — New York, Washington, Norfolk, and ftlare Is- land—you have about 700 or 800 marines in all? Col. Hetwood. At the 4 yards mentioned we have about 550 men. Senator Hale. And that is a little more than one- third of your force? Col. Heywood. a little more than one-fourth. At Boston we have 165 meu. Senator Hale. Why have you so many there? Col. Heywood. There is just as much property there to guard, whether the yard is in active operation or not. That property has to be guarded. In addition to this, the naval prison is situated there, which requires a strong guard. Senator Hale. I should not think you would need as many there as at Norfolk. Col. Heywood. There is more space to cover in Boston than at Nor- folk. Senator Hale. But there is nothing doing there. Col. Heywood. I know that; but whether a yard is in operation -or closed the jjropcrty lias to be guarded, and also these prisoners. Senator Hale. Still I should uot supposed there would be anything like the number needed at a vacant yard, even though there were a large accumulation of proiierty there, that there would be where there is a largo force at work. Col. Heywood. Boston varies very much. Boston is a recruiting station. In answeriiag I gave the number we have there to-day. We may take 20 recruits from tliere next week, so that the number varies very frequently. Bostnn is one of our best recruiting depots. Senator Hale. How long do you generally keep your men in service that you recruit! Col. Heywood. Five years. Senator Hale. Do they generally reenlist? Col. Heywood. A very fair xn'oportion reenlist. The condition of the men has been improved very much of late years, and we now have a greater percentage of ireenlistnicnts than formerly. Last year a law was passed increasing the pay of noncommissioned officers, and that has added greatly to the beneiit of the men, because they have more to look forward to. -Senator Hale. Do you call those noncommissioned of&cers corpo- rals and sergeants, as in the Army"? Col. Heywood. Yes, sir. We are governed by the rules of the infantry of the Army — that is, as far as organization, rank, pay, aud rations on shore are concerned ; and we are governed by the naval regulations so far as discipline is concerned. Senator Blackburn. You drill according to both Army and Navy regulations, do you not? Col. Heywood. We now have the same drill instructions as are adopted for the Navy. We are, however, liable to be detached for service with the Army, and then we would have to take up their drill. Senator Blackbuen. So I thought. PERSONNEL OF THE JfAVY STAFF. 131 Senator Hale. As compared with the time when your officers become captains, at about what age do the men in the Army become captains in the line? I believe you said that the ages in your corps ranged from 34 to 39. In relation to your own case, that is exceptional. Col. Heywood. Yes, sir j I do not know what the average age would be in the Army. Senator Hale. We have been told by Army officers that the average is 50 years when they become captains. Col. Heywood. They have a great many in the Army who were old men when appointed from the volunteer service after the war; and so it would be hardly fair to make that comparison. I know some lieuten- ants who are over 60 years old ; but they were very old men when they were appointed. Senator Hale. We have been informed that at the average age of graduation as cadets from West Point and receiving commissions they would be 50 years old when they became captains. Mr. Money. I have had correspondence with a man in the heavy artillery who graduated almost at the head of his class at West Point, and asked to be assigned to duty in the quartermaster's corps. He had been nineteen years a lieutenant of artillery, except four years that he had been on duty as professor at West Point. Col. Heywood. We serve with the I^avy, and tberefore it would be more fair to compare our promotions with the -ISTavy in similar ranks. Senator Hale. Your pay is the same as that of the Army? Col. Heywood. Yes, sir; we are governed by the Army in that regard. Mr. Money. But does the pay of the officers of the line keep pace with that of Army ofQcers? Col. Heywood. In a measure it does. That is. Army officers receive 10 per cent increase of their current pay for every five years of service up to twenty years, making a total possible increase of 40 per cent. In the Navy officers -receive an increase of pay after five years from date of each commission in a grade, which is not again increased until they are promoted to the next hig'her grade. Senator Hale. That is longevity pay ? Col. Heywood. Longevity pay. Mr. Money. An ensign ranks with a lieutenant in the Army? Col. Heywood. With a second lieutenant. . Mr. Money. Is the pay of those two grades the same? An ensign gets $1,200. Col. Heywood. K"o, sir; an ensign at sea gets $1,200 and a second lieutenant gets $1,400 at the start. Mr. Money. And in the second term an ensign gets $1,400, while an Army lieutenant gets what? Col. Heywood. He would get 10 per cent increase on his first pay of $1,400, making his total yearly pay $1,540. An ensign, when at sea, draws commutation for one ration daily of 30 cents, which would make his pay $1,508 pev annum. Mr. Money. But if the ensign stays ashore he would only get $1,000? Senator Hale. The Army scale of pay is better than that of the Navy. Col. Heywood. At sea the pay of Navy officers is increased. Offi- cers of corresponding grades in the Army and Navy, after service of twenty years, draw about the same amount of pay from' the Govern- 132 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. ment; that is, supposing Navy oiHcers spend half their time at sea, but there is an advantage in favor of Army oificers. Mr. Money. One of the brightest men I know of is in the electrical engineer service and gets only $1,000 on shore. Col. Heywood. Their lot is hard, and I grant that the pay of these young officers of the Navy should be increased. The annual report of the Secretary of the Navy shows that oflicers of the line of the Navy, under the present law, reach the grades of lieutenant and lieutenant-commander, corresponding to the grades of captain and major in the Marine Corps, at an average age of 36 and 46 years, respectively. Under the law proposed by this section this condition of things would in a great measure be corrected and a steady tlow of promotion secured. Officers would reach the grade of captain at an average age of 36 and the grade of major at an average age of 48 years. The legislation proposed for the line of the Navy before the joint committee would enable those officers to reach the grade of lieutenant and lieutenant-commander at an average age of 30J and 40^ years, respectively. In calculating the effect of this section it is found that a temporary increase in the number of majors would result therefrom, all calculations being based on an average allowance for casualties, without which no calculation can be even approximate. The time in sight when the largest number of additional majors could be expected is when the 7 first lieutenants who would be made captains by the passage of this law, and completed twelve years in that grade, which would be 1906, supposing the act to become a law in 1894. In 1900 there would be 1 and possibly 2 additional majors. From 1900 to 1905 there would be 2 and possibly 3. In 1906, the time referred to as giving the greatest possible number of additional majors, there would be 4 and possibly 5 in the latter part of the year, which number would be reduced in a few months, and in 1907 there would be but 2, and this would be the case until 1913, when the number of field , officers would be reduced to that provided by this section. The proposed organization will lead to the promotion of 1 colonel commandant, I lieutenant-colonel, 1 major, 4 captains, 7 first lieuten- ants, and 1 second lieutenant, the 4 captains having seen average length of service of thirty and one-half years and reached an average age of 52 years; the 7 first lieutenants' average length of service is eighteen and one-half years. Furthermore, in the case of the 4 captains, the senior will not, in the ordinary course of events, receive his promotion to major until 1900, at the age of 68 years, for there will be no retirements in the line of the Marine Corps on account of age until 1900. Section 2. — The object of this section is simply to extend the provisions of the act of Congress approved June 28, 1892, so as to embrace all the officers of the Corps, as it is believed that by so doing the best interests of the service will be subserved. The third section of the bill ijrovides that the 3 chief stall officers of the Marine Corps, viz, adjutant and inspector, the quartermaster, and paymaster shall, upon the completion of thirty years' service, have the rank of the next higher grade, that is, of lieutenant-colonel. The highest rank authorized by law for staff officers of the IMarine Corps is that fixed by the act for the increase of the corps, aY»i)roved March 2, 1847. This act gave the adjutant and inspector, the paymas- ter and the assistant quartermasters the rank they now hold. One of PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 133 the three staff officers of the Marine Corps has held that rank without advancement for thirty-three years. He has been in the service for forty-seven years. Another staff officer, recently retired, entered the service in 1839. He retired with the rank of major, after twenty-five years' of service in that one grade. The duties and responsibilities of the staff officers of the Marine Corps are of the same character as those of the several departments of the Army, and the same qualifica- tions of knowledge, faithfulness, and experience are essential to theit proper discharge. However long the staff officers of the Marine Corps may be engaged in the discharge of such duties, there is now no provision of law for their promotion. It seems but a mere act of justice, therefore, that pro- visicin for their advancement should be made, as projjosed in the third section of the bill. Section 4. — While by law provision is made for fleet officers for each of the staff corps of the Navy, and such officers, while so serving, are enti- tled to the pay of the highest grade of thecorps to which they belong, no such provision is made for the senior marine officer of a fleet, although his duties are of equal importance with, and in many respects of a like character as those of, other fleet officers. In addition to his duties as Commanding officer of the marines of the flagship and the general super- vision of all marines of the fleet, he is in command of, and responsible for, the drill, discipline, and efficiency of the marine battalion, whenever and for whatever purpose they are landed as a body. Under such cir- cumstances the marines constitute the proper command of a field officer, and when landed for a serious purpose, the importance and responsi- bility of such services are certainly of a character requiring and befit- ting the rank of a field officer, whereas, under present circumstances, we have the military anomaly of a battalion strength and organization as the regular command of a company officer, in derogation of the respect and consideration due the position, and of equal impropriety in the interests of efficiency. Section 5. — Authorizes the appointment of 12 post quartermaster sergeants. The duties of post quartermaster sergeants are now x)er- formed by sergeants detailed from the line of the Marine Corps, and, as their duties are important, it is necessary to relieve them from their appropriate duties in the line of the Corps, thus losing that number of sergeants. The duties of post quartermaster sergeants should be performed by sergeants specially trained for that duty, and they should receive pay commensurate with their duties and responsibilities. For the promotion of the best interests of the service it is my opin- ion that when a detachment of marines is detailed for sea service on board a vessel of the Navy, such detachment should constitute a divi- sion under its own officers in the distribution of the whole force for battle, and at the discretion of the commanding officer of such vessel be assigned to the guns of the main or secondary battery, which would increase the sphere of usefulness of the marines and promote efficiency and economy in the Navy. The efficient handling of a vessel of war is of the first importance. Nea'rly all commanding officers recognize the services of the marines, and, by stationing them at the batteries, especially the secondary bat- teries, where their previous training at target practice with small arms has enabled them to attain most excellent results, the good of the serv- ice, in my judgment, would be best subserved. 134 PERSOXNEL OF THE iNAVV! STAJ^ ' J? ' . The present custom in many instances is to make the nmrines only a body of sharpshooters, which reduces their value in time of action to a minimum ; in some cases, in preparing for action, they have been dis- tributed among other divisions. This latter course is demoralizing to the men and degrading to the marine ofiScer, as it virtually deprives him of his command, which is never done except for cowardice or culpable inefficiency. To take a body of men who have been carefully drilled and trained by their officers to work and fight together, who understai:d their officers and whose officers best understand and know their capabilities, and distribute them among strange men and under strange officers, is a course certainly not calculated to achieve the best results. They should form a division by themselves Jlnd fight together, as they have been trained and drilled together. If there are not enough sailors to man the guns, let the sailor divi- sion be consolidated, and give the marines a gun or guns to themselves. This will promote economy in the Navy, for there are now about 1,000 marines afloat, assigned for the most part as sharpshooters. If they should be stationed at the guns, that number of seamen would be immediately available for duty on the new ships fitting out, and it costs the Government $69,584 less a year to pay 1,000 marines than it does to pay 1,000 sailors. Mr. Money. What would you propose there, a regulation, a law, or what? If it is a regulation, then it would probably not come before us. If it is a law, it would be a hard and fast law, leaving no discretion to the commanding officer. Do you not think, generally speaking, that the officer commanding a ship in battle would distribute his men and use every available man he has in the best jilace according to his judgment? Col. Heywood. I do; and I think they would do so to day. Mr. Money. Then the matter had better be left to their discretion'? Col. Heywood. As the matter stands now the m-arines are sent on board ship as sharpshooters, you may say supernumeraries, and they do not render the service that a body of men who are so well organized and drilled as they are should perform. Mr. Money. As a general thing, do they not man the secondary batteries. Col. Heyavood. They do until the guns are taken away from them. They are nearly always put there by the captain when first going on board ship, but are taken away afterwards upon orders from the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department. Mr. Money. I know that the reports show the very highest condi- tion of efficiency on the part of the marines in charge of the secondary batteries, as to taking prizes at target shooting, drill, and all that. I am asking for information, but it strikes me that the commanding officer, being responsible for the result of the battle, for his own sake, if for no other reason, and having no higher motive actuating him than a simple desire for glory, would avail himself of every man he had on ship, whether marine, cabin boy, or sailor, and that he would put him where he thought he would do the most good? Col. Heywood. Commanding officers will do that, if they are allowed to, now. Mr. Money. What prevents it now? There is no legislation to prevent it. Col. Heywood. No. As I said, they put on board sailors enough to man all the batteries. Of course when they start out we are there PERSONNEL OF' THE NAVY STAFF. 135 as sharpshooters. That is all very well, but with the modern guns on board an enemy's ship our force would be swept off the deck before they could come within range for the marines to use their muskets as sharpshooters. Mr. Money. The marines are expected to do the duty of sharp- shooters, are they not? Col. Hbywood. Yes, sir; as sharpshooters when they can be placed in action where they will be of use ; biit with the improved modern guns on board an enemy's shij) they would wipe us out before we got into action. If they should put our men at the guns we can also do the dutyof sharpshooters, and feel confident that we can render just as good ser^•ice as other meu in the Xavy at the secondary batteries. Mr. Monet. There is uo law now or regulation of the Department existing that prt' vents marines fi'om serving at the batteries? Col. Hetwood. ]S!"o ; but when they are stationed there by the cap- tain, orders are at once issued by the Bureau of Navigation to remove them. We state to the committee that by stationing marines at the guns of these secondary batteries their services could be extended and consequently they would be more useful on board ship. Mr. Monet. Then you want something fixed in the statutes about it? Col. Hetwood. I do not know that you could make aiard and fast law, as you say. Mr. Monet. That is all we can do. All we can do is to frame legis- lation; but, as I said awhile ago, there must be something left to the discretion of the commanding offlcer. I do not see how we could legis- late to fix the position of a class of men and leave the commanding officer with no discretion. It seems to me, however, that in the regu- lations issued from the Department there could be some provision made for the best use of the marines as of everybody else on board ship. Col. Hetwood. That is what should be done ; the regulations of the Navy should be so framed that they would permit the captain to use his discretion about stationing marines at these guns as a division under their own officers, and I feel confident that in nearly all cases commanding officers would so dispose of these men, as they usually make the best records at the guns and thereby increase the efflciency of the ship. But the trouble now is that he is allowed no discretion, and no matter how well these guns are handled by marines he receives orders to take them away and assign sailors iu their places, and the marines are thus left with nothing to do but act as sharpshooters in battle. , The Navy complain that there are not enough sailors to man the new ships Hearing completion, while at the same time they are willing to allow a guard of marines to remain on board, not rendering the full serv- ice they are capable of and are willing and anxious to perform. There are a thousand of these marines afloat, who, if stationed at the guns of these batteries, would thus relieve an equal number of sailors, who would then be available for other duty. It can not be disputed that marines are cheaper to maintain than sailors, and they can render just as efficient service. As a matter of fact, if the Marine Corps was increased to 4,000 or 5,000 men, which would permit the guards of ves- sels to be enlarged, marines could be sent on board ship in the places of sailors to man not only these guns but others, at a saving of expense to the Government. The modern ship of war is nothing more than a floating fort, and the man-of-war's-man of to-day should be a trained artillerist, and as marines have demonstrated their superiority over sailors at the guns in many cases, it would be in the interest of economy and as a further- 136 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFFS ance of tlie best interests of the service to man tbe guus with marines and reduce the number of sailors on board ship. The advent of the military mast and the disappearance of sails has changed the mode of warfare and the necessity for the old-time sailor, and progressive men in the Kayj^ see in the marine the type of the future sailor and all their aims are directed towards making him what the marine of to-day already is. If this is so, it follows as a plain business proposition, why not utilize to their fullest extent an already well-organized and efficient body of men, who are less expensive to the Government, than fill ships with sailors who cost more and can perform no better duty. I am sure that there are oflBcers in the Navy who could take one of these modern ships and man her entirely with marines, except the engine and fire room force, and produce in her a vessel that woiTld have no equal in the ISTavy for discipline and efBciency. Although I have stated that it will require 500 additional men to perform the'duty now being done by marines, in view of these facts I have just stated and as a measure of economy, I would recommend that the scope of usefulness of marines afloat be enlarged and that the corps be increased to 4,000 men in order that it may be enabled to per- form these increased duties. The sixth section of this bill is to reorganize the Marine Band, to increase the number of musicians, and to increase their pay. As at present constituted the band consists of 30 members, viz, 7 first-class musicians, at $38 per month; second-class musicians, at $24 per month, and 15 third class musicians, at $21 per month. This bill pro- looses to increase the total number of musicians to 60, providing for 25 first-class musicians, at 860 per month, and 35 second-class musicians, at $50 per month. The bill also provides for a leader of the band with the pay and emoluments of a second lieutenant of marines, and for an assistant leader with tlie rank of sergeant-major of marines. It is believed that a musician cai)able of leading such an organization as this band should receive this pay and the allowances. With the present small x>ay it is fouud impossible to retain the services of good musi- cians. The proposed pay is small in comparison with the pay received in other military bands, and in the various orchestras the average pay of ordinary musicians is $20 per week, running from this amouut to $150 per week. The Marine Band has become a national institution. It is ordered for duty upon all offluial and public occasions, not only at the capital of the nation but at other points where the Government may require its services. A great government can afford to have and should have a national military band, the equal in all respects of similar bands in other countries. The leading government bands of the Old World, notably the Garde Eepublicaine, the Prussian Guards, the Seventy- third Austrian, the' Eussian Mounted Guard, the Grenadier Guards, and others number from 50 to 90 men each. The Mexican National Band, which made a tour of the United States a few years since, com- prises nearly 90 musicians, and some of the South American govern- ments have bands consisting of 60 to 80 ]neces. Even Japan and Turkey have well-equipped bands, based on modern instrumentation. Many of the orchestral bands of Europe have a membership of at least 100, while Lamoureux of Paris numbers 110. Among the militia bands of our land Gilmore was allowed by regimental regulations 65 musi- cians, and many others have from 50 upward. The large factories of America have bands numbering from 30 to 75 performers. These bands are sustained by hiring musicians to perform PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 137 some light employmeut iu tlie factory and allowing them to accept musical engagements ■whenever offered. Among the well-known organ- izations of this class may be mentioned the Elgin Watch Company's and the Pullman Oar Company's bauds. The men constituting the membership in the factory bands are assured a livelihood throughout the year and receive wages largely in excess of that paid by the Gov- ernment to its musicians. Where formerly we could recruit our mem- bers from musical talent of that class the supply is almost entirely shut off. For, of course, nearly every man would prefer engagement in a factory at $2, $3, or |4 a day, with opportunities of following his profession and thiis adding largely to his income, rather than becoming an enlisted man, at §13 to $38 per month, with few opportunities of adding to his Governmental compensation. Another and much greater competitor in bidding for the musician's services is the theatrical man- ager. He pays salaries varying from $15 to $42 per week for the rjrnk and file of the profession, and with very few exceptions allows his musicians to send substitutes when more profitable engagements are offered. During the summer the myriad of watering places creates a great demand for the musician's services, and he is in every instance well paid. When it is understood that theatrical musicians are employed but a few hours during the evening, and with the exception of Monday morning and Saturday afternoon have the entire week to pursue their calling elsewhere, it is not to be wondered that we find it difficult to secure and keep suitable material for our organization. Dime museum and variety hall managers here pay their nAisicians $15 per week; the Government pays musicians of the same skill about that sum per month. The theatrical and comic-opera managers pay their conductors from $120 to $450 a month; the United States pays the bandmaster of the Marine Corps $94 per month, with about 19 cents a day added for com- mutation of rations. The Twenty-second Regiment of New York paid Mr. Gilmore a per- sonal salary of $2,500 a year, for which in return he gave about two weeks of his time. The Boston Symphony Orchestra pays their con- ductor a salary of $2,000 a month ; the proposed organization does not ask the Government to pay the bandmaster, of the Marine Corps that much a year. The city of New York appropriates $25,000 every/ year for open-air concerts during the summer months, and it would seem that the Government of the United States can well afford to expend the amount called for in this section of the bill to maintain a national band at the nation's capital. 138 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. Be it enacted hi/ the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That tlie active list of the Engiueer Corps of tlie Navy shall consist of oue Engineer in Chief, who shall be Chief the Bureau of Engineering in the ^STavy Department Tvith the rank of commodore (rear-admiral should the grade of commo- dore be abolislied), lo captains, 2i commanders, 50 lieutenant-command- ers, 90 lieutenants, 70 lieutenants of the junior grade, and 50 ensigns. Sec. 2. That immediately after the passage of this act the Secretary of the Navy shall appoint a board consisting of two officers of the Engineer Corps and one officer of the line of the Navy, and it shall be the duty of said board to carefully examine the records with reference to experience that may have been had in engineering pursuits of all officers now in the grades of junior lieutenant and ensign in the line of the Navy, and shall select from among said officers a number, not exceeding oue hundred, for transfer to the Engineer Corps of the Navy, the transfers to take i^lace immediately on the rec- ■ onimendations of the board; and the officers so transferred shall be commissioned to take rank with engineer officers of their own dates and according to their relative standing as shown by their final multiples at date of graduation from the U. S. Naval Academy. To facilitate this the Secretary of tlie Navy shall cause the list qf engineer officers who are graduates of the Naval Academy to be rearranged in the order of merit as determined at date of graduation, and as is now required by section 1483 of the Ee vised Statutes: Proeided, That such rear- rangement shall not alfect the position in the list of any officer who may have lost or gained numbers by operation of existing laws. As soon as the transfer of line officers into the Engineer Corps has been completed the numbers in the various grades of the Engineer Corps, as established by the tii-st section of this act, shall be filled by promot- ing officers into said grades in the order of seniority without mental examinations, but no officer shall receive a new commission unless he has been pronounced physically and morally qualified by the examin- ing boards now provided, and, after the grades are thus filled, every officer of the Engineer Corj)s shall be required, before promotion to the next higher grade, to pass the examinations now provided for by sec- tions 1493 and 1496 of the Eevised Statutes. Any vacancies that may remain in the lowest grade of officers of the Engineer Corps, after the numbers in the higher grades have been completed, shall be filled by the promotion of naval cadets from year to year in the manner now provided by law. Sec. 3. That the Engineer in Chief of the Navy shall be appointed by the President^ by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, from the list of the officers of the Engineer Corps of the Navy not below the grade of the commander, and shall hold office for tlie term of four years: Provided, That nothing in this act shall be construed to afitect the term of office of the present Engineer in Chief: Provided further, That an officer of the Engineer Corps of the Navy not below the rank of lieutenant-commander may be detailed as assistant to the Chief of the Bureau of Engineering in the Navy Department, and, in case of the death, resignation, absence, or sickness of the Chief of the Bureau, such officer shall, unless otherwise directed by the President as provided by section 17'J of the Revised Statutes, perform the duties of such chief until his successor is appointed or such absence or sickness shall cease. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 139 Sec. 4. That officers of the Engineer Corps of the Navy shall not be entitled, by virtue of their rank, to command in the line or in the other staff corps. Sec. 5. That the title of tlie Bureau of Steam Engineering in the Navy Department is hereby changed to the Bureau of Engineering, and its duties shall comprise all that relates to the designing, build- ing, fitting out, and repairing of all main and auxiliary steam, hydraulic, pneumatic, and electric machinery and apx)liances used on board of naval vessels, not including gun carriages, torpedoes, torpedo tubes, and fittings. Sec. 6. That all boards for the examination, inspection, or survey of machinery, engineering- material, tools, contracts, and supi)lies shall, ■when possible, be composed exclusively of ofticers of the Engineer Corps, as shall also all boards of investigation, courts of inquiry, and courts-martial to which are submitted questions of professional fault on the part of an engineer officer; and in courts-martial, where an, engineer officer is on trial for breach of naval discipline or for moral fault not less than one-half of the court shall be composed of oflicers of the Engineer Corps, unless the exigencies of the service render it impossible to assemble within a reasonable time a sufficient number of engineer officers as members of the court. Sec. 7. That the senior engineer officer attached to a vessel of the Navy in commission shall command the engineers' division and shall be responsible to the commanding officer for the preservation and effi- cient working of all machinery and appliances under the cognizance of the Bureau of Engineering; for the discipline, instruction, and training of the enlisted men of the engineers' force, and, in general, for the execution of all details of duty in connection with the engineering department of the vessel. He shall have no authority independent of the commanding officer, and in the performance of hiS duties shall be regarded by all officers as executing the commanding officer's orders. In no case where the number of enlisted men of the engineers' force exceeds 60 shall the engineers' department, when the vessel is under way, be left in charge of any other than a commissioned officer, and in detailing engineer officers for sea duty a sufficient number, not includ- ing the senior engineer, to stand watch in not less than four watches shall be assigned to each vessel having such number of enlisted men in the engineers' force. The officer on duty in the engineering depart- ment shall be regarded as the representative of the commanding officer so far as the duties of that department are concerned, but he shall at all times be subject to the orders of the senior engineer in precisely the same manner that the oifflcer of the deck is subject to the orders of the executive officer. Sec. 8. That the pay of the Engineer in Chief shall be the same as that of line officers when serving as chiefs of bureaus in the Navy Department. The pay of all other commissioned officers of the Engineer Corps on the active list shall be computed as follows: On the date of first commission the sea pay to be considered as $1,400 per year, with an annual increase of $80 for each succeeding year of service on the active list : Provided, That in no case shall the sea pay allowed exceed $4,500 per annum. In computing the pay of any officer under the pro- visions or this act his first commission shall be considered to have been dated six years subsequent to his "date of precedence" as published in the Official Eegister of the Navy, after said "date of precedence" shall have been corrected to conform to section 1493 of the Eevised Statutes. Officers on shore or other duty shall receive 10 per centum 140 PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. less than their sea pay when provided with quarters, but when not pro- vided with quarters they shall receive sea pay; officers on leave or waiting orders shall receive 20 per centum less than their sea pay: Provided, That oflEicers on leave for a period longer than three months at their own request shall receive 30 per centum less than their sea pay: Provided further, That no greater reduction than 20 per centum shall be made while on sick leave. Sec. 9. That officers of the Engineer Corps of the jSTavy shall be placed on the retired list when they arrive at the age of 60 years, and officers so retired shall receive 75 per centirm of the sea pay to which they are entitled at the date of such retirement, as established by the preceding section of this act. An officer of the Engineer Corps who has been 30 years in the service may, upon his own application, be placed on the retired list, and shall receive 60 per centum of his sea pay, as established by- the preceding section of this act. The President may, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Navy, j)lace any officer of the Engineer Corps, who has been 30 years ia service, upon the retired list: Provided, That the number of engineer officers retired by virtue of 30 years' service shall not exceed six in any fiscal year. Sec. 10. That nothing in this act shall be construed to aft'ect the pay of olticers now on the retired list. NAVY Department, OF Steam Engineeb Washington, D. C, March 14, 1894. Bureau of Steam Engineering, Statement to accompany draft of a hill to increase the efficiency of the Enfiin.ccr Cori^s oftjie Navy, submitted to the Joint Committee on Naval Affairs, Fifty-third Congress, by the Engineer in Chief of the Navy, in compliance with the direction of said committee. Section 1 of the proposed bill establishes the number of officers for the Engineer Corps and the number in each grade. The urgent reasons existing for the increase of the Corps provided for by this sec- tion are set forth at length in memorandum No. 1 laid before your committee on the 10th instant. The change in titles for engineer officers involved in the first section of this bill is simply in accordance with similar changes that have been made in the titles of line officers in the Navy, and is designed chiefly to do away with the present absurdity of having officers of several different ranks bearing precisely the same titles, while others have titles indicating neither rank nor profession. Within the memory of the older officers of the Navy the titles of line officers were mainly those indicating professional duty, as "master commandant," "sailing-master, "second-master," and '' master's mate," but the absurdity of having officers graded in a mil- itary service without any distinction as to raiik appearing in their titles was the source of endless confusion, and remedial changes were gradually brought about. In 1837 the title of master commandant was changed to commander by act of Congress and at the same time sailing-master was shortened to master; this latter title remained^in the Navy until 1883, when Congress changed it to lieutenant. The most direct titles anywhere in use for staff officers arc those of the medical branch of the British army, who are called "surgeon-cap- tain," "surgeon-major," etc., these titles showing clearly and briefly both the profession and the rank of the officer, but as some of the names indicating rank in the U. S. Navy arc already compound words it PERSONMEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 141 would be I awkward to adopt the British practice, and is therefore thought better to follow the examxDle of the line officers of our Navy and adopt the name of an officer's rank as his title, the i^rofessionlo be indi- cated by the addition of the name of the corps to which the officer belongs, the same as is done with all classes of officers in the U. S. Army. Thus, "lieutenant. Engineer Corps," will show at once both the rank and specialty of an officer who is now disguised bj^ the more than sense- less title of "passed assistant engineer." Section 2 of the proposed bill deiines the manner in which the'Bngi- neer Corps is to be increased ; namely, by transferring junior officers of the line into it. In the bill now before Congress relating to the Engineer Corps (S. 276, H. E. 3462) provision is made for effecting the desired increase by admitting into the service graduates of technical schools which have well-established courses of engineering, and there is no doubt that young men obtained from such sources would be better iitted to take up the calling of naval engineers than are the junior line officers of the Eavy, whose engineering education has been very limited. In view of the fact, however, that the removal of a considerable number of line officers from the lower grades will establish a more healthy ratio between the numbers of line officers of command rank ^ud those below that rank, and will at the same time reduce the total number of line officers to an average per ship more nearly approaching the con- ditions of weU organized foreign navies, it is thought wise to recom- mend the transfer proposed in the bill; an additional advantage lies in the fact that the transfers will not increase the total number of officers in the Navy and consequently will involve no increase in appropria- tions if the pay of officers of different corps is equalized, as is proposed. Section 3 of the proposed bill establishes the manner of appointing the Engineer in Chief of the Navy, which is the same as that now pro- vided by law, and also provides for the detail of an officer as assistant to the Engineer in Chief, the necessity for creating such an office being explained in the memorandum No. 5, submitted to your committee the 10th instant. Section 4 of the bill restrictsthe rightof command of engineer officers to their own department, where they now exercise command by sufferance and not by warrant of law. The wording of this section is copied from sections 1169 and 1183 of the Eevised Statutes, relative to medical and pay officers of the U. S. Army, and is therefore more moderate than is required by the circumstances of the case. The parallelism between the duties of engineer officers of the Army and of engineer officers of the Navy is as complete as the difference between,the services ^yill admit. The duties of Army engineers, as prescribed by sections 1162, 1153, 4653, 4664, anxl 4665 of the Revised Statutes, show that they are the mechanical officers of the Army in exactly the same sense that the naval engineers are the mechanical officers of the Navy, and that the duties of both are exactly the same in kind and quality, each designing and superintending the particular mechanical work of their respective services. The parallelism is made more perfect by the fact that in both services the best trained minds find their most useful employment in the engineering arms, except that in the. Army the conditions are such that officers are contented to remain and give their best work to the Government, while the status now accorded the naval engineers is such that after a few years' experience the most valuable and competent men are driven out of the service, thus giving the fruits o^ their education and training to civil pursuits. The Army engineer, besides having actual rank as an Army officer, 142 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. is recognized as having the right to exercise coiiimaiid according to his rank, if directed by authority of the President (sec. 16, Art. IV, U. S. Army Eegulatious), bat as it is desirable to propose naval reforms that will not antagonize any element in the service, tlie naval engineers are willing to propose for themselves simply the authority that is given in the Army to the surgeons and paymasters, knowing that this can not provolce any contention that will jeopardize the plans for improv- ing the Xavy as a whole. In effect, then, section i of the proposed bill will merely legalize the functions now daily exercised by engineer officers. Section 5 of the bill submitted changes the name of the Bureau of Steam Engineering to Bureau of Engineering, and defines the scope of the duties of that Bureau. Tlie change of name is desirable because marine engineering is not now limited to the consideration of steam- actuated machines, as was the case more than thirty years ago, when the present title of the Bureau was adopted. The name, as it now stands, implies an inconsistent limitation upon the scope of the engi- neering department of the Navy, and subjects it to constant attack from those bureaus whose duties are such as to afford leisure for exam- ination of the statutes in search of laws that are open to equivocal interpretation. The desirability of making this change in the name of the Bureau, and the importance of giving legal definition to its duties, are set forth in memorandum No. 4, submitted to your committee the 10th instant. Section 6 of the proposed bill provides that boards or courts for the inspection of engineering material or the investigation of purely engi- neering matters shall be composed entirely of engineer ofiicers, which proposition is merely in line with the common-sense practice of busi- ness adnnnistration throughout the world. That doctors are best fitted to deal with medical questions, farmers with matters relating to agriculture, bankers with questions of finance, and engineers with engineering problems are propositions too sell'-evident to need any defense. The ijroposal relative to the composition of courts martial is intended as a matter of simple justice to engineer ofiicers, who now, in common with all other staff ofiicers, must stand trial before courts in the composition of which line officers are always in the majority, this being the case even when the offense is a purely professional one. Article 17S2 of the U. S. Navy Eegulatious now provides that "in detailing officers for a general court-martial for the trial of a medical, pay, marine, or engineer officer it is deemed proper, if the exigencies of the service will permit, that at least one-third of the court shall be •comiiosed of officers of the same department or corps as the person to be tried." This regulation, considered in connection with the fact that a staff ofticer is seldom or never detailed to a court-martial for the trial of a line officer, amounts to a reflection upon the probity and abiUty of staff' ofiicers which is very unwarranted, and a source of humiliation to them. Section 7 defines, in general, the duties of engineer officers on board ship, a definition that is badly needed, as the engineers came into the service long after the position and duties of other officers had been established by laws and customs, the result being that the status of naval engineers afloat is based upon rules and orders issued by various officials at various times, often suited only to particular circumstances, and frequently conflicting, contradictory, or imperfect. Section 8 of the proposed bill deals with the matter of pay, and is practically the same as the provisions regarding pay contained in PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY STAFF. 143 Senate bill No. 1584, introduced (by request) by Mr. Hale, February 5, 1894. The engineer oflicers make this proposition, to accept tlie rates of pay proposed for line officers in order that this matter of pay in the Navy may be simplified, but the proposition is entirely contingent upon a similar equalization of rank. The present pay table, which allows staff officers in the junior grades a considerably higher rate of pay than is received by junior line officers of the same grades, was agreed to originally by line and staff officers as a sort of compromise, the staff officers having been induced to accept the higher pay in- lieu of naval rank. Such a disposition does not now exist in the minds of the junior engineer officers (who are about the only ones who will be injuriously affected by the pay table proposed in the Hale bill), and they now wish the rank and consequent official standing in the service to which their education and training entitles them in preference to a gratuity for renouncing their just rights. Section 9 of the proposed bill deals with the matter of retirement of engineer officers, the reason why it is desirable to change existing laws on this subject being fully set forth in memorandum ISTo. 3, submitted to your committee the 10th instant. Section 10 of the bill is the usual clause exemijting retired officers from the operation of any new laws that may be enacted relating to the Navy. Bill submitted by Col. Gommandant Charles Eeywood, A BILL to increase the efficiency of tlie Marine Corps and to equalize tlie grades of officers tlierein. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the active list of line officers of the Marine Corps shall consist of one commandant, with the rank and pay of brigadier- general; two colonels, two lieutenant-col- onels, six majors, twenty-four captains, twenty four first lieutenants, and twenty-four second lieutenants: Provided, That vacancies in all grades of the line, except those of commandant and second lieutenant, shall be filled by promotion by seniority from line officers on the active list of said Corps : And provided further , That the commissions of officers now in the Mrfbine Corps shall not be vacated by this act : And provided further, That officers in the grade of captains, first and second lieu- tenants, shall, after twelve, ten, and four years' service in these respect- ive grades, have the rank and pay of the next higher grade, but nothing in this section shall be construed to increase the total numbpr of line officers on the active list of the Marine Corps: And provided further, That the original vacancies created in the grade of second lieutenant in the Marine Corps by this act shall be filled by selection and appointment, in the manner now required by law, from the classes of the Naval Acad- einy, in equal proportions, as near as may be, from the classes of naval cadets completing their full course of instructions during the first, second, and third years, respectively, after the passage of this act : And provided further. That vacancies in the grade of commandant shall be filled by selection from the officers on the active list of the Marine Corps not below the grade of'fleld officer. Sec. 2. That the officers of the Marine Corps above the grade of cap- tain shall, before being promoted, be subject to such physical, mental, 144 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY STAFF. aud moral examination as is now or may hereafter be prescribed by la-w for other oiflcers of the Marine Corps. Sec. 3. That the adjutant and inspector, paymaster, and quarter- master of the Marine Corps shall, after thirty years' service, ha\o the rank and pay of lieutenant-colonel : Provided, That vacancies occurring in the offices of adjutant and inspector and paymaster shall be filled by the President by selection irom the line officers on the active list of the Marine Corps below the grade of major who have been not less than twenty years in the service: And provided further, That vacancies in the grade of quartermaster shall be filled by promotion, by seniority, from the assintant quartermasters. Sec. 4. That the senior officers of marines of fleets or squadrons shall be denominated "fleet officers of marines" and designated in the same manner as are other fleet officers, and shall, in addition to their duties as commanding officers of the guards of flagships, perform such duties as are or may be prescribed, and the officers designated as "fleet officers of marines" shall, while so serving, have the rank and pay of the grade next above their lineal rank in the Marine Corps: Provided, That such temporary increase of rank and pay shall cease on the relief of such officers from duty as "fleet officers of marines." Sec. 5. That there shall be appointed, in addition to the number now authorized by law, twelve post quartermaster-sergeants. Sec. 6. That the band of the United States Marine Corps shall con- sist of one leader of the baud, who shall receive the pay and emolu- ments of a second lieutenant of marines, and shall be appointed by the colonel commandant of the Marine Corps; one assistant leader, who shall receive seventy-five dollars per month, and the rank and allow- ances of a sergeant-major of marines, and sixty musicians, who shall be enlisted as privates, of whom twenty-five shall be rated as of the first class, and shall receive each sixty dollars per month, and thirty-five shall be rated as of the second cla.ss, and shall receive each fifty dollars per month. The sixty musicians shall receive the alloAvancss of pri- vates of marines in addition to the pay as above. PEESONNEL OE THE NAVY-LINE. TESTIMONY TAKEN BY THE JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE 01' TUB COMMITTEES ON NAVAL AFFAIRS SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, PUnSUANT TO THE FOLLOWING JOINT KESOLUTION JANUARY 13, 1894. Meaolved^hy the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That sub- committees of the Committees on Naval Affairs of the Senate aud of the House of Representatives, to be selected by each of said committees, are hereby di- rected to act Jointly, whose duty it shall be to fully investigate and consider the entire subject of the rank, pay, and all other matters relating to the per- sonnel of the Navy ; to have power to send for persons and papers, sit during the recess, if any, and during the sitting of both Houses, and to report at any time after it convenes as may be convenient to such committees what legislation, if any, is necessary in the premises. WASHINGTON": GOYEKNMENT PRINTING OFFICII. 1894. A. ]i^(.(o CONTENTS. Pas:R Statement of Hon. H. A. Herbert, Secretary of the Navy . . .3-9, 11-25, 98, 99, 251-263 Lieut. Bonj. H. Buckingham (chart) 25 Rear-Admiral John G. Walker 25-37, 73-82, 98, 119-136 Capt. E. L. Phythian 37-48, 105-1C6 Capt. AV. T. Sampson 49-56 Commander R. B. Bradford 67-72 Lieut. F. Singer, Chief Intelligence Oflicer (tables) 83,99,100 Lieut. Commander Seaton .Shvocder S5-90, 100-1C3 Lieut. John C.Colweil !)0-98, 103, 104, 156-171 Lieut. Sidney A. Stanton '. 136-138 Ensign A. L. Key 139-155 Commodore Francis M. Eaui.say 172-191 Lieut. C ommiinder C. C. Todd 192, 193 Mate William .Jenney .'' 193 Gunner William Walsh 194-209 Gunner Frank C. Messenger 209-215 Carpenter E. W. Smith 215-219 Machinist Rush C. Steele 219-231 Ship's Writer Benjamin F. Megie 231-237 Boatswain Henry Hudson 237-241 Apothecary Samuel B. Caldwell 241,242 Apothecary M. T. DeLorme 243,244 Lodewy ok Hoornbeek 244-251 Hon. Adolph Meyer 264-269 Eear-Admiral William G. Temple 279 2 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY-LINE. Naty Dbpaktmbnt, Washington, March 1, 1894. Gentlemen op the Joint Commission : I consider it my duty to bring to the attention of the joint committee of Congress appointed to consider the personnel of the ISTavy the existing state of the list of the line officers on the active list and the urgent necessity of Congres- sional action to avert a condition which, in a short time, will injure the efficiency of the naval service to an extent that will be truly disastrous. This deplorable situation will be recognized by examining the table, annexed to this report, marked "A," from which it is seen that, while in 1894 the age at reaching the grade of rear-admiral is 59J years, this age will increase until, in 1904, it will be 61J, with only six months to serve before retirement; in 1894 the age at reaching the grade of captain is 50 years, Avhich increases till, in 1904, it will be 58^ years; in 1894 the age at reaching the grade of commander is 48 years, Avhich increases till, in 1894, it will be 55^ years. Hence, after ten years from the present time, the senior captain on the active list will, at the age of 60f years (when he will probably be promoted to the grade of commo- dore) have only six years' experience in the command grade, and it will be difficult to supply captains to command the large ships, now building, who have already commanded even a small ship during a previous ordi- nary tour of sea duty. ' While the officers now in the command grade have passed a large portion of their active service in the command grades, the officers now in the lower grades have already passed a large proportion of their active service in the subordinate ranks. For example, the senior cap- tain of the Annual Register of 1894 was in the grade corresponding to ensign one and one-half years, to junior lieutenant one and one-half years, and in the grade of lieutenant one and one-half years, while the senior lieutenant was one and one-fourth in the ensign grade, two and one-fourth in that corresponding to junior lieutenant, and now has served nearly twenty-one years in the lieutenant grade. The last cap- tain on the present list was two and one-half years iu the ensign, two months and a half in the grade corresponding to junior lieutenant, and two and one-fourth years in the lieutenant grade, while the last lieu- tenant on this list was seven and one-half years in the ensign and four and three-fourth years in the junior lieutenant grade. The first junior lieutenant was seven years an ensign and has already four and three- fourth years' service in his present grade, and the first ensign has already nine and one-half years' service in the grade. Such a condition is not only an injustice to the younger officers, but destructive to the zeal and ambition which is the leading spirit of efficiency. The causes 4 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. wlaicli lead to this injurious stagnation are fully detailed in a report of ofticers made to my predecessor, a copy of whicli is herewitli transmitted. The principal causes may be summarized as follows: First. The large number of appointments made during the years 1860 to 1867, inclusive, necessary to supply subordinate officers. Second. The act of 1882, which diminished the total number of line officers, and consequently the numbers in the several grades, largely blocked promotion until the list was so reduced. Third. The small number of oflScers in the flag and command grades in proportion to the number of subordinate officers. Owing to the excessive luimber of appointments from the classes that entered the Naval Academy from 1860 to 1867, these classes now lill the grades of commander, lieutenant-commander, and one-half the grade of lieutenant, and in 1904, allowing for decrease, based upon actuaries' jjercentages of waste, they will fill the grades of rear-admi- ral, commodore, captain, commander, and one-half of that of lieutenant- commander. In such a condition an admiral commanding a fleet could not have greater than seven years more service, and probably would not have greater than three years more sea service, than the first lieu- tenant of his flagship ; and if no change is made in the law in ten years hence, in order to secure the services of an ofBcer with two years yet to serve on the active list, it may be necessary to order a commander to take charge of a fleet. The act of 1882 reduced the line oflScers of the Navy 117 numbers, and this retarded promotions in the lower grades for five years, at the end of which time the reduction had been accomplished by retirements and casualties. The smaller number of officers in the command grades necessarily entails a long time in the siibordinate and a short time in the command grades inversely as their number, and as it would be irrational to equalize these numbers, some means of elimination at the top of the sirbordinate grades must be devised to lengthen the time to be passed in the command rank. This has not been provided Ibr in any previous organization, but without it stagnation is sure to repeat itself after any temporary increase of or elimination from the list to relieve it. Considering the number of officers in the English and French navies, whose organization is most nearly similar to that of our own, and who maintain foreign squadrons in a like manner, I would call to your atten- tion the data presented in the annexed Table B. From that it will be seen that to maintain a corresponding proportion of flag to the total number of officers existing in these navies we should have 30 flag ofti- cers on the English and 21 on the French basis — in the bill submitted 20 flag officers are recommended — likewise we should have 229 captains and commanders on the English and 153 on the French basis, while the bill proposes 160. Captains and commanders are grouped in this com- parison, because they are available as captains of large and small ves- sels, respectively. In the preparation of the bill herewith presented, entitled "A bill to reorganize and increase the efficiency of the personnel of the line of the Navy," I have been governed solely by the desire to fix the numbers in the various grades to conform to the requirements of a naval establishment suited to the demands of the United States, and by the urgent necessity of securing, without increasing the number of officers, an organization which will insure in the future a list of commanding officers trained by experience in command, competent to be intrusted with the direction of any of the ships which may be constructed. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 5 I consider it an absolute and urgent necessity to provide for promo- tions to the command grades so that olBcers may reach these respon- sible positions while yet in their full vigor and sufficiently young to adapt themselves to their new duties aud greater responsibilities, and so that officers trained by the experience of several commands will in the future be available to whom may be safely intrusted the care and direction of the complicated, costly, and powerful vessels now build- ing. Ships can, with the facilities happily developed in this country, be built in comparatively few years, but experience necessary to com- mand them can only be acquired by years of practice. A man of 56 has not passed the age when he is useful to command one of these huge fighting machines, provided he is habituated to the responsibility of command and has gained confidence and self-relianoefromlong experi- ence in command, but should a man at this mature age be given com- mand for the first time, habits of dependence, resulting from long years of obedience to an immediate superior, will have so become his nature that he wiU lack the quickness and nerve to make the rapid decisions absolutely necessary to enable him to direct with advantage a ship, and especially of the modern type. There is no product of human ingenuity more complicated than a modern battle ship, and no officer should be intrusted with the com- mand of such a vessel whose brain and nerves have not been so trained as to enable him to act in an emergency with promptness and decision. The success in battle of such a ship depends almost absolutely upon one man, and it would seem to be folly to expend four or five millions of dollars in building such a vessel at the same time to economize by saving a few thousand dollars in the training of the officers who are to command them. The stagnation in promotion now existing in the 'Na.yj is hardship to officers forced to remain in subordinate positions with small compen- sation for nearly their entire active career, but this disadvantage is an evil small in comparison with the danger to the country resulting from a lack of experienced captains. At present the officers in the captain's grade have had ample expe- rience in command, more than could be attained by any feasible system now possible. The senior captain on the 1st of January had over 24 years in the command grade and the junior 16, having arrived in the command grades at 33 and 32 years of age, respectively, but if the present system be adhered to, in a few years the average age of reach- ing the command grade will be over 55 years, with only 7 years yet to serve on the active list in the grades of commander, captain, commo- dore, and rear- admiral. The absolute danger to the efficiency of the service from such a state of affairs can not be too strongly represented, and to remedy it such reorganization is imperative as wiU give commands now to officers who will be entrusted with the command of our ships of war in the fature. A plan which will effect the desired result without injustice to officers with long and faithful service behind them, and which will not greatly increase expenditures is difficult to devise, and after much study of the subject, taking advantage of the recommendations of my predecessors, the reports on file in the Department, and after consultation with many officers, I have prepared the bill which I have the honor to recommend to your consideration. The methods of attaining the purposes of the bill which have pre- sented themselves to 'me as most favorable are : First — by making . b PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. vacancies by removing a large number now in those grades. Second — by increasing the number in the grades. The first could not be accom- plished without injustice and hardship to a number of meritorious offi- cers whose services during the late war would be illy repaid by harsh treatment now to correct an existing state of affairs for which they are in nowise responsible. The second only by making the upper grades abnormally large. By combining the two, giving at the same time opportunities for voluntary retirement, and retaining as supernumer- aries those who were selected as especially deserving from officers who served in the volunteer service, and inaugurating a system of weeding out which will tend to stimulate the ambition of those advancing in grade, I have decided upon the plan proposed in the bill herewith sub- mitted. Considering this in detail, it is recommended that the number of flag officers be fixed at twenty. Also that the grade of commodore, whi(;h does not exist in other navies, be abolished, and that all flag officers be of the rank of rear-admiral. Tliis number is considered necessary in order to secure a sufficient length of service in that grade which will, if the proposed bill be adopted, be between four or five years, whereas in the near future, under the present system, the average length of serv- ice in the two flag grades combined ^\'ill be only one and one-half years. This number is also necessary to command the five squadrons, the six navy-yards, and to have reliefs for the same and to fill other employments on shore for which officers of high rank are desirable. The proportion of officers of the flag rank, as before stated, and as will be seen by the annexed table, will, under the proposed bill, still be less than that of the English or French navies. This rank is also desirable to assimilate them in grade with officers of foreign service with whom they are in frequent contact. To show that this increase is not dis- proportionate, attention is again called to the proportions of officers in the command grades of the French and English navies which has been determined after long years of experience. The increase of the pay of rear-admiral, of which there are now six, over that of commodore is annually only $1,000. Fleet commanders in our service are obliged to entertain, out of their own jjay, foreign offi- cials, a heavy burden upon them. Under the existing laws commodores in command of squadrons have been given the rank of rear-admiral to enable them to meet foreign flag officers on equal terms ; and for several years past the Department has been obliged largely to thus employ them for want of rear-admirals; it !,s unjust to impose upon them all the burdens of this rank without the corresponding pay. In other navies flag officers have, usually, in addition to their pay, a liberal allowance for table expenses. In the English, for example, a commander in chief on a home station is allowed about $5,300 a year, and on a foreign station about $8,000, for table money, in addition to his pay, and the extra allowances when in command of the principal dockyards varies from $5,000 to $9,000 annually. This recommendation is made upon the consideration that the pres- ent rank and pay of the commodores, especially when in command of squadrons, are not sufficient. This is the only increase of pay to any class of officers recommended in the bill. The increase in the numbers of the grades of captain and commander is solely to make it possible for officers to enter younger and remain in those grades a sufficient length of time to give them the necessary experience in command. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 7 It is recommended that the number of captains be increased from forty-five to sixty, and the commanders from eighty-five to one hun- dred, for the reasons above stated. It is recommended that the promotion of of&cers appointed to the Navy from the volunteer service be continued in regular order as now provided for by law, irrespective of the numbers in the several grades, as provided for by this bill, and that they be not subjected to the invol- untary retirements which will be made annually in order to create vacancies sufficient to prevent further stagnation. This will tempo- rarily increase the numbers in the grades in which they now are, or to which they may be promoted, namely, the grades of captains and com- manders, biit it will not increase the total number of officers of the line, as it is provided that in order to preserve the total number now authorized, their places, as they leave the active list, will be filled by promotion of an additional number of naval cadets to the grade of ensign. The number in the grades in which the volunteer officers serve will consequently be reduced by their gradual removal from the active list, through process of law now in force, to the number proposed as the normal establishment. ' It is also recommended that these volunteer officers may, upon their own application, be placed on the retired list. In six years thirteen of the twenty-four now on the active list will have retired by reason of having reached the age limit, and in ten years there will remain but two on the active list. The privilege of voluntary retirement at any time is recommended for them, as the majority are now men of advanced age, and for the reason that they were selected as esijecially meritorious from the large number of volunteer officers who served during the civil war, and they would therefore seem to be entitled to the special considerations shown them by the proposed bill. Careful calculation shows that in order to assure a flow of promotion to the command grades, so that the existing stagnation will not in a few years be repeated, and to provide for length of service in the higher grades, as shown in the table annexed, there should be not less than sixteen promotions to commander and nineteen to lieutenant commander annually. The average annual waste above the grade of lieutenant is about twelve, so that five more vacancies on an average would have to be made. These have been provided for by ijermitting a limited number of officers in the higher grades, having over thirty years of service on the active list, to retire on their own application, and should an insuf- ficient number apply it is provided that a board offive rear-admirals be convened, who, after examining the records of all officers on the active list in the grades of captain, commander, and lieutenant-commander, shall select the requisite number for retirement. This method of selec- tion seems to present less objection than any yet proposed. The selec- tions are made by a board of officers removed by their rank from per- sonal consideration and by their number from individual prejudice. There is no change in the numbers of the grades, junior to commander, excepting that the number of ensigns is decreased. It is recommended that the board now provided by law for the exam- ination of all officers applying for promotion be given power to recom- mend the retirement of officers whom they deem unfitted for promotion at a rate of pay less than that now provided by law, excepting those whose deficiency arises from bad conduct, who shall, as now xDrovided, be dismissed from the service without pay. 8 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. The law now gives no discretion and the inability to do othei'wrise than promote or drop from the service causes the promotion of some officers who, thongh having performed faithful service are not suitable for promotion to a higher grade. The annexed Table shows the change of numbers and the increase of pay over the existing organization and that proposed, show- ing the immediate effect of the latter and the final effect when the list becomes normal. The immediate effect will be an increase of the annual appropriation for pay of the line of the Navy about $135,000, which will be reduced as the supernumerary volunteer officers retire from the active list to about $82,000. A close estimation of the increase of pay due to the increase of the retired list under the plan proposed shows that the annual appropria- tion would be increased on the average about $66,000. This total increase ($148,000) is a small sum when the benefits aris- ing from this expenditure are considered. I am, sirs, very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. A. Heebeet, Secretary of the N'avy. Table A. — Average age on reaching and average length of service im grades nnder the proposed organization, when in working order, "A," and immediate effect "B," and the state of the list prospective organisation. in the years 1894, 1S99, 1904, and 1909 under the existing Grade. flag Captain Commander Lieutciiant-coiiijoauder - liieutenant Lieutenant, junior grade Ensign A. Proposed organ- ization. enter- ing grade. 57i 52 40^ 30i 25 22 Ser- vice in grade. 4i 5J 4 5i 3 B. Immediate oU'ect. Ago enter- ing grado. 58J 40^ 46 44i 33i 25 22 Ser- Tice in grade. 9 3i 1* 8i Ago entering grado. 1894. 59i 50i 48 45i 36 33 22 1S99. 68i 54} 51i 493 34i 29i 22 1904. 61* 584 65J 51 321 28} 22 ni4 59^ 53i 49i 30i 2Ci 22 Table B. -Comparison of numhers and percentages in the grades of the line of the United States, English, and French navies. Grades. United States. Enf ^l.ind. France. Numbers in TJnitcd States grades if in pro- portion to— Present. Proposed. SS!; Trounce. 16 45 85 74 250 75 183 2-20 6-18 11-68 10-16 34-34 10-30 25-14 20 fiO 100 74. 250 75 141 2-78 8-34 13-89 10-27 34-72 10-42 19-58 67 190 312 419 425 ^ 168 4-23 12 -02 19 -73 26-50 26-88 10-63 45 120 215 ^ 720 479 2-85 7-60 l:i -61 45-01 30-32 30 87 142 5 191 ( 197 77 21 55 98 Lieutenant-couiiiiarulera .. 329 Lieutenants, junior grade. 2l9 0^0(^1 728 100 720 100 1, 581 1 100 1,579 100 720 720 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 9 Table C. — Increase in annual appropriation for pay of line of the Navy active list under existing and proposed organizations. . .^ Num- bers exist- ing. Proposed organization. Grades. Immediate effect, 24 commanders additional. "Wlien normal. Num- bers. In- crease. ■ De- crease. Increase pay. Decrease pay. Num- bers. Increase pay. Decrease pay. Boar -admirals 6 10 45 85 74 250 75 183 20 14 io' $74, 462 20 $74,462 Commodores %i.2, 000 $42, 000 60 124 74 250 75 125 15 39 59,130 121,875 60 100 74 250 75 141 59, 130 46, 875 Commandei'S Lieutenant-command- Ijientenants Lieutenants, junior .■iR 78, 300 1 Total 728 728 68 68 265, 467 135, 167 120, 300 720 180, 467 81,767 98 700 Total increase PERSONNEL OE THE NAVY-LINE. Thursday, March 1, 1894. The joint subcommittee under the foregoing joint resolution met March 1, 1894, in the room of the Committee on Naval Affairs, U. S. Senate, Washington, D. C, there being present Hon. M. C. Butler (chairman), Hon. J. 0. S. Blackburn, and Hon. Eugene Hale of the Senate committee; and Hon. Adolph Meyer, Hon. Hernando D. Money, and Hon. James W. Wadsworth of the House committee. Hon. Hilary A. Herbert, Secretary of the Navy, accompanied by Lieut. Benjamin H. Buckingham, U. S. Navy, appeared before the joint subcommittee and made the following statement: STATEMENT OF HON. HILARY A. HERBERT, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. A large part of the statement had been made before the reporter had reached the room. The statement was taken up as follows : Secretary Heebekt. I have recommended an increase of the cap- tains' list by 15, from 45 to 60 ; an increase of the commanders' list by 15, from 85 to 100. Senator Butler. I understand you to say that you do not increase the captains' pay? Secretary Herbert. The commanders who are promoted to the grade of captain would get the pay of captains. Senator Butler. You do not increase the pay of the grade? Secretary Herbert. No ; the pay of all the grades is left precisely the same as now; the bill does not propose any increase. It is a fact that the pay of all the subordinate officers is very small, and, in my opinion, is in somecases quite insufficient, especially when we consider the length of time they remain in their several grades. Take the case of a young man, Mr. Wood, who was up the other day for promotion, and who had been getting the pay of ensign and serving as such until he was 32 years old. A first-class officer like Mr. Wood ought to have more pay. Notwithstandingtheseinadequacies I have not recommended an increase of pay in any single grade except that all the flag officers are to be rear-admirals for the reasons I have heretofore indicated. Senator Hale. You do not propose to increase the pay of the admirals'? Secretary Herbert. I do propose to increase even their pay. Mr. Meyer. You propose to maintain the grade of lieutenant-com- mander? Secretary Herbert. Yes ; the proposed bill will tend to remedy to some extent the disproportion between the command grades and the 11 12 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. lower grades as compared with foreign services, to wlucli I am about to allude. Senator Butler. Before you leave that point I shoirld like to ask you what is the need of the grade of lieutenant-commander and what is the necessity of the grade of junior-lieutenants Why not promote directly from ensign to lieutenant and from lieutenant to commander? Secretary Herbert. I think it would be well enough to promote an ensign directly to lieutenant, but it would have the effect of increas- ing the pay of quite a large number, and I am very anxious to avoid making any unnecessary increase of pay. Senator Butler. In that connection let me ask, are not the duties of a lieutenant of the junior grade and a lieutenant of the senior grade siibstantially the same ? Secretary Herbert. Very much the same. You could very well abolish the lieutenants of junior grade. Senator Hale. V.'hat was it they were formerly called"? Secretary Herbert. They were formerly called masters. Mr. Money. What is the pay of a lieutenant of the junior grade? Secretary Herbert. For the first five years after commission the pay is $1,800 while on sea duty and $1,500 while on shore duty. Mr. Money. What is the i)ay of a full lieutenant ? Secretary Herbert. The pay of a full lieutenant for the first five years after date of commission is $2,400 a year while at sea and $2,000 while on shore duty. Mr. Monet. Is not that quite a small rate of pay? Secretary Herbert. I think it is. Mr. Money. Then why not increase thepay? Secretary Herbert. I wish to present a bill that can be defended against any charge or suspicion of extravagance. Senator Butler. The point I make is whether or not the abolition of these two intermediate grades, which never have seemed to me to be useful, will increase the effifiency of the service. Secretary Herbert. I do not think it would increase the efficiency of the service, except in this way, that.it would put a lieutenant-com- mander up to the position of a commander; but when I shall have finished the explanation of the bill I think you gentlemen will see that this bill itself will effect the main purpose, which is to reach the com- mand grades early. I have studiously kept out of view the idea of any increase of pay, simply for the reason that in the present condition of the Treasury and in the present state of the public mind I have not thought it advisable to recommend any increase of pay. There is one other remedy suggested in the bill. It proposes to still further advance promotions by making a provision in relation to the volunteer ofBcers of the Navy; but before explaining that will say, I should be very willing, if you gentlemen think you can get a bill through Congress to that effect, to abolish this grade of junior lieutenants, but I think you will have a much better chance of getting a bill through if you do not do this. We all know by experience the difficulties that attend getting any bill through Congress looking to an increase of expenses. If we keep down the expenses we shall be much more likely to get a law to remedy evils which all must admit ought to be cured. My other prop- osition, which I think will tend still further to remedy the evils com- plained of, is to treat as supernumeraries the officers who came into the line from the volunteer service during the late war. Please do not misunderstand that term. These offtcers are still to be kept in the line and promoted, as they are now, and have the same right in every PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 13 respect that they now have to retire at the end of their term, and they are to have the additional privilege of being exempt from the involuntary retirement which it is proposed to apply to a small extent in this bill. Senator Hale. How many of them are there? Secretary Herbert. Twenty-four in all. Senator Hale. Through all grades? Secretary Herbert. They are now in the grade of commander. Ko one of them has yet reached the grade of caj)tain. But they are now rather old. They came in during the war by selection, on account of meritorious service, from a number of volunteers, by special legislation for their benefit. So I think they might reasonably be exempt from some of the harsher features of the proposed bill. They are not there considered as forming any portion of the regular organization. Senator Hale. Are they not interspersed through these different grades and subject to all chances of promotion? Secretary Herbert. They are, and they will continue to be. Senator Hale. Then is it worth while to make any distinction? Secretary Herbert. The only reason for making a distinction is this: If we fix upon the number of commanders and upon the number of captains required in the permanent organization and fill these num- bers with Annapolis graduates, allowing these volunteer oflQcers to keep their places in line but treat their places as being in addition to the regular numbers, then we get 24 jilaces now to be filled and this will tend greatly to relieve the stagnation. Senator Hale. You want to save those 24 places when they go out? Secretary Herbert. Yes; the places they may hold when they go out are not to be filled; that is, their retirement will make so many less commanders or captains as the case may be. They are now in the grade of commander. Bach of them is entitled to promotion regularly when vacancies occur, but by reason of advanced age none of them wiU ever get above the grade of captain. Senator Hale. Suppose no legislation should touch them at all, and that they keep right on; then places will be made for others just the same, will they uot? Secretary Herbert. Yes ; they will make places for others, but it is proposed to treat them now as additional. You see the bill provides for 34 more places in the command grades; that is, 4 more flag officers, 15 more captains, and 15 more commanders. With the 24 more places now occupied by these volunteers I propose to make 58 x)laces, instead of 34. Senator Hale. That is the result of your segregating these volun- teers ? Secretary Herbert. That is the result of segregating the volun- teers and not treating them as part of the regular organization. And yet this bill does not propose to discriminate agaiustthem, but in their favor. Mr. Wadsworth. Would you prefer, Mr. Secretary, to go through with your explanation of your bill before being questioned, or are you willing to be questioned as you go along? Secretary Herbert. 1 am quite willing to be questioned as I go along. Mr. Wadsworth. I believe you propose to increase the number of rear-admirals to 20? Secretary Herbert. Yes. Mr. Wadsworth. What do you think of the proposition to increase 14 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. tbe number of rear-admirals to 12 and increase the number of captains proportionately? Do you not think that would be more practical? Secretary Heebeet. No. Mr. Wadswoeth. Under your proposition would, not the list oi rear-admirals be top-heavy? Secretary Heebeet. I think not. Mr. Wadswoeth. You could give command of the navy-yards to your captains, for instance. Secretary Heebeet. You could do that, if thought preferable. The committee might prefer to make the number 16. Mr. Wadswoeth. I am only asking for information. I am a novice. Senator Hale. Perhaps there would be the objection to this salient feature of the bill that the first thing is to increase the top rank by 14. Secretary Heebeet. The question suggests another reason which I will give and which, to my mind, is conclusive, and that is this: That under the present system an ofificer will run through the grades of commodore and rear-admiral in a year and a half on the average, and some will go through in a shorter time. Senator Hale. Under your proposed bill? Secretary Heebeet. No; under the law as it now exists; and, if the scheme of the Navy stands as it does under the present law, in ten years from this time it may be necessary, in order to get an oflttcer who has two services before him, to go away down and take a commander to com- mand a fleet. That is, in a very short time in the future officers will go through the upper grades so rapidly that, unless you shall have increased the numbers in the flag grades, you will not be able to get commodores or rear-adjnirals with enough term before them to justify you in sending them to sea. You do not want to send out a captain in command of a fleet when other nations have rear-admirals for that pur- pose. No nation has ever adopted any scheme according to which offi- cers were intended to go through the* flag grades and out of service in less than two years. Two years is about the ordinary term of service in command of a fleet, to say nothing of shore duty. Senator Hale. How many officers have you corresponding to rear- admirals in the English navy? Secretary Heebeet. I shall come to that. Mr. Meyer. The fact that an officer in charge of a navy-yard has the rank of admiral does not necessarily give him the experience of an admiral? Secretary Heebeet. No. If you do not, however, have more officers in the upper grades of active service the men in those grades will not , have had sufficient experience to habituate them to the duties apper- taining to those grades; and that is the reason the navies of Prance and England have a large number of those upper grades in proportion to the number they have altogether. Senator Hale. Have you figured out the length of time, under your scheme, required for the service of a rear-admiral as contrasted with what it is now? Secretary Heebeet. I am coming to those figures now, to show what they are, not that we care to be like those nations, but their experience it is fair to conclude has indicated what the proportions ought to be between the numbers of the flag and other grades. To maintain a corresponding proportion of flag officers to the officers existing in those two navies — the English andFrejich — we should have, as is proposed in the bill before you, 30 flag officers, to correspond with the English, and 21 to correspond with the French. And yet this bill PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 16 proposes only 20. We should also have 229 captains and commanders, together, to correspond with the English basis, and 153 to correspond with the French, while the bill proposes only 160. Now, you see how moderate this bill is. The 24 volunteer officers constitute an addition of that number 'temporarily; that is, until they retire; but these 24 are needed now for the purpose of relieving at once the stagnation brought about by the causes to which I have alluded. As they retire the number in these two grades will gradually come down to 160. Senator Hale. How is your comparison made? Do you mean to say that, taking the size of our Navy, if the proportionate grades were maintained as in the English navy the numbers would be as you have given them? Secretary Herbert. Tes. Mr. Meter. Do you mean the number of ships? Secretary Herbert. No; but taking the line of our Navy, as com- pared with the line officers of those navies, if we had flag officers in the line in the same proportion as the English, we should have 30 flag officers, whereas this bill only proposes 20, and the number now is 16. Senator Hale. They must have a very great number of flag officers? Secretary Herbert. They have. If we take those in what is called the command rank, and put the commanders and captains together we should have on the English basis 229 and 153 on the French basis; whereas together we have only 160. Mr. Meyer. Have you any information as to the number of squad- rons employed by the French navy? I presume that, having greater commercial interests in all parts of the globe, probably they have to have a greater number of squadrons in service than we have. Senator Butler. I presume it is optional with the English admiralty as to what the rank of the commanding officer shall be? Secretary Herbert. Tes. I do not really know now how many squadrons they have, but believe 'one or two more than we have. Of course their squadrons are much larger. Senator Hale. You say your scheme only provides for 160 in the command grades? Secretary Herbert. Tes. Senator Hale. That would be more than the French and not any- thing like what the English have? Secretary Herbert. Yes. It is 153 on the French basis, and 229 on the English basis. Senator Hale. And 160 on the new basis? Secretary Herbert. Tes. To go back : It seems tO me that it would be objectionable if we should discriminate in any way against those officers who belonged to the volunteer service during the war. If we should deprive them of rank or pay, or any chances for promotion, or the privilege of voluntary retirement, the bill would be objectionable on that gTound. But this bill deprives them of none of those things. On the contrary, it provides that they are to be exempt from the forced retirement which, to a limited extent, this system proposes to adopt. Senator Hale. Is your bill printed? Secretary Herbert. No; I have not had time to have it printed. That can be done at the Navy Department, or the committee can have it printed. Senator Hale. We can print it at any time. Secretary Herbert. Let me say, further, that this increase of these different grades will relieve very greatly, but by itself it will not be Bufflcient. As Mr. Money intimated a moment ago, we do not want to 16 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. take ii]i this question again soon. If possible we should put the line of the Navy on a permanent basis by this bill. It provides that there shall be a given number of vacancies during each year, say 19 above and including the grade of lieutenant-commander. The natural waste from deaths, dismissals, retirements, etc., supplies most of these. A small number of additional vacancies must be secured. There were only two methods of securing the purposes of the bill that appeared to me to be worthy of especial consideration. One was the principle of promotion by selection, the other was the principle of selection for dropping. It seemed to me, after a great deal of consideration, that it would be better to select what we are in the habit of calling the " deadwood," the worst officers of the Navy, and drop them to a limited extent, allow- ing in aid of this also to a limited extent the privilege of voluntary retirement. To a proper understanding of the principle the particular number does not matter; but I think the number in the bill is four in the grade of commander, and three in the grade of captain, that will probably have to be retired voluntarily or involuntarily in addition to the ordinary waste under existing laws. The bill does specify i)artic- ularly the manner in which these forced retii'ements are to effected. It is only indicated in a general way and the details are left to be pre- scribed by regulations. The selection of those to be dropped would be made in this manner: Establish a board of Ave rear-admirals. OflBcers of that rank are supposed to be beyond the reach of prejudice and partiality. They are to meet after the first of June of each year. If the voluntary retirements which are provided for are not sufficient, this board is to meet and select for involuntary retirement the requi- site number. It is probable that when the privilege of voluntary retire- ment to the extent needed is granted, the oiHcers to avail themselves of the privilege will be the very men who would bo selected by the board. Knowing_of their record and staiidiug in the Navy they would probably think it better to voluntarily retire and save themselves from the invidi- ous distinction of having been selected for that by the board. But in case there are not enough voluntary retirements, then this board would meet and select, say, in this manner : The board would have before it all the reports now made by tlie commanding officers of ships, and other data, which will enable them to make proper decisions. Just about the time I came into office a new method of keeping the records of officers was adopted, for which I claim no credit, because it was devised by Secretary Tracy and put into the regulations, and there- fore I can speak of it as very admirable. That was to require conduct reports from commanding officers of ships to be made in great detail. These reports now undertake very largely to grade the officers accord- ing to merit, and every unfavorable report is, before it is forwarded, submitted to the officer complained of for comment and explanation. These reports come in from the ships semiyearly, and are placed on file. When the board of admirals meets aU these returns will be placed before that board. In addition to that, as that system has not been going on long enough to get complete returns for any great length of time, it will probably be well to adopt this method of sending out inquiries from the Department to each officer, say, in the grade of captaiu, asking his opinion of each officer in the grade of commander. Those in the grades immediately above will be best acquainted with those men next imme- diately below, and in this manner we will get something like a consen- sus of opinion as to the value of different officers. From those reports, PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 17 thus made now according to law, and from the answers of tliese officers this board of admirals would have before it information that would enable it to act properly in selecting for dropping the few men that it would be necessary to choose. Senator Hale. To what grades would you make that apply? Secretary Hbbbekt. To captains, commanders, and lieutenant-com- manders. Mr. Wadswoeth. Would you have the senior lieutenants criticise the junior lieutenants, and would you have the junior lieutenants crit- icise the ensigns? Secretary Hbkbert. That would be the practice. Something like that is the practice in the German navy. I have had, of course, the advantage of conferring with officers who know a great deal more about these matters than I do, for instance, with Capt. Buckingham, whom I have brought along with me, and who has had very great experience. He was a naval attach^ abroad for years, and is acquainted with the systems in Germany, France, and England; and it may be that when I get through, you would like to ask him some questions. I should like to have you do so, for I have freely consulted him and a number of other officers. Senator Hale. I see that this idea involves a most delicate duty on the part of these officers. This board of rear-admirals, for instance, if there were four only to be dropped would have practically to go through the whole of the 100 men in order to find out all about these four, and about their efficiency, before they select which of the four shall be dropped and which shall be taken. Tou realize, of course, that it would be a delicate and difficult task. Secretary Hbkbeet. I realize it, but we shall have to choose between something like that and the ordinary method of selecting for promo- tion. The apparent practicability of getting at the consensus of pub- lic opinion among line officers, more than any other one consideration, inclined me to the method of dropping. I believe that method can be fairly administered. Public opinion exists in the lifavy as it does in any other body — as it does in the House of Representatives, or in the Senate, or in a town — and public opinion generally gives a man the status and character which, when yon fairly get at it, he deserves. If you had the opinion of all these officers as to the merits of the offi- cers of the lower grades, to the effect that A B, D, and E F, are the poorest men in their grades, that opinion would be valuable. A fair board, having before it all these opinions, together with the offi- cial records of all officers, including the semiannual reports of com- manders of vessels, would not be apt to err in its selections. Mr. Wadswoeth. I doubt the wisdom of carrying that principle below the commanding officers of ships. I fear it would open a big door for trouble. I simply offer that as a suggestion. Secretary Hbebeet. The dropping is only to be from the grades ot captain, commander, and lieutenant-commander, and therefore the inquiries would only be as to these. Another provision in the bill should be explained. I have long thought that the present system of examination for promotion might be in itself utilized for ridding the Navy of the " dead wood." The law already provides that promotions can only be made after candidates have stood the test of rigid exami- nations. Such as fail to pass are to be dropped without pay. But it is found that in practice it is a very difficult matter to get boards to recommend officers to be dropped. When an officer has been educabed for the Navy, and has been serv- 18 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. ing for twenty-flve or thirty years and'more, it is a diificult matter to get a board to say that lie is not fit for promotion, is not lit to be entrusted witli the command of a ship on any expedition tliat is haz- ardous, for they dislilie very much to turn him out in the world witii- out a cent to live on, when he is probably unfitted for any other occu- pation. So this bill provides that in a case of that kind, where an applicant for jiromotion is deficient in professional qualifications or in officer-like qualities, and when that unfitness is not the result of his own misconduct, he may be retired uj)on half pay, which is not as much as he gets under the retirement law as it is at present. A man would not starve upon half pay; he would have something, and boards of exam- ination would enforce such a provision rigidly. On the other hand the knowledge that these rigid tests would be rigidly enforced would throughout the whole Navy be a great incentive to diligence and good conduct. Senator Blackbukn. Your idea is that the board would be more apt to make proper selections for dropping if the offlcers dropped were left on half pay. Secretary Hekbekt. The board would be more apt to do its duty in such cases; its action would not seem so heartless. Within the past year there have been a couple of officers in the Navy dismissed, when they made applications for retirement, because they were held to be unfit for ])romotion, owing to causes arising from their own miscon- duct, and those men were dismissed without any pay at all. Tliis bill proposes to leave that law still in operation, so that when a man is unfit for promotion by reason of his own vicious habits and misconduct he is to get no pay. But this new provision of the bill authorizes this board to retire an officer, when found not to be eligible for promotion, and for causes not arising from his own misconduct, upon half jiay. Mr. Money. That strikes me as a very good feature. It seems to me tliat it would be money well invested to take care of half a dozen incompetents rather than to allow meritorious officers to be retired without pay. Secretary Herbert. I shall be glad to answer any further inquiries now, and also to furnish any information hereafter from the files of the Department. I will also, if I shall find after having them revised that any mistakes have been made in calculations, furnish you with the correct figures. Senator Butler. The retired list, as we all know, is what might be called the hete noir of some members of Congress. "We all remember how our friend, the late Senator from Texas (Mr. Eeagan), made an annual assault iipon it in the Senate; and every year I notice that some gentlemen in the House devote themselves to it. Now, Mr. Sec- retary, you, of course, have had a great deal of experience. Have you made any calculation or estimate of the extent of increase of the retired list under your proposed biU ? Secretary Herbert. Yes, I have had calculations made as to every- thing in connection with it. These calculations were made by naval officers upon whom I rely. The immediate effect of this bill, to take it all together, will be an increase in the annual appropriation for the Navy of about $135,000, which will be reduced, as the supernumerary officers retire from the active list, to about $82,000. Senator Hale. That is, for service pay? Secretary Herbert. Yes; that is a close estimate. The enlarge- ment of the retired list will make an increase of about $66,000, making a total increase of about $148,000 annuallv. That will enable us to get PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 19 competent officers who will attain proper rank within a reasonable time, allowing them to serve in their several grades long enough to justify the Government in sending them abroad on independent service. Senator Blackbuen. As I understand from you, under the present system a flag officer's term of service is two years or less? Secretary Hbebebt. The term of service as it is now! Senator Blackbukn. Yes. Secretary Hbeeert. Yes; the average now is about two years. Senator Blackbuen. What I want to ask you is how much, uuder your proposed bill, would that sea service in the flag grade be increased 1 Secretary Heebeet. Between four and five years. It gives longer service in each grade. Senator Blackbuen. I think that is one of the best features in the bill. Secretary Heebeet. The average grade of service, in ten years from now, if the bill is passed, would be long enough to send the offtcer abroad on a cruise, and you would not have to be changing your flag- officer every six or nine months, as you must, after a time, do if the present system is not changed. Senator Hale. Do you think this bill of yours will be generally acceptable to the officers of the Navy; or, has your investigation of the subject disclosed to you the fact that nearly everybody has a scheme of his own? Secretary Heebeet. It is true every mau has a scheme of his own, but I have talked with a great many officers about this, and I think it would be as generally acceptable as any bill that is likely to pass. I have been very careful to try not to do any Injustice to anybody. There are some officers who feel that under any system of elimination they would go, and Avho feel that, according to the sentiment of their comrades in the service, they ought to go. Such men are opposed to any bill of this character. Senator Blackbuen. The sooner we get rid of such officers the bet- ter. Secretary Heebeet. Such officers know that if there is to be no change they will float along until they can retire with big pay instead of being retired by the way on smaller pay. But, on the whole, I think this bill will be as acceptable to the line as any bill that is likely to go through. I might say that all officers believe we ought to have an increase of pay for some grades, especially for the men who have served so long. I think myself in some cases that would be right, but at the same time 1 doubt if a bill of that kind would go through. I feel that if we can pass this bill we shall render a great service to the Navy, enabling promotions to be made at such a gradual and moderate rate as will give the officers the experience in the several grades that they ought to have. Senator Blackbuen. The salient features of your proposed bill induce the conclusion in my mind that it wiU prove generally accept- able to the line. But what about this irrepressible fight between the line and staff ? Senator Hale. What will the staff officers say? Mr. Mbyee. Each grade has, or imagines it has, some grievance or difficulty which should be removed if possible. Senator Hale. Will there not be a general organization of the staff corps to oppose this bill ? Secretary Heebeet. I think not. Senator Hale, Suppose we report this bill, or something like it, and 20 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. suppose we do not go into the question of the contest between the staff and the line, but deal with what we think is a great evil, to remove this congested condition of the lower ranks. Will the staff corps of the Navy be satisfied with that? Will they not say that we have been deal- ing with the question as if there were nothing in the Navy but the line? Will there not be the same grievance in the minds of the engineers who think something ought to be done for them in the matter of their pay? Will they not say that we have given them the go-by, that we have not even asked them to appear before us to give them a chance to be heard ? As a practical question, is there not some danger of that? Secretary Herbert. No doubt there wiU be some feeling of that kind, and yet, I think, upon reflection these gentlemen of the staff corps will say that it is better that this bill should pass in order to remedy the evils complained of by the line, and then they may have a chance afterwards to have questions affecting them considered, perhaps, at the next session. Mr. Money. It will not preclude them from that? Secretary Herbert. It will not. Mr. Wadsworth. What are the complaints of the staff'? Secretary Herbert. Let me finish that thought. Mr. Wadsworth. I beg your pardon. Secretary Herbert. This will be, or ought to be, an encouragement to the staff' to think that they will have fair consideration hereafter. I think it will have that eff'ect. Mr. Meyer. I think the view you express ought to be the view of the staff corps ; but, from limited observation on my part of their feel- ings and tendencies — even when the proposition to organize this joint committee was first made — I am inclined to think that unless some con- sideration be shown them they will make some movement to antagonize this bill. Senator Butler. I make the suggestion that we are not limited to this one bill. Secretary Herbert. There ought to be some legislation in other directions; but would it not be better to attempt but one thing at a time? Mr. Money. I want to ask a question about an administrative mat- ter that may be connected with this proposed bill. As a matter of fact, are these junior officers often put in independent and separate commands so as to develop their qualifications? Secretary Herbert. They are; for instance, we put a younger offi- cer in command of a torpedo boat. Senator Hale. What is the lowest staff rank of any officer now in command of a naval vessel, including the smaller vessels that have been built in the last few years? Secretary Herbert. Excluding torjjedo boats? Senator Hale. Yes. Secretary Herbert. Lieut. Buckingham, who is now 46 years old, is in command of the Dolphin. Senator Hale. That is special service? Secretary Herbert. Yes. Senator Butler. I should like to get your opinion, Mr. Secretary, if you have the information upon which to base an opinion, in regard to the line; and if you can not answer it, perhaps Mr. Buckingham can. Do you think it would be practicable in our naval service to pro- vide by law for, say, an ensign serving in that rank for seven years; and then, under some system of examination or otherwise, promote him PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 21 to the rank of lieviteuaut to serve in that grade, say, scneii years — I merely meatiou that number of years by way of illustration — and after serving in the rank of lieutenant for seven years (or whatever number of years may be determined upon) promote him to the rank of com- mander; and so on upward until you get him up to the rank of cap tain; there, I believe, you have the right of selection for promotion to com- modores and rear-admirals. If you have not the information I should like Mr. Buckingham to answer that, because he has been abroad a good deal, and has had much experience and observation with reference to foreign navies. Is not that the system in the British service? Secretary Herbert. No; it is not. As I understand it— and Mr. Buckingham will correct me if I am in error — in the British service they have a given number of officers in each grade, who are promoted by selection. The admiralty selects and promotes. For instance, if a commander does not get a ship in seven years he is dropped, and never gets up at all. Then they select from lieutenants to go up to com- manders, and from commanders up to captains. Lieut. Buckingham. There is no selection after the grade of captain. Senator Bittlbe. Up to that grade they have the principle of selec- tion for promotion 1 Lieut. Bucking-ham. Yes. Senator Blackburn. The right of selection up to and including the grade of captain makes it reasonably safe to allow promotion to follow its own course after that time, because no man gets to be caj)tain who has not passed the ordeal of selection. Mr. Monet. But it seems to me they select at the wrong end of the line. Senator Blackburn. That is about it. Senator Butler. Does not that system in the British service result in putting younger men in command of ships'? Secretary Herbert. Yes. Senator Butler. I mean younger men than secure such commands in this country. Secretary Herbert. Yes. I have examined that question with considerable care. During the naval review I talked with Admiral Hopkins, who was commanding the English ships here at the review. I asked him about that, and he told me the admiralty selected for promotion to commander and captain. He told me another thing that astonished me very much : He said that there was very little polit- ical influence brought to bear upon the admiralty in this matter of selection. The English board of admiralty consists of live lords of the admiralty. In the first place, they drop men from the navy when they fail to secure commands within a given time, Seven years, I believe; and, in the next place, they select those whom they desire to command ships. Senator Butler. Are they the sole judges'? Secretary Herbert. They are the judges. Admiral Hopkins told me that a member of Parliament would consider it an indecent thing to ask for the promotion of his friend. That is public sentiment over there. He served five years as a lord of the admiralty, and during that five years he said that the only extent to which political influence was exerted was simply to write a note asking the board to consider the claims of a friend. Senator Butler. What becomes of those officers? Secretary Herbert. They are dropped on retired pay. Senator Butler. Not dropped entirely? 22 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. Secretary Herbert. No. Senator Blackburn. What is their retired pay as compared with ours — threefonrtiis, as we have it? Lieut. Buckingham. When lieutenants go out they are dropped on half pay of commanders. When an officer is not promoted before retiring age he retires on half pay of the grade next above. As a matter of fact, when they see that they are not to be promoted, they retire much before that. So that, as a matter of fact, those who would get into the commander grade retire, on the average, at about the age of 33 or 34. Three years ago, unless a man were full captain by the time he was 39 he would never be promoted to the grade of admiral. Senator Hale. That age feature is what enables their promotions to go on. Secretary Herbert. One reason that has decided me against this method of selection for promotion is that, according to our system, it is not thought improper for a Member of the House or a Senator to speak a good word for the promotion of a friend. I did not think it improper when I was a member of the House, and you gentlemen do not. Tliat is our system. We think that way. If we have the system of pro- motion by selection it will depend very largely on political iniluence. Therefore I think we ought to avoid it, and I think you will all agree with me on that. You can have no assurance that you will get good officers if political influence is brought to bear in the matter of pro- motions. Mr. Money. What is the earliest age at which a man is apt to attain to an independent command where he has to take the responsibility and initiative in everything without consulting anybody? Secretary Herbert. Do yon mean under the proposed bill? Mr. Money. No; under the present system. Secretary Herbert. At present there is no complaint from officers of the higher grades who have had commands and who will be able to retire in the next two years; l)ut when you get down to lieutenants, practically none of them have had any command, and lieutenants are now as old as 47. Before long, if the present law remains, lieutenants will not be promoted until the.v are about 50. Mr. Money. Here is the case of Mr. Buckingham. Lieut. BuOKiNGrHAM. He is the only one that has a command of a naval vessel except one lieutenant commanding a torpedo boat. Mr. Money. What is your service? Lieut. Buckingham. I have been twenty years a lieutenant. Mr. Money. Does not that system carry an officer beyond that age of enterprise and activity to the period when he no longer cares much for ambition, for promotion, and honor; when he has gone over the hill and is traveling down, and when he wants his comfort, and ease, and rest? Senator Butler. I understood you to say, Mr. Secretary, that unless a man had a command in the British service at 42 years of age he never got to be a rear-admiral? Is not that a fact? Secretary Herbert. Yes. He never gets to be a rear-admiral unless he is a captain at 42. Senator Butler. Then it seems that that term of service, if I may use it, does apply to the British service. Secretary Herbert. It does apply to the British service, but only in a qualified manner. I understand you to allude to your question as to the promotion of aU olficers after a given service in a grade. The British do not promote from one grade to another after a given time, PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 23 but they drop from the service after a given time if certain conditions have not been complied with. One controlling objection to the mode you suggest is that the numbers in the several grades would be con- tinually shifting. The numbers in the flag grades and in the command gTades would depend not on the needs of the service but on the size of the classes that had graduated at the Academy thirty or forty years before. You would also find, if you establish that system now, that for years to come the numbers in the upper grades would be constantly increasing, and this would be expensive and undesirable. The bill pro- vides that at no time shall more than 35 go from the Academy into the line. This is intended to prevent in the distant future gluts like that now complained of. Senator Hale. That is a large number. Secretary Herbert. It is ; and you may want to lower the number. Mr. Wadswokth. What will be the average number of annual grad- uates? Secretary Herbert. In the future it will be something like 50 ; I can not tell exactly. Senator Hale. What is the average number who go into the Navy from the classes? Secretary Herbert. About 20. There were 21 vacancies in the line last year, I believe. Mr. Wadsworth. Do the remainder go into the staff? Secretary Herbert. Some go into the Engineer Corps, and some go into the Marine Corps; but there were 21 ensigns last year. If the committee do not wish to ask me any further questions I should like to have Lieut. Buckingham explain to you particularly a diagram which very graphically shows the condition of things, and which I should think it would be well to have appended to this testimony. Lieut. Buckingham. This diagram was prepared by taking the list of officers from the Navy Register of 1892, placing them in a vertical column on the left, then allowing the spaces running across the paper to represent time. The curves show the year they reached a grade and consequently the spaces between the curves represent the time spent in the grades. The table goes back twenty-five years and forward to 1915. To obtain the data for the curves showing the prospective promo- tion, the number of retirements for each year were stricken off, and then every thirty-fourth man representing casualties of a little less than 3 per cent, which had been calculated as right. This was done for every year from 1891 to 1915 — and I think there can be no error — and a large number of officers who have examined the chart with me concurred in its accuracy. I will prepare it in a smoother form for the use of the committee. Mr. Meter. Mr. Secretary, have you given any thought to the sub- ject of the condition of the enlisted men of the Navy and what might be done in that connection? There seems to be a popular impression that our Navy does not afford the proper opportunity for enlisted men to rise, no matter how mucb merit they may possess; and there seems also to be an idea that where enlisted men are specially meritorious, and have the qualifications, some opportunity should be given to them for promotion to be commissioned officers. Secretary Herbert. Yes, I have considered that question a good deal. There was a law passed some years ago providing that a certain number of the best of the boys who had been at the training school should be allowed to go as cadets to the Naval Academy and be edu- cated there. There are some officers in the Navy who have come in 24 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. lutliat way, and they are good officers. But the law was repealed. It had a very bad effect upou the training school. Many bright boys who M'anted to go into the Naval Academy went into the training school with the hope of getting to be cadets. "Many were called, but few were chosen," and those who were not chosen immediately set to work to use political influence to get out, and if they could not get out by the use of political influence brought to bear upon the Secretary they deserted. That system was so demoralizing to the training school that the law was repealed. Now, when you speak of promoting from the enhsted men directly to be officers I do not think it is practicable, because our Naval officers are the best educated corps of officers in the world. The modern Navy requires men of culture and scientific attainments, and for men to be promoted to the corps of officers from the ranks would not have a very good effect. You must recollect that those men now get positioQS of gunners, boatswains, carpenters, and sailmakers. These are warrant officers with a high rate of pay; sometimes the pay runs up to $1,800 a year. The petty officers and the warrant officers are taken principally from the boys who go through the training school, but not entirely. If an enlisted man, coming fi-om where he may, shows himself entitled to promotion, he will get it; he is made a petty officer, and afterwards may obtain a warrant, and such a place is very desira- ble. I am very much inclined to think that you can not have any sys- tem of promoting enlisted men to officers directly that will work well, at least in time of peace. It might be possible that a law providing for promotion for efficiency and great gallantry in time of war would have a good effect. But in time of peace we must decide upon the efficiency of officers in very large part from their education and general fitness. Mr. Meyer. Assuming the rather improbable, but to my mind pos- sible, condition that a man who has been long enough an enlisted man should by great diligtuce and superior intelligence qualify himself to pass an examination, such as is required of graduates of the Naval Academy, could not some plan be devised by means of which such a man could obtain an officer's commission in the U. S. Navy? Senator Butler. I think the difficulty would be that alter he should have equipped himself for that examination he would be too old for the lower ranks. Mr. Meyer. Toung men at the Academy can prepare themselves by the time they are 21 or 22. Senator Hale. They do nothing else but study at the Academy. Secretary Herbert. One of the objections that occurs to me would be that enlisted men, who had gone through an examination by gradu- ates of the Naval Academy, and had failed to pass, would come to Congress and say that they had not had a fair examination at the hands of Naval Academy graduates, and that they ought to be exam- ined by some of their own class. Senator Blackburn. Of course, Mr. Secretary, we can not speak in detail of your proposed bill until after a careful examination; but from the ground you have gone over this morning I am satisfied that you have offered a very wise and conservative bill, and that the salient features of it, if adopted, will tend to the very great improvement of the naval establishment. Secretary Herbert. I shall be very glad, indeed, if it should meet with the approval of the committee. Of course you may improve the bill yourselves. 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"■■■ / 1 1 j — ' ^ / ^< 1 ^ _ - k- - _ _ - — z _ _ sz 1 _ _ _ ^^ -J _ Zl [i 1 NAVAL CADET. . 1 . , ] . - - _i 1 i~ vC _j _ ~ _ _ — _^ 1 ' _ _ 1 1 4 1/ ~:\,/S?S?'^i/lT~N"i i l/N /I 1 '^ ^ -J 1 1, ^^ ^ ^ ^ . ; "v 7 V 7 \ 7 S ^ \ / V +-h" T " . 1 y \/ 1 \ / S 7 S /> \.f \ f > """S^SiS"^ / >' y diip J / r- _j {Z 1 _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ r _ _ Z] _^ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ „ _ ■M _ ^ _ ^ ^ ^ ^_ ^ _ „ _ _ 1 \ ' 1 1 1 _^ _ _ _ _ ^^ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -\ _ _ _ ^^ B. ^ i "* , — 1 _^ _i _ _ ^ _ —1 ^ -J .J ■H m ^ ^ _ ^ ^ ^ [^ ^ _ ^. _ _, If John M. Orchard John N.Jordan Augustus F. Fecbteler. . . Thomas M. Brumby Edward E.Wright A I bert Gleaves Jamen P.Parker jBen W.Hodges j Herbert 0. Dunn ! George W. Denfleld Albert W. Grant Pbilllp V.Lansdale Horace W. Harrison Valentine S. Nelson William S. Benson William V. Bronaogh Fr.ank M. Bostwick James H. Oliver Nicholas J. L. T. Halpine Harry M. Dombaugh Alfred!,. Hall Percival J. Werlich Simon Cook Thomas S. Rodgers John G. Quinby James H. Glennon William R. Rush Harr.v S. Knapp William L. Rodgers Roy Campbell Smith Albert N.Wood Edward Lloyd, .jr Harry MoL. P. Huse Richard M. Hughes Charles N. Atwater John H. L. Holcombe .... William L. Burdiok Harry Kimmell George RCIark George H, Stafford 1 Allon G. Rogers 1 William P. White JohnH. Shipley John E.Craven.......... James H. Hetherington.. John J. Xnann e.s Ha j HenryS. Chase I Leroy M. Garrett 1 Charles C. Marsh i JohnB.Bliah ] Charles W. Jungan Charles H.Harlow ! William A.Gill Thomas W.Ryan Charles S. Ripley Walter J.Sears ! John Gibson "5 < c i John A. Dougherty i Daniel P. Menefee j JohnH.Gibbons 1 Thomas Snowden j Edwin H.Tillman i Robert F. Lopes ; Frank W. Kellogg 1 John L.Purcell j Reuben 0. Bitlor ! Herman G. Dresel ■inilift^Sliifeiij^iilUIji THE NilHrtlR FPTEiJS CO . PHDTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTnN. O. C. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 25 Senator Butler. Mr. Buckingham, could you, without too mu(;h trouble, make a diagram on the scheme of this bill, showing the length of service in the command rank? Lieut. Buckingham. I have such a one here. It was prepared by a number of officers now on duty at the navy-yard and shows the effect of the proposed reorganization after it is in normal working order. It can also be prepared for printing if so ordered. Senator Butler. What effect will your bill have, Mr. Secretary, upon the number who will apply for retirement? Secretary Herbert. The number who will apply for retirement will be limited under the bill. We do not want to open the door so wide as to deprive ourselves of the best officers in the S"avy. Senator Hale. Do you think there will be much danger of that? Secretary Herbert. I do not know about that. I did not speak about Secretary Tracy's scheme. He saw this same difficulty that we all see and have been talking about this morning, and he drafted a bill which you will probably consider. Senator Hale. That bill is printed. Secretary Herbert. I want to . give you some of the reasons why I think his plan was not a good one. One provision of it was that offi- cers whose record during the civil war was honorable might retire, if desired, within three months after the passage of the act, with the rank of the grade next above their grade at the time of their application. Some commodores, for instance, will never become rear-admirals at all, and they would say "We will retire, and somebody else will come in; " and so they will pass out one after the other. So I think that would be an objection. Secretary Tracy saw the same difficulty that I have seen about the pay of these admirals, and about promoting commodores to be rear-admirals, and rear-admirals to be vice-admirals. I do not think his scheme as good as mine, for the reason that mine does not make any officer's pay as high as that of a vice-admiral, and I propose twenty of them, which will give a man longer service in that grade and more experience to an officer before he goes out. The subcommittee adjourned to 10 o'clock a. m. of Saturday, March 3, 1894. Saturday, March 3, 1894. The subcommittee met pursuant to adjournment. Present, all the members. Bear- Admiral John G. Walker, Capt. E. L. Phythian, Gapt. W. T. Sampson, and Commander E. B. Bradford, U. S. Navy, were also present. STATEMENT OF REAE-ADMIRAL JOHH G. WALKER. Senator Butler. Admiral Walker, you may proceed in your own way to give your ideas generally as to the reorganization of the line personnel of the Navy. Admiral Walker. The line officers of the Navy are, under the present system, all much too old for the positions they hold; that is, we have ensigns who are 33 or 34 years old, lieutenants who are 45; and they can not reach command rank until they are so old'that their habits of Ufe are formed. They have been all their lives subordinate officers, 26 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. doing as they were told, without any independent responsibility; the habit of their lives has been to lean upon others, and they lack inde- pendence and nerve and snap when responsibility falls upon them. Senator Butler. They lack self-reliance'? Admiral Walkee. Yes, they lack self-reliance; the leopard can not change his spots even if he gets a new commission. The object of the reorganization of the personnel of the Navy should be to endeavor to get into command rank the men who are to command and fight our ships, in case of war, while they are young enough to form the habit of command. Senator Hale. How long has this condition that you describe existed in the Navy? Admiral Walker. It has been growing up ever since the war. Senator Hale. Do you see anything in the scheme of eliminating certain elements that will relieve this difficulty after ten years or so? Admiral Walker. The only way I can see to relieve it is to devise some system of getting rid of people. Senator Hale. Something more done than is now allowed to be done? Admiral Walker. Yes. Senator Hale. The difliculty can not be relieved under the present system ? Admiral Walker. Never ; it will only grow worse. Mr. Monet. It is a vice that is inherent in the system? Admiral Walker. Yes. Mr. Meyer. What is the ordinary percentage of waste in the Navy? Admiral Walker. I can not say exactly what the figures are. I have had nothing to do with the figures. I had not seen the Secre- tary's proposed bill until it was handed to me last evening by Mr. Buck- ingham, and I can not speak as to the percentages. Mr. JVToNBY. In the administration of the Navy do yoa know of any plan by which a younger ofQcer could be put upon his own resources in some independent, detached command, for instance, sent off in charge of a ship somewhere on a short cruise? Admiral WALKER. I do not know how that can be managed; we are always short of money for everything. Mr. Money. Suppose you had the money? Admiral Walker. You can not do it then. The military organiza- tions stand practically the same the world over. Senator Butler. Be kind enough to give your own views as to how this difficulty may be removed, if you have formulated anything of the kind in your own mind. Admiral Walker. This subject has been studied very carefully abroad. Take, for instance, the English service, where their life depends upon their navy ; there they prevent this state of affairs, in the first place, by the selection of officers for promotion; and again, by a system of retirement according to the rank of the officer, a lieutenant, for instance, retiring at a much younger age than a captain. They also retire officers because they have not seen sufficient service to qualify them for promotion, or because they have not been employed for a certain number of years. Those are severe measures, but they all combine for the general good. Senator Hale. Are they matters of regulation or of statute? Admiral Walker. They are matters of law. Mr. Meyer. Would a system of that kind meet the wishes and approval, in your judgment, of the line officers of the Navy? Admiral Walker. No, sir. PEKSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. 27 Mr. Metbk. Would it not have the efitect of increasiug the retired list? Admiral Walker. Yes; it would increase the retired list. It would meet with the opposition of a large portion of the Navy, because every officer afraid of the result in his own case would oppose it. Senator Hale. Is there any good reason why a practice which has worked well in the British navy would not work well in ours? Admiral Walker. No, sir. Senator Hale. When you say it would not be approved by the Navy you do not mean to say you do not approve of if? Admiral Walker. I do not mean to say I do not approve it; and I do not mean to say that it would not be approved by many officers, but the mBiiority of the officers of the Navy would be against it. Senator Butler. The principle of selection for promotion you mean? Admiral Walker. Tes; the principle of selection for promotion and of forced retirement at different ages for different grades. In fact any system that would really do good would be largely opposed because it would hurt individuals. Senator Hale. Some would have to go out? Admiral WAlker. Some would ,have to be hurt. Senator Hale. The feature of retiring at a certain age has no prin- ciple of favoritism in if? Admiral Walker. No. Senator Hale. That is just as impartial as anything can be, is it not? Admiral Walker. Yes; of course that would apply equally to all. Mr. Meter. In your judgment would that opposition not come from officers who might be less diligent in the study of their profession and less progressive than others, while those officers who were able to main- tain the energy and perseverance to fally acquaint themselves with all the duties of their profession would probably be in favor of it? . Admiral Walker. They would be more likely to favor it. Mr. Meter. You think the opposition would be more likely to come from officers who felt that they could not meet every requirement of the service? Admiral Walker. Yes; it would be opposed by the men who feel that they can never be promoted under it, and it would be opposed by the men who feel doubtful, and by men who would feel a little afraid of it. Mr. Meter. What method of selection would you suggest for pro- motion? Admiral Walker. I would have the selections made by a board of naval officers. Mr. Meter. That is the English method, is it not? Admiral Walker. No; there the matter is in the hands of the admi- ralty; though that is practically in the hands of naval officers. I would not select in that way, however, I would select by a board appointed for the purpose, who should be sworn to select the best men in all respects for service in the different grades. Mr. Monet. Would not that principle (selecting to retire) work equally well for retirement? Admiral Walker. I think not; though it would be a great deal better than our present system. I would begin at the bottom of the list, with the ensigns, with a percentage of selection, and increase that percentage of selection in each grade as I went up until the rank of captain is reached; but every captain who is promoted should be promoted by selection. 28 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Senator Hale. For instance, suppose there are 6(1 ensigns; lio-w ■n'ould you manage promotions to junior lieutenants? Admiral Waxkee. I would promote a certain number (say 8) by seniority, and the ninth man should be selected. I would have a small percentage in the lower grades and increase the percentage going up until reaching the rank of commander, when, perhaps, every third man should be promoted by selection ; but that would be a matter to be settled after careful consideration of the bDl. Senator Hale. And the others would remain? Admiral Walicee. They would remain where they were. Mr. Wadswoeth. Would not politics creep into this plan? Admiral Walker. I should put it into the hands of a board of Naval officers who should be sworn, as a court-martial is for other pur- poses, to select the men best qualified in all respects for promotion, and I would make their decision final so far as it is possible to make a decision final. Senator Bxjtler. For instance, suppose there is a vacancy to-day in the grade of junior lieutenant, and there are, to use Senator Hale's suggestion, 50 ensigns, there would be one promotion for that place. As I understand yon, your proposition is to organize a board of Naval officers, of course of the highest rank. Admiral Walkee. Oh, yes. Senator Butlbe. Then let the board go over the entire list of ensigns and select one of them for that vacancy. Is that your idea? Admiral Walkee. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. And then the rest of them to be promoted by senior- ity? Admiral Walkbe. The next six or eight, or whatever the number might be, to be promoted by seniority, and then another by selection from the entire grade. Senator Butlee. Suppose there is another vacancy next week; how do I understand you to jjroijose to fill that vacancy? Admiral Walkee. That man would be promoted by seniority; and so it would go on until the number had been promoted by seniority, as mentioned in the bill. Then there would be another chance for selec- tion. Senator Hale. If you started with one in eight with the ensigns, how much change would you make when you came to ijromote from lieutenant to lieutenant-commander? Admiral Walkee. Perhaps one in four or five. Senator Hale. And then from commander to captain? Admiral Walkee. Either one In two or one in three; probably one in three would be as far as I should go. Senator Hale. Then after that all by selection? Admiral Walkee. Then after that all by selection. Senator Hale. What do you think of keeping the grades of junior lieutenant and lieutenant-commander? Admiral Walkee. It would be a matter of indifference whether they are kept or not. Senator Hale. There would be more examinations, of course, if there were more grades? Admiral Walkee. Yes. Mr. Meyee. What are the duties of a lieutenant-commander as dis- tinguished from those of a lieutenant? Admiral Walicee. In our service a lieutenant-commander is an executive officer; he is what used to be called the first lieutenant of PEIiSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 29 the ship; he is the workiug executive ofBcer of the ship. With us a commander commands a small ship, differing in that respect from the English system. In the English navy a commander commands a small ship and he is also the executive officer of a large ship. Mr. Mbyek. But as between a lieutenant of the junior grade and a lieutenant, what is the distinction 'I Admiral Walker. The only distinction is in the uniform and the pay. The duties are precisely the same. Mr. Meyek. With reference to the board which you think would be advisable to select for promotion, you have had long experience, of course. In youi experience have not all boards, or generally all boards that have been appointed either for purposes of court-martial or for examination in the Navy, been very fair in their proceedings? Admiral Walker. Very. Mr. Meyer. And in almost every case that has come under your observation have not those officers been imbued with the honorable desire to perform their duties faithfully and justly? Admiral Walker. That has been my experience. Mr. Meyer. Why is it, then, that in almost every case where such boards have acted and where an officer has been put down or dis- missed, he has come before Congress and complained of injustice, when, in fact, no injustice has been done? Admiral Walker. Because he hopes that Congress will give him what he wants and promote him. Give him that which he knows it is hopeless to ask through a court or board acting under Oath to deal justly by both the officer and Government. Mr. Meyer. Might not the same condition exist as to the action of any board, no matter how constituted? Admiral Walker. To some extent; but I think if a law of this kiad were passed and once put into operation, the men who were not promoted would know that they could not accomplish anything. A man who had been passed over, with nothing against him, would feel that, although some one else got the promotion over him, yet he might be the next man to be promoted by selection. Mr. Meyer. I have in mind a certain case where an officer of the most unexceptionable character was passed over and another promoted. But of course we all know that promotion means that someone has to go above someone else; that idea is inseparable from promotion. Yet this officer only illustrates a great many cases, and the officer in that case has been before Congress for twenty years insisting that injustice has been done him. Would not the same state of affairs occur under any system? Admiral Walker. Perhaps so. Probably that officer has not a very good case. Mr. Meyer. In my judgment he has not a good case; but, as I remarked before, whenever promotion, comes it necessarily displaces the man over whom another officer is promoted. Mr. Money. This right of petition is open to every citizen of the United States, and there will always be claims of that kind presented to us. It seems to me, from what little I have learned, that there are two troubles in the personnel of the l^avy; one is that men attain ' important commands too late in life, and the next is that they stay there too short a time. Those I understand are two evils that ought to be remedied. Admiral Walker. Yes. Mr, Money, Do you hold that view? 30 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Admiral Walker. Exactly. Mr. Money. Aud your recomniendatiou is what in that regard? Admiral Walker. My idea is to adopt some measure, the best we can devise, aud get it enacted into law, to remedy that defect. Mr. Money. If you had the arrangement of this business how early would you have a man made captain? Admiral Walicee. I would have him made captain at an age not younger than 40 and not older than 45. A man should be made cap- tain between the ages of 40 aud 45. Senator Butler. Under our system a captain commands a large ship ? Admiral Walicee. Yes; and If he is ever competent to command a large ship he ought to be competent at the age of 40. Mr. Monet. What is the rank of one who can first take an inde- pendent command? Admiral Walker. Commander. Mr. Money. At what age would you have the commander? Admiral Walker. I should say from 30 to 35. Senator Hale. Then you would have a gap of five years? Admiral Walker. I should say from 30 to 35 for commanders, from 40 to 45 for captains, and for rear-a'lmirals 50 to 55. Of course, if we were to have war, men w(5uld reach those grades much earlier than that. Senator Hale. If you got them in command younger they would serve longer? Admiral Walkee. Yes. Senator Butler. It has occurred to me that if we could devise some system, without unnecessarily increasing the retired list, by which an ensign, for instance, after he had graduated, should be required to serve seven years or nine years, or some stated period, and at the end ot that time be entitled to promotion to the next higher grade, and after serving seven or nine years, or whatever the number of years is, should be promoted again, and so on up, it might be practicable. Would not such a measure relieve this condition of things and bring men to com- mand rank at an earlier age? Admiral Walker. The result of that would be that if you limited the period during which he served ia each subordinate grade as it should be limited you would gradually get all your men into the upper grades, because you promote them faster iuto the upper grades than they die out of them. Senator Butler. There might be coupled with that some plan by which those men in the upi^er grades could be retired at a certain age, or after a certain term of service. Perhaps the effect would be to increase the retired list, but it would seem to me to increase the effi- ciency of the Navy. Admiral Walker. Any- system by -nhich you retire men at an earlier age, because they are in the lower grades, would increase the number of men on the retired list; but they would be retired on smaller pay, so that the expense of the retired list would not be as much greater as would at first appear. Senator Butler. I understand in the British service, when a lieu- tenant reaches the age of 42 and has not had a command, he is retired. Admiral Walker. Yes; a lieutenant retires at one age, a commander at another, a captain at another, and a rear-admiral at another. Senator Hale. Age is the limitation, not the length of service. Admiral Walkee. Yes; but they also have the limitation that if a cairtain has not been employed for a certain number of years that fact PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 31 retires him. He must also see a certain amount of sea service as a captain to qualify him for further promotion. Senator Butler. Would not that result in sooner getting rid of what you might call the "driftwood" of the Navy? Admiral Walker. It would if you had a system of selection by which inferior men are not promoted, coupled with a system of age for grade retirement. Of course your inferior men do not get promotions, and they are retired at a younger age, but in the lower grades. Any system of selection must have, in order to work satisfactorily, a graded retirement. Senator Butler. That would be a pretty radical change in our sys- tem, but I believe it would result in accomplishing what we desire. Mr. Money. It seems to me absolutely necessary that there should be a retiring board. Admiral Walker. No system, to make a satisfactory personnel ot the Navy, can be made to work without hurting individuals and cre- ating more or less dissatisfaction. Mr. Meyer. In your judgment there is no system which can be devised which would limit the cost to the sum now expended? Admiral Walker. Not if you improve the personnel of the Navy and make it what it should be. Mr. Meyer. One of the main difficulties we have had to encounter in the House of Kepresentatives and in committee is the fact that every one has devised some scheme which would involve the Government in greater expenditure. Admiral Walker. You are building battle ships that will cost you $4,000,000 each and more; but when they are completed, equipped, armed, and ready for war, your battle ship will be worth just what its captain is worth, and no more. Mr. Meyer. I fully agree T^ith you on that. Admiral Walker. If you put inferior men in command of your battle ships you are going to get whipped the first time you come to blows. Senator Butler. Not only would that be the case in time of war, but should we not be under great disadvantage in time of i)eace under such a system? Admiral Walker. Always under disadvantage; but the trouble would come home to us at once in time of war. Mr. Money. There is no economy in putting inferior men in com- mand? Admiral Walker. The real economy is to get rid of the inferior men and put your good men into the important positions. Senator Hale. The important thing is to have good ships and good officers? Admiral Walker. Good ships and good officers. Mr. Meyer. I appreciate that fully. Senator Bi;tler. On that line we shall have to satisfy about 350 men. Mr. Meyer. It is very false economy to spend between $4,000,000 and $5,000,000 in building a ship, and at the same time be afraid of expending $400,000 or $500,000 to secure good officers for those ships. But, as the chairman says, we should have about 350 men to satisfy. Admiral Walker. If you were running the New York Central Rail- road, which is a great and rich corporation, on the same plan that the Navy is run, strict seniority in rank, you would very soon have it in the hands of a receiver. 32 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Senator Butler. If there is anytliing further on this line that you desire to say we shall be glad to hear you; and if not, we shall be glad to hear from you a frank criticism of the bill now before us. Admiral Walker. I have not examined the bill with care, and in what I have said heretofore I do not want to be understood as oppos- ing this bill in anyway. Senator Butler. We understand that. Would not this proposed bill be a gxeat improvement on the present system! Admiral Walker. It would be a very great improvement, in that you get rid of a certain number of men every year. Senator Butler. Do you concur in the idea that there ought to be an increase of men in command rank in the jSTavy! Admiral Walker. Yes; I think there should be an increase; how much I am not prepared to say. But an increase alone, without any system of keeping promotions moving, is only a temporary benefit. Coupled with that, however, there should be a plan of retiring a certain number of people every year; then you could get men into command rank at an earlier age. Mf . Wadsworth. I see that this bill provides for 20 rear-admirals. I asked the Secretary the question the other day what we should do with that number. What do you say? Admiral \Valker. We have now 16 commodores and rear-admirals together ; this is only an increase of 4=, and there is plenty of work for them to do. Senator Hale. What would that work be? Admiral Walker. They would command squadrons, navy-yards, naval stations, and the more important shore commands; a certain number would be employed in the Navy Department as chiefs of bureaus and members of examination and inspection boards. As large a percentage of them would be employed as of other grades. Mr. Wadsworth. Would it not be better to increase more the num- ber of captains and commanders, and the number of rear-admirals less? Admiral Walker. I think not. Mr. Wadsworth. Would you not have too many rear-admirals? Admiral Walker. We should not have a larger proportion of flag ofiicers than other services; not so large. Mr. Wadsworth. How many squadrons have we? Admiral Walker. We have five. Mr. Wadsworth. How many navy-yards? Senator Hale. How many rear-admirals are there in the British navy? Admiral Walker. I have a list here that shows. Senator Hale. As compared with the size of their navy they must have from 80 to 100 rear-admirals. Admiral Walker. Here is an article I find in the English Army and Kavy Gazette. According to this article they have 66 flag officers ; that includes admirals, vice-admirals, and rear-admirals; they have no commodores. Senator Hale. Would not that be about three times as many as we have? Admiral Walker. Eather more than three times as many as con- templated in the bill before you; nearly three and one-half times as many. Mr. Meter. Would not an oflQcer of the grade of captain meet every requirement of the service in command of a navy-yard ? Mr. Money. Why should a flag oflicer be in command of a navy- yard ? Admiral Walker. All the world over flag officers command naval PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. " 33 stations. There are several officers at a uavy-yarcl witli the rank of captain. While a captain miglit creditably perforin the duty, it depends of course upon the man himself. A proper military organization would put a flag officer in command of the station. Por instance, the com- mandant of the K"ew York navy-yard not only commands the navy- yard but commands all the waters adjacent to the station — all ships that come into that port. Senator Butler. They report to him? * Admiral Walker. They report to him. So that you must have an officer of rank in command of a naval station. Mr. Meter. How is it at Mare Island? Admiral Walker. It is the same; it is the same at all those stations. Senator Butler. That is, I suppose, in order to avoid the possibility of an officer of high rank in command of a squadron being called upon to report to an inferior officer'? Admiral Walker. Yes, sir. To-day, at the Portsmouth, England, station there would be an admiral or vice-admiral in command; he is commonly called port admiral; then there would be a rear-admiral whojwould be in command of the dockyard which is under the port admiral. The port admiral commands everybody. Senator Butler. Then yon do not think 20 rear-admirals would be more than our service could properly utilize? Admiral Walker. I think not. Senator Butler. What is your idea about abolishing the grade of commodore in the Kavy ? Is not that a grade that has been created since the war, or was created during the war? Admiral Walker. It was created during the war; but before that we had the complimentary grade of commodore, and have had from the beginning. Senator Butler. But no such actual rank? Admiral Wai^ker. No actual commission. The senior captains were always styled commodore, were so addressed by the Navy Department, and they flew a commodore's flag, when commanding squadrons or stations. Senator Butler. But they did not have the actual rank of com- modore? Admiral Walker. They did not. Senator Haxe. How did that titular designation come in? It is not in the English navy? Admiral Walker. It came from the English navy originally. The English have it now as we had it. For instance, at their station in Jamaica they have a captain in command who has the rank of com- modore while he is there, and is called commodore. It is so at various stations over the world. Senator Hale. Was there ever an actual rank of commodore in any navy like ours? Admiral Walker. I think the English had it many years ago ; they had the title and, I think, the actual rank, but I am not sure. Mr. Wadsworth. Then Commodore Perry simply had that com- plimentary title? Admiral Walker. He was only a captain as a matter of fact. Senator Butler. That was the highest rank we had at that time. Admiral Walker. Yes; that was the highest rank. Mr. Monet. The British had the rank of post-captain, had they not? Admiral Walker. That is captain; a captain was called a post- LINE 3 34 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. captain in the English service years a,s;o, and thoy talk abont a man being posted when he is promoted to the rank of captain. Senator Butler. Ton have seen a great deal of service abroad in command of a squadron, and I should like to get your idea upon what is known, I believe, as table money. Table money, I believe, is an allowance for an admiral in command of a squadron, or for a commo- dore in command of a squadron. Have you any knowledge of the practices of other governments in regard to that? Admiral Walker. I believe every government makes an allowance to a flag officer for entertaining. Senator Btjtler. There is no such allowance in our l^avy. Admiral Walker. Ko; and it never has been. Senator Butler. So that when ^au American oflicer abroad enter- tains he does it at his own exi^ense? Admiral Walker. He does it at his own expense, no matter what the circumstances are nor how strictly oflBcial the entertainment is. Senator Butler. And no matter whether it is voluntary or involun- tary? Admiral Walker. No matter whether voluntary or involuntary. Senator Butler. He pays the Wills out of his own pocket? Admiral Walker. He ]3ays the bills out of his own pocket, and he may get such a letter as I did, from the Comptroller, telling me that "that is one of the penalties that an officer of the Navy has to pay for high rank and command." That was the case when I made a claim to be reimbursed. Senator Hale. The Comptroller did not allow the claim? Admiral Walker. He refused to alloAv it. Senator Butler. Will you state about what is allowed in foreign services for table money? Admiral Walker. I think, without pretending to be accurate, the English admiralty allows from about $6,000 to $8,000 annually, depend- ing upon rank and station. Mr. Money. What is the German allowance? Admiral Walker. I do not know what their allowance is. Senator Butler. Do you know the French allowance? Admiral Walker. I do not know what the French allowance is j but all foreign services have an allowance. Senator Butler. The French have an allowance? Admiral Walker. Oh, yes; they all have. Mr. Money. I have heard that the Germans are the most liberal of all. Admiral Walker. I do not know how that is; I should rather doubt that; 1 think the English are more liberal than any other nation; they are usually in such matters. Mr. Mey'ER. AVhat, in your judgment, would be a reasonable amount to be allowed per annum in our service? Admiral Walker. Excuse me one moment. The English admiral has this allowance, but he is compelled to do certain things. The cap- tain of his flagship, his secretary, and his flag lieutenant mess with him. It is called the admiral's mess, and the expenses are paid from that allowance. Senator Butler. You mean that the captain and the secretary pay no mess bills? Admiral Walker. They mess with the admiral, and pay no mess bill. This money is expended without any vouchers, as I understand. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 35 That is, it is given to the admiral to enable him to entertain and to live in a manner befitting his high rank and command. Senator Butler. And he does not have to account for if? Admiral Walker. He does not have to account for it in the English navy, as I understand. Answering your question, Mr. Meyer, it is diflicult to say. It would depend upon so many circumstances. But if I were going to sea again I should be very glad to accept any allowance 1 could get. Mr. Meyer. What I mean is this : We are expected to observe a certain degree of Democratic simplicity. Of course, circumstances may vary, but what, in your judgmeut, would be a reasonable allow- ance? Senator Butlee. Would not that be very much a matter of discre- tion with the Secretary of the Navy, depending on the nature of the service? Admiral Walker. Yes; on some stations an oflflcer would have very much larger expenses than on others. Senator Butler. In such cases, as a rule, I suppose naval ofiBcers have very little beyond their pay to enable them to furnish proper entertainments. Admiral Walker. I have known but very few who had anything at all beyond their pay. Mr. Money. Do you not also have to exchange dinners with other highofiBcers? Admiral Walker. Yes. I went over to Europe with these new ships ; I was, rather, sent over there to show them their machinery, etc. In the first place the naval people wanted to see the ships, and the mili- tary people wanted to see the guns. Every where I went I was received with the greatest courtesy, and one of the first things always was a dinner, and balls were given. Of course I had to reciprocate, so that everywhere I went I gave dinners ; and while a naval offlcer can give dinners on board ship cheaper than he can give them at Ohamberlin's, because he has a steward, a cook, and servants on board, still the champagne costs just as much, and the cigars and everything else cost a naval of&cer just as much as they cost anybody else. Mr. Money. The visitations from these high ofQcials were perhaps due to the fact that you were in command of a new squadron with late improvements and guns; but how would it be with the case of any flag officer who goes into a port on the Mediterranen or in the channel? Admiral Walker. If a flag of&cer in the Mediterranean goes to Toulon, for instance, where there is a great French dockyard, by tiie time he has been twenty-four hours in port he has invitations to dine with the vice-admiral, who commands not only the port but all the country around about, and others. He must accept these invitations to dinners and these other courtesies, and he must do something in return. If he goes to Malta or to Gibraltar it is the same; or if he goes into any port where there are army or navy officials. It is the same with the civil officials. He can not help being entertained, and he must either entertain in return, or refuse to be properly treated. He must receive the atten- tions of offlcials and he must, in some measure, reciprocate. Mr. Money. He must either decline these invitations or he must reciprocate? Admiral Walker. Yes; but he can not decline, for to decline is uncivil. Senator Butler. It is an official duty? Admiral Walsbr, It is an official duty that can not be escaped, If 36 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. I were to go to Lisbon now, with a large, flue squadron, it is possible that the King of Portugal would come on board with the Queen, when, of course, it would be necessary to treat them in a becDming manner, and nobody in foreign countries would suppose tliat they were being entertained at the expense of the commaudiug officer; they suppose they are being entertained at the expense of our Government. Senator Butler. Those civilities arc not contined to crowned heads, but the same interchange of civilities would occur with high officials of a republic, would they not? Admiral Walker. The same. I only speak of this as being one of the more pronounced cases. The same thixig is going on everywhere. When an admiral enters a port \w is looked upon as an official of high rank and position, and at once people are civil to him and want to entertain him. Mr. Money. As representing a great Governments Admiral Walker. Yes. Mr. Wadsworth. If a single ship goes to Georgetown, Barjbadoes, how is it? Admiral WALKER. The captain of the ship receives the same kind of attention. Mr. Wadsworth. He would be asked to dine with the governor- general? Admiral Walker. The governor would invite him to dine, and the general in command of the troops in the West Indies would also invite him. There are two invitations he is sure to have right away, and he can not get off with one dinner. Foreign officers all have allowances for that purpose. Mr. Wadsworth. So that really table money would have to be given not only to officers of the highest rank, but to officers of a lower grade? Admiral Walker. Such an allowance ought certainly to apply to flag officers and to commanding officers. Senator Hale. If anything is ever done in that regard there will have to be a fund given to the Secretary for him to distribute in his discretion. Senator Butler. Is there anything else you would like to say about the personnel of the Navy? Admiral Walicer. Nothing that I think of now. Senator Butler. The joint committee would be very glad, indeed, if you have the time, if you would formulate your ideas, in regard to the personnel of the Navy, into the shai^e of a bill and submit it to us. Admiral Walker. In speaking of promotion by selection my idea has always been that, instead of selecting to go out, to be retired, we should select to be advanced, to be promoted. If we select for pro- motion the selection will always be made from among the best officers. If we select for retirement the selection will be made from among the poorest, leaving the good and the indifferent to be alike jn-omoted by seniority. In the one case we should always promote our best men, in the other we only insure the not promoting our worst. Senator Hale. If you would put your thoughts into the form sug- gested by the chairman, of a bill for the use of the committee, not to be made public, we will then have it where we can see just how it would apply, where you would have it begin, what your idea would be as to the numbers that should be selected, the number that should go up as applied to each rank until you reach the top. If you do not do that, while we shall have your clear statement made to us to-day, we shall PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 37 not have the time ourselves to formulate auytliing: of tlie kind, and it would be an advantage to us to have it in that 'form. Admiral Walkee. 1 shall be glad to do anything of the kind that the committee desires. I want to say that while I have been talking about my own belief and my own theory of the most perfect way of arranging the personnel of the Navy, of course when it comes to the passage of the bill it is what is practicable that is going through. Mr. Money. Excuse me, but I should like to add that while we want exactly what you think ought to be done for the Navy, yet when it comes to having the hill passed we will attend to that part ourselves. What we want is your best idea, from your knowledge and experience, of what ought to be, assuming that it is entirely practicable. Admiral Walkee. I will do the best I can. STATEMENT OF CAPT. R. L. PHYTHIAN, U. S. NAVY. Senator Bb"tlee. How long have you been in the Navy? Capt. Phythian. Forty-one years. Senator Butlee. What is your present rank? Capt. Phythian. Captain. Senator Butlee. Will you be kind enough to give us your views, in a general way, as to the reorganization of the personnel of the Navy? Capt. Phythian. Iwouldsaythat the condition of the lineoftheNavy now is such as to demand immediate reorganization, due to the fact that by a system of promotion by seniority since 1866, when we had our last increase, the period of reaching command rank has been growing greater and greater; and whilst the oiHcers now filling command rank are men who were promoted at a reasonable age, and who have had experience in command, and are probably, as a whole, as excellent a corps of commanding officers as is to be found in any navy, the time has come when they reach command rank at such a late age that those now coming into it have not the advantages of those already in it. Senator Butlee. Those advantages, as I understand, were acquired during the war? Capt. Phythian. The advantage is experience in command; they have been a long time in command. Admiral Walker, for instance, who has just appeared before you, has served over thirty years in com- mand, and it is such experience which the present commanding offi- cers have had that makes them efficient. Senator Hale. Admiral Walker has been thirty years in difi'erent commands? Capt. Phythian. Yes. He has not served in any lower position than that of command for over thirty years. Admiral Walker has shown the committee the necessity of having men reach command rank while they still have life and vitality in them, and has shown that necessity so well that it will probably be needless for me to say anything more than that I fully agree with him in every word he said on that subject. I think it may be accepted as an axiom that efficiency in the naval service demands that men should reach command rank at a reasonable age or after a rea- sonable length of service. Any provision which would bring about that result will solve all the other problems. If men reach command ranks, say, after twenty-eight years of service, by the natural waste in the grades above them they will reach flag rank in time to have four or five years to serve In flag grades. Similarly, if provision is made for a suffi- cient number of vacancies to bring about promotion to command rank 38 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. within that period, it will necessitate a, flow of promotion below, due to the very fact that the vacancies have been created. 1 am fully convinced that the immediate demand of the service and the immediate necessity are that some provisions be made by which ofQcers will reatjh command rank after not over thirty years of service at an average of not over 46 to 47 years of age. Senator Hale. You mean that if they do not reach command rank at 46 or 47 they should go ouf? Gapt. Phtthian. That will depend. I had intended to touch upon that later, as to how to bring it about. I think you have one sure guide in formiilating a scheme for the reorganization of the personnel of the line of the Navy, and that is to provide for early promotion in command rank. "Whilst personally, I am in full sympathy with the principle of selection in its most positive form, I believe the adoption of it to be impracticable on account of the opposition with which it would meet from the Navy, by the press, in Congress, and by the people generally. There is a sentiment against it and that sentiment is so strong that I believe it would be impossible to overcome it, eveu if it should be demonstrated that the efficiency of the Navy could be greatly enhanced thereby. So that I think it is necessary to formulate some scheme which has as little as possible of that objectionable (not to me, but to others) feature in it. Eeference has been made to retirement in grades for age. Upon that subject I followed what Admiral Walker said very closely, and I agree with him. I should like to add something, however, to emphasize a Ijoint which he made, but, which, probably did not have all the emjyha- sis from him that it should have had. I regard the proposition to retire in grades for length of service without selection as an absolute absurd- ity. In all services where the principle of retirement in grades for age has worked well, there has been selection. If you retire men by age from grades, without selection, a young man on the day he gradu- ates from the Naval Academy can fix his future (depending upon his age),with respect to those about him. If old, compared with his class- mates, he will know that he must surely retire in the first grade to which the rule applies. If young, he will know that he can not be retired in any but the highest grade, and that he must reach the head of the list. The effect of that would be that the older man, who might be at the head of his class when he graduates, and who might have the qualities in him which would tend to make him the mosteflicient and best naval officer, would know that no degree of efficiency to which he might attain, no services however valuable that he might render, would help him out of the hole of early retirement, simply because he is older than those around him. Thatman,if human, would take very little interest in the service; but he would study law or proceed to acquaint himself with business methods, so that when he came to be put on limited retired pay he would find some means of adding to his income. All the life, the snap, vim, and interest in the Navy would be taken out of him. The young man, realizing that he was in an excellent jiosition, would say to him- self, "I must simply do my duty in a perfunctory way, simply escape dismissal for misconduct or for inefficiency, and I am sure to reach the highest rank." There would be no incentive for him to demonstrate his efficiency. Senator Butlee. Will it disturb you if I interrupt to ask a question right there? Oapt. Phythian. Not at all, sir. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 39 Senator Bittler. Suppose some system were adopted by our Oovern- ment like that in the British service, where a lieutenant of 42 years of age could be retired unless he has had a command; do you think your remark would apply? Capt. Phtthian. To the age part, unquestionably,'if it be a question of age. If a man is retired from any grade because he lias not been trusted to serve a certain time in that grade, and for that cause alone, the objection would not obtain. Senator Butler. But you thiuk it would obtain if it applied to his age? Capt. Phtthian. I do; I do not see how it could help it. Senator Hale. But in the lower grades there is no such test that you could apply ? Capt. Phtthian. In the English service, and in every other service where they have retirement in gTades for age, they have selection to the grade from which such retirements are made. Mr. Wadswokth. How much possible difference in age is there between graduates? Capt. Phtthian. A possible difference of five years, but the average dift'erence of age is about three. If you have selection coupled with retirement in grades for age, the older man will realize that he must make a brilliant record for himself in order to secure his promotion by selection to some of the upper grades, so that he may not get out of the lower grades by age retirement, and it will stimulate him to activ- ity. The younger man will i alize that he is in a splendid position, but that he must work to retain it; that he must make a record in order to keep man below him from jumping him. Senator Hale. If you have 'selection? Capt. Phtthian. If you have selection. Without selection, retire- ment in grades for age would be, I think, a most demoralizing feature to introduce into the service. Senator Hale. Your opinion is that selection is not practicable? Senator Butlee. I understand you to say that if you couple retire- ment for age in the different grades with the principle of selection, you obviate the difficulty which you speak of. Capt. Phtthian; Yes; I should like to say that my remarks upon that subject have been in the nature of a digression. I simply wanted to have an opportunity of emphasizing the principle of promotion by selection as a necessary accompaniment to retirement in grades for age. Mr. Monet. Do I understand you to say that the doctrine of selec- tion obviates the objection to retirement for age? Capt. Phtthian. It would if it were practicable to have a system of selection. Mr. Monet. Is it practicable? Capt. Phtthian. I think not. Senator Hale. What did you mean when you started out by saying that after studying this matter so long you had made up your mind that no feature of promotion by selection was practicable? Capt. Phtthian. Senator, I did not mean to say that no feature of promotion by selection was practicable. I meant to say that in formu- lating a scheme of promotion to command rank there should be just as little selection as possible in order to make it practicable. I mean by that that I do not believe that any bill that involves that element in a greater degree will ever pass Congress. I did not refer to the opera- tion of it if the law should pass, but I do not believe it is practicable to get such legislation — I do not believe it possible. 40 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. Mr. Money. Tour objection, then, does not go to tlie operation of the principle? Capt. Phythian. Not at all. If it were enacted into law it would work beautifully. Senator Hale. What is your practical scheme? Capt. Phythian. I can not think of anything better than the bill proposed by the Secretary of the Navy. While in my opinion that bill does not fully meet all the requirements, yet it is such a long step in that direction that it merits the gravest consideration. Senator Hale. That bill selects for dropping. Capt. Phythian. The Secretary's bill practically increases the upper grades, and the numbers proposed by him can be defended. Senator Butler. You mean it increases the command rank ? Capt. Phythian. The command and flag ranks. The proposed num- bers in these grades can be defended by argument, by illustration, by comparison with other services, and with our own service before it was reduced to its present unfortunate condition. Mr. Money. What is the difficulty that you apprehend in passing a bill of this sort, containing a provision for retirement and promotion? Capt. Phythian. Very little in passing such a bill as the one pro- posed by the Secretary of the Navy. It is to a measure having in it provision for more selection than is necessary to enable ofQcers to reach command rank at the proper age that I would expect strong opposi- tion. The difficulty would then be that two-thirds of the officers of the Navy would oppose it with all the power and influence that they could themselves exert, and they would rally their friends to their sup- port in endeavoring to prevent it from becoming a law. Senator Butler. In other words, you think public sentiment would be against it! Capt. Phythian. Not only would the Navy be against it, but public sentiment is against it. It is spoken of as being undemocratic. Senator Butler. Now proceed with what you desire to say. Capt. Phythian. The increase of the upi^er grades, from commander up, as proposed in the Secretary's bill, provides the only effective means of getting the Navy out of the hole into which it was put by the act of 1882, which act reduced the numbers of the higher grades to far below what they should be in proportion to the numbers in subordinate grades. It adds to the upper grades and creates a number of promotions to those grades. The history of the Navy shows that we have gotten out of every hole of this sort in some such way. This bill has the merit over any previous methods in that it provides for a continuance of what is needed by fixing a number of promotions each year to the upper grades, thus preventing a recurrence of the present state of stagnation. With reference to the flag rank, the proportion of 20 to the total number is less than that of the English navy. I say that positively and I think it is less than that of the French and German navies. It is less than was the proportion in our own Navy until the act of 1882, which cut down upper grades — why, no one could ever say; I never heard a reason given. I happened last night to pick up a paper which I prepared several years ago, and I find by that that in 1889 there were 70 flag officers. Admiral Walker has just told us that that number has been reduced to 66. Mr. Wadsworth. That is in the English navy? Capt. Phythian. Yes; these tables were prepared in connection with a bill that was proposed at that time, making the line of the Navy 785 instead of 720 as now proposed. According to this, the ratio of flag PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. - 41 officers in the British navy to the whole was -038 That bill made onr ratio -032. That bill had instead of 20 flag officers 27; so that the ratios of the proposed bill would be still less. I have not had time to mate calculations to show what the ratios would be by this bill. (Note. — Before revising this testimony I found the ratio of flag offi- cers to the total number, by the Secretary's bill, to be only "028.) Senator Hale. What is your rule for getting the ratios'? How do you compare the size of the British navy, for instance, with the size of our Kavy? Is it by the number of enlisted men, or by the number of ships, or by tonnage, or by classification of ships, or how? Capt, Phtthian. I got at it by the actual number of officers, which is the least favorable to the side 1 should be arguing for. If you arrive at the same ratio by comparison of the number of stations, the argu- ment would be stronger in the direction in which I would like to make it. In preparing this statement I included midshipmen in the British navy among the subordinate officers, and did not include our naval cadets at sea, who perform the duties of midshipmen. I did this for the purpose of being able to say at that time the comparison was the least favorable side of the question I was arguing. Senator Hale. Admiral Walker told us that the whole number of flag officers in the British navy to-day, including admirals, vice-admirals, and rear-admirals, is 66. This bill proposes 20, which is a little less than one-third. Now let me ask you, because your mind is alert upon this subject, as to the British navy to-day as an entirety, with all its different classifications of force and ships, would you say that it is more than three times as large as ours? Capt. Phythian. Tes, undoubtedly, as to the numbers and tonnage of ships, but not as to numbers of officers. Senator Hale. I am not looking particularly at the number of offi- cers. Capt. Phythian. But the ships and stations. Mr. Metek. Do you take into account the larger niiniber of naval stations Great Britain has all over the world which require to be com- manded by flag officers? Capt. Phythian. Ko, sir; I only consider the fleet. If we consider the naval stations,- that would show the proportion of numbers in the British navy to those in this bill to be still greater, because the num- ber of British stations is not nearly three times as large as the number of our stations. Senator Hale. If you were making a comparison between the Brit- ish navy and ours to-day, would you say that the British navy is three times as large as ours, or would you say four, or five, or six times? Capt. Phythian. In the British navy they have a large number of small ships Senator Hale. I am taking the whole thing together. I do not mean simply the number of their ships, their classification, or their tonnage; but, as a general phrase that might be used, for instance, on the floor of the Senate or House, when it might be objected that we have spent money enough on the Navy; what would Senator Butler, or I, or any of these gentlemen in the House, be authorized to state in comparing the size of our Navy with that of the British? Would we say that the British Navy is five times as large as ours to-day? Capt. Phythian. I should not like to answer that question without looking iuto it further, because I have not looked at the relative num- ber of flag officers in the two services from that standpoint. Senator Hale. You think it is more than three times as large? 42 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. Capt. Phythian. In numbers of ships and in tonnage, but not in numbers of officers. Senator Hale. I am speaking of the entire naval foVce as a compre- hensive term. Capt. Phythian. I have taken the number of people employed Senator Hale. I am getting at the general force, not the number of people employed. We have been in the habit of sayiug that, with all we have done, we have not begun to approach the European navies, and that the British navy is perhaps lour or five times as large as ours; but you are not sure of that? Capt. Phythian. No, sir; but what I am sure of, from figures which I have carefully considered, is that a comparison I have made between the percentages of the different grades, if you divide them iuto flag, command, and subordinate grades, is correct, and that would hold regardless of how many ships there are or how many employed. Senator Butler. You have the percentage of officers"^ Captain Phythian. Yes; what the percentage was three or four years ago. Senator Btitlee. Proceed. Mr. Money. If you have leisure will you be kind enough to submit to the committee a comparison of our Navy with that of Great Britain, or Germany, or Frauce, or probably all three, using a comprehensive term, including ships and otBcers and altogether as an ett'ective force? Capt. Phythian. As far as I can I shall endeavor to do that. Mr. Monet. Speak of it as a navy — as a great effective force. Capt. Phythian. I should not care to enter into that as bearing upon the proper number of flag officers. I assume that that is not the ground upon which to approach the subject at all for the purijose of making a comparison. For instance. Admiral Walker commanded 4 ships in the Mediterranean. Those 4 ships needed a rear-admiral. I will venture to say that the British squadron in the Mediterranean was composed of at least 25 ships, and yet our 4 ships needed a com- mander in chief just as much as the British 25 ships. Mr. Money. That is very true. Capt. Phythian. The number of ships is not the true basis. The only true basis upou which to make a comparison of what should be the percentage, if we are going to accept the English navy as a prop- erly organized establishment, is the percentage of the a(;tual number of officers. If we attempted to have large fleets and large squadrons, and employ them as the English do, at outposts for the purpose of defense and protection, we might base the calculation upon that. But a flag officer is necessary to conjmand a station and a number of ships, be that number 5 or 20. The larger fleet might require a flag officer of high flag grade (admiral or vice admiral), as in the British service, while a rear-admiral would be a suitable commander in chief for the smaller fleet. The Secretary's bill provides for rear-admirals only, the lowest flag grade. Senator Hale. In other words, your proposition is that if there are too many officers of the Navy there would be too many rear-admirals. Your basis is the number of officers, and not upon the actual force of ships? Capt. Phythian. Yes; but I do not say that there are too many officers. I say that if about 3 to 4 per cent of the total number of officers in a naval organization be of flag rank you have a well-pro- portioned navy, and you need a greater proportion really in our service than in other services where they have larger squadrons. The proper- PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. • 43 tion of command to subordinate officers slionld be about 1 to every 3 or 3J of subordinates to liave a well-organized and symmetrical naval establishment. ' Senator Hale. Tou mean that that would furnish a sort of unit to be applied all through? Capt. Phythian. Not to ships in commission. When senior officers get along in years they are entitled to more rest, and they cau not reasonably be expected to spend as large a percentage of life at sea as the juniors. So there should be about 1 commanding officer to 3 subor- dinates, in order that their sea duties may fall equally. There is more employment on shore for the officers of command rank proportionately than there is at sea. Senator Hale. Would it be the same thing to state that in the entire line of the Navy the command rank should be as 1 to 3 of the lower ranks ? Capt. Phythian. I think so ; I think it is very safe to say that the ratio should be about as one to three or three and a half. Looking to the shore duties officers have to perform, and looking to the fact that an older officer can not be expected to j)erform as much duty abroad as a junior officer, that would practically give you, for every commanding officer afloat, about seven juniors. One to three in the total organiza- tion would give about one to seven afloat. Senator Butlek. That would result from the fact that so many ofQ- cers are employed on short duties'? Capt. Phythian. Necessary duties 1 Senator Hale. Take the present condition, and how is it? Capt. Phythian. That is about the proportion of the bill proposed by the Secretary of the Navy. Senator Butler. Take the duties that are performed by naval offi- cers on shore, under our system, for instance; those performed by chiefs of bureaus, commandants of navy -yards and naval stations; in the Hydrographic Office, the Ltght-House Board, etc.; many of those are performed in the British service by civilians, are they not? Cairt. Phythian. The British naval service is controlled by the board of admiralty, which is a mixed board of civilians and naval officers. The professional expert part of the service is perfornied by naval offi- cers. The chiefs of bureaus in our Navy Department are scarcely com- parable with any other positions in the British or any other service; they are the advisers of the Secretary of the Navy on iirofessional sub- jects, and as such they should be naval officers. There are, however, many simi)le business details, such as the purchasing of supplies, and things of that kind, that could be performed by a civilian. But I think it would be a great mistake to put a civilian at the head of the Naviga- tion Bureau, for instance. Senator Btjtlbe. I am only getting at the fact, not the desirability. I understood the Secretary to say the other day that we have a larger proportion of naval officers employed in the performance of those duties on shore than is the case in the British service. Do you know how that is? Capt. Phythian. Tes, sir. Senator Bxttlee. I believe that is the fact. Capt. Phythian. There is a larger number of American officers employed on shore in the performance of those special duties than in any other service? Senator Butler. In other services many of those duties are per- formed by civilians? 44 ' PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Capt. Phythian. Yes. Senator Butlbb. So that their oflicers are more geiieiiiHy afloat? Capt. Phythian. Yes. Note (upon revision). — It is also true that a larger percentage of British officers are unemployed. Senator Butler. I believe the Secretary did not make the point, ■which would seem to me to be entirely appropriate, that the perform- ance of those duties by commissioned officers on shore is to that extent a saving of expense of the employment of additional civilians. Capt. Phythian. I should like to go further than that. It secures a better performance of the service, because so much of it is of a technical nature. Senator Butler, And the duties in our service are better performed? Capt. Phythian. Yes. The public duties performed by the chief of a bureau in the Navy Department, who is a naval officer, are more efficiently performed, I think, than would be the case if.the chief came from any other source, regardless of his qualifications. Senator Butler. That is one of the reasons why there are so many naval officers on shore? Capt. Phythian. Yes ; because there are so many important duties which they can perform better than persons who have not had a naval education and naval experience. Senator Hale. And those duties are just as important as fleet duties ? Capt. Phythian. Yes; the shore duties performed by naval officers are valuable, and they require so much technical knowledge as to make the emi)loyment of a naval officer in the performance of those duties to the interest of the Government. One of the most notable cases of that is the intelligence office, where at different times from 8 to 15 officers are emi>loyed. Tbe result of their work is that in that office can be found complete descrip- tions of nearly every seaboard fortification in the world, of every battle ship and every other class of vessel, the strength of foreign navies, the best coaling stations where coal can be obtained, not only of the best quality, but at the lowest prices; where water, provisions, and other needs of the naval service can be obtained to the best advan- tage. One of the practical results of that is that an officer comnnind- ing a ship, with the information furnished him from that office of naval intelligence, can save the Government very largely in the matter of expenditures for his ship by knowing just where to buy. That office alone is of more value to the Government, as a whole, than ten times the cost of its maintenance. Senator Hale. I can testify that in the last half dozen years, since it was established, I have never wanted any information upon any subject connected with the Navy that I was not able to to get in five minutes by a dispatch to that office. Senator Butler. Then, recurring to the details of the bill, do I understand you to say that, in the main, you approve of the bill sub- mitted by the Secretary of the Navy? Capt. Phythian. Yes. I should like to say in addition to that — of course this may be regarded as something for the committee to deter- mine, but I should like to say it nevertheless — that I think the imme- diate demand for the reorganization of the line of the Navy is so great, and the troubles we are being led into are so near at hand, that nothing should be incorporated in a measure for the reorganization of the line that would jeopardize its becoming a law, and that, at the earliest possi- ble moment. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 45 I believe tliat the reorgani/.ation of the lino of the Navy should be made a separate and distinct measure, for the reason that such a measure should become a law as early as possible. There was a board organized less than three years ago to propose a scheme, or at least to report to the Department the causes of the stagnation and to suggest remedies. That board formulated a scheme which looked to the promotion of officers to command rank after twenty-eight years of service. The plan was carefully worked out, and it was manifest that the immediate operation of such a law would work no hardship to any individn.al officer, to the extent at least of debarring him from the chance of pro- motion without being considered. In other words, the reorganization of the ]S"avy then would have left the -senior lieutenant-commander a man of less than twenty-eight years service, and every man on the lieutenant-commanders' list would have had the chance of being pro- moted. If you formulate a scheme to-day on precisely the same lines, you will have to advance the length of service to thirty-one years. In other words, in two years and a half the limit of subordinate grades, in order to put a scheme of that kind in operation, has increased three years. That process is continuing, and the limit of time will increase not only year for year, but rapidly than that. That is due to the fact that now in the grades of lieutenant-commander and below we have large classes that entered the service within a year or two of each other. Senator Hale. The number is now limited to the number in the graduating classes'? Oapt. PHYTHIA.N. Yes. Senator Hale. Only vacancies are filled? Capt. Phythian. Yes. Senator Butlee. Those classes that were graduated and entered between 1861 and 1867 have caused this block in the way of normal promotion, if I may use that expression? Oapt. Phythiaij. Yes. For a detailed account of the efi'ect of this block and a grapbic representation of it, I would refer you to the report of a board of officers organized to report upon the causes of stagnation in the line of the Navy, which report is, I am informed, being printed by direction of this committee. Mr. Wadsw^obth. If we can by tbis bill get rid of that lump or that obstruction it will not occur again. Oapt. Phythian. You can not get rid of that lump at once without arbitrarily putting out some of the most efficient officers of the Navy. In that connection I want to speak of tbe Secretary's proposition. This bill would cause the promotion of an officer, who entered the service in 1863, to the grade of commander at once. There would still be below him large numbers in the block or lump, so that the man at the foot of the block will not get his promotion after the same number of years' service as the youngest commander made by the proposed bill. He will have at least four more years of service ; but that is some- thing we shall have to stand. In ten years from now that block begins to be removed by the retirement of the men in it, and after that the Navy list will settle down into a normal condition. This bill wiU tide us over these ten years, and then we shall have a Navy list normally arranged ; I mean by that, that length of service and rank will be prop- erly proportioned. Mr. Wadswokth. As the result of the bill if it should become a law? Capt, Phythian. Yes; and by and by we will be out of the difficulty. 46 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. We have here a provision for promoting each year 16 to the grade of commander. That will prevent a recurrence of the iireseut dif- ficulty. It will keep the list in a normal condition. Those so pro- moted will reach flag rank in time to still have five years or more to serve on the active list. In other words, if you provide for promotion to command rank after about thirty years' service, every other difficulty will in time be solved — not immediately, because the conditions will not admit of it, but when the difficulties betiome solved they will not recur. [Senator Butler. Will this bill accomplish that? Capt. Phythian. It will in the course of ten years. It will require time. Mr. Wadsworth. You can not remove that limit except arbitrarily 1 Capt. Phythian. It can not be done all at once. Mr. Wadsworth. That would inflict injustice upon many men! Capt. Phythian. It can not be done at once except by wiping out 10 men, and those taken from the very best men in the service. Mr. Money. Do you think there would probably be any trouble if we incorporated any provision for the staff in the bill? Capt. Phythian. I should think that if you have a biU of this kind with five propositions in it there Avould be five times more opposition to it than ^vould be urged against one with a single proposition. Any scheme for the reorganization of the personnel of the Navy, including all the corps, will surely be objected to by a few individual officers of every corps, line and staff, and the greater the number of corj)S con- sidered the greater will be the opposition. Mr. Money. Then you would suggest a series of bills? Capt. Phythian. Either that or the reorganization of the staff at a later stage. The point I should like to emphasize is this : That the line of the Navy demands immediate reorganization because the conditions are growing worse and worse every day, whereas the reorganization of the staff is not an immediate necessity. Senator Hale. What do you think would be the attitude of the staff if this joint committee shouldreport a bill dealing only with the line, and dealing with none of the elements which the staff believe are essen- tial and pressing in their behalf? Capt. Phythian. I can not say positively what it would be. I will say this, however, that if a bill on the lines suggested by the Secretary, coming from such an authority as he, accepted by a committee like this, should be reported upon the ground that that is a crying neces- sity, that that is an urgent Avant of the day, and that the others will be looked out for afterwards, I believe tliat the oi)position of the staff would give^trength to the bill, because the motive of such opposition would be apparent, especially if it were understood that later along, when it could be done, their case should be taken up and not neglected or left out. This measure is of such grave importance to the public interests that the success of the bill should not be jeopardized by the introduction of any other element involving personal interests. But let it be understood that after this measure shall have become a law then the reorganization of the staff corps can be taken up, and that their rights will be considered. Mr. Wadsworth. This does not interfere with the staff' at all. Capt. Phythian. It does not touch tliem. There is no evidence of such pressing jjublic need of staff reorganization. There is one very material difference between their case and ours. The duties, the respoji- PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 47 sibilities, and the requiremeuts of a liue officer absolutely change the day he is promoted from subordinate to command rank. There is no such element in any part of a staff officer's career. His age and rank have very little influence upon his efficiency in the performance of his duty. Mr. Wadswoeth. Is there very much complaint in the staff corps about the slowness of promotion ? Gapt. Phythian. Oh, yes; they have probably their personal griev- ances, but T do not think it can be demonstrated that there is such present urgent need of reorganization of any stafl' corps as of the liue. Mr. Money. Their lack of promotion does not impair their efficiency? Capt. Phythian. ISTo ; I do not wish to be understood as saying any- thing against the value of their services; I believe they should have rank commensurate with their services, but as a reward for services. Mr. Money. You do not believe that slowness of promotion in tlieir case has the same tendency to impair their efficiency in the service, as in the case of the line'? Capt. Phythian. It has very little to do with the efficiency of the service, whereas the efficiency of the Navy depends upon the efficiency of the line, and the efficiency of the line depends upon promotion to command rank while officers are yet in their prime. Senator Butlbk. I do not think there is any disposition to ignore the staff. I am sure there is none so far as I am concerned. But I quite agree with the Secretary and these gentlemen that we had better take up one thing at a time. We can hereafter give the staff an oppor- tunity to be heard upon any proposition they bring forward. Mr. Meyee. Capt. Phythian, can you suggest any legislation that would promote the efficiency and interest of the enlisted force of the Navy? That' is a subject which we shall have to take into considera- tion at the proper time. Capt. Phythian. Under the present law the efficiency of the enlisted men depends solely upon the wise action of the Department as to their distribution. Under the appropriations so many men are allowed for the NaA'y, and the disposition of those men, or their distribution, is a matter that is in the hands nominally of the President of the United States, but practically in the hands of the Navy Department. There is one thing I think of to say on_ that point, and that is that we are very near to the time when we shall have to have something like 2,000 more men for our ships. The only point I should care to say anything about is as to the number of the men, not their distribution, because they are being well cared for and well looked out for by the Department. Senator Butler. Will you give the joint committee your opinion as to the advisability of increasing the number of enlisted men of the Navy? Capt. Phythian. As to when the number should be increased? Senator Butlee. Yes. Capt. Phythian. It will have to be very soon in order to man the fleet. Senator Butlee. To what extent would you suggest an increase? Capt. Phythian. I am governed in what I say about that by infor- mation I have received from those who have studied the matter. Commodore Eamsay has probably better information on that point than any other officer in the Navy; he is at the head of the Bureau of Personnel. But I should say that something like 2,000 men will soon have to be added to the number now allowed by law. Senator Hale. As the new ships come out? 48 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. Capt. Phythian. Yes. Senator Butler. The mimbei" now is about wluif! Capt. Phythian. About 7,500. Senator Butler. Your idea, then, would be to increase the number to about 10,000. Capt. Phythian. Yes. We shall need them to man the ships. I think it is generally understood among the officers who have com- manded the new ships that these ships are not up to their full effi- ciency, because of the limited crews that can now be allowed them. Mr. Money. Complaint has recently been inade, and has somewhat struck the popular ear, that in our Navy no man, unless he is a graduate of the Xaval Academy at Annapolis, and certainly no enlisted man, can ever rise to an officer's position, and that is regarded by a great many, especially by those who have not looked into it, as exceedingly undem- ocratic, and, if so, such a state of affairs ought not to exist. What is your idea upon that subject? Capt. Pythian. My only reply to that is that the Naval Academy is one of the most democratic parts of our democratic country. ■ It is open to every boy in the country. It is one of the most democratic establishments in the United States. Every boy in the United States has his chance to get in there. The education and training given at the Naval Academy is necessary to make a naval officer equal to the various duties he will be called upon to perform. The experiment of appointing apprentices to the Naval Academy has been tried and found to be a failure. Mr. Money. In what respect? Capt. Phythian. By ruining the apprentice system. At one time we had a certain number of apprentice boys appointed to the Naval Academy. The result was that boys were put into the apprentice ser- vice by parents who thought they were bright and shining lights and that they would shortly become officers. Where there was one boy who succeeded in getting an api)ointment to the Naval Academy there were a hundred disappointed boys, and the result was that our apprentice service ceased to be a training service for apprentices in the Navy, but became a place for boys to euter in order to get into the Academy; and for one contented, happy boy we had a hundred dis- contented, unhaijpy boys. Mr. Money. You are now in comm'and of the Naval Academy? Capt. Phythian. Yes, sir. Mr. Money. What, in your opinion, furnishes the best material for all services — the boys who are recommended by members of Congress for examination or those who enter these i)laces by comijetitive exami- nation? Capt. Phythian. To answer the question authoritatively would require a great deal of careful analysis. Generally speaking, I think that in conduct and deportment those selected by members of Congress, who know them, are apt to be the better. On the other hand, we have some brilliant examples of those who come in by competitive exami- nation. But it is a question I should not like to answer without giving it more consideration. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 49 STATEMENT OF CAPT. W. T. SAMPSON, U. S. NAVY. Senator Butler. Tou may state your length of service in the Navy. Capt. Sampson. Thirty-seven years. Senator Butler. What are your present duties? Capt. Sajipson. I am chief of the Bureau of Ordnance. Senator Butler. Will you state, in your own way, your views as to the reorganization of the personnel of the ]!^avy f Capt. Sampson. Well, Mr. Chairman, I think the necessity for it has been gone over pretty well by Admiral Walker and Capt. Phythian, and I do not know that I have much to offer unless you want to ask some questions about it. I will say, however, that the means of get- ting the younger officers up to the command grade are rather limited. I think that is one point the committee have iu view and a point that the Secretary emphasizcT as strongly as possible. One method is that of selection, which was advocated by Admiral Walker. Probably that is an ideal method. If it could be carried out, I think it would be a most admirable plan; but it is necessary to remember that iu order to make proper selections we must assume that it is in the power of a board or an individual to make proper selections. The object of our naval organization is to get the proper people to command our ships in time of war, and the peculiarities of a man who is to command a ship or to command a fleet I think can not be deter- mined in times of peace. If you are going to select a good admiral, you want to select a man after he has been tested, at least, to some extent, because though a man be brilliant, intelligent, and all that, it does not necessarily follow that he is going to be the best man you can put in command of a squadron in time of war. I think if you will look at the men who commanded our armies and our squadrons during the war of the rebellion you will hud that the first selection was not always the right one, nor was the second or the third. It was only by chance that Gen. Grant was taken as commander-in- chief. Many officers were selected who were expected to do very bril- liant things, but when you compare them with Farragut they did not accomplish anything like what he did. Candidly, I think it is not pos- sible in time of peace to select the best men to command our ships in time of battle. Senator Hale. There is nothing we can do, then, of course, to help in that direction. That must be a matter of development and a matter of good fortune when war does come. Capt. Sampson. I say this because the number of admirals in our Navy is now very small, and you rather limit a choice to the selection from a few men if yon select them now. Tet those are the men you will have to depend upon when an emergency arises. Mr. Monet. It is not quite as likely that a board, acquainted with the record of each officer before them for consideration, will be apt to get the right man as that the right man is in the residue? In other words, is it not more likely that the successful officer would be one of those selected by the board than that he should be found among those rejected by the board? Is not the probability altogether in favor of the first class? Capt. Sampson. I only refer to what I said before in order to point out the difficulty in making selections in time of peace. Mr. Money. We understand that; we understand that a man's capacity for faithful performance of duty in responsible places can I.TNTi! i 50 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. only be determined by actual work iu those places. But here we have to deal with a certain number of men who are now ofQcers of the Navy. So I say if an intelligent board is appointed to consider the claims of these gentlemen, to determine their capacity for development, among other things, and they carefully reject one or two, and prefer one or two, is it not likely that the probabilities are in favor of the better class being found among those who have been preferred rather than among those who have been rejected "! Oapt. Sami'SON. I think the chances are in favor of that view. Mr. Money. Then that settles the question, because there is nothing like certainty about anything. Mr. Meybk. According to your view, had there been constituted in 18G0 a board of the kind proposed here for the selection of admirals, that board would probably never have chosen Farragut. Capt. Sampson. I do not say they would not; but I doubt if he would have been their first choice. Mr. Meyer. Nor would a similar board of the Army under similar conditions probably have selected Grant, as against Halleck, Buell, and others. Senator Butler. While I think there is great force in what you state — because that was the experience in our war, and I suppose will be in every war — yet, leaving that out of the question, with which we have not to deal just now, is it not very important, in order to increase the efficiency of the Navy, that the best officers that can be selected should be selected to discharge the duties devolving upon naval officers in times of peace ? Capt. Sampson. Undoubtedly. Senator Butler. That is to say, is it iiot necessary that our modern war ships, which are such complicated magazines, if I may use the exi^ression, should rec^uirc a pretty high order of talent to successfully command them? Capt. Sampson. Yes. Senator Butler. Then when it comes to the command of a squad- ron it also requires the best talent of the Navy. Now what we want to get at is to try, if possible, to get the best men to discharge the duties of naval officers in time of peace, so as to be the better prepared for war, if A^ar should come. It is with that view, as I understand, that this committee has been appointed. Of course we have to take our chances in time of war to get the men who Avould make the best officers for command. But now we want to get the best men to dis- charge their duties in time of peace. Mr. Wadsworth. If the "driftwood" can be cut off every year, that will leave the best men in the Navy. Senator Hale. Is there not one practical result that we shall have to consider, following from Capt. Sampson's line of thought, and that is, that it would not be well to make too many rear-admirals, because some may rise, not by a recognized merit developed, to become rear- admirals and commanders of our squadrons'? Does it not follow, if Capt. Sampson's line of thought be correct, that we had better leave more men as captains, so as to leave a larger number to select flrom hereafter for rear-admirals? Senator Butler. It would devolve upon the President of the United States to get the right men for rear-admirals in time of war. Capt. Sampson, you may proceed -with what you ware about to say. Capt. Sampson. I only made those remarks to point out what I think is a very serious difficulty in attempting to accomplish the object wa PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 51 have in view by selectioa pure and simple. In any corps of officers I suppose it may be said that there are some that are decidedly worse than others. I think that any system that is to be adopted should provide for getting rid of the worst class. On the other hand, I think it is rather risky to decide between good men as to their actual merits, bearing in mind that the object of the selection is something that the men may have had long experience in, and for which we have had no direct and positive test to determine the selection. If the system is to obtain only in times of peace, I think in a majority of cases we canmake a pretty sure selection. Mr. Money. The only consideration for having a navy in time of peace is to have it ready in time of war. We should abolish the 1!^ avy at once if we did not want to have one ready for war when war arises. Capt. Sampson. Certainly. Mr. Money. A ship is built and lives for one supreme moment only, which supreme moment comes only in case of war. Senator Btjtlek. I recognize that, but we must do the best we can under present conditions and surroundings. Senator Hale. Have you any scheme, Gapt. Sampson, that you could formulate that would give us your idea as to the best method to relieve this difficulty as to which everybody seems to agree? Could you give your ideas to the committee, in the form of a memorandum or bill, as to how the difficulty could be reached? Capt. Sami'SON. That depends upon what ground your question covers. Senator Hale. It covers everything, say, touching the line. Capt. Sampson. Then I think the bill of the Secretary of the Navy meets the case. Senator Hale. You have no suggestions to make beyond that? Capt. Sampson. I think of none now. Mr. Wadswoeth. Can you suggest any amendment to the Secre- tary's bill to make it more i)ractical? Capt. Sampson. I will state to the committee frankly that the Sec- retary consulted me somewhat in preparing this bill. This bill has in view one main object which we desire to accomplish, that is to increase rapidity of promotion and get the officers into the upper grades earlier in life so as to get longer service out of them in those positions. The Secretary's bill is drawn strictly on those lines. If you go beyond that I think it could be made perhaps more symmetrical. I think that, as a rule, we should find that in any service well organized, starting with the lowest grade, the mimbers of which are prescribed, the num- bers should constantly decrease to the top. The reason of that is that the length of service, to be symmetrical, will constantly increase from top to bottom of the list. In the junior grades the lieutenants are the men on whom the bulk of the work must fall. That must be the case, for the reason that there are more duties for them to perform than for those in the command grade. Then I think that either the lieutenant com- manders should be combined with the lieutenants, or that their number should be increased, because, as it is now arranged, the time spent in that grade will be, as compared with the grade below it, very much less. Merely for symmetry I think the number ought to be increased. Senator Hale. What objection is there to merging lieutenant-com- manders with commanders? Capt. Sampson. You know the grades were increased during the war, in order to assimilate the grades in the Army with those in the 52 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Navy, so tliat when the officers were associated they might know how they stood. Senator Hale. That is not a very important matter now, is if? (3a,])t. Sampson. It is not very important now. Mr. Mbyee. What is the relative rank of an officer in the Army to a lieutenant-commander in the Navy! Capt. Sampson. Major. But there is another reason which I know would influence tlie officers in the service very much, and that is, if you combine the lieutenants and lieutenant-commanders it would require them to serve more than twenty years without any promotion. Senator Hale. They would get promotion to the rank of commander instead of getting promotion to the rank of lieutenant- commander? Capt. Sampson. Yes; I know; but it is a long pull, you know, to go twenty years without any promotion at all. Now, a lieutenant serves twenty-oneor twenty-two years, but of course that ought not to continue. Senator Hale. A lieutenant wouM not object to being promoted from the top of his grade to commander? Capt. Sampson. No; he certainly would not. ButI think every other man who was not promoted would object to serving twenty-odd years as lieutenant, instead of having some intermediate step. Mr. Money. But he would not serve any longer before being pro- moted to commander than he would now to be promoted to lieutenant- commander"? Capt. Sampson. Exactly. Mr. Money. He could not object to that? Capt. Sampson. As soon as he got to the top of the list he would be promoted anyhow, but in the meantime he is serving in another rank. Senator Hale. Would he serve any longer as commander than he would as lieutenant-commander and commander ? Capt. Sampson. I beg pardon . Senator Haee. If you merge the two grades of lieutenant-com- mander and commander the lieutenant being promoted would serve no longer in the grade of commander than he would under the grade of lieutenant-commander and commander? My proposition is to merge lieutenant-commander and commander. Capt. Sampson. That would be very satisfactory. Senator Haee. And to merge junior or second lieutenants with lieu- tenants? Capt. Sampson. That of course would be another proposition. Senator Hale. You thought I was proposing to add lieutenant com- manders to the top of the lieutenants' list? Capt. Sampson. Y'es. Senator Hale. It was the other way. Capt. Sampson. That makes a very different matter. Senator Butlee And then after that merge the two grades of junior lieutenant and lieutenant. What would be the objection to that? Capt. Sampson. No objection whatever. But you gentlemen of course recognize all the time that such things will increase the expense. Senator Butlee. My idea about merging those two corps is this: Take a young man who has been an ensign until he is 31 or 32 years old; promote him from that rank to lieutenant — not junior lieutenant, and he would be more likely to get an independent command as lieu- tenant, than as a lieutenant of the junior grade, would he not! Capt. Sampson. Yes; in our service it is customary in the assign- ment of duties to count a lieutenant, wherever he stands on the list, PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE, 53 one as good as another; of course, when associated with others, the ranking lieutenant taking precedence. But to join the two grades into one would result practically in giving them all the same duties; they largely have the same now. Senator Butler. Then take the point made by Mr. Hale, to merge lieutenant-commanders with commanders, and promote from lieutenant to commander ; he would be more likely to get command of a ship as commander than as a lieutenant-commander, would he not? Oapt. Sampson. Certainly. Senator Butler. One of the objects of the bill is, as I understand, to increase the numbers in the command rank. Capt. Sampson. Yes. Senator Butler. So that it would seem to me that by abolishing the rank of junior lieutenant the officer would have an opportunity of get- ting an independent command earlier than under the present system. Capt. Sampson. In saying that, you gentlemen are laying yourself liable to very strong argument against what you propose, are you not? Taking them as they now stand, probably it would not be so applicable, but you would increase the number of commanding officers beyond the requirements of the service. Senator Hale. Tou would undoubtedly get a larger number in the one rank, that is, the command rank, but you would get a larger number for the head of the Department to select from. Capt. Sampson. Exactly. Senator Hale. One can understand that in selecting for the com- mand of a ship the Secretary might hesitate to go out of the rank of commander and go into the rank of lieutenant-commander. But if all the lieutenant-commanders were commanders, then the Secretary would have a longer list to select from, so that the officer would have a better chance of getting a command in that rank than in the lower rank. I take it that no Secretary would select a commander simply because he was at the head of the list. , Capt. Sampson. No. Senator Hale. The selection would not be governed by that, but he would have a larger number to select from. Mr. Money. And the selection would have reference to the individu- ality of the officer selected. Capt. Sampson. Senator, I think that this fact ought not to be over- looked, that, while the object of your committee is to get yoiinger officers into the command rank where they can be assigned to command at the discretion of the Secretary, yet it is to be remembered that you have a certain number of ships, and simply because a man is commander does not make him fit to be in command of a ship. He must have had experience and practice. The object of increasing the number of the grade is to get him there so that you can assign him to command of the ship, and we can then have practice, so that when the time comes when he has got to fight a ship he will be found competent to do it, as well as to be competent to command a ship in time of peace. If you have only a limited number of ships, and a fixed number of commanders, which is out of propor- tion to the number of ships, then the opportunity for selection from those who have had experience is so much the less. Senator Butler. Then the other horn of the dilemma presents itself, that he serves a longer time in the lower rank and becomes dis- qualified by reason of age for taking command. It seems to me that his chances for promotion would be increased by being in a position 54 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. •where the Secretaiy can select him. With the increase in the number of ships almost all the officers of the Navy of the higher rank would have some opportunity to be tested. Oapt. Sampson. Then your idea would be to limit the selection to a part of the list! Senator Butlek. No. Senator Hale. You can not get the same experience from every indi- vidual on the list. If you divide the grades of lieutenant-commanders and commanders into four other grades and give them only 20 apiece, there would be a barrier that each grade would make that it would be difficult to overcome in making selections from. Now, you have a less number of barriers and a larger list, so as to give opportunity for indi- viduality to be developed in the officer, as has been suggested. The Secretary knows sometliing about the personnel of the Navy. He and his officers know if thereis a bright man in the rank of commander and he will be selected. That gives opportunity for selection. That is what we are all trying to get. We want to get something practical, something that can be got through. Everybody seems to consider, as you say, that selection is ideal if it can only be carried out. If you can not have selection entirely for promotion, you can have selection for designation of command by increasing the rank from which a com- mander is taken. Capt. Sampson. Exactly; I appreciate the value and force of your remark. Senator, and I am entirely in favor of it. I just wanted to call your attention to the fact that you are making a large number of commanding officers and I think the argument would stand against it that it is out of proportion to the needs of the service, possibly. Mr. Monet. Suppose we do increase so as to make the list top-heavy, would it not be i)ossibIe for a separate command to be devolved uj)on these officers in their turn, giving them a shorter period in command, and change them about oftener, so as to give opportunity to develop fitness or unfitness as the case might be? In that way, when it came to selection for promotion, there is a record to assist the board or the Secretary or whoever has the matter in hand. Oapt. Sampson. Yes. Mr. Money. It seems to me there is a positive advantage in that. Capt. Sampson. Yes. Mr. Mey'ee. I think the Secretary may have had another object in view in framing the bill as it is, with reference to these grades, and that is to get a careful estimate as to the increased cost. Capt. Sajipson. It was very carefully made. Mr. Meyer. I agree with Mr. Money that the matter of a few hirndred thousand dollars ought not to be allowed to defeat a good scheme, yet we know that if the bill ever comes before the House we must meet the question of cost. Mr. Money. That point will always be made, I do not care what the proposition maybe. Capt. Sampson. I am not objecting to an increase in the number in command grades. That is provided for in the bill, but the number is increased to a very moderate amount. Mr. Money. You are very conservative and you want to anticipate the difficulty? Capt. Sampson. That is my only object. Mr. Money. And the feasibility, as well as the desirability, has to be considered, the one quite as much as the other. Capt. Sampson. Quite as much. PERSONNEL OE THE NAVY — LINE. 55 Mr.WADSWOBTH. Assumiug the Secretary's bill as a basis, you do not wish to propose any amendments or changes'? Capt. Sampson. I have just told you one that I would propose. Senator Butlee. Will you be kind enough to put that in writing and submit it to us? Oapt. SAJVtPSON. It will depend upon what the committee proposes with reference to combining commanders and lieutenant-commanders. That removes the only objection I had to it. Mr. Money. I should be very glad to have your view about that proposition. Capt. Sampson. I am entirely in favor of abolishing those two grades ; I only wanted to call attention to the other side of the question. Senator BiTTLEK. Then be kind enough, if yon have any amend- ments to suggest, to put them in writing and submit them to us. Capt. Sampson. I have only one more suggestion to make with regard to this bill, and that is in line 18 of section 4, that the number of captains to be retired should be limited to three and four. Senator Hale. Where does your proposed amendment come inf Capt. Sampson. In that proviso : Provided, That not more than four captains and commanders, nor more than three lieutenant-commanders, be thus selected for retirement in any one year. My amendment would be to strike out that provision and leave it to create the number of vacancies required. Senator Hale. Would you not limit it by number? Capt. Sampson. No. Mr. Wadswokth. If you do not limit the number it would vary from time to time. Oapti Sampson. Yes; but if you leave out that proviso you make it certain. Mr. Wadswoeth. You might have a block or supernumerary? Oapt. Sampson. Yes. Mr. Wadswoeth. You propose to strike out, from the word "pro- vided" down to the end of the sentence, the word " year"? Capt. Sampson. Yes. Mr. Meyee. And leave it to the board to retire as many as are nec- essary? Capt. Sampson. Yes. Mr. Wadswoeth. What was that put- in for? Capt. Sampson. Simply to limit the number that should be retired. Suppose that in any one year any casualty should occur by^loss of ship, or something of that nature; in that case there would not be any com- pulsory retirements. But suppose there were very few casualties of any sort, then four and three (making seven) retirements might not make the requisite number of vacancies, in which case, if you strike out that provision, you could retire a sufficient number. Senator Hale. Of course that was intended as a limitation upon the dropping process. That, for the reasons given us, is always objection- able to the men who fear they may be the ones to be dropped. So this was a sop thrown to them to make it more acceptable to those men? Capt. Sampson. That is it; exactly. Mr. Meyee. You stated that you were in consultation with the Sec- retary of the Navy in the preparation of this bill. Upon what ground did the Secretary incorporate in his suggestions that the number should be limitjBd as provided in this bill? He must have had some reason for that. 56 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. Capt. Sampson. The fundamental reason, probably, was this — that the average number, if there -vrere no voluntary retirements or no officer made application to be retired, as is contemplated here, in any one year, then four and three selected from these grades mentioned would make up the necessary number. It would do so on the average. Senator Hale. That is about an average? Oapt. Sampson. About an average. Mr. Meyer. It was based upon that theory? Capt. Sampson. Yes. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 57 tJ. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., September ^6, 1891. Sir: The board appointed by the Department's order of June 24, 1891, (a copy of whicli is hereto appended, marked A) "To examine into and report npon the jirea- eut stagnation of officers in the line of the Navy, and recommend such measures as it may deein desirable to regulate promotion, with a view to the increased effi- ciency of the Na-\-y," beg to submit the following report: It appears to the board necessary to present, first, a statement of the causes, all long anterior to the present inquiry, which have led to the existing stagnation; second, a summary of the results brought about by these causes, as shown in the present condition of the lists, which will illustrate the character of the stagnation: and, thirdly, the ill eft'ects produced upon the Navy by this state of affairs. A cor- rect apprehension of the serious character of the existing evils and of their inev- itable effect upon the Navy cannot but be followed by the admission that somo imme- diate remedy is needed ; and whatever maybe thought of the particular remedies suggested by the board, neither the evils themselves nor the necessity for removing them are open to dispute any more than other unwelcome but undeniable facts. I. The causes. — The causes of the present stagnation in promotion are three in num- ber, the last to be named being the" most serious. (1) Owing to an excessive and enormous number of appointments as midshipmen in 1841, very few were made from that year to 1846, and these few have wholly dis- appeared. The survivors of 1841 date have very recently retired, and a cessation of retirements has followed corresponding to the original cessation in appointing. This block to promotion is operative now, and will disappear in about two years. Closely analogous to this cause of difficulty and operating in the same way, is the fact that the number of officers now remaining on the active list from those who entered between 1846 and 1859 is, owing to the civil war, considerably less than would normally survive. In consequence of this the annual retirements from the head of the list are now, and must for some years continue to be, below the nor- mal, and promotions correspondingly fewer. (2) By the act of August, 1882, a reduction of 29 was made in the number of reai- admirals, commodores, captains, and commanders. This put a stop to promotion, by taking away so many possible vacancies ; and these being at the head of the list, the effect was felt through every grade. An immediate and absolute stoppage was avoided by a provision of the act allowing one promotion for every two vacancies; but the actual loss of promotion still exists, though the bloAv was distributed over several years. The grade of lieutenant-commander was reduced by 6 at the same time, with a similar effect upon all below it. The grades remaining smaller, the waste from them is less, and the yearly promotions consequently fewer; and, as the number now allowed in tlag rank bear less than their proper proportion to the whole Navy, and are not adequate to the requirements of the service, the rate of promotion, under existing conditions, will, from this cause alone, continue smaller than it should be. (3) Much of the most serious cause of stagnation, and one affecting a part of the service to which the country must, in a very few years hence, look for its leading naval officers, remains to be stated. During the eight years preceding 1860, from 1852 to 1859, both inclusive, the num- ber annually graduated from the Naval Academy was less than the annual waste. During this period occurred also the scrutiny of the list in 1855, in consequence of which a large number of officers were removed from the active list and their places filled from the past midshipmen of the Navy. The effect of this was to reduce the number of officers below the grade of lieutenant from 258 in 1854 to 78 in 1857, rising in 1861 to no more than 91, among whom are included all graduated midshipmen. To this state of things the war came, bringing a great number of resignations from all grades of the Navy, creating at once a large number of vacancies in the grades from lieutenant upward, to fill which, from the usual and proper sources of supply, there existed only the meager provision of 91 junior officers. The great necessary expansion to the fleet increased the embarrassment of the Department for officers, and particularly for watch and division officers, to meet the emergency. The comparatively simple character of the armaments of that day, and the fact that the enemy had no navy with which to assume an active attitude, enabled the Gov- ernment to supply its wants in a fairly satisfactory manner from the merchant serv- ice; but, without in the least detracting from the zeal and maritime experience of the. officers who flocked from the latter into the Navy, it was perfectly plain that such a penury of young men trained to military habits and drill would have been utterly disastrous had our ships been called upon to confront a regular service. •'58 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. To tliis conviction, to tlie experience of actual waait for watoli officers, is to be attributed tlie natural but most incousiderate policy which prevailed from I860 to 1807, inclusive, and to which the most serious features of the present distress are attributable. The numbers under instruction at the Naval Academy were kept at the highest possible limit and the cadets pressed tbroujrh to graduation with the utmost rapidity, the classes oven being divided according to the apparent ability of certain members to be pusheercentage of selections in junior grades is small, gradually increasing as higher rank and greater responsibilities are reached, until, in promotions from the grade of cap- tain, it is limited only by the service requirements. The rights and claims of seniority ujj to the grade of captain are amply provided for, PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 75 and at the same time there is enough selection to excite emulation and to permit the more rapid bringing forward of especially capable and promising men. The rights of seniority alone to promotion are stopped at the grade of captain, corresponding to that of colonel in the Army. For advancement to the high rank and important duties of rear-admi- ral it is evident that the entire captain's list offers a sufficiently restricted field of choice. The grading of the sea-service qualifications for selected commanders and captains corresponds to the grading of the retiring ages in those grades, as provided in section 8. On account of the diminishing ages of retirement during the graded period, an officer might have a very short period of service in one of the command grades. The following table showing the retiring ages for the six years subsequent to 1894 will make this evident : 1895. 1896. 1897. 1898. 1899. 1900. 58 51 50 57 53 49 57 52 48 57 51 47 57 51 46 57 51 Lieutenant-commanders and lieutenants 45 It will be seen that a commander i^romoted to captain in 1895 at an age just under 54 would retire in 1898 at the age of 57, and a lieuten- ant-commander or lieutenant promoted to commander in 1895 at an age just under 50, or in 1896 at an age just under 49, would retire in 1897 or 1898 with but two years' service. The graded sea-service qualification meets the case of such men whom it might be desirable to advance to higher rank. All commanders promoted to captains in 1898 and sub- sequently, and all lieutenants promoted to commanders in 1900 and subsequently, will have at least six years to serve in their new grades; but certain modifications are necessary during the transition period. Sections 5 and 6 provide for the manner of making selections. Section 7 limits the number of naval cadets who may receive com- missions in any one year. It also provides that no other restriction shall be placed upon the number of ensigns until the year 1897. The restriction upon the number of ensigns commissioned in anyone year is to prevent the existence in the future of a block such as that which now embarrasses reorganization. The proviso is introduced for the following reason : An examination of the retirement table given below shows that the retirements and casualties in 1895, 189C, 1897, and 1898, will considerably exceed45 ayear, and at the end of 1898, the list of ensigns will be short by the differ- ence between the vacancies and appointments which will be consider- able, estimated at 125 ; therefore in 1894, as many cadets as are qualified should be commissioned in anticipation of this deficiency. The ensign's list will be in any event much below the size fixed by this bill for a number of years. Section 8 fixes the ages of retirement for the grades of captain, com- mander, and lieutenant-commander and lieutenants (the two latter con- sidered as one grade). The grading of the retiring ages is rendered necessary by the congestion of the upper half of the service, due to the entry into the service fr. m 1860 to 1867, of classes of officers alto- gether out of proportion to the size of the naval establishment. If the retiring ages, which are to be ultimately established, were put into operation at once the effect would be the immediate retirement in the grades which they now occupy of a large number of officers. Grading ■76 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. tLe retiring ages softens the blow, altliongli it does not eventually avert it. It' enacted into law this selicme will be in complete working order in the year 1900. During and after that year no lieutenant who has less than seventeen years to serve will be promoted to the grade of commander. During and after 1898 no commander of more than 51 years of age will be promoted to the grade of captain, and during and after 189G"uo captain will get his flag as a rear-admiral unless he has at least five years still on the active list. No scheme which does not deal thoroughly with the congested portion of the Navy list can pro- duce these results. The eifect of this proposed act, if applied to the present state of the Navy, has been carefully calculated up to the end of 1899. The method employed has been that of making actual tables of promotions and retirements, carrying along at the same time the annual percentage of casualties which long experience has shown to be reliable. Promo- tions have, for the sake of convenience, been made wholly by seniority. The application of the percentage of selection permitted by the bill would probably not materially affect the results. It might, perhaps, diminish slightly the number of retirements for the years from 1895 to 1899, as given below, but this would not be material and has not been considered. The following table gives the result of this practical application of the above retiring provisions. Under "Estimated casualties" are included resignations, dismissals, deaths, and retirements from physi- cal disability, and the xiorcentage employed is the mean of those which actually occurred in the Navy during a period of twenty-four years. Summary of retirementa and casualties under the proposed act helween July 1, 1S94, and December 31, 1S99. KETIEEMENTS FOE ARE. Grade, ! Jnlvl, hsw, to Dor.l, 1895. Eear-admirals Captains Commanders Lieutenant-commander and lieutenants . Annual total . Grand total... 1896. 1897. 70 1898. Totala iu grades. 21 16 87 206 ESTIMATED CASUALTIES. Eear-admiralB Captains Commaiideid .' Lieutenant-commander and lieutenimts. Grades junior to lieutenant Annual totala . Grand total . 16 2 7 13 38 27 87 The retirements are excessive in number. Their careful scrutiny and analysis present interesting features and illustrate the hopelessness of attempting to place the line of the Navy in a healthy normal condition without the removal from the atitive list of a large number of officers of the congested section. Of the 206 retirements which take place PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE, 77 between July 1, 1894, and January 1, 1900, 21 are flag officers and 23 are officers who entered the Navy from the volunteer service. The remaining 162 are graduates of the Naval Academy now in the grades of captain, commander, lieutenant commander, and lieutenant, and 157 of these are in the eight classes entering 1860 to 1867, inclusive. To the excessive and disproportionate numbers in these eight classes, which with the 24 volunteers occupy the Navy list from the forty- fourth captain to the one hundred and twenty-fourth lieutenant, the deplorable condition of the service is largely due; and no reorganiza- tion can be effective and thorough which does not provide for their speedy reduction. Any thing else is merely a palliative of no lasting advantage. This conclusion can not be evaded. It is an unhealthy enlargement to which the knife must be applied. The report of the Pythian board pointed out this obstacle clearly and forcibly, and recommended its immediate abatement by a scrutiny of the list and the removal of the excess to the retired list. The law here proposed accomplishes substantially the same result by a different process. Under the provisions of a law adapted to a normal condition of the service the congestion is abated, the operation extending over a period of five years. Whenever the retiring ages strike the " hump " the number of retirements will be large. If these ages are made high the catastrophe is postponed : if they are made lower its advent is accelerated; but sooner or later the blow must fall. It can not be avoided. If no measure is applied and the present status remains unaltered these large dates will go to the head of the list and retire at 62 years of age in blocks of rear-admirals. Ninety- five per cent of the 162 officers retired by the above table in grades junior to flag rank (less the regular percentage of casualties) will under existing laws, prior to 1915, be retired as rear-admirals with the maximum pay. The proposed scheme retires them in grades junior to flag rank — 15 as captains, 60 as commanders, and 87 as lieutenant-commanders and lieutenants at an earlier age and with much less annual pay. The difference of expense attendant upon the proposed scheme has not been lost sight of, and its discussion should be considered under two heads : (1) That due to changes in the active list, and (2) that due to alterations in the retiring provisions. The increased expenses of the active list are: Difference of pay between 10 rear-admirals and 10 commodores. Difference of pay between 4 rear admirals and 4 captains. Difference of pay between 15 captains and 15 commanders. Difference of pay between 1 lieutenant and 1 lieutenant, junior grade. The diminished expenses are : Difference of pay between 5 commanders and 5 lieutenant-com- manders. Pay of 8 ensigns. The increased pay of senior lieutenants and junior lieutenant-com- manders will also show as an immediate increase of expense; but this item will rapidly diminish, and at the end of four or five years there will be a difference in favor of economy. Another feature will also reduce for a period of years, probably not less than ten or twelve, the expense of the active establishment. This will be an ensigns' list, very much smaller than 160, the number allowed. The restriction of admissions to 45 a year will prevent the filling of all vacancies on this list as they occur and will cause a greater or less deficiency in its numbers, which will continue for a number of years. 78 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. After the ensigns' list shall have again reached its proper strength the pay of the active list will be substantially the same as at present, certainly no greater. An analysis of the expense of the retired list is more complex and depends largely upon actuary's estimates. ISTo fair comparison of the retired pay under present laws and under the proposed scheme can be made without covering a long future period of time, certainly not less than thirty years. The increase of expense during the next five years, consequent upon retiring 183 officers at ages varying from 58 to 46, will be considerable; but it must be borne in mind that 162 of these officers would (subject to the casualties due to the period of time between their retiring ages and 62) otherwise reach the grade of and retire as rear-admirals. Here an actuary's estimates would be applied. It is probable that the total retired pay received in the one case would not be far different from that received in the other. The earlier retirements cause the increase in expense to begin at an earlier date, but averts much heavier additions to the expense of retired pay which, under existing laws, will take j)lace at a later period. After the congested block is disposed of the annual number of retirements will be small, as hereafter shown. The retirement table shows this drop in 1899. Section 9 modifies existing laws by providing that ofiicers selected for promotion shall be subject OTiIy to]jhysical examination. The selec- tion board in performing its office has already passed upon the " pro- fessional, moral, and mental " qualities of the oflicers whom it has recom- mended for advancement as of superior merit; and it would be absuM to refer these qualities back to another board for a decision as to whether they were or were not up to a standard barely acceptable to the requirements and inferior to the average. Should the proposed law be enacted and go into operation in 1894, the condition of the Navy list in December, 1899, would be as follows: Twenty rear admirals, all of whom when promoted to that grade had four years or more to serve on the active list. Sixty captains, of ages varying from 57 to 50 years (a few selected captains might be under 50). Eighty commanders, of ages varying from 51 to 45 years (a few selected commanders might be under 45). Three hundred and twenty-five lieutenants, of ages varying from 45 to 28 years. Seventy-five lieutenants of the junior grade, of ages varying from 29 to 24 years. Thirty-five ensigns,.of ages varying from 26 to 22 years. This statement is based upon an estimated average annual supply of 30 ensigns from the classes which have already entered the Naval Academy and are still undergraduates. The wide range of age in the junior gxades is due to the similarly wide range permitted by law in admission to the Naval Academy. The following changes in the Navy Eegister of 1894 would appear in that of 1900: (1) All the captains would have been promoted to the rank of rear- admiral or retired. (2) All the commanders, lieutenant-commanders, and about 35 lieu- tenants would have been promoted to the grade of captain or retired. (3) The lieutenants from about No. 35 to No. 195 would have been promoted to the grade of commander or retired. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 79 (4) The lieutenants, junior grade, all tlie ensigns, and about 60 of the two classes of naval cadets now at sea on their two years' cruise would have been promoted to the grade of lieutenants. The ages which offlcers in the different grades would have in Decem- ber, 1899, if the proposed scheme should become law, shows that in its effects it is by no means a radical measure. Those ages are barely within the limits which the consensus of naval opinion has estabhshed as essential to naval efficiency. In its application, when the block shall have been passed, the trouble will end. Thereafter the scheme will work simply and smoothly. Whatever changes may take place in the number of ofUcers, command rank will be reached at a proper age, and officers who reach the command and flag grades will have a proper length of service in those grades. With all the grades filled, as prescribed by section 1, and the block disposed of, the normal operation of the scheme would be as follows, assuming ensigns to be commissioned at the age of 22, and the annual percentage of casualties through forty years of service to be 2-7 per cent. Ensigns commissioned eacli year 31^ Lieutenants retired 2 J^ Lieutenants promoted : 14^^ Commanders retired li Commanders promoted 11 Captains retired 5 Captains promoted 4.jL Kear-Admirals retired 3| Total retirements annually 13 If the casualties should prove to be less than the percentage employed, the number of retirements would be greater. I have received my final promotion and reached the grade of rear- admiral. My position can not be in any way affected by the provisions of law which I here suggest. I am, therefore, in my opinions of what is for the best good of the Navy, entirely unprejudiced by any sentiments of personal interest. But I have a strong interest in the efficiency of the service and I know that by reason of stagnation.of promotion, and the increasing ages of officers, the Navy is falling, in a marked degree, below that stand- ard of efficiency which should be maintained. I have recently finished a tour of service in command of a squadron of nearly four years, and 1 was obliged constantly to comment upon the fact that officers of all grades were too old for the positions which they occupy and the duties which they perform. This criticism applies to all grades but with the greater force to the subordinate grades. The age of lieutenant- com- manders and lieutenants is a menace to the future efficiency of the fleet. Unless some thorough measujpe is immediately adopted they will never become competent commanders and admirals. While I deprecate the severe effect of the retiring provisions and have much sympathy for the offlcers whose active service will be brought to an end, I see no alternative, unless urgent demands of efficiency are to be sacrificed to personal considerations. I am also confident that a certain percentage of selection will result in great advantage to the Navy. There would be vigorous opposition in the Navy, especially in its upper half, to such a measure, but the broad question is whether the good of the service or that of naval officers, as individuals, shall be the paramount consideration. If the former is to be considered, then such a reform is imperative; if the latter is to be placed in front, then 80 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. nothing need be done. A system wliich promotes all officers to the highest rank before retirement leaves little to be desired from the per- sonal point of view. The bill which I suggest, if enacted into law, will at the end of five years place the line of the Navy in a satisfactory and efficient military] condition, and will so maintain it for all future time. No measure which does not base promotion to some extent on merit and recognize the necessity for grade retirement can be effective. It may iJaUiate but can not remove the difficulties of the situation. The naval experience of the world confirms the truth of this prop- osition. (See tables B, 0, and D, appended, which are of special value.) Table B. 1720 officers, viz: 560 below commaufT rank, 80 comTnandora, 60 captains, 20 rcar-adtniralfl. Norma- ciindition of service, i. e., uniform entries, promoUous, and retirements. Grade retirements as sugl gested in sclieme. Annual casualties, 2 -7 x>er cent.] Tears of com- Aver- Num- ber Tears of com- Aver- Num- ber Tears ol com- Aver- Num- ber Tears of com- Aver- Num- ber mis- sioned ago age. remain- ing. mis- sioned age age. remain- mis- sioned age age. remain- ing. mis- sioned age age. remain- ing. service. service. ing. service. service. 1 22 *31 -600 25 46 14-284 31 53 11 37 58 4-194 2 23 30 650 26 47 13 -898 32 53 10 -703 38 69 4-081 3 24 29 -882 27 48 13 -6'23 33 .M 10 -314 39 60 3-971 4 26 29 -017 28 49 13-156 34 65 9-933 40 61 3 -864 5 26 28 -234 29 50 12 -799 35 56 9-560 41 62 3-760 Q 27 28 29 27 -472 26 -730 26 -008 30 51 12-452 36 57 9-194 7 8 in .OTA 80-111 60 -694 20rear-admirals. Au- 9 30 25 -306 80commande rs. An- 60 captains. Annu- nvrally retire SJ. 10 31 24 -623 nually retire li com- nually rsti'reSt aptains. 11 32 23-958 mauders. 12 33 23 -311 13 34 22-682 14 35 22 -070 15 36 21 -474 16 37 20 -894 17 38 20 -330 < 18 39 19 -781 19 40 W-247 20 41 18 -727 21 42 18 -231 22 43 17 -729 23 44 17 -250 24 45 16-784 561 -88 6(12 offl jers below com- • wanders. Annnally re- tire 2i Ue utenants. *Kumber of ensigns commissioned each year. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 81 Table C. [fl) Seven hundred and twenty officers, viz, 50O below command rank, 80 commanders. 60 captains, 20 rear-admirals. (2) Normal condition of service, i. e., uniform entries, promotions, and retirements. (3) Seniority promotion and retirement of all oflicers at 62. Percentage of annual casualties, 2 •? per cent.] Tear Kiimber Tear Number of ser- Age. remain- of ser- Age. remain- Eemarka. vice. ing. vice. ing. 1.... 22 *28 -900 22 43 16 -347 2.... 23 28 -120 23 44 15 -905 3.... 21 27 -361 24 45 15 -475 4.... 25 2C -662 25 46 15 -056 5.... 26 2.) OiiJ 26 47 14 -650 6.... 27 25 -204 27 48 14-255 7.... 28 24 -524 28 49 13 -870 8.... 9 29 30 2:i -863 23 -221 29 30 60 51 13 -493 13-130 Reach commanders's grade at age of 48S— six and one- 10.... 31 22 -598 31 52 12 -775 } sixth years in grade; 80 commaudors. 11.... 32 21 -998 32 53 12-429 12.... 33 21 -394 33 54 12 -093 13.... 34 20-816 34 55 11 -766 Keach grade of captain at 54J— ^ve and one-half years iu gi-ade. 14.... 35 20 -353 35 56 11-448 15-... 36 19 -805 36 57 11 -139 16.... 37 19-270 37 58 10 -839 Sixty captains. 17.-- 38 18 -li? 38 59 10-547 18..-. 39 IS -238 39 60 10 -263 19.... 40 17-746 40 61 9-987 ( Eoach grade of rear-admirjtl at 60 ,- 20 rear-admirals— 5 t-wo years in grade; retire 9J rear-admiralsperyear. 20.... 41 17 -267 41 62 9-719 21.... 16 -801 255-148 468-792 468-792 723, 980 * Wnmber of ensigns commissioned each year. N. B. — If annual percentage of casualties should prove in the future to be smaller than 2 -7 the effect would be to diminish the number of annual entries and to increase the number of oflicers reach- ing the grade of rear-admiral and retiring as such. Table D. Of the 162 officers, graflaates of the Naral Academy, whom the provisions of the suggested act would retire in the grades of captain, commander, lieutenant-com- mander, and lieutenant, at ages varying from 58 to 46, two liave lost largely in rank due to misconduct, and would probably retire under existing laws as commanders. Nearly all — probably 95 per cent of those of the remaining 160 who reached the age of 62 on the active list, would retire as rear-admirals. The following statement shows the difference iu total retired pay which would be drawn during their lives by these 160 oflicers if retired as proposed and that which will be drawn if retired at 62 by the proportion of these 160 officers who will reach that age on the active list. The expectation of life is taken from life-insurance tables. Pro^ioseo retirement under nexo scheme. Num- ber. Grade. Age. Expecta- tion of life, t Total number of years. Grand total of years un- der retired pay. Annual pay. Total pay. 1 58 67 53 52 51 50 49 48 47 46 14-97 15-59 18-16 18 -82 19-50 20-18 20-87 21-56 22-27 22-97 14-97 218 -26 233 -23 1, 111 -36 1,864-96 $3,375 2,625 2,250 14 $787,151.25 4 72-64 395 -22 643 -50 21 do 33 ..do Lieutenant-commanders and lieutenauts. do 2, 917, 320. 03 3 60-64 542 -62 991 -76 178 -16 91-88 46 do ...do 4 ..do 4, 196, 160. 00 7,900,631.28 82 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Retirement under exliting laii'x. — Of these 160 officers, 116J would reach on theaotive list the age of 63, 110, say, would retire as renr-admiral, and 6J as captains. (This assumes that the number of rear-admirals is to be increased to 20.) Their retired pay would be as follows : Kum- ber. Grade. Age. Expecta- tion of life. Total number of years. Annual pay. Total pay. 110 62 62 12.61 13.61 1, 387. 10 85.12 $4, 600 8,375 $6, 241, 950. 00 n 287, 280. 00 Total 6, 529, 230. 00 7, 900, 631. 28 1,371,401.28 1 An increase of about 20 per cent. This difference of retired pay of these 160 officers, due to the reduction of the con- gested section of the Navy list in the manner suggested, would be distributed over a period of thirty-two years and would amount to about $43,000 a year. But a large part of this increased expense of the retired list would be balanced by the reduced cost of the active list, due to the shortage for a number of years in the ensign's list, as shown in the above memorandum. Average ages of the line officers of the U. S. Navy. # Kear-atlmiral Commodore Captain Commander Lieutenant-commander Pirst 100 lieutenants-.. 1874. 1884. 1894. ♦1904. "1908. 59 61 60 60 61 54 58 59 60 60-5 50 51 62 69 60 38-6 42 49 57 69 31 40 46-7 55 66 30 37 44-5 52 51 60 60 69 57 63 46 ♦Eotireraonts at the age of 62 years only considered. Officers of the English navy. Title. Number allowed. Tbeirages. Age of com- pulsory re- tirement. Admiral of the fleet Admiral Yice-admiral Eear-admiral Captain Commander Lieutenant, over eight years - Lieutenant, under eight years Sub-lieutenant Midshipman and naval cadet. 8 11 20 32 185 311 402 440 219 600 65-58 59-50 55-37 48-32 45-30 32-21 26-20 21-13 65 65 60 65 60 45 45 40 PERSONNKL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 83 Note. — The nnmber of sWps on all the appended sheets includes only armored vessels, cruisers, and gunboats; and excludes all tor- pedo boats, all miscellaneous craft, and all vessels unfit for further war service at sea. The vessels excluded are : TTnited states. Enp- land. France. Kiissia. Italy. AUB- tria. Ger- many. 33 3 250 206 374 226 83 166 67 181 30 67 62 126 In sheet 4: The United States paymasters have charge of supplies and accounts. The British paymasters, in addition, supply all secretaries and sec- retaries' clerks to flag officers afloat and on shore. The French commissariat is charged with all the naval administra- tive work, including the cTirolliug, drafting, and supervision of the inscription maritime. A legal training is required. The Italian commissariat is charged with practically the same duties as the French, The Austrian commissariat ofiicials are largely employed in clerical duties at the navy department in Vienna, where 38 are on duty, aud at the dockyard at Pola, where 65 are so employed. SUMMARY OF OFFICERS. [Sheet No. 1.] United States. Eng- land. France. Russia. Italy. Aus- tria. Ger- many. Officers of the line and foreign corps with similar duties {see sheets 2 and 8) Medical corps and similar foreign corps 722 166 95 183 29 21 12 10 2,819 394 377 716 74 98 69 2,142 448 352 220 125 24 16 31 1,763 208 235 146 1,087 174 310 204 74 780 62 159 81 76 8 6 893 95 Pay corps and similar foreign corps (see sheet 4i 72 Engineer corps and similar foreign corps 74 Naval constructorB and similar foreign 109 Chaplains and similar foreign corps (see 11 Professors of mathematics and similar for- CivS engineers and similar foreign corps Total 1,238 722 516 71-5 4,547 2,819 1,728 61-3 3,358 2,142 1,216 66-8 2,352 1,763 589 33-4 1,849 1,087 762 70-1 1,172 780 392 50-2 1,254 893 361 Percentage of the civil to the military 40-4 COMPARISON OF OFFICERS OF THE MILITARY BRANCH. [Shoet No. 2.) nNITED STATES. Officers of the line. Executive ofliccia RELATIVE AUMY KANK. Title. Number. Field marshal ; Oeneral Lieuteiuuit-geuoral .' M^|o^'gclleral i Kcar-admiral Brigadier-goiicral Coiiunodore ■Colonel j Captain Lleuteuaut-coliinil ] Commander Major 1 Lieutenant-commander . Ages. Coni|iul- fiory retire. Title. Number. Agoa. ■Captain First lientouant. . . Second iicntonaut. Lieutenant Lieutenant (junior grade) . Ensign Cadet Total Officers excluding cadets Established numl)cr of olliccrs Additional olliccrs for duties performed by officers of the line (sec alu-et 8) val cadet. 6 10 45 85 74 250 75 177 298 1,020 722 ei-60 62-56 60-40 60-47 58-45 48-35 39-32 36-22 24-15 Admiral of the fleet . Admiral ' Vice-admiral 02 ; Rear-admiral 62 \ 62 ! Capt.iiii 02 I Commander None. I Lieutenant over 8 years. . Lieutenant under 8 years. Sublieutenant 7 ' 12 05-49 20 04-55 ;i5 t 59-50 1911 I 55-37 312 i 48-33 419 ! 45-30 Compul- sory retire. Olliciers de marine. Title. Number. Ages. Comijul. sory retire. 05 05 Vice-amiral 00 I Contre-admiral 15 30 65-56 62-51 None. None. None. 425 108 Midsliipman and naval cadet. 32-21 26-20 55 I Capitiline devaisseau... 50 i Capitaine do frcgate 45 I 45 Lieutenant dcvaissean . 40 I Ensciguc dc vaisscau . . - Aspirant l""*" clasae T 120 215 00-43 58-38 720 479 204 50-26 40-22 25-20 ^'umber of ships Tons displacement Men and buys Nnmber of officers to each ship . Tons displacement to each ollicer Men and boys to each officer 72 230, 000 8,250 10 319 11-4 600 2,188 1.588 1,744 I 1.075 2, 810 333 1,178,340 60, 581 8-5 418 17-9' 21-13 I I Aspirant 2"" classe and cl^ve I 203 1,991 . 1,783 . 1,645 . 497 i. 2, 142 . 237 . 694, 000 : . 49,744 '. 9-4. 324 . I 23-2 . 53 None. None. Officers of the staff of tko department of the navy. State maggiore generale della reale Title. Nnmber. General admiral . Admiral Vice-admiral Centre-admiral .- Captain 1st rank. Captain 2d rank . 18 25 Ages. 1 80-71 65-56 60-42 Compul- sory retire.' Title. 77 ! 64-42 1 195 i 50-36 Lieutenant . Micliman . Guarda marina . d03 44-27 317 340 1,585 1,245 1,245 518 1,763 131 359,600 30, 600 13-3 204 17-3 33-18 21-12 None. None. 65 60 47 If not pro- moted In 10 years. Animiraglio Vice-ammiraglio. . Contr'ammiraglio. Capitano di vascello Capitauo di fregata Capitano di corvette Tenente di vascello Sotto-Tenente di vascello . Guardia-marina Allievo . LINE — face page 84 1 Number. 1 6 17 65 253 87 103 364 1,014 650 750 337 1,087 99 302,000 13,500 11 278 12-4 COMPARISON OF OFFICERS OF THE MILITARY BRANCH. [Sheet No. 2.] FIUNCt ! 1 RUSSIA. ' ITALY della realo marina. ArSTRIA. GERMAKT. ! Oftioiers de mnriue. Officers of the stnff of tko department of the navy. St.ito magsioro gencrnle Sceofliziero. Seeoflizierkorps. Compul- sory retire. 1 Titlo. Number. Ages. Compul- sory retire. Title. Number. ! Ages. soryTeth-e. Title. Xambor. Age,. Compul- sury retire. Title. 1 Number. Ages. Compul- sory retire when ordered by ; the Em- peror. 1 Title. Number. 1 Ages. Compul- sory retire when ordered by the Em- peror. ! 1 t 80-71 05-56 60-42 None. _ _J 1 i 1 65 65 60 Admiral 18 25 4.„in)i-n,.lin 1 65 65 60 Admiral ' 1 64 64-60 60^6 ....i Admiial 1 10 56 53-13 65 62 05 Viicamniirnglio 6 62-56 00 nmitr'nmniii-nirlii) 17 1 nn-.iO i Yize-admiral 56 30 ' 62-61 .5I 1 Kontre-admiral 53 1 1 55 50 45 4( 40 60 68 77 195 54-42 50-36 55 51 Capitano di viiscello 55 68 60 253 87 103 304 1,014 050 55-45 50-42 47-39 43-22 29-20 28-18 21-13 55 52 50 45 45 None. LiQienscbiffs kapitiin ' Fregatten kapitfin Korvelten kapltiin 19 26 34 55-60 54-47 52-42 Kapitan zur see 32 SO-M 50 58-38 J j Capitauo di corvette Korvetten kapitSn 66 186 203 135 194 782 588 46-41 41-33 35-25 26-22 22-18 720 479 204 208 1,991 50-26 40-22 25-20 21-16 53 None. None. 603 44-27 47 Linienscbifl's lieutenant 192 i 45-29 Kapltiin lieutenant 43 Liniensobiffs fahnrioh 184 132 130 726 586 31-22 25-20 19-16 Lieutenant zur see 317 340 1,685 1,245 33-18 21-12 If not pro- moted in lOyears. See kadet, see aspirant TJnterlieutenant zur see i Aspirnut 2"" cliisso aud cldve Seekadetand kadet 1,645 1,245 618 750 337 580 200 630 263 . 2,142 237 694, 000 49,744 9-4 324 23-2 1,763 13] 359,600 30, 500 13-3 204 17-3 [ 1,087 90 302,000 13, 500 780 48 115, 500 7,398 16-3 148 9-5 893 77 233,000 17,264 1 11 -e 1 261 : 19 ■: . 1 11 278 12-4 , • s ! 1 ! 1 i COMPARISON OF OFFICERS OF THE MEDICAL BRANCH. [Sheet No. 3.; UVITBD STATES. KSOlJiNn. FllANCE. HDSSIA. I KKLATIVK JLKMV KANK. Medical corps. Mcdicnl oftiroFM. Corps de saute. Medical officials. Corp Title. Title. 1 Knmber. Ages. Ketire. Title. Number. Ages. Retire. Title. Number. * Ages. Retire. 1 Title. Number. t A gen. Retire. Field marshal , 1 i The medical corps is ijraded in j the civil service without military rank, as follows : Inspector of hospitals, civil otH- [ 1 oial, third class. | Surgeon, civil official, fourthclass.' 12 Surgeon, civil official, fifth class . . : 21 Surgeon, civil official, sixth class. 71 Surgeon, civil offici.il, seventh 44 class. ! Surgeou.civil official, eighth class, j 18 Surgeon, civil official, ninth class. 41 1 62-34 62-34 62-34 62-34 45-27 i lffi\jor-gpiipral • 1 Inspector-geuerol of hospi talB and fleets. 4 60 Ispettore medico 1 1 c: 62 4i-27 i ! 45-27 i 1 12 53 88 237 60 55 55 55 Directeur dii service de BttnH 6 20 61-55 61-42 59-43 1 ] Direttore medico U 17 33 12 46 28 166 72 11,563 ■ 2-8 69 '6 58-53 55-44 47-39 43-39 38-24 28-21 62 62 62 pitals and fleets. Pharmaoien en chef 6 Medico capo 1" CI Farmacista capo 1" CI Medico capo 2' CI Farmacista capo 2" CT Medico )"C1 Farmacista !• CI Medico 2' CI ■Xfni_„ Mddecin principal 55 Fharmacien principal i 9 M«deciB 1" CI 1 152 53-40 51-41 47-30 44-35 44-23 42-25 ] 1 1 Fharmacien 1"C1 - 14 160 26 i M^deci'to 2' 01 ' r»rmaci.sta 2' CI ; Fanuacista 3. CI 394 333 76,700 1-2 194-7 448 237 71, 071 1-9 158 6 208 131 32,852 1-6 137 -9 _ LINE — face page §4'''==-2 ARISON OF OFFICERS OF THE MEDICAL BRANCH. [Sheet No. 3.) 'orps de sante. I Number. I* Agos. Retire. Medicnl olticialn. Corjio Hiiiiitnrio. Title. I Number. ' Ages, i Retire. Title. Number, j Ages. , Kotire. Marine iirzle. Title. Number. A^es. iCetire\rh6D I ordered [ by the Em * peror. SanJtiits olUzler korpci. Title. Number. lletirowhen , I ordered ^g®«- by the Em- peror. The medical corps is graded in the civil service without niilitiiry rauk, AS follows : Inspector of hospitals, civil otti- cial. third class. Surgeon, civil otHcial. fourth tdass. Surgeon, civil official, lifth class. . Surgeou, civil official, sixth cIjlss. Surgeon, civil official, seventh class. Surgeon, civil official, eighth class. Surgeon, civil official, ninth class. 62-;i4 12 62-34 21 02-34 71 62-34 44 45-27 18 45-27 41 ■15-27 Ispettore mertifo. 74 ; Admiral-stabs arzt . (renenil arzt . 6 20 6 55 9 152 14 160 26 448 237 71. 071 1 -9 158-6 64-55 61-42 59-43 53-40 51-41 47-30 44-35 44-23 42-25 Direttnre medic 4 1 59-54 ' Marine-obor-stabs-arzt 1 Kl . 208 131 32,852 1-0 157-9 Medico capo 1» CI Fannaci.sta capo !• CI Medico capo 2' CI Fannacista capo 2' CI . Aledico 1" CI Farniaci.-*ta T' CI Medico 2» CI Fannacista '2' CI Fannacista 3' CI . 11 57-44 Marinc-oberstabs-arzt 2K1. 1 5.-1 15 ; 51-12 Mariiie-stabs-arzt 42-tO 65 I 46-28 ! Linieuscbiffs-Arzt ! ' 1 I 36 , 65 36-'.;4 FregattenArzt 3 3(i-30 6 39--:8 ' KoiTctten-Arzt 174 ' 99 ! 15,340 I : 1-7 88-2 : 62 53-50 18 53-31 18 ' 36-27 Ober-stabsarzt 1 Kl . . . Ober Stabs Arzt 2 Kl . Stabs Arzt Assistenz Arzt 1 Kl Assistenz Arzt 2 Kl 16 ; 30-26 62 ' 48 8,570 19.«2 l;3 ! 1-2 138^ 205-2 38 23 21 95 77 COMPARISON OF OFFICERS OF THE PAY AND COMMISSARY BRANCH. [Sheet No. 4.] UNITED STATES. ENGLAND. PBAKCB. EUSSIA. IT.* RELATIVE ARMY RANK. Pay corps. raymasters. Corps de commissariat. Corpo di CO Title. Number. Ages. Compulsory retire. Title. Number. Ages. Compulsory retire. Title. Number. Ages. Compulsory retire. Title. Number. Ages. Eetire. Title. No corresponding corps in the Kussian service. Duties per- formed bv officers of the militarv branch. ' Ispettore di commissariato 1 11 13 35 * 5 9 11 2 8 56 57-53 8i>-51 59-45 43^0 42-37 38-33 37-33 34 62 62 62 62 62 62 1 82 CO 63 90 81 Commissaire g6n^ral 1" classe . . . Commissaire g6n6ral 2" classe 3 3 27 65-64 64-54 60-47 Direttore di commissariato 60 Commissare capo 1" Cl . .. 48 89 89 85 58-40 56-37 50-30 Commissare capo 2' Cl ^'"^ Sous commissaire 1" classe Sous commissaire 2' classe Aides commissaire recruited from Elfeves and annually, 2 from En- gineers, 2 from polytechnic school, 4 from commissarial clerks. fil6ve commissaire Assistactpayinaster (over6 years service. Assistant paymaster (under 6 years' service). Commissare 1" Cl Passed assistant paymaster Passed assistant paymaster Commissare 2» Cl , • • 8 2B-24 Allievo commissare 1 Keoruited from civil life and clei 95 377 352 j 1 72 11,563 1.3 121. 7 333 103, 814 1.1 275.3 237 •165, 000 1.5 468.7 131 * Approximately. LINE — face page 84 3 )MPARISON OF OFFICERS OF THE PAY AND COMMISSARY BRANCH. [Sheet No. 4.] PRANCB. RUSSIA. ITALY. AD^RIA. OEHMANT. Corps de commissariat. Coipo (li coiuiiiis.sarinto. Mnrine-coinmiseari.its-beamte. i Marine lahlmeister. Title. Number. Ages. Compulsory retire. Title. Number. Ages. Retire. Title. Number. Ages. Ketire. Title. Number. Ages. Retire. Title Number. Ages Compulsory retire. No corresponding corps in the Bussiau service. Duties per* (• 1 ! lapt'ttore di (Miniinissflriato 1 50 Marino-General-Commiasiir 1 1 i i nisssire g^n^ral l" olasse . . . nia^olre g6n6ral 2' claase nisaaire 3 3 27 65-64 64-54 60-47 Direttore di comniisaariato 4 13 24 127 121 20 59-52 62-49 57-48 54-27 Marine Ober-CommissSr 1 Kl Marine OberCommissar 2 Kl 3 4 12 41 41 30 57-54 62-52 56-46 51-33 38-27 31-21 . . ..| , [ 1 48 89 89 85 58-40 56-37 50-30 44-24 oommissaire 1" classe oommissaire 2' claase ■ • s couimissaire recruited from ives and annually, 2 from En- eers, 2 from polytechnic lool, 4 from comniissarial rka. Marine Commissariats Adjunct 1 Kl. Marine commissariats adjunct 2 Kl. I Ober Zablmeister 7 26 37-21 29-19 1 ! Zahlmeister • 1 1 Allievo oomniissaro i TJnter Zahlmeister 39 Recruited from enlisted force of clerks (zahlmeister aspiranten). commissariats elO^ve). 352 310 132 _ 72 l?>\ 1 1 237 '165,000 1.5 ' 99 •210,267 3.1 IJ7S. 3 48 •14,000 3.3 88 77 44, 000 0.B 611.1 - Approximately. ~>1 COMPARISON OF OFFICERS OF THE STEAM-ENGINEERING BRANCH. 'M [Sheet No. 5.] - tJHITED STATES. ENOLAND. FRA.NCr KU8SIA. ITALl KKLATIVE AEMT RANK. Engineer Corps. Engineer otlicers. Ofliuier.s ui6caniciena. Corps of mechanical engineers for sea duty. Ufflciali mac Title. Number. Ages. Compul- sory retire. Title. Number. Ages. Compul- sory retire. Title. Number. Ages. Compul- sory retire. Title. ' Number. ! Ages. Compul- sory retire. Title. 1 1 I I 1 10 S2 02-57 60-63 69-50 40-46 63-37 42-33 36-22 82 62 62 62 62 Chief engineer Chief inspector of machinery 5 ^, 79 95 74 295 161 M6cauicien inspecteur-g^uSral ... 1 3 59-57 62 60 Direttore macchinista 15 39 5 27 39 47 60 55 55 55 Fleet mechanical engineer 8 54-46 Capo macchinista, principal 1" 12 76 128 55-48 53-57 52-30 56 53 52 classe. Capo macchinista, principal 2* Mficnnicien principal 1" claase ... Mficanicien principal 2""' dasse. . . Senior mechanical engineer Assistant senior mechanical en- gineer. Junior mechanical engineer Keoruited from the technical schools. 28 141 58 53-35 46-2U 29-21 olasse. Engineer : Capo macchinista, 1'^ classe Faased assistant engineer Passed assistant engineer Assistant engineer Capo macchinista, 2» claase Capo macchinista, 3" classe Keoruited from the Naval Acad- emy. Eecruited from t he Keyham Dock- Yard School. i Kecruitcd from the enlisted force of nu''canicieu8. 1 Recruited from the enlisted force of macchinisti. 183 716 220 236 72 301, 250 230,000 2-54 1,646 333 1, 588, 960 1, 178, 340 2-15 2, 220 1.648 1 237 910, 200 694, 000 •93 4,137 3.151 131 648,488 359,600 1-79 2,334 1,531 i 1 i Horse power to each engineeT Tons displacement to each engineer LINE — face page 84 4 COMPARISON OF OFFICERS OF THE STEAM-ENGINEERING BRANCH. [Sheet No. 5.] FRANCE. UUS8IA. ■• ITALY. Al'STKIA. GEBMANY. Offlciers mScunioiens. Corps of meobanieal eiigineera for aea dut. Ufficlali macohinisti. Techuische beamte mascbinisteu. Mascbinen — Ingeuicurkorps. Title. Number. Ages. Compul- sory retire. Title. Number. Ages. Compul- sory retire. Title. Number. Ages. Compul- sory retire. TiUe. Number. Ages. Compul- sory retire Title. Number. Ages. Compul- sory retire. "When or- dered by the Em- peror. dered by the Em- peror. ! 1 ! ■ j iI«Viiiii« it'll ins|tOL'teur-grUi?iral ... i ■ Mi'iiinitieii iiispi-fteui" 1 3 59-57 62 60 1 3 9 52 51 88 59 62-47 62-47 58-41 41-33 45-31 Fleet mechanical engineer 8 54-46 Capo niaccliiniata, iirincipal l" classe. Capo niacchjnista, principal 2" classe. Capo niacchinista, 1' cl.nsse Capo niaci'liinista, 2' chis.se Cupu iiiaceliini.tta, 3' cla.sse 1 12 76 128 55-48 53-07 52-30 56 53 52 Stabs Mascbinen Ingenieur Masohiner-Ober Ingenieur 3 9 29 33 Senior mechanical engineer Assistant senior meebanical en- gineer. Junior mechanical engineer Recruited from the technical sehools. 28 141 58 53-35 46-20 29-21 Maschiniat 1 klasse 10 61-47 30 : 55-34 41 1 40-26 Maschiiiist 2 klasse Maschineu-unter ingenieur .■ K' > 1 nil. ,1 li'.iiii llir I'lihstrcl I'lirce (.1 111, . ,iiii. IniM Recruited from the enli.sted force of inascbincn-wiirter. lit niaechiuisti. i ' of machiuisteu. 1 220 235 204 81 ■ 74 1 ■ 237 910, 200 694, 000 •93 4,137 131 048, 488 359, COO 1-79 gg 48 125, 170 77 444, 714 302, 000 2-16 2, ISO 1,480 290, 070 233, 000 115, 500 1-09 1,545 1,424 ■96 2,334 1,531 3,920 / 3.152 COMPARISON OF OFFICERS OF THE CONSTRUCTION BRANCH. [Sheet Ko. 6.] UNITED STATES. | ES0L.\N1). FRANCE. EOSSIA. RELATIVE ARMY RANK. Navnl constructors (sliip dosign and oonatructiun). Kuyal corps uf naval con.^tl'uctnrs ( iliip design and construction). Corps du genie mniitime (ship and tioii). Title. engine design and construc- Corps of shipbuilding engineers (ship design and oonstruotion) ; corps of mechanical engineers (engine design and oonatruction). Offlciali ing( Title. Number. Ages. llotire. Title. Number. ! Ages. Retire. Nuniber. Ages. Retire. Title. Number. Ages. Retire. Held marshal 1 1 .Oeneral 1 [ Civil oflicials with no rolutivo military rank, graded as tullows: 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 11 Lieutenant-general Assistant conatruclnr, liralflafs. . 18 Aartisliint constructor, st'cond class 21 Assistant conatructor, third class. U Assistant funstructnrs, second and third cl Ispettore-gen navale. Ispettore M^Jor-general ass. are sonietinics given the luapecteur general du genie niar- itinio. 1 68 Inspector of shipbuilding engi- neers. 1 57 Biigadier-genoral Chief constructor 1 1 3 54 53 58-51 62 62 62 sent to sea fur practical oxpeiience, and arc then temporary rank ol" assistant cn-jiueer. Colonel Directeur dea constructions ua- vales. 10 20 20 61-52 58^1 49-31 Senior shipbuilding engineer [ 13 Inspector mechanical engineer ...1 3 55-42 56-54 54-41 57-49 Uirettore — Ingegnere, cc Ingegnere, oo Ingegnere, 1' Lieutenant-colonel Naval cousiriictor Ing6uieur de 2' Cl Fleet mechanical engineer 8 Can tain Naval constructor S 10 57-29 34-21 62 Suns ingenieur l'^ Cl 26 20 14 8 36-20 31-26 28-23 25-21 Senior assistant shipbuilding en- gineer. Senior mechanical engineer Junior asst. shipbuilding engineer Asst. senior mechanicaJ engineer. 26 20 37 9 45-31 52-35 32-21 46-26 Assistant naval constructor i Ingegnere 2> AUieyo inge, Note.— The serve at se SfiDond lifliiteuaiit ^ l^.l^vc ing6nieur C»Att 2 22-21 1 Note.— The lower grades may serve at sea. Note.— Tho lower grades may serve at sea. \ Total 31 74 125 146 72 230, 000 ■i 7.931 333 1, 178, 340 237 G94, 000 ■53 131 359, 600 11 !!.i63 Civilia ns 15, 924 t LINE — face page 84 5 COMPARISON OF OFFICERS OF THE CONSTRUCTION BRANCH. [Sheet No. 6.] < 5 FRAKCE. RUSSIA ITALY. AUSTRIA. QEBMANT. •p» du K^iiie iimiitime (ship nnd engine design and ooDstruc- tlou). Corps of shiplmildins engineers (.ihi|> design nnd construction) ; corps of moclianlcnl engineers (ongiiie design nnd cunstrni lion). OfliriaH ingegneii (ship aud engine design aud construction). Tecbuische beamto /ship and engine design aud construction). ■Werft beamte. Title. Number. Ages. Retire. Title. Number. Ages. Iletire. Title. Number. Ages. Retire. Title. Number. Ages. Retire. Title. Number. Ages. Retire. i 'l Civil officials with no relative military rank, charged with the design and construction of ships, engines, harbor works, and build- ings, graded as follows : Chief constructor of the Imperial navy. 1 9 8 29 45 17 Ispettore -ii'neral cor]io del geuiu 1 00 56-49 1 68 lusiwctor of shipbuililing engi- neers. 1 57 time. 1 • reoteur des oonatruntioDs na- L-alee. frAniAiirdA I"" CI 10 20 20 61-52 58-41 49-31 Senior shipbuilding engineer Inspector mechanical engineer . . . 13 3 20 55-42 56-64 54-41 57-49 Direltore 6 55-46 51-42 44-36 37-25 Maschinenbauobereteringenieur. Schifl'ban ober-ingenieur, 1 CI Maschiuenbau oberingenienr.lCl . Schifl'bauoberingenleur 2 & 3 CI. . Maschinenbau-oberingenieur, 2 & 3 CI. Schiftbau ingeuieur, 1 & 2 CI Maschiuenbau i ugenicur, 1 &2C1.. 1 2 6 6 16 22 5 11 6 51 54 52 53^5 1 1 7 ! Fleet mechanical engineer 8 1 Ingi'j^nere, capo 2' CI 7 26 20 14 8 36-29 31-26 28-23 25-21 Senior assistant shipbuilding en- gineer. Senior mechanical engint'or Junior asst. shipbuilding engineer Asst. senior mechanical engineer. 20 20 37 45-31 02-41 lUl ingf-uieur 1" CI I 50-30 48-29 28-26 32-25 25-23 ^ t IU8 ingenieur 2' CI i 12 3 30-24 19 [ .J 1, . 1 4C-2G 1 , AUievo in^^ognero Maschinenbau ingeuieur 3 CI Provisorischer ingeuieur ■ OTE.— The lower grades may serve nt sea. Note.— The lower grades may serve at sea. ! Note.— Tlio lower grades may si-rve at sea. Note.— The lower grades may serve at sea. 1 125 1 140 74 1 76 109 1 1 I . 237 694, OOU ■53 5,552 i • 131 35'J, COO 1 1 1-1 ! ' 2. 463 99 302, 000 •75 4.081 48 115, 500 1-6 1,S20 77 i 233,000 CiTiUans. 2,138 RANK. Bear-admiral . Commodore . . . Captain Commander... lileutenant-commander . liieatenant. X/ieutonant (J. G. ) - Xnsign . INorank Total At sea Receiving ships — Total on snipboard . COMPARISON OF SEA-PAY OF OFFICERS OF THE SAME RELATIVE RANB U. S. NAVY REGISTER, JULY 15, 1893. [Sheet A.l OFFICEBS OF THE LINE. KATAL CONSTEUCTOES. ENGIKEEE COEPS. MEDICAL COBPS. PAT COBPS. Number. Ages. Pay. Tears Number. I 62-61 6,000 47^5 61-57 5,000 ; 46-43 60^9 4,500 I 43-34 I 60^7 3,100 i 39-29 58-46 48-46 3,000 2,800 32-29 32-29 188 ; 47-37 i 59 I 41-35 2,600 i 30-22 2,400 23-20 38-35 39-32 36-27 29-21 2,000 1.800 21-20 ! 22-17 1,400 1,200 19-11 11-6 Ages. : Pay (do I Ypors ""se!"*" serTice. ^'™l'er- ^ges. Pay, sJrt'ce. ^'°n>ber.: Ages. Pay. Years serrice. 58-51 24 27 24-18 67-35 33-29 34-31 28-21 18 17-14 16-12 10-6 52 62-57 60-53 4,400 4,400 32 42-36 36-32 1 15 14 55 62-54 58-53 57-55 j 58-53 57-52 59-50 3,700 : 32 3.500 I 32 3,200 ; 32-31 2,800 ' 32-30 5 1 52-46 11 i 55-45 1 44 49-45 : 53-44 45-40 40-37 42-38 38-33 2,800 2,700 2,450 2,200 2,200 2,000 27 30-21 22-18 17-16 21-20 19-12 36-29 29-21 1,900 1,700 18-14 14-6 47-42 45-39 43-39 4,400 4,400 30 38-32 32-30 3, 700 31-25 3, 500 , 31-23 3,200 ■ 23 Number. ! Ages. Pay. Tears strv'ice. 3,200 2,800 2,200 I 22-20 i 19-17 17-14 32 I 38-30 14 I 30-24 28 I 28-22 2,200 I 2,000 j 14-5 5-3 56 57-53 60-51 4,400 4,400 59-50 59-51 58-50 56-47 54-45 43-40 42-37 1 4,200 3,700 3,500 3,200 2,800 2,800 2,200 I 38-36 I 2,200 38-33 2,000 37-33 i 1,900 34-33 1,900 1,700 32 35-32 32-30 31-28 31-28 30-28 24-23 23 18-17 17-14 Kmnbe: 13 13-12 11 11 1 726 312 35 347 183 . 75 |. 5j. 80 i. 166 62 15 77 40 LINE — face page 84 6 AY OF OFFICERS OF THE SAME RELATIVE RANK. U. S. NAVY REGISTER, JULY 15, 1893. [Sheet A.l MEDICAL COHPS. PAY CORPS. PBOFESSOBS OF MATHEMATICS. CniL ENGIKEEBS. CHAPLAINS. ice. Number. Ages. Pay. Years service. Kumlier. Ages. • Pay. Tears sen-ice. Number. Ages. Pay (do not go to sea). Years service. 1 Kumber. Ages. Pay (do not go to sea). Tears service. iv umber. Ages. Pay. Team service. 32 1 15 14 55 62-54 58-53 4,400 4,400 30 38-32 32-30 1 11 13 56 57-53 60-51 32 35-32 32-30 ' j 1 >-36 4,400 4,400 3 4 58-56 60-49 32-28 20-12 1 2 55 57-49 19 19 4 7 59-M 58-45 2.800 2,800 25-24 24-18 i-32 32 5 11 1 52-46 55-45 44 3,700 3,500 3,200 31-25 31-23 23 9 10 8 4 4 5 9 59-50 59-51 58-50 56-47 54^5 43-40 42-37 4,200 3,700 3,500 3,200 2,800 2.800 2,200 31-28 31-28 30-28 24-23 23 18-17 17-14 1 2 45 52-46 16 14-12 i . ' 32 ;-31 2-30 ' 27 16 17 12 47^2 45-39 43-39 3,200 2,800 2,200 22-20 19-17 17-14 2 3 50-39 47-34 12-10 3-1 3 1 26-37 12 3 7 47 2,800 12=5 }-21 2-18 7-16 ■ 1 1 1 i 1-20 32 14 38-30 30-24 2,200 2,000 14-6 5-3 2 9 2 2 6 38-36 38-33 37-33 34-33 2, 200 2,000 1,900 1,900 1,700 13 13-12 11 11 l' i 1 1 3-12 ' 1 ■ ( i-14 28 28-22 1,700 3-0 , 14-6 1 i i 1 i 3 2,500 4-1 1 i • :" ' 1 166 62 15 77 95 32 8 40 12 10 21 4 7 11 i 1 i... i I 1 1 1 - -....-1 .. . 1 1 COMPARISON OF SHORE PAY OF OFFICERS OF THE SAME RELATIVE RA U. S. NAVY EEGISTEE, JULY 15, 1893. [Sheet B.] OFFICEBS OF THE LINE. NAVAL OONSTEDCTOKS. ENGINEEE COEPS. MEDICAL COBPS. PAY COEPS. PE< EAKK. Number. Ages. Pay. Tears service. Number. Ages. Pay. Tears service. Number. Ages. Pay. '^•^™ •^ j service. Number. Ages. Pay. Tears service. Number. Ages. Pay. Tears service. Numbei "RAar-nHmir^l . . 6 10 42 83 62-61 61-56 60-49 60^7 5,000 4,000 3,500 3,000 47^5 46-43 43-34 39-29 1 Commodore 1 1 2 54 53 58-55 51 5,000 4,200 4,000 3,400 24 27 24-22 18 1 10 13 2 2 8 12 17 52 62-57 60-53 55-54 57-55 58-53 57-52 59-50 5,000 4,000 4,000 3,600 3,600 3,200 2,800 2,400 32 42-36 36-32 33-32 32 32 32-31 32-30 1 15 12 2 5 11 1 55 62-54 58-53 56-55 52-46 55^5 44 5,000 4,000 4,000 3,600 3,600 3,200 2,800 30 38-32 32-30 32-31 31-25 31-23 23 1 11 13 56 57-53 60-51 5,000 4,000 4,000 32 35-32 32-30 Captain a Commander a 1 43 30 58-46 48^6 2,600 2,400 32-29 9 10 8 4 4 5 9 59-50 59-51 58-50 56-47 54-45 43-40 42-37 4,000 3,600 3,200 2,800 2,400 2,400 2,000 31-28 31-28 30-28 24r-23 23 18-17 17-14 32-29 i ■i 188 59 47-37 41-35 1 2 200 .^0-95 3 5 57-35 33-29 3,400 3,200 18 17-14 5 10 15 2 10 29 49-45 53-44 4540 40-37 42-38 38-33 2,400 2,350 2,250 2,000 2,000 1,800 27 30-21 22-18 17-16 21-20 19-12 16 17 12 47^2 45-30 43-39 2,800 2,400 2,000 22-20 19-17 17-14 2 2,000 23-20 3 7 68 38-35 39-32 1,700 1,500 21-20 22-17 5 11 34-31 28-21 2,200 2,000 16-12 10-6 32 14 38-30 30-24 2,000 1.800 14-5 5-3 2 9 2 2 6 38-36 38-33 37-33 34-33 2,000 1,300 1,600 1,600 1,400 13 13-12 41 11 1 86 104 36-27 29-21 1,200 1,000 19-11 11-6 23 24 36-29 29-21 1,600 1,400 13-14 28 28-21 1,400 3-0 14-6 Total 726 1 29 183 166 95 IS Included in above are chiefs of bureau : 1 2 1 1 58 53 49 40 5,000 5,000 5,000 3,500 43 39-36 32 24 1 1 t Judge-advocate-general, lieutenant LINE — face page 84- AY OF OFFICERS OF THE SAME RELATIVE RANK. . S. NAVY EEGISTEE, JULY 15, 1893. [Sheet B.] 1 MEDICAL CORPS. ! PAY COEPS. PEOFESSOESi OF MATHEMATICS. CIVIL ENGIN-EEES. CHAPLAINS. B e. Number. Ages. Pay. Tears serrice. Number. Ages. Pay. Tears service. Number. Ages. ^^' service. Number. Ages. Pav Tears ^^^- service. Number. Ages. Pay. Tears service. i !2 1 1 1 55 15 1 62-54 12 58-53 2 56-55 5 52-46 5,000 4,000 4,000 3,600 3,600 3,200 2,800 30 38-32 32-30 32-31 31-25 31-23 23 1 11 13 56 57-53 60-51 5,000 4,000 4,000 32 35-32 32-30 1 )6 !2 !2 3 3 1 58-56 60-49 59 3,500 3,500 3,000 32-28 20-15 12 1 2 55 57-49 3,500 : 19 i 3, 500 19 4 7 59-54 58^5 2,300 2,300 25-24 24-18 !2 9 10 8 4 4 5 9 59-50 59-51 58-50 56-47 54^5 43^0 42-37 4,000 3,600 3,200 2,800 2,400 2,400 2.000 31-28 31-28 30-28 24-23 23 18-17 17-14 1 2 45 .5'? dR 3,500 j 16 3,000 14-12 !2 11 1 55-45 44 • n i 10 1 ! i 1 i 1 !7 !1 16 17 12 47-42 45-39 43-39 2,800 2,400 2,000 22-20 19-17 17-14 2 3 50-39 47-34 3, 000 1 12-10 2,400 1 3-1 3 1 46-37 3,000 12 2,400 1 3 7 47 j 2,300 12-5 18 1 i ! Ifi j ! ' m 32 14 38-30 30-24 2,000 1,800 14-5 ^3 2 9 2 2 38-36 38-33 37-33 34-33 2,000 1,800 1,600 1,600 1,400 13 13-12 41 11 1 1 ■"1 1^ 1 1 i 1 1 1 : 1 14 28 28-21 1,400 3-0 1 1 ..._.. i 1 ■6 6 i 1 3 2,000 4_1 — ' 1 166 1 95 12 10 21 ! j i i 1 1 1 i ! i ! ; 1 1 i i i ' COMPARISON OF OFFICERS OF OTHER CIVIL BRANCHE i (Sheet Ko. 1.] CHAPLAIHS. PEOFESSOES OF MATHEMATICS. United States. England. France. Euasia. Italy. Germany. Austria. United States. Other conntries. United States. England. France RELATIVE ARMY RANK. Chaplains. I Chaplains. Aunioniers de la marine. Marine pfarrer Marine geistliclie Professors of mathe- matics. No naval corps. Civil engineers No naval corps. Ing^ineurs dc et chauss Title. ' t No.i Title. Xo. Title. No. Title. So. Title. Xo. Title. Xo. Title. No Title. Colonel Chaplain 4 None . . . Professor of math- 3 eraatics. Duties performed by civil oflicers. Civil engineer . . . 1 Duties performed bj' civil officials lnspecteur-g< 1 cral. 1 and officers of j army engineers. Chaplain Professor of math- 4 ematics. \ Civil engineer 2 1 i ! 1 ; Ing^nieurencl colonel. 1"^ clause. 1 ItfariDe Pfarrer . . . 1 Civil engineer 3 lug^nienr or naire, 1" clai 1 : Tng6nieur or ! 1 ' uaire, 2" clas Captain Chaplain •. 7 Marine Kaplan, l»f Idasse. 4 Professor of ma th- 5 Civil engineer 4 ' Ingenieur or 1 1 ematics. 1 naire, 3« clas [ 1 Marine Kaplan, 5 I First lieutenant _, 2""* klasse. i i No rank Chaplain q 1 nV.n-,r.^nin nf *T.o 1 Aumonier . . 24 Evangeliecher marine ober 1 Detailed from fleet. ministry of p Chaplain 97 pfarrer. Evangelischer 8 I lie works. 1 ties include h marine pfarrer. i bor works i hydraulic ei ueering c( ! ■ nected wi . [■ coast defensi Of these 43 are also naval in- Katholischer ma- rine oherpfarrer. 1 \ ^ 1 ' structors with Ejitholiscfaer ma- ] relative rank. rine pfarrer. -! 21 98 24 11 . 8 12 10 1 LINE — face page 84 8 DF OFFICERS OF OTHER CIVIL BRANCHES. [Sheet yo. ' •lATHEMATICS. Other countries. United States. CIVIL EXGINEERS. OTHER CORPS. PraDce. Italy. Kussia. Germany. No naval corps. Civil eu^nter.s. Xo naval corj.s. ^^e*°chauflSes'^°*^ ■^'^ naval corps. Xo naval cori>s. Xo naval corps. Land-unrt wasserbau. Duties performetl by civil ofticerB. , Xo. Title. : Xo.. i No. Civil eni(ineer 1 Duties performed Inspecteur - g 6 n - by civil officials eral. and otMccrs of arm V engineers. Civil eni; Civil i.'U<;iuet_'r . 2 Ingenieurenchef, 1'^ clasae. : 3 Iiigcnieur ordi- ! 5 I ' naire, l"^* classe. ; Tngcnienr ordi- 3 naire, 2* classe. , Civil engineer 4 Ingenieur ordi- 3 j naire, 3*^ classe. Duties performed by oflBcera o f army engineers detailed for duty under the navy, and in- clude harbor works and coast defenses. Duties performed Duties performed Oberster iug^n- by civil officials by civii officials ieui-. and armyengi- I of the ""Werft- , i ' neers. j beamte"andin- | elude harbor works and coast defenses. England. France. Xaval instructors. \ Corps de I'inspectionde ' la marine. Title Xo.l Title. Xo. I Ober ing6nieur, 1 1 , Xaval instructor . classe. Ober ing^nieur, 3 (dasse. 1 X'aval instructor. Ingenienr,! classe 1 Xaval instructor. Ing^nieur, 2 clasae 1 I i I ! Ing^nieur, 3 classe 1 ' Inspecteur en 3 chef. 1''^ classe. \ Inspecteur en 3 chef, 2- classe. i :j2 Inspecteur.. 14 ■ Inspecteuradjoint 10 Detailed from the ministrj' of pub- \ lie works. Du- , ties include har- bor works and hydraulic engi- neering con- nected with coast defenses. Duties same as those in France. \ Of these 43 are also chaplains. Inspection of ad ministration j service only. 31 COMPARISON OF CORP A. ; B. Colonial navies. I I RKLATIVK ARMY RANK. D. B. Ing^nieurs hydro graphes.' ProfesBeurs d'hydro* Profes.'ieurs dea 6cole8 Profeaseurs d'electri- Corps de Tartillerie de graphic. navale. cite. la marine. ■3E> rs Title. Xo. Xci Nn. No. No. No. 1 o -o g t> > a a <«t3 4h O J, o 0, £ m h 1-i O o O ; Title. Title. No. Title. ,No. Title. INo. Title. No. Title. No. No. No. Field marshal . General ' I Lieutenant gen- , [ ! Gto^ral de dlTi- 1 Lieutenant- gen eral M^jor -general BrigRdJergeneral Colonel I 1 1 1, 6- I I I , sion. eral. 1 i G6n6ralde brigade 3 M^or-general ' 1 1 6 . . Lieutenant- col- onel. Major Captain Commander. Lieutenant- com- mander. I i Captain Lientenant 32 248 First lientenaot.. Sub-lieutenant.. 32 359 Sex-ond lieutenant ^tii/^. Midshipman . Total 104 910 j I Ing&nienr en chef. 1 -.-' 1 , Ingdnieur de l'* CI 4 Examinateur 1 1 i I 1 3 Ingtoieurde2"Cl. 4 Professenr 1" CI - . ' 9 Colonel 14 Colonel . 2 55 ! i I [ ! I I ' , Professcur 1" CI.- 5 Lieutenant -col- 15 Lieutenant -col- 4 12 24 -. onel. onel. i 1 ' ' Chef d'escadron -- 2 i ! 10 6 5 Sons ing^nieur 3 Profe99enr2ortcd by the colonial governments. D. Duties similar to TJ. S. officers of the line in Bureau of Equipment (electrijnty). Note. — Shore duty at navy-yards performed by XJ. S. officers of theline E. Duties similar to U. S. officers of the line under Bureau of Ordnance (so far as relates to design, construction, is in British service performe^l by a large civil staff. ' i equipment, and care of guns and ordnance material) . I A. For ordnance duty on shore. Be- ing allowed to die out. B. For light-house, pilot, navigating, etc . service. Being allowed to die out. j C A reserve list of officers of the line available for shore duty only. LINE — face page 84 9 tISON OF CORPS WHOSE DUTIES ARE PERFORMED BY OFFICERS OF THE LINE UNITED STATES NAVY. [Sheet No. 8.] m , -a ' 2.> B. I ' Ufficiali del corpo- reale eqiiipaggi. ' ■ 1 5 gti) ^ ? es 1 ^ P <«-o § s •=■5 i 1 o O o Personale civil** tecni- co Delia E. Marini (of ordnance, equip't and hydrography). I c. Eeserve "seeofficiere." ' Tecbnische beamte.' 'Professore" (of naval academy and ma- chinists school). Beamte des bydrofrra- phischen 'W'esens. Beamte fiir das Lehr- facb (at naval acad- emy and schools). Marine auditore (naval judge-advocates). Marine artillery. No. : No. No. Title. No. Title. No. I Title. No. Title. e o i i| I "^ |g ■' I No. No. No. Title. No. No. Title. 1 No. Title. No.: Title. No. Title it-gen- i eral I 1 i 1 1 ; Kontre admiral. I !' I Vize admiri I 1 t-col- 2 1 55 4 12 24 I LinienBChiffs kapitan. Fregatten kapi- tan. j Obersteringenienr 1 Director. Oberst auditor — 2 Kapltan iu: Capo tecnicoprin- 7 Professore di 1* 13 Corvetten kap- 51 85 95 Capitano. 20 80 41 Tenente . 31 Sotto-tenente • cipale di 1" CI. i 25 Capo tecnicoprin- ! 30 cipale, di 2» and 3« CI. I - ] Oberingenieur 1 Kl 1 Abllieihmgs v(»r- 2 Professor - Direktor: . 6 1 stand. and 2' CI. i ' itan. Professore di 3* 12 Linienschifirslien- ' 2 Oberingenienr2Kl 1 ' 1 Abtheilungs vor- I 2 Professor. OberingenieurSKl 5 ~^~-.-i CI. tenant. 30 18 i stand. 11 Ingenienr IKI 7 [ Adjunct i 1 3 Oberst lieutenant i auditor. 2 Major auditor 1 Korvetten tan. 45 Capo tecnico di 1* ^ 64 ' Professore aggi- 19 Linienschiffs : j and 2" CI. i unto. j ; fahnrich. 70 Capo teenico di 3" 52 [ Seekadet . CI. Ingenieur 2K1 , 8 13 IngenieurSK! 7 25 Professor . 3 I Kauptmann audi- 3 tor. Lehr !£apitan lii ant. i Ober lieutenant ' 2 ] Lieutenant auditor. ! see. i TJntcr lien) I zoT see. 79 181 258 Total . 140 153 Total . 27 Total 30 -1 Total - 518 337 200 A. Does not include officers unavailable for active service. B. Duties similar to TJ. S. officers of the line of Bureau of Ordnance. lance duty on shore. Be- I A. Duties somewhat similar totbedetailsof executive, navigating, and 3d to die out. ordnance officers' duties on shipboard. t-house, pilot, navigating, B. Duties similar to TJ. S. officers of the line in scientific ivork under C. Duties similar to U- S. officers of the line on electrical duties. ce. Being allowed to die j Bureaus of Ordnance and Equipment and Hydrographic Office. D. Duties similar to TJ. S. officers of the line of the Hydrographic Office. I » " i . H 1 ^ ts ro;:ra- ens. Eeamte fur da. s Lehr- fach (at naval acad- emy and schools). Marine auditore (naval judge-advocates). i bore duty, 'urlough. 1 Fenerwerks ofSziere. Zeug offiziere. i ! ! Torpedo offiziere. Torpedo ingenienre. 1 & s i si O g r s o iNo. Title. No. Title. No. Title. No. No. No. Title. No., Title. iNo. Title. No. Titie. No. No. No. Vize admiral. Oberst auditor 2 Kapitan znr see . 1 Professor . : 2 Dircktor;. 2 Professor . 3 Oberst lieutenant auditor. 2 Major auditor 1 Korvetten kapi- tan. 1 Professor . 3 I fiauptmann audi- 3 tor. Lehrer 7 Ober lieutenant ! 2 j auditor. Kapitan lieuten- i 8 ant. Lieutenant z u r ; TTnter lieutenant zur see. 77 Feuerwerks^ 81 Zeug bauptmann . hauptmann. j 5 I Torpedo kapitan 7 I lieutenant. Torpedo ober inge- '. 1 15 Fenerwerks, 10 Zeug ler lieuten- ' 3 Torpedo lieuten- ; 8 ■ Torpedo ingenieur 1«' lieutenant. ant. i ant. 15 Feuerwerks 13 Torpedo unteri i j Torpedo nntei in- I lieutenant. lieutenant. genienr. Total . 116 19 I A. Does not include officers not available for active ser^-ice. B. Duties similar to 0. S. officers of the line at naval ordnance proving ground and private factories. C. Duties similar to U. S. officers of the line at gun factory and navy -yards. I D. Duties similar to U. S. officers of the line at torpedo station. E. Duties similar to U. .S. officers of the line in Bureau of Ordnance. F. Duties simihir to U. S. oflicers of the line in Judge- Advocate-General's office. G. Datiet similar to XT. S. officers of the line under Bureau of Equipment. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 85 STATEMENT OF LIEUT. COMMANDER SEATON SCHROEDER. Senator Butler. Please state your rank. Lieut. Commander Schrobder. Lieutenant-commander. Senator Butler. How long luive you been in the service? Lieut. Commander Schrobder. Thirty years next September. Senator Butler. Have you seen the proposed bill of the Secretary of the Navy? Lieut. Commander Schrobder. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. Do you desire to make any observations about it? If so, we shall be very glad to hear you. Lieut. Commander Schroeder. I think it is a very good bill. I tliink it acknowledges the fact, which I think is apparent, that the great difficulty now is that we attain command rank so late. The Sec- retary's bill seems to provide for that difficulty, I think, very well. If I were to suggest any change, I think it would be that the number of retirements, which are to be 16 in the commanders' grade and 19 in the lieutenant-commanders' grade, should always be kept up to that limit; in other words, that the number of retirements, com- pulsory or otherwise, that the bill provides in the grades of commander and lieutenant-commander, should be kept up. What I mean is this : It is provided in the fourth section that — Not more than 4 captains and cominanclers, nor more than 3 lieutenant- conunanders, be thus selected for retirement in any one year. Sow, while I think that there would be times and would be years when there would be some hardship worked by keeping the full num- ber of retirements up to that limit (say sixteen in the one grade and nineteen in the other), yet I think that that liumber would be necessary to cause a sufficient stimulus in promotion to bring the younger men up to the top. Senator Butler. Suppose you take that fourth section and read it through from the beginning. Lieut. Commander Schrobder. Section 4 is — That, should it he found that the vacancies from casualties and retirements pur- suant to the processes of law now in force will ho insufiBcient to provide for as many as sixteen promotions to the grade of commander and as many as nineteen to the grade of lieutenant-commander during any fiscal year, applicants for voluntary retirement shall he retired in such order as the President may direct to create the stated number of vacancies. Then it goes on to provide that a board shall be convened which shall make enough retirements to make that number of vacancies, sixteen and nineteen; but it provides afterwards that the number of such enforced retirements shall not exceed four captains and commanders and three lieutenant-commanders. I do not mean to say positively that it would be necessary to take out that provision, but it seems to me that such a change might be considered, from the fact that if the number of enforced retirements is thus limited there might be years in which the promotions would be few, and the object of the bill would be partially defeated. Senator Butler. That provision seems to me to be a little contra- dictory. » Mr. Money. No; that board is to supplement natural retirements. Senator Butlee. It is to iriake sixteen pronjotions in the grade of commander and nineteen in the grade of lieutenant-commander. 86 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. Lieut. Commander Soheoedee. In tlie last two years the number of vacancies made in one year in the grade of lieuteiiaut-coaimauder has been twelve; so that in order to bring it up to nineteen would require seven enforced retirements. As this provides that there shall not be more than tbree that would prevent that. On the other hand, it pro- vides that there may be some voluntary retirements after thirty years' ■service, which does not now obtain. I think that a number of officers would avail themselves of that. But I do think, as time goes on, the number of oflicers who would avail themselves of that would decrease, because their prospects would be brighter in a few years. Mr. Money. Then you have to consider the casualties? Lieut. Gommander Scheoedeji. The casualties and promotions iave averaged about twelve a year for the last ten years. Senator Butlee. I supposed that this section was based upon exi^e- rience. Lieut. Gommander Scheoedee. I think probably it was based upon the supposition that not more tlian three men can be found in the grade each year who would not be desirable men to retain on the active list. If that is so of course it would be a source of humiliation to some officers who might not be promoted, who might not be perhaps as worthy as some others; but I think when you are getting up a scheme for the improvement of an entire service somebody will have to submit to getting hurt. This bill will bring the young officers up to the upper grades faster than they are brought up noAv. Therefore in a few years officers, who will liave been thirty years in the service, will have more • incentive to stay in the service, and I think there will be apt to be a less number of voluntary retirements under these provisions than there are now. Senator Butlee. If that thirty years' provision should prevail you would be entitled to apply for retirement now, would you not? Lieut. Gommander Scheoedke. I would next September. Senator Butlee. As lieutenant-commanderf Lieut. Gommander Scheoedee. Yes; but there will be plenty who will be lieutenants after thirty years' service or 46 years of age if this bill does not pass. I happen to be one of the youngest of my class; all my class entered thirty years ago next September, and by next September probably half of my class will still be lieutenants. I intended to refer more particularly to the classes that come after. It takes three years or more to promote a class, so in a few years there will be men of thirty years' service who will still have some years on the lieutenants' list. Senator Butlee. How long have you been a lieutenant-commander? Lieiit. Commander Soheoeder. Six months. Mr. Money. How old are you? Lieut. Commander Scheoedee. I am in my forty-fifth year. I was twenty-one years a lieutenant, lacking only a few days, and was pro- moted to lieuteuant-commander just after I was 44 years old. Senator Butlee. What, in your opinion, is the necessity for pre- serving those grades of lieutenant of the junior grade and lieutenant- commander? Is there any advantage in it? Lieut. Commander Scheoedi<;e. Yes; I think there are advantages. The name is unfortunate; lieutenant-commander is a very long title and does not really signify anything. But one advantage in having both grades is that they provide two more examinations to be passed, and two more promotions, A\hich is always an encouragement. PEESOimEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 87 Senator Butler, What is the difference between the pay of a lieu- tenant-commander and that of a commander? Lieut. Commander Scheoedek. The difference in pay between a lieutenant-commander after four years and a commander is, I think, $500 a year at sea and $400 on shore. Senator Bxjtlee. What is the difference between the duties of the two? Lieut. Commander Scheoeder. A commander never goes to sea except in command, and a lieutenant-commander very rarely goes in command — never until he is near the top of the grade. Senator Btjtler. Do lieutenant -commanders ever go to sea as executive officers? Lieut. Commander Scheoeder. They do; on large and moderate- sized vessels. Senator Btjtler. Why could not a commander do that? Lieut. Commander Schroedee. Commanders could do that. Senator Btjtler. Is there any law against assigning a commander to duty as executive officer of a large ship, or is it only by regulation of the Navy Department? Lieut. Commander Scheoedee. I do not know, sir. It is a custom so strong that I imagine there must be some law on the subject. The pay of a commander is increased at sea, I presume, to cover some extra expense that he has when he has to mess by himself, as captains of ships have to do. On shore a commander only gets §400 i)er year more than a lieutenant-commander, but at sea he gets $500 more than a lieutenant commander; making a difference of 8100. Prom that I should judge that it was assumed that the duty of a commander at sea would be always in command, as I think it should be. Senator Butlee. You were in command of the Vesuvius SLtonci time? Lieut. Commander Scheoedee. Yes; I commanded her for three years. Senator Butlee. You were in command of her then as lieutenant? Lieut. Commander Schroedee. As lieutenant. Senator Butlee. What are your duties now? Lieut. Commander Scheoedee. At present I am on waiting orders. Senator Butlee. Was that the first independent command you ever had? Lieut. Commander Scheoeder. That was the first command I had ever had ; yes. Mr. Monet. That is a torpedo boat? Lieut. Commander Schroeder. She is what is called a dynamite cruiser, armed with a pneumatic gun. Senator Butlee. Then you state, as one of the reasons why you would retain those two grades of lieutenant of the junior grade and lieutenant-commander, the fact that there would be that many more examinations to pass ? Lieut. Commander Scheoeder. That is one reason. I was going on to say that I think there are advantages in having the grades in the Navy correspond somewhat with those in the Army. Mr. Money. What is that advantage; why should it be? Lieut. Commander Scheoeder. I do not know that I can state any very tangible advantage; but when officers of the Army and Navy come together, as they might in time of war, the similarity in the ranks and grades, I think, would be desirable; but I can not point to any exact tangible advantage. 88 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Mr. Monet. Tou do not know tliat it would jiarticularly promote the ellifiency of the Navy? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. ISTo; I think the same men would light just as well. Senator Butlbe. The rank of lieutenant in the Navy corresponds with that of captain in the Army, does it not? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. Yes; and a lieu ten ant-cojumander in the Navy corresponds with major in the Army, and a commander in the Navy corresponds with a lieutenant-colonel in the Army. Mr. Mbyer. Is there any difiference between the duties of a junior lieutenant and those of a lieutenant! Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. Only in degree. A junior lieuten- ant, generally, is supposed to perform the same duties as a lieiitenaut, in a smaller ship ; or in case he is in a larger shij), in a position more remote from the command; so that in case of casualties he would be less likely to be called to command. Mr. Meybe. Simply because he has had less experience? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. Yes. Mr. Meybe. That would be the case anywhere. Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. But, of course, the duties on board ship, up to executive, are about the same. An ensign may be a watch officer. It depends upon the condition of the Navy list. When I was ensign I was a first-watch officer on a vessel of 2,400 tons; the next vessel being a smaller one, upon which I was second- watch officer; and the next vessel was still smaller, on which I was fifth-watch officer. Mr. Meybe. Practically the duties and functions of a junior lieuten- ant are the same as those of a lieutenant? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. Yes. Mr. Metee. There is no difference? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. No diff'ei'ence. Mr. Mey^ee. Is there any reason for having the same duties per- formed by one who gets more pay or one who gets less pay? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. Yes; I think that pay should be based upon length of service. Mr. Monet. They have the principle of longevity pay, anyway? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. We have a certain amount of lon- gevity pay; after five years of service an officer has an increase. Mr. Money. Suppose you abolish the grade of junior lieutenant, would you get the longevity pay corresponding with that grade? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. If youapxjly a longevity clause that would cover it. Senator Btjtlee. Have you not regular longevity pay from the time you graduate up to the time of retirement? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. No, sir. Senator Butlbe. Have you not regular longevity pay, as they have in the Army? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. No, sir; longevity pay is only given in certain grades, and it was never expected that lieutenants would be in that grade so long, and for that reason there was no longevity paj given them except as an increase after the first five years of service in the gTade. Senator Butlbe. Is that all the increase? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. That is all the increase. Senator Butler. You do not get any when you become lieutenant- commander or commander? Lieut. Commander Scheobdee. When you become lieutenant-com- PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. 89 mander you get $200 more tlian as lieuteuant; and after tlie first four years' service as lieutenaut-commander you get an increase of $200 and no more, until you are promoted. Senator Butlee. It does not increase every five years, then? Lieut. Commander Scheoedee. No. Mr. Meyee. Tlie staff corps of the Navy have longevity pay, have they not? Lieut. Commander Scheoedee. No; not based upon total service; in some grades or in some corps they have an increase after periods of years; I think the passed assistant engineers have increases for four periods of four years of service each, if I rightly remember. That was done because their promotion was very slow aud that grade was blocked for a long time. Senator Butlee. Is there anything else you desire to say, Mr. Schroeder? Lieut. Commander Scheoedee. Well, I think it would be a desir- able thing for the joint committee to look into the subject of retire- ments for age in the different grades. That obtains in most of the other services. It would prevent men from being assigned to command rank when they have not had sufficient experience in a subordinate rank, and at the same time it would do it in a way which would be the least apt to injure the susceptibilities of those who are retired in that way. Just at present, the whole Navy is so old that it would be impossible, I think, to apply such a scheme unless it were on some sliding scale. Senator Butlee. Will you just give your idea in detail as to what you mean by retirement in the different grades after a certain length of service? Lieut. Commander Scheoedee. I think if a man remains in the grade of lieutenant without promotion up to a certain age Senator Butlee. What age should you say? Lieut. Commander Scheoedee. Thirty-five as lieutenant. Then he should be retired as lieutenant. I do not think it would do to apply that age, say 35, at present. But if this bill of the Secretary's should become a law, in the course of a few years the age of the Navy would be a little less than it is now, and then some such law could be applied with justice. Otherwise the plan might be adopted that, I believe, was suggested by Admiral Walker, of putting the limit of age higher now and decreasing it during the next few years, which would have practically the same effect. Senator Butlee. But there are some ensigns in the Navy now who are nearly 35 years old. Lieut. Commander Scheoedee. Yes, and for that reason I would not want to apply that age limit now. But if this bill becomes a law aud there are nineteen promotions every year from lieutenant to lieu- tenant-commander, the ensigns wUl not remain ensigns until the age of 35. Senator Butlee. Would it not be better to compel retirement after such a long service in a certain grade, rather than at a certain age? because it may not be the fault of the man that he is in that grade. He may be a very efficient and competent officer and may have had no opportunity for command or promotion, without his fault perhaps. Lieut. Commander SCHEOEDEE. That would call for a modification of it, for this reason: that they enter between certain age limits; at present I think the limits are five years apart, and seven years is rather large. If that limit were reduced to three years, then if objec- tion were to be made to retiring at that age you might take the length 90 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. of service that would correspond to it, assuming the average age of entry to be between the limits of admission. Senator Butler. Do you remember wliat the age of entrance into the ISTaval Academy is now; between 16 and 20, is it not? Lieut. Commander Sohkoeder. 1 believe it is between 15 and 20. That would give seven years, because it means both inclusive. Then, instead of retiring a lieutenant at the age of 35, if you assume the average age of enlistment at 10, you might put it aftei- nineteen years' service, which would be the same. But I think some such plan applied to all grades of and above that of lieutenant would help materially in putting an end to this stagnation, and would give a chance for these men yi the junior grades to go up to the higher grades. Senator Butlee. I have had in my mind for some time a plan of promotion. I do not know how it could be worked out, or what would be the result. I will get you and Mr. Colwell to work it out, if you can,-for ithis committee. It is this: That after a boy graduates from the Naval Academy and has. made his two years' cruise, stands his examination, and is commissioned as an ensign, he shall serve, say, seven years as an ensign, or nine years, or any other arbitrary number of years that may be determined upon ; that he shall then be examined and promoted to lieutenant; and he shall serve as lieutenant, say, for seven or nine years; that he shall then be examined and promoted to commander, and serve in that grade so many years, perhaps dimin- ishing the number of years as he goes up. Now, I shall be very much obliged to you and Mr. Gohvell if you will take that as a basis, and see what would be the effect of it in the higher grades. Mr. Money. You would have to have a very active retiring board with that scheme. Senator Butler. Some have said it would make the Navy top-heavy and force men up too rapidly, and that we should not know what to do with the men in the u^iper grades. But I should like to know in just what that would result. The proposition of this bill is to abolish the grade of commodore, and we will assume that that grade is abolished. I should like to know how many years this plan would give a captain, and how many a rear-admiral before he retires. Do you think you can work that out? Mr. Colwell. That can be easily worked out. Senator Butler. Have you anything further you desire to say, Mr. Schroeder? Lieut. Commander Schroedee. No, sir; I do not think of anything else. STATEMENT OF LIEUT. JOHN C. COLWELL. Senator Butler. Please state your rank. Lieut. Colwell. Lieutenant, IJ. S. Navy. Senator Butlee. How long have you been in the service? Li-eut. Colwell. Twenty-four years. Senator Butlee. What is your i)resent rank? Lieut. Colwell. I am lieutenant, below the middle of the list. Senator Butlee. A lieutenant of the senior grade? Lieut. Colwell. Yes; I am No. 163 on the lifst of lieutenants, senior grade, in the last Naval Eegister. Senator Butlee. What is your age? Lieut. Colwell. I am 38; but in that connection I would like to say PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — ^LlNE. 91 that I am two years and a half younger than the average age of my class; my class is 40| years old, at present, on the average. Senator Butler. If you have read this bill of the Secretary of the Navy, I should be glad to have any criticism you have to make about it. Lieut. Col WELL. The Secretary's argument, in favor of his bill, is quite what the officers of the service would themselves wish to say. We all recognize the fact that command rank must be reached at a reasonable age in order to get proper work out of officers in com- mand of ships and squadrons. The tables upon which the Secretary bases his argument for his bill were officially sent to me to revise and see if they would check, and I arrived at some different results. Then the officer who made the tables for the Secretary was sent to me to revise my work, and he arrived at absolutely the same results I did, and those results .do not provide for the working of the Secretary's bill in the next twenty-five years, in the manner claimed. It will not work within twenty-five years and iDrovide officers in the various grades at the ages stated by the Secret^-ry to be an absolute and urgent necessity. For instance, the table appended to the bill states that commanders will be made, when the bill is in working order, at the age of 44 J and flag officers at the age of 57f . I have worked it up with this result : In ten years from now the average age of commanders, under the provisions of that bill, will be 51 when they first reach that grade. In 1909, fifteen years from now, the average age of reaching the grade of commander will be still 51. In 1914, twenty years in the future, the age of reaching the same grade will be 47;^; in 1919, twenty- five years ahead, it will be 46f, and that is the lowest point. That is the youngest age which that bill can possibly provide commanders withiTi twenty-five years. These figures are based on the actual ages of the officers now in the Navy and who would be affected by the bill. Furthermore, in order to have an efficient service, admirals must reach their rank at an age young enough to gain experience as admirals if they are going to be of use to the country. Under the provisions of the bill twenty rear-admirals are made, and the revised table of the bill does not provide for reaching that grade until the age of 58^, in 1904; the age of 59J, in 1909 ; the age of 60J, in 1914, and the age of 57^, in 1919. Those are the average ages at which admiral rank can be attained by the twenty rear-admirals provided for by the bill, using the ages of officers now in the Navy who will probably reach flag rank. The fig- ures I have given you are taken from the original tables made by myself and the officer I have spoken of, and our report has been sent to the Secretary, and I understand that they have already been transmitted to this joint committee. Senator Btjtlee. That calculation is based upon the bill the Secre- tary proposes? Lieut. CoLVTELL. It is made on the basis of Mr. Herbert's bill, using the people now in the Navy. Mr. Meter. If that table you now present is correct, I presume the bill proposed by the Secretary would fall short. Lieut. OoLWELL. It would not provide young commanding officers or admirals who would have any length of time to serve in flag rank. It would promote the present lieutenant- commanders and a few men at the top of each grade, but the same block would still remain from which the efficiency of the service suffers and will continue to sufler until it becomes, as the Secretary states in his argument, a source of absolute danger. The block is in those eight years of abnormally large classes 92 PEESONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. of practically tlie same age now occupying tlie grades from captain to the middle of the lieutenants' list, and solong as they are in the line of seniority promotion the stagnation of promotion below them must exist; there is no way of getting around it. On January 1 of this year there were but two lieutenants in the Navy under 36 years of age, and it is the age of these subordinate offlcers who are to supply the com- manding officers of the future, and not the iige of the present command- ing officers which presents the source of danger and possible disaster in the future. Senator Bxjtler. That block was created during the war or imme- diately afterwards ? Lieut. CoLWELL. Yes; during the war and immediately afterwards; the entries were to the Academy from 18C0 to 1807. The officers who entered from the volunteer service number twenty-four and do not materially affect the situation. Mr. Meyer. The Secretary's bill provides for twenty rear-admirals, which is an increase of four fl-ag officers, as the service is at present constituted. Tou have had a great deal of observation and experience in the JSTavy. In your judgment, does that incresise afford any advan- tage to the service beyond possibly a slight increase of the flow of promotion? I mean, does the service require more than sixteen flag oiBcers? Lieut. OoLWELL. Considering the service simply as a military organi- zation? Mr. Meyee. Simply as a military organization. Lieut. GoLWELL. I should say it did not need so many. A proper military organization would provide a higher grade, a proportion in the grade of vice-admiral, such as exists iu every other service, and a cer- tain larger proportion of rear-admirals. I would simply provide a change of the two titles as they stand, changing rear admiral to vice- admiral, and changing commodore to rear-admiral. That would give our offlcers the standing abroad to which they are entitled by their relative rank. Mr. Meyee. A captain in command of a fleet would not exercise the same power and influence in case of an emergency that an officer of higher rank would with equal capacity for command? Lieut. Col WELL. Not at all. hi case of any international compli- cation calling for combined action of several nationalities the senior naval officer is the one who usually dominates the situation, and seniority goes usually not by the size of the squadron or by the age of the commanding officer, but by his rank in the military- organization of his country. Mr. Meyer. Still you consider that sixteen officers of flag rank would be quite adequate to the needs of our service? Lieut. CoLWELL. It seems so to me. Mr. Meyee. Will you kindly explain why? Lieut. Colwell. We have at present live squadrons, which we main- tain, taking five flag officers for service afloat. A\'e have three naval stations which should have flag officers to command. Our other naval stations are secondary. That makes eight flag officers. The additional flag officers would be needed in the Navy Department, on the various boards on which admirals are employed, at the Naval Academy, and on the Light-House Board. But I do not see any necessity for a flag offlcer commanding a secondary naval station. On the contrary, I think it is rather derogatory to the digiiity and rank of the position for a flag oflicer to command a small secondary station. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 93 Senator Butler. What are the three naval stations? Lieut. OoLWELL. New York, Norfolk, and Mare Island. Senator Butler. Those are the only three? Lieut. CoLWELL. Those are the three first-class stations. Mr. Meyer. It has been stated, in support of the argument that flag officers were needed at all the naval stations, that a squadron or fleet might come to that station ; that that squadron would be ia command of an admiral probably; and that if the officer at the naval station were inferior in rank it might complicate matters perhaps, and imijair to some extent the proper conduct of the service. What do you say about that? Lieut. CoLWELL. I do not see that the interest of the service would sufier from the fact that the admiral coming into port had to have cer- tain correspondence go through the commandant of that station. He is not under the military command of the commandant of that station, but certain correspondence would have to go through the commandant of the station, whatever his rank might be. Senator Butler. Is there anything further you desire to say in regard to the Secretary's bill'? Lieut. Colwell. Nothing further in regard to the bill, except to emphasize the fact that it does not provide commanding officers of ships and squadrons at an age at which the country can reasonably expect the best return for its money; and the efficiency of the service, as a whole, is not materially improved. Senator Butler. I should be glad to hear any observation you desire to make in regard to the personnel of the Navy. Lieut. Colwell. I believe it to be generally recognized that the offi- cers throughout the service are to-day too old for the rank they hold; that is, the country can not get the proper work from the officers we have now in the various grades of the service. It is, I think, generally con- ceded that something must be done to provide commanding officers at a much younger age than our present system will provide; also that flag officers, men to command our squadrons, should reach that com- mand at an age which will give the Navy the benefit of their experience as flag officers. If a flag officer reaches his rank as such at the age of 60 or 61, which ■will be the case in a few years, he can not possibly com- mand a squadron and gain any experience which will be of any advant- age to the country. He should reach his flag rank at an age which will allow him to see some experience as a flag officer and still have that experience available in case he were called upon to exercise active com- mand in time of war. The only way that I can see that it can be done at present, considering the ages of the officers straight throughout the service, is to provide for a grade retirement. After officers reach a certain age as lieutenant they cease to improve, and rather degenerate. Having been in subordinate positions all their lives, after they reach the age of 40, instead of improving in that subor- dinate grade they get into a rut and degenerate, losing ambition, losing zeal, and their duty is done in a perfunctory way. In consequence dis- cipline on board ship suffers, the men catching the same spirit from the officers. That situation exists to-day in the Navy. The officers in the lower grade have lost hope. They do their duty in a perfunctory manner. Some of them still have the zeal of youth and health, but that is excep- tional in the case of a man who at the age of 45 is still in a subordinate rank. If I were on board ship I should do precisely the same duties that ' I did nineteen years ago. I have been a watch officer in the Navy for Djpeteen years, and I kjagw what the duties are, and I knQw tbat a 94 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. watch officer will not take the same interest in the duties of that place for nineteen years, for many of them necessarily involve very trivial details. When I was much younger than I am now I took an interest in those things, and I took pride in seeing that those details were properly carried out. Now it is a mere matter of routine. Senator Butler. And getting through with it? Lieut. Oolwell. Yes. The feeling among the best officers of my length of service is that we should go up or go out. We are not improv- ing in value where we are and we are very seriously deteriorating in value if we are in training for commanding officers; in which xiosition under the present system of promotion we may become a source of embarrassment to the country. We certainly will not then be a credit to either the country or ourselves. The country maintains the IsTavy, not for the benefit of the officers in it, but in order to have a fighting machine ready at hand in case it is called for. The present system is not furnishing that fighting machine ready. It is not going to be handled up to the very highest point of efficiency. 3>ro admiral would want his ships commanded by men who were reachingtheir first respon- sible positions at the age of 55, and the prospect now is that within a few years men will reach their first command at the age of 55. As men get old they lose the desire for taking responsibility, for the taking of the initiative; they are looking for guidance at all times if they have been habituated to subordinate duties until long past the prime of life. A captain of a man of- war must be ready to take responsibility and to take the initiative at all times withoiit looking to anybody for guidance. Similarly the flag officer, if he is going to be able to handle a squadron, must have had practical experience in handling ships and in command. Our present system will not sujjply flag officers \\iio have had much service in command. I myself will go through all the grades from the top of the lieutenant's list to the flag list in eight and one-half years. Senator Butler. Do you mean at your present age — 38? Lieut. Oolwell. Yes; I will be at the head of the list of admirals when I am possibly 59; certainly not over 60. You can not figure out the probabilities in these high grades within six months. When I shall be 50 I will be at the head of the lieutenants' list. Senator BuTLEii. That is to say, you would have flag rank? Lieut. OoLAVELL. No, sir; I would be at the head of the lieutenants' list; and will be at the head of the admirals' list at 60, as there is nobody now above me who is not about two years older than I am. I would be the ranking officer of the service at 60. Senator Butler. Then you will have four years' service? Lieut. Oolwell. It would be nearer three as a flag officer, and two at the top of the list of admirals. Senator Butler. Only three years' service in flag rank? Lieut. Oolwell. Yes; and my classmates who reach that rank will have about six months on the active list as flag officers. Mr. Meyer. You will go through all the intermediate grades ? Lieut. Oolwell. Through all the intermediate grades. I will have spent the best part of my life in the subordinate grades, and I will have this responsibility thrown upon me without any efficient training for it. Senator Butler. What age will you reach the lieutenant-com- mander's rank under the present law? Lieut. Oolwell. At the age of 50 under the present law. Senator Butler. Then how long will you serve as li«utenant-com- mander under the present law ? PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. 95 Lieut. Col"w:ell. About three years. I would serve as commander about two years and as cai)tain about three years. Senator Btjtlee. Have you any suggestions to make as to how that state of things can be avoided? Lieut. Col WELL. Nothing can be done which will not temporarily increase the expenses, though more economical in the end, owing to the fewer retirements as admirals, and which wiU not hurt somebody in the service; but for the good of the service I would provide for a graded retirement. I do not think a lieutenant is of any particular value as a lieutenant after the age of 45. I do not think, as a broad principle, an officer should be allowed to reach the grade of connuander who is over 45. I would promote to commander at not older than 45; I would establish an age qualification for promotion to captain. I would not allow a man to go on the captains' list who did not have a reasonable expectancy of becoming a rear-admiral with time enough then still left to give to the Government to make him a valuable rear-admiral. I should say that no man should be promoted to the rank of rear-admiral who did not still have at least six years to serve on the active list, wbich would give him an opportunity to spend three years in command of a squadron at sea, to spend three years on shore, and be available during that time in case of war — an experienced man who had served his cruise as admiral, a man who had been tried and who knew his busi- ness. In order that the captains' list should not be blocked by men who would have no reasonable expectancy of reaching flag rank I would provide that no man should be promoted to captain who was over 50 years of age. Senator Butler. What would you do with him; retire him? Lieut. CoL'msLL. I would imt him on a list of officers available for certain duties which are now performed by officers of the active list on shore — not all the duties. Those duties which are specially connected with the military part of the profession should be reserved absolutely to officers who were still on the sea-duty list and consequently inti- mately connected with the military part of their profession, which is a rapidly progressive one. But there are a great many sedentary occu- pations, scientific work and technical work, not military in its charac- ter, now done by officers of the Navy which could just as well be done by officers on such a reserve list. Senator Butler. Ton would call it a reserve list, then? Lieut. OoLWELL. I would call it a list for shore or other duty. It might be termed anything. I would not retire such men to a position where they would only draw a pension, as now, but I would remove them from the sea-duty list to a position where they would not block younger men from reaching active command in time to render efficient service in the higher grades. I would still require them to render service to the Government. There are many places which could be filled by such men very well, and there are many valuable men who would be struck by the age limit and have to go off the sea list, but whose services would still be available and valuable to the Govern- ment. I do not think it is a question of whether men feel it to be a hardship to go off the sea-duty list or not, but it is rather a question whether it is for the good of the service, as a whole, and, if their serviceis are still valuable, the Government should retain and utilize them. Senator Butler. Could you make a list and farnish it to this joint committee, showing the number of men who go out at the age of 45, and who, by being transferred to this list, might have useful employ- ment on shore! 96 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE.. Lieut. CoLWELL. I have made a rough calculation, with the result, if the limitations which I have given you were enacted into law, that about one hundred and sixty men, in the various grades of lieutenant, lieutenant-commander, commander, and captain would be on the list for shore or other duty. Senator Butler. And that would leave how many? Lieut. CoLWELL. That would leave practically five hundred and sixty men still on the seagoing list. Senator Butler. That woiild open the door to promotion? Lieut. CoLWELL. Tes; promotions would then flow; there would always be a flow outward from the seagoing list to the shore or other duty list at the top of each grade, because there are always some men in each class who are abnormally old for their rank, and of course a few of the abnormally old men would be sure to flow out each year so that, with the exception of these abnormally old men, the others would be quite sure to arrive at command rank at and before the age of 45, to captain at the age of 50 and younger, and to flag rank (provided the grade of commodore were abolished, or including it in the flag rank) at the age of 56 or younger. Senator Butler. Gould you find employment on shore, do you think, for those 250 officers 1 Lieut. CoLWELL. There are more than that number on shore duty now. The objection to these men being on shore duty would be that it would take away vshore duty from the seagoing list. I do not think the seagoing list has any claim for shore duty. It, of course, would fall into a certain amount of it, but if a man is kept on the seagoing list he is reasonably apt to reach the high prizes of the service, and he should be required to give in return the correspondingly harder work of sea duty. Li addition to these age qualifications for promotion to these grades, I would provide a sea- service qualification. The fact that a man has served a certain number of years as a commander, though he may have had no sea service as such, or very little, should be no reason why he should be promoted to the next higher grade of captain. He should not be eligible to promotion to the next higher grade unless he has had a certain time at sea in command of a ship. In the same way no man should be promoted to flag rank from captain who had not commanded a ship of the higher class, either of the first or second rate, as the law now provides, in order to fit him for the command of a squadron. The fact that a man has been a commander ten, twelve, or fourteen years does not make him an experienced commanding officer unless he has had a certain amount of experience in command of ships at sea. It is the sea service that makes experience for the naval officer, not length of time in grade. Therefore I should qualify all these statements that I have made with the proviso that no man should be promoted to the rank of commander who had not had a total of at least ten years' serv- ice at sea, nor to captain who had not had at least three years' service at sea as commander, nor to flag rank unless he had had command of a large ship of captain's size. For the immediate future these sea serv- ice requirements for commanders and captains would have to be reduced, as owing to the small number of ships and the large number of commanding officers they have not had the opportunity to gain that amount of sea service. A sea-service qualification for promotion is required in every navy I know of except that of the United States. Senator Butler. Could you not formulate yoiir ideas into the shap^ pf a bill and let us have it? PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 97 Lieut. Col WELL. Yes. Senator Btjtlbb. And accompany it with these figures you have just stated as to the number of men who would be retired now. Lieut. CoLWELL. Yes. As I say, it will work out, as they look at it, to the hurt of a good many officers, and therefore many will object to it. Senator Btjtlee. I do not see how it is going to hurt anybody. Lieut. Col WELL. I do not see either. Senator Btjtlee. You do not deprive them of their rank and payl Lieut. CoLWELL. No, sir. Senator Butlee. You simply give them another duty? Lieut. Col WELL. Another duty. But the trouble with every officer now is that he thinks he has a vested right to promotion under our present laws, and anything that interferes with this idea of promotion to admiral sometime in the future, if he lives long enough, is going to create opposition. But I do not think this is a question where the interests of anybody in the service should be considered. The effi- ciency of the service simply demands that a certain amount of service shall be given by these officers before they arrive at a certain age, and this is the only way to obtain efficient men at the top of the list. Increasing the number upon any list does not increase the efficiency of the men in that list. On the contrary, it would rather tend to decrease it, because if you increase the number of men in the higher grades you decrease their opportunity for command at sea, because our fleet is but a small one, and there is no particular prospect of its ever being a very large one. So that the more men you have in the higher grades the less chance you give those men of getting experience in those grades. Experience at sea is the only experience that should count for anything with a naval officer. Senator Btjtlee. Would you apply the principle of compulsory retirement for age to any grade below that of lieutenant? Lieut. COLWELL. iNo, sir; for the reason that if it were to apply at once, as I have suggested, it would tend to the promotion within a very few years of practically all the ensigns in the ISTa vy to the lieutenants' list. Senator Btttlee. And then how would the vacancies be filled in the ensigns' list? Lieut. CoLWELL. I have forgotten the figures in regard to that, but I can produce them. Senator Btjtlee. I wish you would do so and let us have them. Lieut. Col WELL. The flow to the ensigns' list should be not exceed- ing a certain number a year. I have calculated that with such a pro- vision we should have not more than 35 entries at the bottom of the ensigns' list in any one year, nor less than 25. There should be a constant regular flow in at the bottom of the ensigns' list and a con- stant flow out of the sea-duty list at the top of each grade, from admiral to lieutenant, and if that were provided for, in a few years the ensigns' list would gradually fill up, when the entries could be reduced to the mini- mum stated, and there would be a steady flow of promotion and a proper proportion of time served in each grade. The officers would be of a cer- tain age in each grade, and there would never be a block again in each grade, such as now exists. The first half of the present ensigns' list should be lieutenants really; they do the duty and do not get the pay or rank. The top ensign to-day is a man who has served seventeen and one-half years since his entry into the Academy, and he is still an ensign at the age of 33^. I myself was seventeen years in reaching the grade of lieutenant, while the present captains, commodores, and rear-admirals were. about that length of time reaching the grade of commander. LTNR — —7 98 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Senator Butlbe. Yes; but that was due largely to the wair, was it not? Lieut. CoLWELL. Well, the war and that 1855 board. If you remem- ber, in 1855 the condition of the personnel of the Navy was somewhat as it is now, only then not so bad, and something was decided by Congress to be imperatively needed. There was a scrutiny board, and a great many officers were put on the retired list, some i)ut out entirely, and some put on furlough. They had three different. degrees of retirement from active service, and as a consequence there was, from 1855 to the war, a nearly proper flow of promotion. These, in general, are my ideas of what should be done for the officers of the Navy and for the efificieucj of the service. Senator Butlbe. We should be very glad indeed if you would embody them in the form of a bill and send it to us, at the same time sending the calculations you have mentioned. Lieut. Col WELL. I will do so with i^leasure. Mr. Meybe. You are in the Bureau of Naval Intelligence? Lieut. Col WELL. Yes. Mr. Meybe. What are your particular duties in that Bureau? Lieut. OoLAVBLL. I have charge of the personnel division. It is my business to keep track of the personnel and the naval administration of all foreign countries, the number of officers and men they have, their system of organization, their system of training, their system of admin- istration. All that is my particular business there, and it is work I have been at for quite awhile, so that I am probatily quite as well posted on some countries and their organizations and number of officers and men as I am about our own service. Thereupon the joint subcommittee adjourned to meet upon the call of the chairman. LETTERS FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. Navy Depaetment, Washington, March 15, 1894. SiE: I have the honor to forward, for the information of your com- mittee, a pioposed bill for the reorganization of the line of the Navy, together with a memorandum in explanation thereof prepared by Eear- Admiral John G. Walker, U. S. Navy. This bill, it will be seen, while it has the same purpose in view as the bill presented by myself to the committee and a few of the same features, is nevertheless widely different from that scheme. These two bills I beg to submit to the joint committee, and it may be that other plans will also be presented. The joint committee will find that there is much difference of opinion as to the manner in which the difficult problem of relieving the stagnation in the personnel of the Navy shall be solved. The Department hopes that the joint committee, in its wisdom, after considering all the schemes that may be submitted, will be able to evolve a bill which will secure the lelief which all the naval officers of high grade, and I might say all who have studied the ques- tion, agree ought to be afforded by Congress. Very respectfully, H. A. Heebbet, Secretary of the Navy. Hon. M. C. Butlbe, Chairman, Joint Committee on Reorganization of the Personnel of the Navy. PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. 99 Navy Department, Washington, March 24, 1894. G-ENTLEMEN OF THE JoiNT SUBCOMMITTEE : Appended to my com- muuication of March 1, 1894, were tables marked A and B, handed to me by some officers and believed to be correct, but, as I stated to the committee, they were subject to revision. These tables were referred to the office of naval intelligence, and a careful revision, based on the consideration of the age of each officer now in the service, showed tliat some of the figures were incorrect, principally owing to the fact that their compilation was based on con- ditions somewhat different from those of the proposed bill, and in some cases to a theoretical, instead of the actual, condition of the service. I herewith send you the revised tables A and B, and add another, giving, in five-year intervals, the difference in the average ages at which officers now in the service will reach each grade during the next twenty- five years under the present law and under the proposed bill. This table shows that, in order to provide for promotions to the com- mand grades at a proper age, something more than the legislation sug- gested will have to be done, and I shall be pleased to appear before you at a future time, to make such additional suggestions as will tend towards the realization of the object to be attained. I am, sirs, very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. A. Herbbkt, Secretary of the Navy. OFriCB OF Naval Intelligence. — Memorandum of Information. Table A. — Appended to letter from Secretary of the 2favy to the joint committee of Congress considering the personnel of the Navy; revised in office of Naval Intelligence March, 1894. Grades. A. — Proposed or- ganization. Average age entering grade, 1916. Service in grade. B Immediate effect. Age entering grade. Service in grade. Average age entering grades Tiiider present la^vs. 1894. 1909. riag Captain Commander Lieutenant-commander . Lieutenant Lieutenant, junior grade Ensign Years. 61i S4i 46i "m '28 Years. 4 5| Years. 4"tV 35ft 31fV 23ft 4ft 7 12 Years. 58 50ft 4Sft 46ft 36ft 34ft 23ft Years. 58 ft 55 ft 61ft 49;s 41ft 33 ft 23ft Years. 60ft 58ft 65ft 52ft 35 31ft 23ft Years. 60JS saft oo 51ft 31 28 23ft * Estimated. The figures in tte last fotii columns are liased on the actual experience for the past eight years. ■^ F. SiNGEK, Chief Intelligence Officer. 100 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Office of Naval Intelligencb. — Memorandum of Information. Table B. — Appended to letter from Secretarij of Ike Navy to the Joint Committee of Congress, considering the personnel of the Navy. Bevised in the Office of Naval Intelli- gence March, 1S94. EEVISBD TABLE. Grades. Flag Captains Commanders Lieutenant-commanders .. Lieutenants Lieutenants, junior grade Ensigns Tot.ll United States. Present. Proposed. No. Per cent. 2-22 6-23 11-77 10-25 34-63 10-39 114-61 100 -00 No. Per cent. 2-77 8-31 13 -SS 10-25 34-03 10 -39 10 -SO 100 -00 England. Nuni- Per l)cr. cent. 67 190 312 419 425 168 4-24 12-02 19 -73 26-50 26-88 10-63 100 -00 100 -00 France. Num- Per ber. cent. 45 120 215 720 I 683 2-52 6-73 12 -OG 40-38 38-31 Number in United States grades if in proportion to — Eng- land. 30 87 142 101 194 France. 18 48 87 291 277 721 F. Singer, Chief Intelligence Officer. Office of Naval Intelligence. — Memorandum of Information. Table comparing average ages of officers of the line entering the different grades. [Column 1, under present organization; column 2, under proposed organization.] Grades. 1894. 1899. 1904. 1909. 1914. 1919. 1. 2. 1. 2. 1. 2_ 1. 2. 1. 2. 1. 2. Flaff 58 60J 48} 34J 58 49 47J 45 34* 281 58i 55* 51i 49J *U 33i 56* 54^ 4nj- 451 32 28 60J 68i 55* 5-24 35 58i 65J 51 48 33J 608 55 SH 31 59i 55 51 434 604 594 5li 44| 524 414 614 594 51 ?? Commander Lieutenant-commander . . 46} Lieutenant, junior grade. F. Singer, Chief Intelligence Officer. SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT OF LIEUT. COMMANDER SEATON SCHROEDER. PROPOSED SCHEME OP ORGANIZATION OP THE OPPICERS, LIST OP THE NAVY ON THE PRINCIPLE OP PIXED PERIODS IN EACH GRADE. (Incidentany the grade of commodore is merged into that of rear- admiral, and the periods to be passed iu the various grades are so iixed as to bring officers to command rank at a moderate age.) If officers are to remain a certain number of years in one grade, say 10, there must be promoted from that grade one- tenth eacli ycai'. There- fore, supposing no casualties and that the waste is only by retirement from the top, the promotions to nil the grades would be the same. For instance, suppose tliere were 100 ensigns, and it is proposed that they shall remain in that grade five years, then there must be promoted 20 a PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 101 year to jiinior lieutenaDt. This presupposes 20 vacancies iu the junior lieutenant's grade, which may be brought about by making fcliat grade of such strength and length of grade service that the former divided by the latter will produce 20; e. g., 200 men and ten years in grade, or 160 and eight years, or 140 and seven years, etc. There would have to be promoted 20 to and from every grade each year, including the grade of rear-admiral; and in order to let each admiral have three years on the active list, there would have to be 60 of them. In the same way, for captains to serve six years, there would have to be 120, and so on. All this will be modified by taking account of the casualties in each grade by retirement, desertion, death, resignation, or dismissal. The casualties in the Navy during the past 10 years have averaged as fol- lows: Per cent. Per cent. Ensign 3 Commander 2J- Junior lieutenant 2 CajDtain 3 Lieutenant 2i Commodore and admiral 4 Lieutenant-commander 2 In order to keep each grade up to its approximate strengtb the annual promotions to it, as given before, must be increased by that average number of casualties in that grade, and the strength of the grade below must be so increased that the fraction of it promoted each year will equal the increased number of vacancies in the grade above. Assuming tbe age of entrance to be 15 to 17 (average 10) and the average age of retirement to be 62 there would be 46 years of active service to be divided up. A proper division would be about as follows : Cadet 4 Lieutenant-commander 5 Ensign *5 Commander 8 Junior lieutenant 4 'Captain 8 Lieutenant 7 Rear-admiral 5 Assume average annual casualties to be: Ensign, 5; junior lieuten- ant, 2; lieutenant, 5; lieutenant commander, 2; commander, 2; captain, 2; admiral, 1. Starting in with 20 admirals, 4 must be retired each year to keep tbem 5 years on the list, and, as there would be 1 casu- alty, there would have to be promoted 5 captains a year; then there must be 5-|-2 (ca8ualties)=7promotionsfrom commander; 7-f 2=9 from lieutenantcommander;94-2=llfromlieutenant; 11 -f 5=16 from junior lieutenant; 16-|-2=18 from ensign ; 18+5=23 from the Academy. Then the strengths of the grades would be as follows : Ensign, 18 (promotions) by 5 (years in grade) 90 Junior lieutenant, 16 (promotions) by 4 (years in grade) 64 Lieutenant, 11 (promotions) by 7 (years in grade) .• j 77 Lieutenant commander, 9 (promotions) by 5 (years in grade) 45 Commander, 7 (promotions) by 8 (years in grade) 56 Captain, 5 (promotions) by 8 (years in grade) 40 Admiral, 4 (promotions) by 5 (years in grade) 20 392 The total number of officers thus obtained is 392, or only one-half the number on the Eegister of 1894 (787). It is also to be observed that the number is limited absolutely by the number allowed in the grade of admiral. There are two ways in wliich the number may be increased : First, by increasing the numbers and the lengths of service in the lower * Including two as graduated cadet. 102 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. grades; second, by providing an increased number of vacancies in cer- tain grades by voluntary retirement after 30 years' service, and by compulsory retirement, as suggested in tlie bill ijroposed by the hon- orable Secretary of the Navy. The first method is out of the question, as it defeats the very object sought, viz, attainment to command rank at a moderate age. By the table gi^'en above of&cers reach the rank of lieutenant-commander at the average age of 36, and commander at 41. These ages should not be exceeded. According to the compulsory retirement scheme the number of vacan- cies to be made must be fixed as found necessary. There is no way of increasing the captains' list withouteither increasing the admirals' list or making additional vacancies in the latter by compulsory retirenient ahead of time, neither of which methods commends itself for that grade. But the grades below captain may be increased aU the way down by making vacancies in that grade, and the same may be done to the grades below it. It does not seem desirable, however, to extend this method to include junior lieutenants, as the officers of that grade would hardly have been long enough in the service to have very well-defined records. If 9 vacancies be provided annually in the captains' list, 16 in com- mander, 25 in lieutenant-commander, and 42 in lieutenant, the vancan- cies would be as follows : Grades. Captain ComtnaDder Lieutenant-commander Lieutenant Junior lieutenant Ensign Kegular promotion. 1) 10 25 Average casualtiba. Compulsory retirement. 2 5 7 12 Total. 9 16 25 42 44 50 And the lists would be as follows: Ensigns, 44 multiplied by .^ 220 Junior lieutenant, 42 multiplied by 4 168 Lieutenant, 25 multiplied by 7 175 Lieutenant-commander, 16 multiplied by 5 80 Commander, 9 multiplied bj' 8 72 Captain, 5 multiplied by 8 40 Admiral, 4 multiplied by 5 20 Total 775 It appears from the above that about 26 vacancies, besides the aver- age casualties, are needed annually to keep the flow of promotion such that the present number of officers may pass through the grades in 40 years of service, the grades being of ihe strength and length of service suggested. These vacancies may be provided mainly by an annual scrutiny of the lists, as suggested by the honorable Secretary in his proposed bill. Eetirement for age in the different grades would be difficult to associate very usefully with fixed terms in the grades, as the lengths of service are so arranged that an officer would be at the top of the lieutenants' list on completing 20 years of service; a cadet on graduation would know almost to a certainty whether or not he could attain the rank of lieutenant-commander. If the age limit in the lieutenants' list were fixed at 30 years, then, as a rule, all that were over 16 on enteriag the Academy would have no chance of pass- PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 103 ing beyond the lieutenant's grade. If the limit were 37 then, under nnder normal circumstances, the only ones that would fail on the age qualification for promotion to lieutenant commander would be those or some of those, who lost a year (were "turned back") at the Academy, or that were suspended from rank, or lost numbers from any cause after graduation. The option of retiring after thirty years service would probably make a limited number of vacancies annually, but only from the grades of and above commander. The source, therefore, from which most of the required vacancies would be obtained would be by annual scrutinies of the lists, and tbe weeding out of those ofttcers whose records and qualifications, mental, moral, and physical, are such as to prove them to be the least worthy. Any system which undertakes to promote officers to command and flag ranks, while still of an age to begin the assumption of high responsibility, will inevitably inflict some hardships, and the theory of all such sys- tems is that the hardship shall fall upon the least worthy, not as a punishment, but for the purpose of retaining the best for the service of the countrJ^ The plan of selecting for compulsory retirement com- mends itself as the one productive of the least heart-burning, the least jealousy, and in all human probability the least injustice. SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT OF LIEUT. COLWELL. A proposed scheme of promotion on the basis of a fixed period of service in each grade must deal with the officers now in the Navy and the length of service they have actually had. Assuming the following periods of service in each grade as a qualifica- tion for promotion : Eight years as ensign and lieutenant (junior grade), ten years as lieutenant and lieutenant-commander, eight years a? com- mander, seven years as captain, six years as a flag officer; and assum- ing that retirement is compulsory after that period of service, the table appended, dealing only with the officers now in the Navy, shows where they will be and the number of officers in each grade on January 1 of each year until they will all have disappeared from the active list. The probable number of them who will retire as admirals under such a scheme is also showij. for each year. The same block which is, under the existing laws, the cause of the present stagnation exhibits itself in the extraordinary number of flag officers who appear on the list in 1910, and the great luimber of retire- ments in the grade made in 1915. It is assumed that ensigns are commissioned at the age of 23 years, which is now the average age; when, after the above periods of service as commissioned officers aggregating 39 years, they will arrive at the present retiring age, 62 years. A percentage of casualties based on the average of eight years past is allowed for in each grade for each year, both in the number of officers shown in each grade and in the number of annual retirements. The refinements of the calculation have not been, gone into and the figures and consequently approximations only, but they are sufficiently close to show practically what the working of the scheme outlined above would be if It went into effect on January 1 of the present year. 104 PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. Number of officers in eacli grade on January 1 of each year. Grade. 1894 1895. 1896. 1897. 1898. 1899. 1900, 'l901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. 51 201 164 105 1906. 16 45 85 74 250 75 174 31 (i3 246 ^226 ^132 28 65 243 233 111 31 61 250 226 98 31 64 251 227 76 32 64 248 235 56 „33 84 254 234 38 19 63 240 237 19 52 36 245 238 50 201 78 223 50 200 89 199 49 204 163 Lieutenant-coinraaiKiers 88 Lieutenants, j unior grade Grades. 1907. 1908. 1909. 1910. 1911. 1912. 157 61 159 1913. 1914. 1915. 1910. 1917. 40 120 36 1918. 1919. 48 198 163 ^77 22 199 163 60 26 191 165 45 160 56 163 24 156 67 164 8 177 120 83 171 124 69 148 117 60 39 120 46 36 120 32 39 114 10 Lieutenant- commanders T.ip.iTtj3iTiq,-nt« Grades. 1920. 1921. 1922. 1923. 1924. 1925. 1926. 1927. 1928. 1929. 1930. 1931. 1932. 87 65 84 63 81 46 80 35 80 25 74 16 38 8 30 25 17 10 5 Provable number of retirements at the top of tlie list of flag officers during each of the above years. Grades. 1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. 1898. 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. 1906. 6 3 1 1 2 3 14 1 4 1 3 4 5 Grades. 1007. 1908. 1909. 1910. 1911. 1912. 1913. 1914. 1915. 1916. 1917. 1918. 7 1919. 30 3 1 6 3 5 4 6 116 4 8 6 Grades. 1920. 1921. 1022. 1923. 1924. 1925. 1926. 1927. 1928. 1929, 1930. 1931. 1932. 7 4 6 4 9 41 7 4 7 6 5 5 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. 105 SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT OF CAPT. R. L. PHYTHIAN, U. S. NAVY. 1. The following table shows the comparative strength of the British navy as it now exists and of the U. S. Navy as it will be upon the eom- pletion of vessels now under construction and not far from completion: [Displacement in tons.] Gre.at Britain. United States. Eatio. Battle ships 409, 790 48, t)90 162, 200 135, 945 165, 167 19, 682 54,844 * 28, 318 17. 303 58,574 22, 165 9,828 8-5 tol Coast-defense vessels 1-7 tol 9-4 tol Protected cruisers ... 2-3 to 1 7 tol 2 tol Total 1, 001, 474 191, 082 6 -23 to 1 * Omitting single- turret monitors of tlie Ajax and Gatakill class as useless. 2. The information upon which the table is based is partly from data obtained from the naval intelligence oflice and partly from the U. S. Naval Eegister of January, 1894, and the British Navy List of January, 1894. 3. The separation of the British navy into "vesseLs in commission for service'' and those in "reserve," referred to in paragraph 6, was made from data obtained from the British Navy List of January, 1894. Owing to the difficulty of determining the class to which a few of the vessels should belong there may be some slight discrepancies in figures obtained from different sources, but these discrepancies are so slight compared with the large figures representing the total tonnage of the several classes as to leave the results stated practically correct. 4. Obsolete vessels and those that may be classed as "miscellaneous" have been omitted. 5. The table was prepared at the suggestion of a member of the joint committee, and the direction to do so was given when the ratio of ilag officers in the British navy to the number proposed in the Secretary's bill was being discussed. 6. I assumed at the time that relative effective force was not the ground upon which to make the comparison. The naval policy of Great Britain and of the United States as to the use that shall be made of their war ships is far from the same. While Great Britain holds in reserve a large part of the effective force to be available in time of war, it is the policy of the United States to have a comparatively small Navy and to keep all, or nearly all, of her vessels in commission in time of peace. The reserve force of Great Britain in battle ships, coast defense vessels, and armored cruisers, by the Navy list of January, 1894, is, in tonnage, a little over half of the total, and the number of cruisers and gun vessels in commission is about equal to the number not commissioned for sea service, so that while the ratio of total tonnage of Great Britain to that of the United States is 5-23 to 1, the ratio of number and tonnage of vessels actually in commission for service in time of peace is about 2-6 to 1. 7. It has already been shown to the committee that the ratio of flag officers to the total number of officers in th6 British navy is 0'038, while the same ratio in the bUl proposed by the Secretary is 0'028. lOG PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 8. By the Navy list, of January, 1894, Great Britain employs 9 flag officers of all grades (admiral, vice-admiral, and rear-admiral) in command of fleets and 1 in cliarge of the dock yard at Malta. The United States has 5 squadrons requiring 6 rear-admirals, so the ratio of flag offtcers, afloat and employe'd abroad in the two serv- ices, is 2 to 1. 9. The number of rear-admirals required in the TJ. S. Navy may also be arrived at by considering what duties are commensurate with tLe grade and what positions should be filled by flag oflflcers. This perhaps furnishes a better guide than comparison with any organization, and it should be conclusive if the number thus reached agrees with those determined by comparison and other methods : Eear-admirala are needed for : Commands at sea 5 President Light-House Board 1 President and members of examining boards 2 President board of inspection 1 To command tlie principal navy-yards (Portsmoutb, Boston, New Yort, League Island, Norfolk, San Francisco) 6 »15 The superintendency of the Naval Academy and of the Naval Observatory are appropriate duties for a rear-admiral 2 The chiefs of the line bureaus might all be rear admirals t4 6 This assumes that the grade of commodore is to be abolished. If that grade is to be retained, the proposed number of rear-admirals might be reduced to 12, and commodores assigned to some of the above shore duties. SUMMARY. 10. The number of rear-admirals called for in the Secretary's proposed bill is not, by comparison with the best-organized naval establishment in the world, too great because — (a) The ratio of tonnage of effective force actually employed in time of peace in the British service to that in ours is 2-G to 1, while the ratio of flag officers in the former service to those proposed for the latter is 3-3 to 1 (paragraph 6). {b) The ratio of flag officers in the British navy to the total number of officers is 0-038; by the proposed bill it will, in our service, be 0-028 (paragraph 7). (c) In the British navy 10 flag officers out of G6 are employed afloat and on foreign service; for our squadrons there are required 5 of the proposed 20 (paragraph 8). 11. The number is not too great because there is ample employment proportionate in dignity and importance to flag rank, for all the rear- admirals proposed in the Secretary's bill (paragraph 9). 'Certain. t Possible. PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. 107 STATEMEITT TO ACCOMPAWY A PROPOSED BILL ENTITLED "A BILL TO REOEGAK- IZE AND IHCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY." The principal and guiding considerations in developing the proposed plan or reorganization of the Navy have been prompted by a sincere desire to increase the military efficiency of the service in administrative matters and for fighting on board ship, to give due weight to the necessity of economy in the public expenditures, to avoid doing any injustice to any individual or corps, to propose no changes of doubtful efficacy, and to remove, as far as possible„all causes of contention among these several corps. In this paper no attempt is made to advance all the detailed argu- ments in favor of the proposed changes. It is merely explanatory of the proposed bill, and gives only the principal reasons for the changes advocated. The first problem presented for solution was to propose a satisfactory plan for the reorganization of the active list of the line. This is a most difficult and important subject, and a few words of explanation of the causes that have led to its present deplorable conditions will assist in forming a conclusion as to the eflicacy of the proposed remedy. The great block to promotion that now exists in the line was prima- rily caused by commissioning the huge classes that were graduated from the Naval Academy in the years of 1864 to 1870, inclusive. These sevfen classes, now on the active list of the line of the Navy, fill the entire grades of commander and lieutenant-commander and include the senior hundred lieutenants, numbering in all 235 officers (without including 25 volunteer officers), or 33 per cent of the whole active list of the line. The class of 1864 has reached the captain's grade at the average age of 50 ; the class of 1870 are near the middle of the lieuten- ant's list at the average age of 43, with the prospect, under existing laws, of reaching the captain's grade at the average age of 60. As this block moves toward the head of the list it will occiipy all the grades from rear-admiral to lieutenant-commander, and as the class of 1864 begins retiring at the age of 62, the class of 1870 will be in the lieuten- ant commander's grade at the average age of 55. Notwithstandingthislamentable condition of the active list of the line of the Navy, which has been repeatedly called to the attention of Con- gress by different Secretaries, there h ave been but two Congressional acts duringthepast twenty-five years that have affected promotionin theline; one in 1870 that largely increased the number in the lower grades, and one in 1882 which greatly decreased the number in the upper grades. (A table showing the effect of these acts on the different corps will be found near the end of this statement.) Both of these acts were simple and direct methods of further impeding promotion to the command grades, and consequently the trouble has been all the more aggr-a- vated. The difficulty can not now be entirely removed without resort- ing to radical measures that would be expensive to the Government, and that would probably do injustice to many deserving officers of long and faithful service. Therefore a plan is presented that will partially relieve the present stagnation in promotion, without interfering with the long-established system of promotion by seniority, and at the same time will serve as a good working plan for increasing and regulating the flow of promotion, enabling officers to reach the command grades at an earlier age than is possible under the present system. 108 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. I5riefly .-stated, the ])l;i,n consists in slightly increasing' the proportion in tlieK upper grades, providing lor a system of limited couipulsory retirements fronr the grades of captain, commander, and lieutenant- commander, and limiting the maximum number of annual entries in the corps. The numbers in the several grades are fixed so as to cause au officer to serve a certain period of time in each grade. The only temporary expedient connected with the proposed plan, in order to partially relieve the present block in promotion, is to carry 25 volunteer officers as supernumeraries in the command grades; this answers very well, as the majority of them will be retired for age within the next six years. The following table giyes the average ages at which officers reach the sever-al grades at the present time, and their average ages in 1904 under the jiresent and proposed systems, as well as in 1914 when the proposed system would be in normal working order : Present. Proposed. 1894. 1904. 1904. 1914. 61 59 60 48 40 36 33 11 01 60 68 56 51 32 28 22 60 58 . 50 49 42 29 26 22 52 46 39 29 25 22 In order to have an officer serve four years in the flag grades, it was found that there must be at least 20 in the flag officers' grade, as by retaining both the grades of rear-admiral and commodore it would be impossible for the average officer to make a full cruise as either, and it is desirable that rear-admirals should command our sea stations, which can only be accomplished by an officer attaining that rank upon reach- ing the flag grade. This has long been the English system. The number in the grade of captain is increased from 45 to G5, in order to give a longer period of service in the grade, and partly on account of the increase in captains' commands. The number of commanders is reduced by 5; the lieutenant-commanders are increased from 74 to 135, so that commanders of small vessels, all of the executive officers, and the navigators of the largest class of ships may be selected from this grade. The numbers in the subordinate grades were assigned so as to keep the proper proportion and length of service in the grades. The number of flag officers required being very much smaller than the number of commanding officers, and the number of tlie latter required being much less than the subordinate officers, it has been provided that compulsory retirements should be made from the grades where the decrease in number is required. It has been found by close calculation that the proposed system of compulsory retirement would not greatly increase the annual appro- priation for the pay of the retired list, as it would decrease the number of rear-admirals retired, and though the compulsorily retired command- ing officers and lieutenant commanders would be on the retired list ifor a longer time, their retired pay would be much smaller than the rear- admirals' retired pay. The increased amount for the pay of the retired list caused by the proposed system of compulsory retirement would be more than offset by the reduced pay of the active list, as that system PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. 109 would at tlio same time reduce the average length of service of the active list, which would, uuder the proposed pay table, reduce the pay. As it is proposed by the bill to allow the Marine and Pay Corps to die out and for line officers to do the duty now assigned them, it has been recommended that the 33 junior marine ofBcers and the 23 junior engineer officers, all of whom are graduates of the Naval Academy, be transferred to the line, increasing the total number in the line to 775; an increase of 61 officers. The transfer of these junior officers to the line serves an admu-able purpose in iilling out those classes which are now very short, as shown by the chart which graphically illustrates the numbers in the several classes on the active list, and this will greatly assist in getting the proposed ijlan of promotion in normal working order. Taking the whole number of line officers as the correct basis for determining the number of medical officers required, and considering 2 medical officers to every 12 line officers (the average complemeut of a vessel) a liberal allowance, it was found thatthe total number should be 130, which requires a decrease of 36 in the present number. This number was divided in grades, in the same proportions as the proposed grades of line officers, as follows: Captains, 11 per cent; commanders, 1 per cent; lieutenant-commanders, 18 per cent; lieutenants, 33 per cent; junior lieutenants and ensigns, 27 per cent. This agrees with the several percentages in the line, excepting rear-admirals, 3 per cent, and .captains 8 per cent; these were added together and assigned to the senior grade of the staff corps in grades, which makes as even a division of rank as possible without giving the staff corps flag grades, which would cause an anomaly, as there is no duty to assign such a, grade in the staff' corps, with the single exception of chiefs of bureaus, and they are given the relative rank of rear-admiral by the proposed bill. The pay corps is divided in grades according to the same rules applied to all other corps, and it is recommended there be no further entries in the corps, the work now assigned that corps to be gradually assumed by line officers. The duties of a paymaster on board ship require but little of his time, and could be performed by a line officer in addition to other duties, such as the duties of ordnance or torpedo officer. He could also have charge of a division of men, and would be assigned a station at general quarters for action. This would directly increase the fighting efficiency and would add another officer available, in the order of military succession, to take command of the ship. A paymaster is now appointed from civil life (without any special train- ing), and there can be no doubt that graduates of the Naval Academy are thoroughly capable of performing their duties ashore and afloat. The marines have been of great service in days gone by — in the days of press gangs and mutinies — but at the present time, when the Navy, on account of the higher pay, is enabled to get a class of men for sailors superior to the marines as a rule, their day of usefulness at sea has gone by. The marines are a disintegrating element on board ship, a small separate corps placed on board every vessel to perform guard duty over the main body of men, that wields and directs all the pon- derous, complicated, and delicate machinery connected with the arma- ment and engines of a modern man of war. Such men are amenable to inilitary training and discipline, though little can be done in the way of impressing upon them a proper sense of their important military duties and responsibility so long as a separate corps is sent to sea to perform guard duty over them. Besides, the marines perform but little 110 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. of the iuiTiieuse amount of routine work done on board ship, conse- quently the working efficiency of every crew will be increased wherever a marine is displaced by a sailor. This means a direct increase of mil- itary efficiency in many important operations, such as coaling ship, taking in ammunition, stores, etc., which must often be performed with the utmost dispatch in time of peace as well as in war. The only duty required of the marines on shore is to guard the property at the several navy-yards and shore stations, which, it is believed, would be efficiently protected by the corps of watchmen pro- vided for by the bill; besides, the proposed system would give excel- lent opportunity for training the enlisted men of the receiving ships in performing guard duty during the day. The proposed plan would be much more economical, as the annual appropriation for the Mai'ine Corps is about $1,000, 000, while the corps of watchmen would cost, it is estimated, about $125,000 per annum. The bill provides for gradu- ally increasing the force of enlisted men of the Navy by 2,000, as the Marine Corps is reduced. Two thousand additional men are absolutely necessary to man the new vessels now being completed. The plan proposed provides for no enlistments or reenlistments in the Marine Corps, which would practically deplete the Corps in about three years, as the average number of desertions for the past ten years has been each year more than -!."i per cent of the whole number in the Corps. The best of the enlisted men could be appointed watchmen, and any of them that so desired could enlist in the Army, with all the privi- leges of continuous service and retirement that would have accrued to them in the Marine Corps. So the proposed plan would cause no hard- ship to the enlisted men. The 33 junior officers are transferred to the line, and the remaining 40 officers continue in the active list to be assigned such duty as the Secretary of the Navy may direct. Their promotion, pay, and emoluments are not affected in any way, and nearly all would retire on account of age in a few years, (luarding navy-yards is duty that should naturally be performed by enlisted men of the Navy, and such shore billets serve as a natural and excellent means of reward- ing men in the Navy for long and faithful service. The Engineer Corps is recommended to be reduced from the present number, 183, to 80, to form a corps of designing and constructing engi- neers and to superintend the machinery of larger vessels. A corps of warrant engineers is provided to take their places in the engine room. The system proposed is intended to obtain practical mechanics for run- ning the engines; the class of men who run the engines of all the mer- chant steamers and who perform the same kind of work in every branch of civil life. This is only adopting the plan that has worked success- fully in the French, Italian, and German navies for several years, and which England is gradually adopting. The warrant engineers are also intended to take the place of the machinists now employed in the Navy, and probably about the same number will be required. They would be a most valuable class of men on board ship, and could be of great service outside of the engine room. The duties assigned to the carpenter on board a modern ship require him to be much more of a machinist than a carpenter, and a warrant engineer would be advantageously assigned his duties. The increase in cost for maintaining the proposed corps of warrant engineers would be about 8300 per man greater than the cost of the machinists whose places they are intended to take. There is no doubt that the best men of the class desired can be obtained for the pay, life positions, and retired list that are offered. The desirability of this proposed change PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Ill is based upon the thorouglily established fact that a practical, first- class mechanic, that has spent his whole professional life in handling machinery, is a better man for handling an engine and making such repairs as are possible, on board ship than a commissioned engineer, whose practical experience is decidedly limited, no matter how pro- found may be his theoretical knowledge of an engine. A corps of ordnance machinists is provided on account of the demand for such a class of men to repair and keep in order the complicated hydraulic and other machinery connected with turrets and heavy ord- jiance. They are only needed on battle ships and the larger types of cruisers; so only a small number is required. The bill provides for the transfer of the 23 junior engineer officers to the line, and for gradual reduction and limited entries until the corps is. reduced to 80. The proposed change greatly improves the status of officers of the engineer corps, and assigns to them duties consistent with their education and acquirements. There is apparently no sound reason for corps of professors and civil engineers in J;he N^avy, who receive a large annual pay and have all the privileges of the retired list. The professors are nearly all employed at the Kaval Observatory. The work of this observatory is national in character, and as constant changes of superintendeDts, unavoidable under the present system, greatly interferes with its proper adminis- tration, as vSecretary Tracy stated in his last two annual reports, it is recommended that it be transferred to another department of the Gov- ernment. The work now performed by civil engineers can be done as efifi-ciently by officers of the line or construction corps. It is recommended that the chaplains be reduced to 15, as that would allow a sufficient number to supply all flagships and shore stations. It is recommended that there be. no further appointments of sail- makers, boatswains, carpenters, and mates, as their services are not required on modern vessels. To summarize the general provisions of the bill so far as officers and men are concerned, it gradually abolishes 2 sea-going and 2 shore- staying corps of commissioned officers, reduces 2 sea going staff corps, and adds slightly to the executive branch of the Navy, making the organization of the Kavy much more homogeneous and adding greatly to the fighting efficiency on board ship, causing a total reduction of 275 commissioned officers, which rejjresents a final annual saving un,der the present pay table of about $080,000. Three of the present corps of warrant officers and the mates are gradually abolished, a total of 125 men, and two new corps are author- ized, the numbers not limited, but probably about 400 would be required and would cost annually about $300 more per man than the machinists whom they are intended to displace. As the saving from the reduction of 126 warrant officers and mates would amount finally to about $175,000 annually, there would be no increased cost resulting from the proposed changes among warrant officers. The changes proposed among the enlisted men are to displace the 1,000 marines at sea by 2,000 sailors, and to perform the guard duty on shore, now done by 1,000 marines, by enlisted men of the Navy and a corps of watchmen. The final annual saving from abolishing the enlisted men and civil establishment of the Marine Corps would be something more than $800,000, which is a sufficient amount to provide the additional 2,000 enlisted men for the Navy and the corps of watch- men. In connection with the proposed plan of reorganization a pay table 112 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. is presented for all the seagoing corps, which is based entirely upou length of service as commissioned officers. It includes all grades excepting the flag grade, the pay of which remains the same as that now provided by law. The basis selected is $1,400 at date of first commission with an annual increase of $80 for each sncceeding year of service on the active list. Under this table rate of promotion, which must necessarily vary iu the difterent corps, does not afi'ect the pay. All officers entering the naval service as commissioned ofEicers in the same year received the same pay without regard to rank or grade. Under such a system of pay no contention can be rightly made as to its fairness; the only point open to discussion is the basis selected; the officers who have their j)ay reduced by it may claim that the proposed baisis and increase are too low. The only allowance provided for is to increase the pay of command- ing officers of seagoing vessels by 10 per cent on account of their hav- ing, to keep up a single mess, which causes them greater expense than other officers of their rank or relative rank. It is also i^roposed to give an allowance of $200 per year to i^aymasters in order to cover the cost of their bond for faithful perfijrmance of duty, should they be required to continue furnishing such a bond. The proposed pay bill affects the pay of the several corps as follows : Increases the total i^ay of the line $317,000, and the engineer corps $55,000 ; the medical corps is decreased by $8,000, and the pay cori>s by $18,000. The inequalities shown represent the unfairness of the present pay table, and show that at the present time the active list of the line officers of the Kavy receive much less average pay than the several staff corps. The causes which have led to this are very simple and easily explained. A glance at the present pay table, established iu 1870, shows that in the line it was based almost entirely upon ranJc, there being no longevity increase iu any single grade of more than $200. The i>ay of the staff corps was based largely upon length of service, officers after reaching the grades of surgeon, paymasters, and chief engineer, being allowed four separate longevity increases to their pay, increasing it from $2,800 to $1,200 at sea, and from $2,400 to $4,000 on shore. Consequently the pay of the staff corps has not been greatly affected by the stagnation in promotion, while the pay of the line has been directly affected by it. The following table, based upon the Navy Registers of 18C9, 1881, and 1893, shows how the several grades in the different corps have been affected by the two acts passed in 1870 and 1882. It shows, so far as the line is concerned, that just previous to the act of 1870, 64 per cent of the officers on the active list were in the superior grades. The act of 1870 largely increased the number in the inferior grades, so that in 1881, just previous to the passage of the act of 1882, there were only 35 per cent of the active list in the superior grades. The act of 1882 decreased the number in the superior grades still further, leaving at the present time only 30 per cent in the superior grades. This means that an officer of the line in 1869, starting at the bottom of the active list and going strictly by seniority to the top, the grades remaining unchanged, would have performed approximately 36 per cent of his service in the inferior grades, and 64 per cent in the superior grades; and now that he performs 70 per cent in the inferior grades and only 30 per cent iu the superior grades. When one considers that the pay of the line officer, unlike that of the staff officer, depends almost entirely ux)on Lis grade, tliis table affords a very simple explanation of the fact that officers of the active list of the line of the Navy receive less pay than any other corps in the military service of the United States, and PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. 113 it also partially shows why the junior officers are now becoming old men before they reach the superior grades. Line. Medica Corps. Pay Corps. Engineer Corp.s. Kank. . GO CO 1 CO CO CO i. O 1 00 CO s 1 i i 00 1 1 10 25 50 88 177 12 25 50 00 80 6 10 45 85 74 20 65 80 135 15 38 ■in 15 15 40 15 15 14 14 14 24 12 30 34 12 13 50 13 13 27 11 11 16 5 39 7 10 15 45 10 16 39 9 » LieuteDant-commanders 14 Total 350 257 280 100 100 220 300 26r ^215 80 70 44 51 40 30 52 43 I35 38 24 75 ~25~ ^20 53 38 51 70 65 ,1?l 34 52 107 250 75 177 41 39 43 19 21 13 8 31 |26 97 (115 89 11 37 32 39 47 ?,7 (21 Total..- 193 = 543 480 7^7 502 722 475 775 75 101 171 121 165 78 130 62 50 42 57 'oT 212 137 118 183 48 Grand total 155 138 125 26J 207 80 PERCENTAGES IN" GEAUES. Superior grades . Inferior grades . . 20 31 80 69 40 60 Moreover, it should be remembered that officers on the active list of the Navy are constantly ordered from place to place, and, as command- ers of fleets, squadrons, and single vessels the expense of unavoidable official entertainment, for which they receive no allowance whatever, is probably greater than any other corps of the Army or Navy. It may be claimed that the grade rear-admiral increases the average pay of the line on the retired list, and that some corresponding advan- tages should be accorded to the active list of the staff in the way of pay. But approximate calculations show that, on the contrary, the staff corps would have the advantage of the line, so far as retired pay is concerned, under proposed system of compulsory retirements in the line. The following are the calculated average retirements in the line and staff corps, for each year, in percentages of each corps : Line. Staff corpa. Fer cent. *D.65 to. 32 to. 32 to. 32 Per cent. *1.42 Total - 1.71 1.42 *Age. t Compulsory. This shows that while 0.55 per cent of the line would retire each year with rear-admiral's retired pay, 0.84 per cent would retire on the reduced pay of commander and lieutenant commander; while 1.42 per cent of the staff would annually retire with the pay of captains. It is recommended that an allowance of 15 per cent of their annual pay be given to officers ordered to perform shore duty and not provided quarters. This is smaller than the allowance for quarters, which has long been given Army and Marine officers. The present system is cer- lilNE 8 114 PERSONNEL OF THE N^VY LINE. tainly very unfair, and provides quarters for a part of the officers ordered to shore duty aud requiring others to rent houses at their own expense. An allowance for official entertainments for rear-admirals iu com- mand of fleets and squadrons is also recommended, not to exceed $2,000 per annum, and for which they must furnish vouchers, siibject to the approval of the Secretary of the S^avy. They must, unavoidably, do a large amount of official entertaining, which they can ill afford to pay out of their private purse. In the English naval service the necessity for such an allowance has long been recognized, the flag officers receiv- ing a table allowance of $5,000 to $8,000 per annum, making it a rule that, wherever an officer is placed in a position which carries expense of a public character, that expense is made good to him. The following is a summary of detailed calculations made to find how the annual appropriations for the maintenance of the Navy would be aftected should the proposed bill be enacted into law : Amount. Increase or decioase. 1894... 1904... 1014 .- I'iuill . $370, 000 196, 900 482, 900 546, lUO Increase. Decrease. Do. Do. The estimates abo\c given do not include the proposed allowances for quarter.s, paymiistcis, rear-admirals at sea, the retired pay of the enlisted men, nor the decrease iu appropriations resulting in a transfer of the Naval Observatory. Should the proposed bill become law, the number of officers on shore duty would be greatly reduced and the number unprovided with quarters would become comparatively small. The nece.s.sary aiipropriations are, roughly estimated, as follows: For quarters $75,000 Paymasters - 19, 000 Eeai'-udmirals at sea 6, 000 Retired pay of enlisted uk'u 100,000 To fcal 200, 000 Decreased by $54,000 maintenance of Naval Observatory. This would decrease the final annual saving, as shown above, to $400,000. With a Navy list of 775 officers, in i)erfect working order, without compulsory retirement, 10 should reach the age of 62 and retire as rear- admirals each year. In twenty years 200 would be retired. At the end of that time, taking the average length of life of those retired at 62 to be ten years, there would be — 55 left drawing tlio pay of rear-admiral, or $247, 500 With comiiulsory retirement — 4 each year retire as rear-admiral, 80 in all — 22 left at end of twenty years 99^ 000 5 each year as captain or commander, in all 100 — 60 would he left at $3,000 180,000 1 each year as lieutenant-commander, in all 80 — 50 left at $2,250 112,500 391, 500 247, 500 Increased pay of retired list 144,000 Without compulsory retirement the average age of the officers of the Navy would be 41. Rate of pay, $2,900x775 $2,247,500 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 115 With compulsory retirement the average age of the active list would be 37. Rate of pay, $2,600x775 $2,015,000 Decreased pay of active list 224, 750 Increased pay of retired list 144, 000 Saving 103,750 A BILL to reorgaBize and increase the efficiency of the personnel of the Navy. Be it unacted by the Senate and Souse of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the active list of the line of the Navy shall he composed of twenty rear-admirals, sixty-ii\e captains, eighty commanders, one hundred and thirty-five lieutenant-commanders, two hundred and sixty lieutenants, and not more than two hundred and fifteen junior lieutenants and ensigns. The numbers above assi^ed to the different grades shall not include officers A\ho were appointed to the active list of the lino from the volunteer service. The said officers shall continue on the active list in addition to the numbers provided for by this act, until removed by casualties or process of laws now in force, and shall not be retired by the opera- tion of any of the provisions of this act. Upon reaching the head of any grade they shall, after passing the examinations now required by law, be eligible for promotion to the first vacancy in the next higher grade. Nnmbers vacated by them in the grades to which they are assigned by the provisions of this act shall not be considered vacancies and shall not be filled. On the first day of July of each year a sufficient number of ensigns shall be commissioned to fill the vacancies of the preceding year: Provided, That not more than forty are commissioned in any one year. Officers, after performing three years' service in the grade of ensign, shall, after passing the examinations now required by law, be eligible for ywomotion to the grade of junior lieutenant. Officers of the line in the grades of captain, commander, and lieutenant-commander may, by official application to the Secretary of the Xavy, have their names placed upon a list which shall be known as the list of "applicants for voluntary retirement," provided they have had thirty years' service on the active list. When the vacancies during any fiscal year above the grade of lieutenant- commander are less than eighteen, and .above the grade of lieutenant are less than twenty-one, the Secretary of the Navy shall, on or about the first day of July, con- vene a board of five rear-admirals, and shall place at their disposal the service and medical records of all officers in the grades of captain, commander, and lieutenant- commander. The board, considering only the cHicienoy of the naval service, shall then select by the thirtieth day of July a sufficient number of officers from the applicants for voluntary retirement to cause the before-mentioned vacancies. Should there not be a sufficient number of applicants for voluntary retirement to carry out the provisions of this act, the board shall select, considering only the efficiency of the naval service, the necessary additional number from the entire grades of captain, commander, and lieutenant-commander, and upon the approval of the Secretary of the Navy and of the President, the officers so selected shall be placed upon the retired list, to date from the thirtieth day of June of that year: Provided, That under the provisions of this act not more than four officers from the grade of lieutenant-com- mander, and not more than five officers from the combined grades of commander and captain are selected for retirement in any one year. Officers selected for retirement under the provisions of this act shall have the rank of the grade from which they are retired, and pay on the retired list as if they had been retired for age. The grade of commodore is liereby abolished from the active list of the Navy. Officers on the active list of the several staff corps of the Navy entitled to the relative rank of com- modore shall have the relative rank of rear-admiral, and those entitled to retire with the relative rank of commodore shall retire with the relative rank of roar-admiral : Provided, That nothing contained in this section shall be construed to entitle them to an increase of pay, either on the active or retired list: And provided further. That the foregoing provisions shall not apply to officers now on the retired list of the Navy. Sec. 2. That the present active list of the Medical Corps of the Navy shall consist of eighteen medical directors with the relative rank of captain, eighteen medical inspectors with the relative rank of commander, thirty surgeons with the relative rank of lieutenant-commander, fifty-five surgeons with the relative rank of lieu- tenant, and not more than forty-five assistant surgeons with the relative rank of junior lieutenant or ensign: Provided, That after the grades are thus established there shall be only one promotion to the several grades for every two vacancies, and only one entry for every two vacancies in the corps, until the numbers in tlie said gi-ades and corps are reduced to fourteen medical directors with the relative rank of captain, fourteen medical inspectors with the relative rank of commander, twenty- five surgeons with the relative rank of lieutenant-commander, forty-three surgeons with the relative rank of lieutenant, and not more than thirty-five assistant sur- geoM with the relative laak of junior Ueuteaaat or ensign. Assistant surgeons with 116 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. the relative rauk of ensign, after tlivee years' service in that grade, shall, after pass iiig the examinations now required by law, be eligible for promotion to the gracle of assistant snrgeon, with the relative rauli: of junior lieutenant. Sue. 3. That the pay corps of the Kavy shall consist of eleven pay directors, with the relative rank of captain, eleven pay inspectors with the relative rank of com- mander, seventeen paymasters with the relative rank of lieutenant-commander, thirty-one paymasters with the relative rank of lieutenant, and not more than twenty-iive assistant paymasters with the relative rank of junior lieutenant or ensign. There shall be but one promotion to the grades of i)ay director, pay inspector, and paymaster, with the relative rank of lieutenant-commander, for every two vacancies in those grades, until the numbers in such grades are reduced as pro- vided for by this act. Assistant paymasters with the relative rauk of ensign shall, after three years' service in that grade, after passing the examinations now required by law, be eligible for jiromotion to the grade of assistant paymaster with the rela- tive rank of junior lieutenant. There shall be no more entries in the pay corps, and line oflBcers shall be assigned to duty as paymasters as the Secretary of the Navy may direct. Line otHcera acting as paymasters shall give bond, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Navy, in the sum of twenty thousand dollars, for the faithful performance of duty. Sec. i. That the present active list of the Engineer Corps of the Navy shall con- sist of twenty chief engineers with the relative rank of captain, twenty chief engi- neers with the relative rank of commander, thirty-three chief engineers with the relative rank of liouteuant-comniander, sixty engineers with the relative rank of lieutenant, and not more than fifty assistant engineers with the relative rank of junior lieutenant or ensign: ProrkJeil, That after the grades are thus established there shall be but one promotion to tlie several grades for every two vacancies until the numbers in said grades are reduced to nine chief engineers with the relative rank of captain, nine chief engineers with the relativerank of connnander, fourteen chief engineers with the relative rajik of lieutenant-commander, twenty-seven engineers with the relative rank of lieutenant, and not more than twenty-two assist- ant engineers witli the relative rauk of junior lieutenant or ensign ; and there shall be but one entry for every three vacancies in the corps nntil the total number in the corps is reduced to eighty as is provided for by this act. Assistant engineers with the relative rank of ensigii, after three years' service in the grade, shall, after passing the examinations required liy law, be eligible for promotion to the grade of assistant engineer witli the relative rank of junior lieutenant. The assistant engineers now on the active list of the Na^-y who completed the six years' course at the United States Naval Academy in the year eighteen hundred and eighty-six, and those who were graduated subsequent to that date, are hereby transferred to theactivelist of the line of the Isavy, to take ranlc with their classmates in the lino according to their standing at linal graduation, as may be determined from their records by the academic board of the Naval Academy. Naval cadets of the engineer division, who complete the six years' course at the llnited States Naval Academy Avithin four years after the passage of this act and who are not selected to fill vacancies in the Engineer Corps, shall be considered eligible to fill vacancies in the line, and shall be selected with their classmates of the line division according to their standing at final graduation, as may be determined from their records by the academic board of the Naval Academy. When the Engineer Corps is reduced as provided for by this act they shall perform the duty of a corps of designing and constructing engineers, and shall be detailed to superintend the machinery of such seagoing vessels as the Secretary of the Navy may direct. As the corps is reduced they shall gradually be relieved from standing regular watch duty over the eugiues by a corps of warrant engineers hereafter to be authorized. Sec. 5. That the active list of the construction corps of the Navy shall consist of four constructor* with the relative rank of captain, four constructors with the rela- tive rank of commander, six constructors with the relative rank of lieutenant-com- mander, twelve assistant constructors with the relative rank of lieutenant, and not more than nine assistant constructors with the relative rank of junior lieutenapt. Sec. 6. That there shall be no further appointments of officers nor any further enlistments or reenlistments for the active list of the Mnriuc Corps, and the marines shall gradually be withdrawn from seagoing vessels. As the number of enlistments in theMarine Corps Is reduced, the number of enlistments of men in the Navy shall he increased at the rate of five hundred a year : Provided, That the number shall not he increased more than two thousand above the present number allowed. Officers on the active list of the Marine Corps, who completed the six years' course at the United States Naval Academy in the year eighteen hundred and eighty-three, and those junior to them are hereby transferred tn the .'uitive list of the line of the Navy, to take rank with their classmates according to standing at final graduation, to be determined from their records by the academic board of the Naval Academy. As the marines are withdrawn from the navy-yards and shore stations the necessary guard duty shall be perfoimed by the available enlisted men of the Navy and a corps of PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE, 117 watchmeu, the necessary number of watchmen to be determined and appointed by the Secretary of the Navy. The corps of watchmen herein provided for shall be formed and recruited entirely from the enlisted men of the Navy and Marine Corps who have performed at least twenty years' faithful service : Provided, That they shall not be apjjointed unless recommended by a regularly organized board of three commissioned officers. The service of a watchman shall be considered naval service, and he shall be paid at the rate of seventy dollars per month, and he may, after ten years' faithful service as watchman, be placed upon the retired list with a pension of thirty-live dollars per month. Officers of the Marine Corps of the line and general staff remaining on tbe active list, as provided by this act, sh.all have charge of the marines and watchmen at the several yards and shore stations, noncommissioned ofiicers performing duties of the junior commissioued officers of the Marine Corps; and they shall be assigned to duty in the several bureaus, as members of boards, courts-martial, and such other similar duty asbore and afloat now performed by them as the Secretary of the Navy may direct. The office of colonel commandant shall cease to exist when vacated by the present incumbent, and there shall be no further appointments to the general staff of the Marine Corps. Nothing in this act shall be construed to affect the pay, emoluments, or promotion of any officer remain- ing on the active list of the Marine Corps after the transfer herein provided for has been effected. Upon reaching the head of any grade they shall, after passing exami- nations now required by law. be eligible for promotion to the first vacancy occurring in the next higher grade. The Marine Band shall be retained and reorganized under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy. Sec. 7. That officers now on the active list of the line, and those transferred by this act to the active list of the line, shall fill the grades provided for by the first section of this act, according to seniority, without mental examinations, but no officer shall receive a new conmiission unless he has been pronounced physically and morally qualified by the examining boards now provided : Provided, That after the grades are thus filled every officer shall be required to pass the examinations now provided by law, before promotion to the next higher gTade: Provided furihei; That officers transferred from the Engineer and Marine Corps may, upon application, have their examinations deferred for a period of one year after the passage of this act. Sbc. 8. That the corps of chaplains in the Navy shall consist of two chaplains with the relative rank of captain, four chaplains with the relative rank of com- mander, five chaplains with the relative rank of lieutenant, and four chaplains with the relative rank of junior lieutenant. There shall be but one promotion for every two vacancies until tbe grades are reduced as above provided, and there shall be no further appointment of chaplains until the total number in the corps is reduced to fourteen. Sec. 9. That there shall be no further appointments of civil engineers or pro- fessors of mathematics in the Navy ; and the United States Naval Observatory is hereby transferred from the Navy Department and placed under the care and super- vision of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, and shall hereafter be styled the "National Observatory," and the annual appropriations for its main- tenance and improvement shall be made under the head of "appropriations for the Smithsonian Institution and National Observatory." Sec. 10. That there shall be no further appointments of sailmakers, boatswains, carpenters, and mates in the Navy. Sec. 11. That no commissioned or warrant officer now in active service, not trans- ferred to the line by this act, shall be reduced in rank or deprived of his oomraissiou or warrant by reason of any provision of this act reducing the number of staff and warrant officers. Sec. 12. That officers of the Navy will take precedence according to their rank or relative rank ; officers of the same rank or relative rank shall take precedence according to the date of their commissions. Sec. 13. That the President shall appoint for vessels in actual service as many warrant engineers and ordnance machinists as may, in his opinion, be necessary and proper : Provided, That not more than fifty warrant engineers and not more than ten ordnance machinists are appointed in any one year. The Secretary of the Navy shall appoint two permanent boards, consisting of not less than three commissioned offi- cers, one on the Atlantic and one on the Pacific coast, for the examination of candi- dates for the positions of warrant engineers and ordnance machinists. No person shall be appointed warrant engineer or ordnance machinist who has not passed physical mental, and practical examinations, to be prescribed by the Secre- tary of the Navy, before one of the said boards. Any person appointed from civil life shall not be more than thirty nor less than twenty-one years of age. Any per- son appointed from the naval service shall not be more tban forty nor less than twenty-one years of age, and must have served at least five years on a seagoing naval vessel. Warrant engineers, after being selected by the board herein provided for, shall serve two years on a seagoing vessel with an acting appointment, when upon the recommendation of the commanding officer and the chief engineer, or if there is 118 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. no cliiof ougineer, tbe rxfcntive officer of tbr vessel, they shall rocoive thoir war- rants. ' >rdnaiioe miu'hiuitjts shall he subject to the same toiiditioiis, exec]) t that they shall be, recommeudcd by the captain and fxccutlvo ofilicers with whom tliev served during their acting appointments. Warrant engineers and ordnance niachinista shall be known and shall be entered npon the naval register, as " Warrant officers in the naval service of the United States," and shall receive a salary of nine hnndrod dollars per annum on the date of iirst appointment, with an increase of twenty-live dollars for each year's service on the active list after date of appointment: Prorided, That no warrant engineer or ordnance machinist shall receive a greater salary than one thousand live hundred dollars per annum: And prorUled further, That they shall be ])laced npon the retired list at the age of sixty, or for disqualilications resulting Irom injuries in the line of dnty, and when so retired their p.i.y npon the retired list shall be seventy-live per centnm of the yearly salary to which they were entitled at the date of retirement. The Secretary of the Navy may assign one warrant engineer to each seagoing naval vessel as "chief warrant engineer," and while so serving he shall receive an addition of ten per centum to his salary as above provided for. Skc. 14. That the Secretary of the Navy shall appoint a board of not less than three commissioned officers, to be eonvenecl during the two years .subsequent to the passage of this act, to whom he shall refer all donbtfnl qnestions that may arise in executing the plan of reorganization herein provided for, and the said board shall be authorized to make such rules and rognlntions as may be necess:i.ry to carry out and perfect the plan of reorganization herein contained. The decisions, rules, and regulations of said board, when approved by the Secretary of the Navy and the President, shall have all the force of law. Sec. 15. That the pay of rear-admiral shall be the same as that now provided by law. The pay of all commissioned officers of the Navy, of and below the grade of captain, on the active list of the line, medical, p.ay, and engineer corps, shall be comi)uted as follows: On the date of first commission the sea pay to be coiisidered as one thousand four hundred dollars per year, with an annual increase of eighty dollars for each succeeding year of service on the active list: Provided, That in no case shall the sea pay allowed exceed four thousand five hundred dollars per annum. In computing the pay of any officer underthe provisions of this act, his first commis- sion shall be considered to have been dated six years subsequent to his "date of precedence" as published in the Official Eegister of the N.avy. Dates of precedence ii'om January first to .June thirtieth, of any year, shall beconsidered as dated Janu- ary first of the same calendar year; dates of precedence from July first to December thirty-first, of any year, shall lie considered as dated January first of the ensuing calendar year. (Jfficers on shore or other dnty shall receive ten per centum less th.an their sea pay; officers on leave or waiting orders shall receive twenty per centum less than their sea pay: Provided, That officers on leave for a period longer than three months at their own request shall reeeivo thirty per centum less than their sea pay: Provided furtlier, That no greater reduction than twenty per centum shall be made while on sick leave: And provided further, That an allowance of ten per centum. In addition to the salaries as computed above, shall be given to commanding officers of seagoing war vessels, and an allowance of two hundred dollars per annum to officers on the active list of the pay corps and to line officers jierforming the duty of paymasters: Provided, That such additional allowances shall not be considered in computing the amount to Avhich they are entitled on the retired list and shall not be considered in computing the iiay of commanding officers on shore duty. Sec. 16. That officers on the active list of the Navy ordered to perform duty on shore who are not provided quarters shall receive an addition of fifteen per centum to their annual pay in lieu of C£uarters. Rear-admirals in command of fleets or squadrons shall receive an allowance for official entertainments, for which they must furnish vouchers, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Navy, but in no case shall such allowance exceed two thousand dollars per annum. Sec. 17. That section fifteen hundred and eighty-eight of the Kevised Statutes is hereby an^eiidcd as follows: Strike out the clause "be equal to seventy-five per centum of the sea pay provided by this chapter for the grade of rank which they held, respectively, at the time of their retirement," and insert "be equal to seventy- iive per centum of the sea pay to which they were entitled at the time of their retirement." Skc. 18. That nothing in this act shall be construed to affect the pay or status of officers now on the retired list, or officers on the active list not in the line of pro- motion. Sec. 19. That the term of enlistment for the enlisted men of the Navy shall here- after bo four years, and the enlisted men of the Navy shall have all the ])rivilcges of naturalization, continuous service, and retirement now accorded by law to the enlisted men of the Army. The laws for administering the oath of allegiance now provided for the officers and enlisted men of the Army shall hereafter be applicable to the officers and enlisted men of the Navy. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 119 Saturday, March 34, 1894. The joint subcommittee met pursuant to call of the chairman, there being present Hon. M. 0. Butler (chairman) and Hon. Eugene Hale, of the Senate committee; and Hon. Adolph Meyer, Hon. Hernando D. Money, and Hon. James W. Waclsworth, of the House committee. There were also present: "Rear-AdmiralJohn G. Walker, Lieut. John 0. Oolwell, Lieut. Sidney A. Stauutou, and Ensign A. L. Key. ADDniONAL STATEMENT OF REAR ADMIRAL JOHN G. WALKER. Senator Butlii^e. Admiral Walker, will you be kind enough to take the stand and explain your bill? Suppose you read your bill first. Admiral Walker. (Beading) : Be it enacted iy ilie Senate and Souse of Eepresentaiives of the Unilejl States of America in Congress assemMed, That from and after the passage of this Act the active list of the line of the Navy shall consisit of: Twenty rear-admirals, sixty captains, eighty commanders, three hundred and twenty-five lieiitenants, seventy-five lieutenants of the junior grade, one hundred and sixty ensigns; and naval cadets, under graduates of the Naval Academy, as now authorized by law. Provided, That no officer now in the Navy shall lose his commission hy the operation of this Act. Sec. 2. That no promotions shall hereafter he made to the grades of commodore and lieutenant-commander on the active list of the Navy: Provided, That chiefs of bureaus of the Navy Department shall have the relative rank and receive the pay now authorized hy law. Senator Hale. You abolish those two grades? Admiral Walker. Yes, of commodore and lieutenant-commander. Mr. Wadsworth. You preserve the relative rank when the olficers are assigned to duty as chiefs of bureaus? Admiral Walker. Yes. The commodores at present on the active list shall he promoted hy seniority to the grade of rear-admiral, subject to the examinations now required by law. Subse- quent promotions to the grade of rear-admiral shall be made from the grade of cap- tain, as hereinafter provided. Vacancies in the grade of lieutenant-commander shall he considered as vacancies in the grade of lieutenant, and shall be filled by promotion to that grade, thus increasing the number of lieutenants as the number of lieutenant-commanders is diminished. Then there would be as many lieutenants as there are now both lieutenants and lieutenant-commanders. a lieutenant, after teu yea,rs' service as such, shall he entitled to the uniform and the rank now prescribed for lieutenant-commanders, and shall receive an increase of pay of two hundred dollars per year. After fifteen years' service as such, a lieutenant shall receive a further increase of pay of two hundred dollars per year. Mr. Meter. That equalizes his pay with that of the present grade of lieutenant-commander'? Admiral Walker. It does not really change his pay. The idea is to keep things as they are now. As long as the grade of lieutenant-commander continues to exist it shall be con- sidered as forming with the ^rade of lieutenant one gjrade for the purposes of promo- tion and retirement, as hereinafter provided, and lieutenant-commanders shall be paid as lieutenants, computing their seniority from the dates of their commissions as lieutenants : It will not change their present pay at all. Provided, That nothing in this act shall be construed to affect the rank or pay of officers now on the retired list of the Navy : Provided further, That officers in the 120 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. several staff corps of the Navy, -who ■would, iinclev existing laws, l)eoome entitled to the relative rank of lieutenant-commander, when the line oflicors with whom they rank reach that grade, shall hereafter he entitled nnder corrosponJing circumstances to the relative rank of lieutenant of more than ten years' seniority. It does not change their rank at all, but leaves the rank exactly as it is now. !>EC. 3. That the age of admission to the Naval Academy shall be not less than fifteen years nor more than seventeen years. Senator Butler. That is inclusive of those two years 1 Admiral Walker. Tes, inclusive. Mr. Wadswoeth. That is not too young? Admiral Walker. I think that is the proper age; that is the age advocated by the Bureau of Navigation. It confines them within two years. Senator Butler. Two years instead of five? Admiral Walker. Yes. It will give you, then, your ensigns all practically of the same age in each class. Mr. Wadsworth. In your bill do you touch anything about the course in the Naval Academy? Admiral Walker. No; nothing. Senator Hale. As that stands, the moment he had reached his sev- enteenth year the prohibition would ai^ply? Admiral Walker. No; it covers the space of just two years (from 15 to 17) instead of four years, as now. Mr. Money. He must be either 15 or 16 years of age? Admiral Walker. He must be 15, and he must not have gotten entirely through his seventeenth year. Mr. Wadsworth. Then he must be within his fifteenth and seven- teenth birthdays? Admiral Walker. Yes. Mr. Wadsworth. That covers a space of twenty-four months. Admiral WALKER. Yes. I will read you what 1 say about it in my explanation : Section 3 alters the limit of age for admission to the Naval Academy. The present ages — 15 to 20 — are too high, and the range— five years — is too great. It is desirable tliat those officers who are commissioned as ensigns in any one yeiir should be nearly of the same age, and it is imperative that a young officer should begin to loarn his practical duties under the conditions of actual service as early as possible. Mr. Money. Do you not think that a period of two years is rather a narrow margin? Admiral Walker. I suppose in this country we have two million boys wanting to go into the Naval Academy, and I thinic they ought to be selected for the best interests of the service. That is what I mean in this bill. Senator Hale. Which do you think would be the best — from 15 to 17 or from 16 to 18? Admiral Walker. From 15 to 17. I am inclined to get them just as young as I can, and have them able to take the course at the Academy : then we get them out into the service earlier and have them younger all the way through, in all the grades. Senator Hale. Are there many boys now admitted to the Naval Academy above the age of 18? Admiral Waliosr. Oh, yes. Senator Hale. Between that and 20? Admiral Walker. Yes ; some are admitted right up to the limit of 20, Senator Butler. Proceed with your statement, admiral. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 121 Admiral Walker. (Beading:) A naval cailet, who, at the end of his six years' course, obtains iu his final examina- tion ninety-five per centum of the maximum marks in seamanship, gunnery, naviga- tion, and the practical sea, coast, and harbor pilotage of the stations upon which he has served during his two years' cruise, and is marked "excellent" in officerlike bearing, aptitude, and capacity, may, upon the recommendation of the examining board, be advanced upon the ensign's list ten numbers beyond the position in his class due to his graduating averages. Senator Hale. That is intended as a premium? Admiral Walkee. That is intended as a premium upon the two years' cruise, when many neglect their work. In the English service it is possible for a youngster to gain several years in a similar manner. Senator Hale. It is practically like a school prize? Admiral Walker. Yes. Senator Hale. Out of a class of 30, how many do you think would become, under this provision, entitled to that advance often numbers? Admiral Walker. It is hard to say; I do not know. Some would get it, undoubtedly. Senator Hale. Some would get it in every class? Admiral Walker. Undoubtedly some would get it in every class, and it might put a youngster out of his own class into the class above him. But the examining board would have to pass uj)on him, no mat- ter what cruise reports he received, and unless it recommended him he could not be advanced. Senator Hale. Will this be applied to each class at the end of six years? Admiral Walker. Yes; it advances them on the ensigns' list. Senator Hale. It might put a cadet upon the ensigns' list where no other one of his class would be? Admiral Walker. Yes. Senator Butler. Please proceed. Admiral Walker. (Beading:) Sec. 4. That promotion from the several grades of the line of the Navy shall be as follows: From the grade of ensign to that of lieutenant of the junior grade, six officers shall be promoted by seniority and then one by selection ; from the grade of lieutenant of the junior grade to that of lieutenant, five by seniority and then one by selection ; Senator Butler. You say there will be six by seniority and one by selection in the first instance. Explain what you mean by that. Sup- pose there are not six vacancies? Admiral Walker. You would go on filling the vacancies as they occur by seniority until you had filled six vacancies, and then the seventh would be filled by selection. Then you start in again and take six more by seniority. Mr. Money, There is no time fixed for this to run in? Admiral Walker. Ko; it keeps running right on until you get that many vacancies. from the grades of lieutenant-commander and lieutenant to that of commander, three by seniority and then one by selection ; from the grade of commander to that of captain, two by seniority and then one by selection; from the grade of captain to that of rear-admiral, wholly by selection. Senator Hale. In the highest ranks you have a larger percentage of selection? Admiral Walker. Yes. That is as it is in the Army. Above the rank of colonel all Army offi- cers are selected men. CaiJtains in the ISTavy rank with colonels in the Army, 122 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. Senator Hale. You would have no seniority promotions from captain to admiral? Admiral Walker. ISo. Wlien a man reaches the rank of captain, he is as high as he is entitled to go without decided ability. Senator Hale. That is as it is with brigadier-generals? Admiral Walkee. Yes; brigadier-generals are selected by the Presi- dent. Senator Hale. How do you provide for the selections in this bill? Admiral Walker. By a board. Senator Hale. You have not reached that point yet? Admiral Walker. 'So. Then I provide Provided, That the ratios of promotion from the several grades shall he continuous that is, thit an unfinislied ratio at the end of any half-yearly period shall be carried over and completed in the next period. That is, if you have promoted three men by seniority up to the last day of December, when the next year commences you promote three more to make up the six, and then you take your selected man. Senator Hale. Then there is no year in it. Admiral Walker. There is no year in it so far as this percentage of selection is concerned. Provided further, That no officer shall ho eligible for selection nnder the terms of this act in time of peace unless he has performed in the grade from which he is selected the following service in seagoing men-of-war. Senator Hale. You mean that the feature you have read shall apply in all these grades to appointments by selection ? Admiral Walker. Yes. OfBcers must qualify themselves by seeing a certain amount of service in seagoing men of war before they can be selected. Senator Hale. It does not touch the seniority men? Admiral Walker. No. Ensigns, two years; lieutenants of tlic junior grade, two years; lieutenant-com- manders and lieutenants (considered as one grade), live years; commanders, prior to eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, one year in command; from eighteen hundred and ninety-nine to nineteen hundred and two, both inclusive, two years in coumiand ; during and after nineteen hundred and three, three years in command; captains, prior to nineteen hundred, two years in command; during and after nineteen hun- dred, three years in command. That is I made a sliding scale, because other\\'ise some of these men would pass through the different grades very rapidly; it is cut down so as not to make it prohibitory. Sec. 5. That promotions shall be gazetted only on the thirtieth of June and the thirty-first of December of each year, but the commissions shall be dated to cor- respond to the vacancies as they occurred, and the officers shall take rank and receive pay accordingly. Senator Butler. That is according to the date of commission? Admiral Walker. Yes. That is, if a vacancy occurs two weeks after the first of the year, we will say, and an ofticer is not promoted until the end of six months, his commission, when he is oonlirmed, is dated back to the beginning of the vacancy. Mr. Money. What is the object in having the commission and pay to begin earlier than the date when the commission is received? Admiral Walker. There is a vacancy, and, under the present law, he would be promoted immediately the vacancy occurred. My idea is to hold the matter open for six months, because you can not always convene selection boards at once; that would be troublesome and expen- PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE, 123 sive. The scheme contemplates convening selection boards twice a year. On the first day of Juno anil December of each year a board, or boards, consisting each of five officers senior to the grade or grades from wliich it is directed to make selections, shall be convened. The members of each board shall be sworn to perform, to the best of their knowledge and ability, the duties laid down in the succeeding section, and to maintain the secrecy therein imposed. Sec. 6. That each board, having before it all the records and reports on file in the Navy Department relating to officers of the grade or grades from which it is directed to make selections, and having been notified of the number of selections to be made, shall, considering only the efficiency of the Naval service, select for promotion those officers whom it considers best fitted in all respects from the duties of the next higher grade, irrespective of their seniority, but subject to the service require- ments of section four of this act. That is the sea service requirement. Mr. Wadswoeth. Tou put that in simply as a matter of sea service ? Admiral Walkbk. Yes. Mr. Wadswoeth. And without their having seen that service you woud not select them ? Admiral Walicee. No, sir. Senator Hale. You would not select them unless they had had that service? Admiral Waleee. No ; they are ineligible until they have had that service. The list of selected officers, certified by the signatures of the members of the board, shall be sent under seal to the Secretary of the Navy by the twentieth of the month in which the board canvenes, and the members of the board shall observe strict secrecy respecting their selection until after the promotions are made. That is to prevent any pulling and hauling. Mr. Wadswoeth. To prevent Senators and Congressmen interfering? Admiral Walicee. It is to prevent anybody from interfering. During the grading of the retiring ages as hereinafter provided, the board or boards convened in December shall be furnished with the number of officers to be (ielected to fill the vacancies falling due on the first of January following, and shall make the selections as above provided from officers not subject to retirement on the said first of January. Senator Hale. What does that mean? Admiral Walkee. If a man were to be retired on the 1st day of January you would not want to select him on the 20th of December, eleven days before that, to be promoted. Sec. 7. That not more than forty-five naval cadets sliall be commissioned as ensigns in any one year: Provided, That until January first, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, the number of ensigns shall not be restricted by the provisions of section one of this act. The limitation of the number to 45 is to prevent a hump similar to the one that is giving us so much trouble now. But as we can not get that number from classes in the Academy now, and at sea on their cruise, we do not put any restriction on them up to 1897. Of the six classes now in the service we could get an average of about 30 a year. Senator Butlbe. There is no danger of their going up to 45? Admiral Walkee. No; but we want to get all that are eligible, because we shall have a short list. Mr. Meyee. Have you taken into account and calculation the fact that from and after this year there will be about 30 additional cadets appointed to the Naval Academy by reason of increased representa- tion? Admiral Walkee. I did not put that into this calculation, but that would really make no practical difference in the bill. 124 PERSONNEL OF THE NA^VY LINE. Mr. Money. There would be just that many more to select the 45 from. Mr. Wabswoeth. How does section 7 dovetail in with section 1? Tou say that until January 1, 1897, the number of ensigns shall not be restricted by the provisions of section 1. I understand that section 1 simply provides the number now authorized by law. Admiral Walker. It is not the number of naval cadets, but the number of ensigns. The number of ensigns is restricted to 160, but if the number should temporarily run above that under the provisions of this bill, we should be perfectly willing. Mr. Wadswokth. I see. Admiral Walkek. (Beading:) Sec. 8. That begiuuing January first, eighteen hiiuclre(1 and ninoty-five, and dur- ing that year, captains shall be retired at the age of fifty-eight, commanders at the age of fifty-four, lieutenant-commanders and lieutouants at the age of fifty. Dur- ing each succeeding year the retiring age for each grade shall be diminished by one year, until the retiring age of captains shall have reached fifty-seven years, that of coumianders fifty-one years, and that of lieutenants forty-five years, at which they shall remain. Officers retired under the provisions of this section shall receive retired pay as now provided by law for age retirements. Sec. 9. That nothing in this act shall be construed to annul the existing require- ments for examination previous to promotion to the next higher grade of officers promoted by seniority; and upon such examination officers found unfit profession- ally, or deficient iu the offioer-liko qualities required for the next higher grade, shall be retired with the rank and one-half of the sea pay of the grade they then hold. Senator Hale. How is that? Admiral Walker. Some of them are now dropped out altogether. This is the same thing that the Secretary has in his bill. Provided, That officers found unqualified by reason of misconduct shall be dis- missed without pay as now required by law. The only thing that is new in this section of this bill is that — officers selected for promotion by the boards provided for in this act shall be subject only to the physical examination now required by law. Mr. Wadsworth. That is, there shall be no other examination. Admiral Walker. Yes, because they will have passed the selection board. Senator Hale. And it is presumed that everything will have been covered by the board of selection. Admiral Walker. Yes; beginning on page 63 of my testimony will be found an explanation of the whole thing at length. Senator Hale. Will you be kind enough to state here generally the marked features of this bill that difl^er from the bill of the Secretary of the Navy "? Admiral Walker. The number of officers allowed is somewhat differ- ent from the number provided in the Secretary's bill. The marked features of difference are in selecting for promotion and in retiring at different ages in different grades. Senator Hale. The two distinct features of difference are selection by promotion in each grade, instead of throwing out, and the principle of a retiring age for each grade? Admiral Walker. Yes; that is really the whole bill. The other matters are details of execution. Senator Butler. Let me ask you a question in regard to section 8, the one providing for retirement. Lieut. Oolwell, of the Navy, made a statement here last Saturday which imjjressed me very much — I do not know how practicable it may be when it is worked out — and that was that there should be what he calls, I believe, a sea-going list of ofiflcers PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 125 and a reserve list. The reserve, as I understood him, should be com- posed of officers who shoidd be assigned to shore duty at the age of 45. That, as I understand the scheme, stops promotion, and officers are then put on the reserve list with full pay and assigned to duty on shore. I do not remember now how many naval officers there are on duty on shore. I suppose on the average there are about 200, are there not? Admiral Walker. I could not say how many, but there is a large number. Senator Butler. I think Mr. Tracy when he was Secretary of the M"avy gave us a list of those on shore duty at that time, and it was sur- prisingly large ; it was about 200, 1 think. Secretary Herbert explained when he Avas before us that a great many of the duties performed by naval officers on shore service (such as those connected with the Light- House Board, Hydrographic Office, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and the various manufactures of steel, etc.) were iierfbrmed in other serv- ices by civilians. Admiral Walker. "That is the case. Senator Bxjtler. And that was explained by the Secretary as being the reason why so many naval officers on the active list appeared to be performing shore duty. Bo you think it practicable, as a part of your scheme, that a reserve list might be made upon which these officers might be placed, keeping them there on full pay, and assigning them to duty in some of these bureaus of the Department? Admiral Walker. Yes, that is entirely practicable. In case they are placed on the reserve list and made eligible for shore duty, I would suggest that their duties be limited in some way so that all the shore duties should not go to those men, but that active officers when at home from sea and having nothing to do might be assigned to such duty. There would have to be some provision made for assigning the active officers to certain duties so as to give them a fair percentage of shore duty. Senator Hale. They would not have sea pay. Admiral Walker. ISo; they would have shore-duty i)ay. Senator Butler. When an officer has made a three years' cruise, under the practice of the Navy Department — I do not know that there is any law for it — that officer is entitled to a certain leave, is he not? Admiral Walker. Yes ; and after that he has about the same amount of shore duty that he has had sea duty. Senator Butler. Army officers are not required to go from home, but I think in the Army an officer is entitled to thirty days' leave once a year. When he gets that leave he goes about his business. Could not some arrangement be made by which a naval officer, after coming home from a three-years' cruise, could be assigned to some duty which would allow him to stay at home? Admiral Walker. If an officer came home from a long cruise of, say, three or four years, and had a three months' leave, and at the end of that leave started off on another cruise, it ought to be provided by law that he should be a bachelor. But it could easily be arranged to employ officers placed on the reserve list by naming the duties upon which they should be employed, and specifying that they should be employed upon no other; or, by giving the reserve list a certain per- centage of the entire amount of shore duty, and the other part of the shore duty to go to the active officers. That could be arranged fairly enough. 126 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Senator Butler. If that scheme were carried into operation it would stop their promotion. Admiral Walker. Yes. Senator Butler. But it opens a channel of promotion to the sea- going officers? Admiral Walker. Yes. Senator Butler. And they could go right along? Admiral Walker. Yes. Senator Butler. These men who are on the reserve list would not be promoted and would not be retired, but when on the reserve list, as I understand, they are subject at any time to be called in to active serv- ice in case of emergency? Admiral Walker. In time of war. Senator Hale. When a man comes to that age, what would be the difference between the pay of an officer retired, at the age which you prescribe as giving three-quarters full pay, and the shore duty pay that he would get if he went on the reserve list? Admiral WALKER. His shore pay, if he were placed on duty, would be a little more than the retired pay. Senator Hale. Not very much. Admiral Walker. No, not very much. You could easily ascertain from the Navy Register. Mr. Wadsworth. Would it be enough to keep those men in the service? Admiral Walker. A greater or less number of them would turn their attention to matters in civil life; but others would want emiiloy- ment in the Navy. Senator Butler. A great many of these officers whose retirement you provide for at these ages, say, a lieutenant at the age of IS, would be quite well qualified to discharge shore duties. Admiral Wahcer. Many of them would be; of course, during the next four or live years we should be forced, under this bill, to retire many very good men who would be perfectly qualified for shore duty, and in some respects they would be better than active officers, because in some lines it is better to keep men on the same duty for a series of years. If there were such a list established I suppose it would go some distance to break the blow of retirement to the men who are retired, because men would feel that they could live on shore, attend to their families, and look out for the education of their children, and all that, and in that case they would be more willing to retire under the provi- sions of this bill than if they were not going to be employed at all. Senator Hale. Take this scale of pay; for instance, commodores who would be captains would receive sea pay of $5,000; three-fourths of that would be $3,750. Admiral Walker. You would increase the pay when you put an officer on duty; you would increase his pay a little, but not a groat deal; but then there would be some other advantages, as, for instance, when they were ordered to stations where they Avould get quarters. Senator Butler. The advantages to the service, it seems to me, is that you keep the active sea-going officers at sea, ^^ith the exception of the time they are allowed after making their cruise, and you get as much benefit from their shore duty as you would under the present arrangement. As I understand, an officer put oci the reserve list would be just as well qualified to perform the duties of a member of the Light-House Board, or in the Hydrographic Office, or in the Coast PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 127 and Geodetic Survey, or in very many of such employments in the Navy Department. Admiral Walkek. Some of those men could very well perform duties under the Bureau of Ordnance or the board for the inspection of mate- rial for ships, and the Chief of Ordnance would prefer to keep men for a term of years rather than to have them taken away from him and sent to sea just as they have become familiar with their duties. Senator Butler. Such officers would be available for use in the Navy in time of war? Admiral Walker. All ofacers in the Navy are available in time of war, whether they are on the retired list or not. But the Secretary of the Navy can not order a retired officer to duty in time of peace. If you make a reserve list in this way those men would be available for shore duty in time of peace, and for important service in time of war. Mr. Meter. They would be available for duty in the bureaus? Admiral Walker. Yes, for all duty, unless in passing a law you limit it. Mr. Meyer. Tour bill provides for 720 officers of the line? Admiral Walker. Yes. Mr. Meyer. If the scheme under discussion were put in operation could not that 720 be very properly reduced? Admiral Walker. It could probably be reduced somewhat, but it would be a matter of policy as to how far it should be reduced. We want to train a fair number of officers. Mr. Meyer. A great many of these 720 officers are detailed for shore duty? Admiral Walker. Yes, and that practice ought to be continued within limits, because there is a good deal of duty on shore that is very valuable to active officers. Mr. Meyer. From the estimate you have made would not this reserve corps of officers be adequate to fill all positions necessary for shore duty? Admiral Walker. Yes, but it would be very unjust to the active officers not to give them any shore duty. Mr. Meter. That would be the difficulty. Admiral Walicee. That would be the difficulty. As an instance, my last cruise was exactly three years and eight months, audi had offi- cers with me on that entire cruise. If they were allowed to stay on shore only two or three months and were then sent off again for another cruise of three or four years, that would be very severe. Senator Butler. When these officers return from a three years' cruise why could not these officers on shore duty be put on waiting orders or given leave of absence? Admiral Walker. The officers who had returned from the cruise? Senator Butler. No ; I mean the officers on the reserve list. Admiral Walker. They could be relieved from duty and that would leave them on the reserve list without employment. Senator Butler. I understand, but could you not assign these offi- cers on the active list to that duty for the time being? Admiral Walker. That could be done. Senator Butler. But what I mean is that when a number of officers have returned from sea duty could you not put the officers on the reserve list on waiting orders so as to leave vacancies in these various places for the officers who had been upon sea service? Admiral Walker. That could be done perfectly well, but that would -put the Secretary of the Navy between the upper and nether millstones 12.S PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. all the time. A better way, in my opinion, would, be to arrange by law so that the officers on this reserve list should be entitled to 50 per cent (or whatever would be a fair share) of the shore duty, and the active officers to have the other 50 per cent. When the reserve officers had had their 50 per cent they could not bring pressure to bear upon the Secretary of the Navy to get an unfair proportion, and the active officers would take their share. I think it could be regulated that way. Other- wise the pressure brought to bear upon the Secretary of the Navy would be very severe. Senator Butlee. I think the Secretary of the Navy ought to be able to stand that pressure. Admiral Walkbe. Some Secretaries would be, and some would not. Senator Butlee. I am quite willing to leave that matter to the Sec- retary of the Navy. Admiral Walkee. In saying this, I think I am speaking in the inter- est of the Secretary of the Navy. Mr. Money. How much would your plan increase the expenditure? Admiral Walkee. This bill of mine would increase expenditures very little, and after a few years it would really decrease the expenses, as I have worked it out. Mr. Money. You have paid some attention to that particular feature? Admiral WALKEE. Yes. This explanation I have made here is not very long, and it covers the ground pretty well. It begins on page 63, and I take up the bill paragraph by paragraph. Mr. Meyee. As pertinent to that proposition, to what extent and in what proportion would you regard it as safe to reduce the number of line officers, under this scheme we have had under discussion, from the present number, 720? Admiral Walkee. That would depend entirely upon how many reserve officers were to be employed. Senator Butlee. I do not see, myself, how there is any opening to diminish the number of officers at all, if we are going to have this increased number of ships. Admiral Walkee. It seems to me we shall have to increase the number of enlisted men. We already have a sufficient number of offi- cers. Under the provisions of this bill the active officers would be ready to go to sea. They would be pressing for sea service rather than for shore duty, because it would be necessary for them to be qualified for selection. The minute a man were made a commander he would want a command. The moment an officer were made captain he would want sea service in order to qualify him for the next selection for admiral. That plan would work well. Mr. Wadswoeth. Instead of there being a pressure for shore duty, there would be pressure for sea service? Admiral Walkee. Yes. Mr. Wadswoeth. Which would be rather extraordinary, would it not? Admiral Walkee. Yes ; rather. Yet, as we are having more ships, and if Congress gives us more men, there would be much more sea duty for officers to perform. I should say it would be better not to reduce the list of active officers, but to leave it as it stands. It is not large now. If you choose to employ reserve officers to a reasonable extent, I see no objection to that. Mr. Wadswoeth. An officer, under your bill, would have to gradu- ate from the Naval Academy at an age not greater than 23? Admiral Walkee. Yes, PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 129 Mr. Wadswoeth. If lie is still in the rank of lieutenant at 45, that ■will give him twenty-two years' service in the JSTavyl Admiral Walker. Yes. Then no man can be made a commander who has not 17 years to serve as captain, commander, and admiral. Senator Hale. Could you formulate a section covering the feature of the reserve list, so that it would operate practically and be in con- sonance with your bill? Admiral Waikee. Yes. Senator Butlee. I wish very much you would do that, Admiral Walker. I will do so. Senator Hale. Carry out that idea in every relation, and provide for the percentage of the seagoing list, and all that. Admiral Walkee. If I may be permitted a suggestion, I would recommend giving the reserve list at once a certain percentage of shore duty. But that is a matter that the joint committee can fix. Senator Butlee. Frankly, this idea of compulsory retirement of an ofiicer at 45 or 60 rather grates upon me, particularly if the officer has not been at fault. Admiral Walkee. In many cases it would not be the officer's fault at all. Mr. Wadswoeth. If a man enters the Navy with that knowledge he would have no reason to complain. Besides, he is taken care of by the Government until he is dead. Senator Butlee. He is still on the active list, in one sense, and that relieves him of that feature, which is a little harsh, especially where a man is not responsible. If the officer had brought the compulsory retirement upon himself, by his own misconduct, I should be the last one on earth to make any excuse for him. Senator Hale. How does your section 8, in regard to retirements, as applied to different ranks compare with hke features of other navies 1 Admiral Walkee. It starts with all of th'em older. In our service the final retiring age of a captain is 57, while, I think, in the English service it is from 50 to 55; that is, a captain in the English service may retire at 50, and must retire at 55. Senator Butlee. That is to say, if he had not got out of that grade before that age. Admiral Walkee. Lieutenants, I think, in the English navy are retired from 40 to 45; that is, it is optional for a lieutenant in the Eng- lish navy to retire at 40, but he must retire at 45. Senator Halb. Then your biU does not vary largely from the Eng- lish provision ? Admiral Walkee. They are a little older here than there. Senator Hale. It gives them a little more time? Admiral Walkee. Yes. Mr. Wadswoeth. How would it do to embody that feature her f Admiral Walkee. While I should be perfectly willing to see it put in, it ATOuld make it much more difficult to pass the bill. Senator Hale. Why? Admiral Walkee. I should be perfectly willing to see it put in. Senator Hale. To see what put in? Admiral Walkee. A provision that a lieutenant could retire at 40, and must retire at 45. Senator HALE. Would there be any objection to that on the part of the officer? Admiral Walkee. No; I think there would be no objection on the part of the officer, but there would be objection to it in Congress. line 9 130 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Mr. Wadswoeth. Why? Admiral Walker. I thiak such a provision would intensify opposi- tion to it in Congress. Mr. Wadswoeth. An officer at 40 is really better qualified to enter into some kind of civil business than he would be at 45, and he could seize the opportunity better. Admiral Walkbe. Yes. Mr. Money. I think, admiral, you need not anticipate any objections except such as may be suggested by officers in the service or their fi-iends. Admiral Walkee. There will be enough of that. Of course there will be strong opposition to this bill on the part of officers in the Navy; and the point to my mind is that such a provision will enable them to make stronger opposition than they could without it. Senator Hale. They would say that we would be allowing these officers to retire and enter into business in civil life just at the time when they might best be able to perform shore service. Admiral Walkee. Yes. Mr. Wadswoeth. But it would be a kindness to the officer, I think. Senator Hale. It would be a kindness to the officer, no doubt. Do you not think. Admiral Walker, that this retirement clause would ren- der it less objectionable to the Navy? Admiral Walkee. I think it would have very little effect. Mr. Wadswoeth. Could we not give an officer the opportunity to retire voluntarily at any time during the five years? Admiral Walkee. If I were to suggest any change, I should say to make it like the English service where the officer could retire at 40 and must retire at 45. Mr. Wadswoeth. Does that give him the option to retire at any time during the five years? Admiral Walkee. Yes. Mr. Wadswoeth. It gives him five years' time to look about? Admiral Walkee. Yes. Mr. Wadswoeth. Certainly that is a kindness and not a hardship, Admiral Walkee. It is a kindness to the officer. Mr. Wadswoeth. I do not see how any officer in the service could bring any objection to that. Admiral Walkee. I can very easily draw a clause and send It to the joint commitee. Mr. Wadswoeth. Mr. Chairman, what do you think about asking the admiral to modify that section so as to conform to the English service, for instance, so as to allow a lieutenant to retire at 40, and making his retirement compulsory at 45? Senator Butler. I have not the slightest objection. It will dove- tail in very weU. If the admiral will formulate such a clause, we will consider it. Mr. Wadswoeth. Let it apply generally to all ranks. Mr. Meyee. Your bill, admiral, provides for 20 rear-admirals. The present number of rear-admirals and commodores is fixed at 16. Why do you consider it necessary to increase the number of flag officers? Admiral Walkee. Of course the Navy could get along with 16 flag officers, but if we have 20 the bill would be that much more liberal. Twenty flag officers would have sufficient employment. Of course the additional four officers would have the additional rank and honor, and I think the list would not be too great. PEESONTSTEL OP THE NAVY LINE. 131 Mri "Wadswoeth. They would go up to that grade by selection? Admiral Walker. Tes, from the higher grades. Senator Hale. In what case, where a captain is employed, do you think there ought to be a commodore or rear-admiral? Admiral Walker. For the last few years we have had our navy- yards commanded largely by captains. We have to-day a captain in command of the Mare Island station; whereas, there should be a vice- admiral there if we had that rank. That is what the command should properly have, in my opinion. Senator Butler. That is a first-class station. Admiral Walker. It is a first-class station ; and it is the only one that we have on the Pacific coast. A man of high rank should be there. We have a captain in command at Philadelphia, at Boston, and at many of our stations; and we have been forced to send commodores to sea to do the duty of rear-admirals. Senator Hale. In these smaller yards you would never expect a rear- admiral to be placed in command. Admiral Walker. Not, perhaps, in the smaller ones, but certainly at IfTorfolk, Kew York, and Mare Island there should always be a rear- admiral in command. Mr. Wadsworth, And in Boston? Admiral Walker. Boston is now of less consequence. Mr. Meter. In what respect would the interests of the service be advanced had we an admiral in command at one of these stations instead of a captain? Admiral Walker. It is a proper place, from a military point of view, for an admiral; and he would always then be senior to anybody who came there — to any of our own people; and he would be equal in rank to any foreign officer who came there. Mr. Meyer. Suppose you came there with your squadron, would it be any disadvantage to the squadron or to yourself to have a captain rather than an admiral in command? Admiral Walker. None to the squadron. Our own officers work together, but in case a foreign officer should come to that station it would be an advantage to have the officer iu command of the station of equal rank with that foreign officer. Suppose, for instance, the English admiral in command of the Pacific British squadron came to the Mare Island station ; or suppose a French or German admiral came there. It would be just like putting a colonel in command of a great military district where there should be a general with a full staff and everything complete. Mr. Monet. Or putting a company officer in command of a regiment? Admiral Walker. Yes. That is an important command, and should be filled by an officer of high rank. Senator Hale. I suppose the duties and possibilities of duty at these three great navy- yards are fully as extensive as they are in the case of command of a squadron. Admiral WALKER. They are very great and important, and in many cases they are very complex. Mr. Meyer. Can you inform us how the sixteen admirals and com- niodores that are now in the service are employed at this time? Admiral Walker. To-day there are five in command of foreign sta- tions. Then there is one in the Navy Department, in a bureau. The other bureau officers are officers also of rank. But if we had 20 admirals we could have some for duty on different boards. For instance, we have a board of inspection and survey to handle all these new vessels, 132 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. and we should always have an admiral at the head of the board. I am at the head of that board now, and will be for the next few days. There is another board in the Department, of which I am also the head — the board on the stability of ships, which is a very imijortant board. That should have an officer of high rank at the head of it. We also have an examining board for promotions. There are many such duties that could and should be performed by admirals; there is abundance of employment for 20 rear-admirals. Senator Btjojler. If the number of rear-admirals should be increased to 20, the chances are that the squadrons in foreign service would all be commanded by rear-admirals? Admiral Walker. Every one. Senator Butler. Not by commodores with the relative rank of admiral? Admiral Walker. Commodores have been in command for many years simply because we had so few rear-admirals ; and frequently rear- admirals have had a very short time to serve as such ; it did not pay to send them out to foreign stations, the expense being too great for the short term of service. Mr. Money. Then the number of new ships coming in makes the increase necessary? Admiral Walker. Tes ; we want a prope rmilitary organization ? Mr. Money. Have you not made the number of men for selection in the lower grades rather small? Admiral Walker. I was governed largely in that by the feelings of the officers in the service, which are strongly in favor of seniority. Almost all the officers now feel that they are sure of attaining high rank and they do not want to give up a sure thing. The best theory of promotion would be to select all together. I think I have amply pro- vided for that in my bill. The proportion of selections becomes greater and greater as you go up; a man can never become a flag officer unless he is selected, and a good proportion of officers who become captains would be selected men. Of course the most important men in the service are the men who command squadrons and who command ships. Mr. Meyer. In the squadron of which you are about to take command you will probably find the captains of your ships 60 years of age, and above that, will you not ? Admiral WALKER. Oh, yes. Mr. Meyer. And the lieutenants at 45 and above? Admiral Walker. The ages of the lieutenants will vary; I do not know how old they are; but they will be somewhere between 40 and 45, most of them; some of them are comparatively young men, the junior lieutenants. Mr. Meyer. Do you regard that as a dangerous situation? Admiral Walker. Not at all, so far as those men are concerned. Where our present system fails is in keeping men so long in the junior grades and not putting them in command while still young enough to become first-class commanding officers. Mr. Meyer. You think that in case of emergency they might not have the necessary qualifications of promptitude and decision and willingness to take responsibility? Adnnral Walker. Some would, but the tendency is the other way. Mr. Money. They have become used to a long life of subordination? Admiral Walker. Yes ; a situation that does not educate a man for independent command. Senator Butler. And the fault is not with the officer at all. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 133 Admiral Walker. Not at all. It is not at all the fault of the man, but of the system. Senator Butler. The present system postpones the period of assum- ing responsibility to an age when, from the very nature of things, the officer can not assume responsibility; wherieas, if he had been able to take command at a younger age he might have been entirely efl&cient and competent. Admiral Walker. Tes. Mr. Wadsworth. One has but to read the history of our late war to see that the successful generals were comparatively young men. I believe General Grant was but 32, and Sheridan was about the same age. Mr. Monet. And Napoleon before he was 30 had defeated the Aus- trian field marshal. Admiral Walker. Take the case of a lieutenant who is 45 years old; he can not perform the duties half so well as a man 25 or 30 perhaps. I know lieutenants of 45 who have no hair on their heads, but have stomachs fit for aldermen ; they can not go up and down a ladder unless they have a rail on each side like a stairway. They are good men, and intelHgent men, and all that, and it is not their fault that they are where they are. It is the fault of the system. They could perform these duties, of course, very much better if they were younger. I com- manded a ship during a large part of the war when I was less than 30 years old. Senator Hale. I see by the Navy Eegister that one captain is put down as commandant at the navy-yard, and another is captain at the navy-yard. Admiral Walker. The commandant is the officer who commands the navy-yard. Senator Hale. He has entire charge! Admiral Walker. Yes. At the Portsmouth (New Hampshire) navy- yard the commandant is a captain; the executive officer is also a cap- tain, he being the junior captain, of course. In any other service in the world that would not be the case. At the Portsmouth yard Gapt. Sicard is commandant of the yard, while Capt. Eeamey is captain of the yard. Senator Hale. Tou have an executive officer at a navy-yard just as you have on board ship ? Admiral Walker. Tes ; he is called the captain of the yard. Senator Hale. Do you think it desirable, in any bill touching the line, to comprehend in it any feature of promotion or transfer from the lower rank of the line into the Engineer Corps? I ask you that ques- tion because it involves both the line and the staff, and is a feature that the joint committee may have to consider. At any rate, it has been suggested before us that that is one method of relieving the glut in the lower ranks. Admiral Walker. I do not see that it could relieve the glut in the lower ranks of the line, because the line officers who are qualified to go into the Engineer Corps are all young men, much below what we call the hump. Senator Hale. They are ensigns? Admiral Walker. They are ensigns and junior lieutenants. I see no objection to officers of the line being transferred to the Engineer Corps, provided they are willing to accept the transfer. Senator Hale, It has become an accepted feature iu the Navy, has 134 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. it not, that the education of the new officers of the Engineer Corps must be the same, and as good, at least, as in the line! Admiral Walker. Yes; they enter the Naval Academy together and pursue a certain course of study together. Then at a certain point in their course the men who are to go into the Engineer Corps are vselected; and after that they pursue a somewhat different course of study from those who are to become line officers; they are given a more technical education as engineers. But all the young- officers in the line have a certain amount of education as engineers, and they are required during their cruise on board ship to serve a certain portion of their time in the engine room. Senator Hale. During the two years? Admiral WALKER. During the two years. Ensigns may also be placed there. Mr. Monet. Are the duties of an engineer on board a first-class man-of-war about the same as they are on board a first-class passenger steamer? Admiral Walker. The same thing. Mr. Money. What sort of men have they for those positions'? Admiral Walker. They have men on those ships that are flrst-tlass mechanics and practical engine men. Senator. Butlbk. And machinists? Admiral Walker. Yes; machinists. They are men similar, in their line, to the men who run locomotives on our great railroads ? Senator Butler. They are not men of liberal education? Admiral Walker. They may have no education at all. Mr. Wadsworth. But they know an engine? Admiral Walker. They know an engine. It is the business of these men to run engines, and whenever there is a click in the engine room, their ear takes it instantly, and they know something is wrong. Mr. Money. Could that same class of men, transferred to the Navy, perform that same duty ? Admiral Walkek. Certainly ; they could perform the duty of run- ning engines; so far as that duty is concerned they would be the very best kind of men. lu my opinion a highly educated engineer is wasted when he is put into an engine rpom to manipulate engines. alterations in admiral walker's proposed bill fob the reorganization of the line. Section 2, line 24 : For "retirement" substitute " transfer from the active list." Section 6, line 20 : For "retirement" substitute "transfer from the active list." Substitute for section 8 : That a "reserve list" of the Navy shall be created as follows; Beginning January 1, 1895, and during that year, captains upon reaching the age of 58, commanders upon reaching the age of 54, and lieutenant-commanders and lieu- tenants upon reaching the age of 50, shall be transferred to the reserve list. During each succeeding year the age of transfer for each grade shall be diminished by one year, until that for captains shall have reached 57 years, that for commanders 51 years, and that for lieutenants 45 years, at which they shall remain. Sec. 9. Officers transferred to the reserve list by the provisions of the preceding section shall receive no farther promotion. When not employed they shall receive the waiting orders pay of their grade. At the discretion of the Secretary of the Navy they may be employed upon certain shore duty, as light-house duty, in the Coast Survey, as inspectors in colleges, in the Fish Commission, and in the offlcea and bureaus of the Navy Department ; but they shall not be employed in navy-yards, PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 135 in receiving sliipa, or in any position directly connected witli or related to the mili- tary administration of the Nayy, or as chiefs of bureaus, or naval secretary of the Light-House Board. When so employed on shore duty they shall receive the shore pay of their grade. Sue. 10. Officers may, Tv^ith the approval of the President, voluntarily transfer to the reserve list at any time after reaching the following ages : Captains, 52 ; com- manders, 46 ; lieutenant*, 40. Sec. 11. AH officers transferred to the reserve list shall be retired upon reaching the age of 62, and shall receive retired pay as now authorized by law. Sec. 12. (Section 9 of the bill.) Be it enacted Try the Senate and House of Bepresentatives of the United States of America in Congress astemtled, That from and after the pasage of this act the active list of the line of the Navy shall consist of: Twenty rear-admirals, sixty captains, eighty commanders, three hundred and twenty-five lieutenants, seventy-five lieutenants of the junior grade, one hundred and sixty ensigns and naval cadets, und^r graduates of the Naval Academy, as now authorized by law : Provided, That no officer now in the Navy shall lose his commission by the operation of this act. Sec. 2. That no promotions shall hereafter be made to the grades of commodore and lieutenant-commander on the active list of the Navy: Provided, That chiefs of bureaus of the Navy Department shall have the relative rank and receive Hie pay now authorized by law. The commodores at present on the active list shall he promoted by seniority to the grade of rear-admiral, subject to the examinations now required by law. Subse- quent promotions to the grade of rear-admiral shall be made from the grade of cap- tain, as hereinafter provided Vacancies in the grade of lieutenant-commander shall be considered as vacancies in the grade of lieutenant, and shall be filled by promotion to that grade, thus increasing the number of lieutenants as the number of lieutenant-commanders is diminished. A lieutenant, after ten years' service as such, shall be entitled to the uniform and tha rank now prescribed for lieutenant-commanders, and shall receive an increase of pay of two hundred dollars per year. After fifteen years' service as such, a lieutenant shaU receive a further increase of pay of two hundred dollars per year. As long as the grade of lieutenant-commander continues to exist it shall be considered as forming with the grade of lieutenant one grade for the purposes of promotion and retire- ment, as hereinafter provided, and lieutenant-commanders shall be paid as lieuten- ants, computing their seniority from the dates of their commissions as lieutenants : Provided, That nothing in this act shall be construed to affect the rank or pay of officers now on the retired list of the Navy: Provided further, That officers in the several staff corps of the Navy, who would, under existing laws, become entitled to the relative rank of lieutenant-commander, when the line officers with whom they rank reach that grade, shall hereafter be entitled under corresponding circum- stances to the relative rank of lieutenant of more than ten years' seniority. Sec. 3. That the age of admission to the Naval Academy shall be not less thaa fifteen years nor more than seventeen years. A naval cadet, who, at the end of his six years' course, obtains in his final examination ninety-five per centum of the maximum marks in seamanship, gunnery, navigation, and the practical sea, coast, and harbor pilotage of the stations upon which he has served during his two years cruise, and is marked "excellent" in officer-like bearing, aptitude, and capacity, may, upon the recommendation of the examining board, be advanced upon the ensign's list ten numbers beyond the position in his class due to his graduating averages. Sec. 4. That promotion from the several grades of the line of the Navy shall be as follows : Prom the grade of ensign to that of lieutenant of the junior grade, six officers shall be promoted by seniority and then one by selection ; from the grade of lieutenant of the junior grade to that of lieutenant, five by seniority and then one by selection; from the grades of lieutenant-commander and lieutenant to that of commander, three by seniority and then one by selection ; from the grade of com- mander to that of captain, two by seniority and then one by selection ; from the grade of captain to that of rear-admiral, wholly by selection : Provided, That the ratios of promotion from the several grades shall be continuous; that is, that an unfinished ratio at the end of any half-yearly period shall be carried over and com- pleted in the next period : Provided further. That no officer shall be eligible for selec- tion under the terms of this act in time of peace unless he has perfiirmed in the grade from which he is selected the following service in seagoing men-of-war : Ensigns, two years; lieutenants of the junior grade, two years; lieutenant-com- manders and lieutenants (considered as one grade), five years; commanders, prior , to eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, one year in command ; from eighteen hundred and ninety-nine to nineteen hundred and two, both inclusive, two years in com- mand; during and after nineteen hundred and three, three years in command; c»p- ' 136 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. tains, prior to nineteen hundred, two years in command; during and after nineteen hundred, three years in command. Sec. .5. That promotions shall be gazetted only on the thirtieth of June and the thirty-first of December of each year, but the commissions shall be dated to correspond to the vacancies as they occurred, and the officers shall take rank and receive pay accordingly. On the first day of June and December of each year a board, or boards, consisting each of five officers senior to the grade or grades from which it is directed to make selections, shall be convened. The members of each board shall be sworn to perform, to the best of their knowledge and ability, the duties laid down in the succeeding section, and to maintain the secrecy therein imposed. Sec. 6. That each board, having before it all the records and reports on file in the Navy Department relating to officers of the grade or grades from which it is directed to make selections, and having been notified of the number of selections to be made, Bhall, considering only the efficiency of the naval service, select for promotion those officers whom it considers best fitted in all respects for the duties of the next higher grade, irrespective of their seniority, but subject to the service requirements of sec- tion four of this act. The list of selected officers, certified by the signatures of the members of the board, shall be sent under seal to the Secretary of the Navy by the twentieth of the month in which the board convenes, and the members of the board shall observe strict secrecy respecting their selections until after the promotions are made. During the grading of the retiring ages as hereinafter provided, the board or boards convened in December shall be furnished with the number of officers to be selected to fill the vacancies falling due on the first of January following, and shall make the selections as above provided from officers not subject to retirement on the said first of January. Skc. 7. That not more than forty-five naval cadets shall be commissioned as ensigns in any one year : Provided, That until January first, eighteen hundred and ninety- seven, the number of ensigns shall not be restricted by the provisions of section one of this act. Sec. 8. That, beginning January first, eighteen hundred and ninety- five, and during that year, captains shall be retired at the age of fifty-eight, commanders at the age of fifty-four, lieutenant-commanders and lieutenants at the age of fifty. During each succeeding year the retiring age for each grade shall be dimiuishedby one year, until the retiring age of captains shall have reached fifty-seven years ; that of com- manders fifty-one years, and that of lieutenants forty-five years, at which they shall remain. Officers retired under the provisions of this section sliall receive retired pay as now provided by law for age retirements. Sec. 9. That nothing in this act shall be construed to annul the existing require- ments for examination previous to promotion to the next higher grade of officers promoted by seniority: and, upon such examination, officers found unfit profession- ally, or deficient in the officer-like qualities required for the next higher grade, shall be retired with the rank and one-half of the sea pay of the grade they then hold: Provided, That officers found unqualified by reason of misconduct shall be dismissed without pay, as now required by law. Officers selected for promotion by the boards provided for in this act shall be subject only to the physical examination now required by law. STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT SIDNEY A. STAUNTON. Senator Hale. What is your rank? Lieut. Staunton. Lieutenant. Senator Hale. What is youi- present duty? Lieut. Staunton. I am a member of the board of inspection and survey. Senator Butler. How long have you been in the service? Lieut. Staunton. Between twenty-six and twenty-seven years. Senator Butler. How do you stand on the list of lieutenants now? Lieut. Staunton. I am about number 100 on theUst; slightly above tbe middle of the list. Senator Butler. State in your own way what you desire to bring to our attention. Lieut. Staunton. While you were discussing with Admiral Walker the .subiect of the employment of the offlcers placed on the reserve list PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 137 it occurred to me that a certain percentage of those officers might very •well be employed on shore duty, because Admiral Walker's scheme would give us a very short ensign's list, and that shortage would last over a considerable number of years ; it would last until a majority of the officers who would be retired within the next five years, by the operations of the bill which he proposes, have reached the age of 62. I suppose the committee will not expect transfers from the reserve list to the retired list before the age of 62. The retired list and the retiring age would be left unchanged. The bDl proposed by Admiral Walker retires during the next six years 162 graduates of the Naval Academy at ages varying from 58 to 46. These officers would reach the retiring age at or before the year 1915. Therefore they would all be transferred from the reserve list to the retired list by 1915. I doubt if the ensigns' list would be filled to 160, the number permitted by the bill, much before that time. The great number of retirements from the grades of captain, commander, lieutenant-commander, and lieutenant, during the next six years would produce a large deficiency, and the restriction placed upon the annual admissions to the grade of ensign would prevent the rapid filling of this deficiency. Those reserve officers might very well therefore be employed, without diminishing by statute the number of officers on the active list, as suggested by Mr. Meyer, because the bill, if passed, would itself operate to materially reduce the number of officers on the active list for a long period, while ultimately permitting it to read 720. In the statement that accompanies Admii-al Walker's bill that defi- ciency in the ensigns' list is estimated at 125 in December, 1899, and even if the maximum number of graduates permitted by the bill — 45 each year — were ready to receive commissions, the list would not increase at a rate of more than 14 per year. Senator Hale. Ton mean chat in the year 1899 we shall lack that number of the maximum? Lieut. Staunton. I mean that if this bill should be enacted into law, according to the tables that I have prepared with considerable care, there would only be about 35 ensigns on the list. Senator Hale. Have you those tables ? Lieut. Staunton. Yes. Senator Butler. How many will have been retired by the end of 1899? Lieut. Staunton. Two hundred and six officers, according to the tables which I have prepared. I have not had time to go over them carefully, but I will vouch for their practical correctness. There might be 10 more or 10 less, for it is impossible when we are dealing with the question of retirements, taking into consideration the rate of casu- alties which must be involved in the consideration of any scheme — ^it is impossible to make the calculation with absolute accuracy, for it is impossible to know the dates at which casualties will occut, and when the margin is so narrow between retirement in one grade and promo- tion to the next, a slight diiference in dates might make a difference of several numbers in the lists. Senator Hale. Ton say that at the end of 1899 there will be only 35 ensigns. What will become of the ensigns appointed in 1897, 1896, 1895, and so on? Lieut Staunton. They will come on to fill the list of lieutenants of the junior grade. Senator Hale. The withdrawals from and the reduction of the 138 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. higher grades "will be so rapid tliat the ensigns will be put into the lieu- tenants' list as. fast as they enter the service almost? Lieut. Staunton. Not as fast as that. 1 can give you a summary of what I have on that subject. Senator Hale. The average appointments are 35 per year? Lieut. Staunton. I have calculated the average at 30. Senator Hale. By that calculation you would have at the end of the year 1899 only 5 more than were commissioned in July of that year. Lieut. Staunton. Only 5 more. Senator Hale. Then the class preceding that, which would be that of 1898, would have already gone into the ranks of the lieutenants. Lieut. Staunton. The men who had gone in in 1897 and 1898 would be in the grade of lieutenant of the junior grade, and all above that would be lieutenants. Senator Hale. Then, according to that, you could not keep it up (the ensigns' list). Lieut. Staunton. Yes; 45 would fill it; it would require about 31 or 33 men to keep up the service when the ensigns' list is filled. There^ fore if 45 were entered each year the ensigns' list would grow at the annual rate of 13 or 14. Senator Hale. How would you get it filled after 1899? Lieut. Staunton. You would have to fill it slowly. Senator Hale. Would not the same thing go on? Lieut. Staunton. Ko, sir. After you had passed 1889 retirements would drop down ; then you would have got rid of the " hump." Eetire ments would drop down to their normal rate, about 13 or 14 per year in all grades. Senator Hale. You get rid of that obstruction and get into a normal condition after that ? Lieut. Staunton. Yes; if you will look on page 66 of the testimony (Personnel of the Navy — Line) you will see how the retirements drop in 1^99. They drop in 189!) down to 13, which would be about normal. Twenty-one of those -00 are age retu^ements at 62. There would be 293 vacancies in the Navy in the course of the next six years (to the end of 1899). On page 68 you will find the eflect upon the naval serv- ice on the 1st of January, 1900, resulting from an application of Admi- ral Walker's scheme. Senator Hale. You have applied it to the present condition as shown by the Navy Eegister ? Lieut. Staunton. Yes. Admiral Walkek. Mr. Staunton worked out the tables to accom- pany my bill. Lieut. Staunton. The results are shown in the memorandum which explains the bill. Senator Hale. Yoirr calculations demonstrate the correctness of the tables we have already printed? Lieut. Staunton. They demonstrate the correctness of those tables. I have simply brought them with me in order that you might see the process by which those results were reached if you desired. PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. STATEMENT OF ENSIGN A. L. KEY. 139 Senator Butleb. What is your rank? Mr. Key. Ensign. Senator Btjtlek. How long have you been in the service? Mr. Key. Seventeen years. Senator Hale. What is your present duty*? Mr. Key. I am on ordnance duty at the navy- yard. Senator Hale. What does that seventeen years of service include? Mr. EIey. It includes my service at the S^aval Academy and since. I was commissioned ensign in 1884. Senator Butleb. What is your age? Mr. Key. I will be 34 this coming summer. I think I am a good living example of the stagnation of promotion in the Navy. Admiral Walkeb. I was commander three or four years before I was as old as he is now. Senator Butleb. Mr. Key, you may state in your own way what you desire. Mr. Key. I wish to state my views in regard to the reorganization of the line. As I understand it, the ideal reorganization of the line would be a system by which officers would serve a certain length of time in the several grades, that they would reach command grades at a certain age, and by which only the best men would be promoted to the upper grades. There is only one plan by which length of service in the different grades can be settled upon and fixed; that is, you must have a fixed rate of promotion year after year in each grade, and that can only be secured by regulating the number of vacancies in those grades. Any plan which does not regulate the number of vacancies in the active list of the several grades, as well as the number of people who come in at the bottom of the list, does not attain the desired end, because the vacancies will be irregular, the rates of promotion will be irregular, and the length of service in the several grades will be irregular. Now, of all the plans presented to this joint committee, there is only one which regulates the number of vacancies made on the active list in each year, and that is the plan presented by the Secretary of the Navy. If you do not regulate the number of vacancies there will be periods [signs] of stagnation and lack of promotion, just as we are suffering from at the present time. I think the Secretary's bill does not go far enough in the matter of comptdsory retirements in accelerating promotion, and 1 think it ought to be modified in some other respects; but I think the principles of the bill are sound, and I think it is the only bill so far presented the princi- ples of which are sound. In considering this question of promotion and the variability of pro- motion, it is well to consider what makes promotion on the active list. It can be divided into two factors ; that is, age retirements (either one age or several ages) and the casualties. The casualties on the active list are practically constant; they are somewhere between 2 J and 3 per cent. So that factor in the element of promotion is a constant one. We know^ by long experience, that it remains about the same, just as mortuary statistics remain about the same, practically a constant quantity. But the number of age retirements each year is a variable factor, and that is what makes the irregularity in promotion. So that unless age retire- ments are regulated we must necessarily have variable rates of promo- 140 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. tion in the several grades, differing each year and periods of years. When classes greater than the normal number are commissioned ensigns, as they reach the upper grades they will block promotion, and as they reach the retiring age or ages will cause extraordinary rapidity of promotion. To make my meaning more clear, we will suppose that on the west side of the Capitol there are 720 steps leading from the Capitol down to the foot of the hill; that those steps are divided into terraces at sev- eral points at various distances apart. Those steps will represent the 720 ofQcers on the active list and the terraces will represent the grades. In the present condition the 6 steps in the upper terrace would repre- sent the rear-admirals, grade; the 10 steps in the next lower terrace would represent the commodore grade, and so on down to the last 174 steps, the lowest grade, which would represent the ensigns' grade. Now, if you could start 18 young men at 22 years of age in suc- cessive years at the bottom of those steps, and if there were no casual- ties among them, starting them at a certain rate, so that at sixty-two [40] years or forty years from the time they started at the bottom steps they would reach the top terrace you would have 18 reaching the top and disappearing each year, and that would represent the rate of pro- motion, and the time that would be spent on the several terraces com- ing up, would be the number of steps in the terrace divided by 18. So that if you start 18 year after year you would fill up gradually the whole length of the steps, and you could determine absolutely just how long each man would be going up a certain terrace and at what age. But let us suppose that there should be some accidental causes to remove 36 extra men in addition to the 18 regular men, so that you have 54 vacancies, and that in one year you put in 54 men at the bottom. The 54 men would go at the regular rate to the top,' always occupying three times as many steps as should be occupied by a single class, and when they reached the top of the hill would occupy, practically, all of the three upper terraces, blocking ,the promotion of the men below them util the whole 54 would simultaneously disappear — having reached the age of 62 — and the immediate effect would be to move every one up 54 steps, causing the class of 18 just behind them to go at once from the top of the commander's terrace over the captain's terrace and occupy the rear-admiral and commodore terraces, and so on all down the line, again causing 54 vacancies at the bottom steps. Should these vacant steps be at once filled the same stagnation and acceleration will be repeated. Should the vacant steps be filled gradually, say by classes of 60 per centum larger than the normal size, or twenty-seven, the same trouble would occur, only it would not be so sudden, causing long periods of stagnation and acceleration of promotion and could never be corrected. Moreover, it would not make any difference if you fixed retiring ages for the different terraces, the same result must occur whenever an extra lump of men is put in at the bottom they must be worked off, and whether they are worked off at the top or before getting to the top the result is the same — they block promotion while being worked off" and accelerate it when removed. This fact makes it per- fectly clear that if a permanent reorganization is to be effected, with a permanent and steady rate of promotion, maintaining the present num- ber of line ofi&cers, that the idea of suddenly removing a large number of officers from the active list is not feasible, for you miist necessarily cause a large number of vacancies at the bottom, and when you attempt to fill those vacancies you cause exactly the same evil you are endeavoring to remove. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 141 Senator Hale. You could not keep enough on the upper steps to go that way; they would go right off. Mr. Key. Yes, a variable number each year depending upon the number entered 40 years previously; but as a matter of fact we know, as I have said, that there are a certain number of casualties that would occur, and that would make a reduction of about 3 per cent each year, so that if you started 30 men at the bottom there would be only 10 come out at the top ; in the meantime 3 per cent of 30 would go off the first year, and then the next year it would be 3 per cent of 29, and so on. So that as a matter of fact there would be 30 start in at the bottom and 10 come out at the top. The number who would reach the top step would be 10, and your rate of promotion would be more rapid by reason of the number of casualties. The junior ensigns, the men at the bottom step, would make 3 per cent of the total number ahead of them; that is to say, if there were 700 men there would be 21 steps made vacant by casualties, and the junior ensign will get not only the 10 who stepped off the top, but these 21 places in addition, so that he would go up 31 numbers. But the junior captain, who would only have about 60 ahead of him, would only have about 3 per cent of 60, or practically 2 vacancies, by casual- ties, and 10 by retirement, so that he would only go up 12 numbers. But the rate of promotion in each grade, under those conditions, would remain constant. Each grade itself, taken by itself, and the length of time that it would take a man to go up a certain terrace, would remain constant. Now, the condition that confronts the joint committee to-day, still using that illustration, is that the upper terraces — the rear admirals, the com- modores, and the captains — ^have been flUed for sometime by compara- tively young men, and there have been few age retirements, and most of the promotions have been in the lower grades by reason of casualties. The age retirements for sometime have averaged only about 3, whereas they ought to have averaged 10. For the next tea years they will only average 4, when they ought to average 10. From the head of the com- manders, list down to the first hundred lieutenants the men are all practically the same age; that is, there were too many put in at the time they started ia at the bottom. The effects of Ishat are very evident; that is, that people wUl be pre- vented from getting up to the top until ten years from now. When this large mass of men reaches the top terraces they will go off very rapidly. "We shall have, say, for the next ten years, an average of 4 age retirements per year, and will have for the succeeding eight years an average of about 20. Senator Hale. In other words, tnis hump wUl be reached under present conditions in about ten years from now. Mr. Key. Yes. Senator Hale, But in the meantime these middle terraces will be all full. Mr. Key. Yes. Senator Hale. How will you reach that difficulty? Mr. Key. Before I go further I want to show you what great trouble there is from having those middle terraces filled by such a large num- ber of men of practically the same age. Senator Hale. We understand all that difftculty; but how do you propose any remedy? Mr. Key, I think the plan proposed by the Secretary is the only permanent remedy that can be adopted. Take, for instance, the plaa 142 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. proposed by Admiral Walker ; I have not worked out any of tlie data in connection with it; I have only taken the figures as presented in the statement which accompanies his bill; but just follow it up to the point of 1899; that is as far as it is worked out. As Lieut. Staunton has shown, in the next five years he retires 206 ofiScers and he has 87 casualties, making a total of 293. Now, the number of officers he wishes to maintain is 720. To-day on the list there are 716 offlcers, which, by retirement, will be reduced by the 1st day of July next to 713. So that in 1899, allowing for 30 entries per year, which he allows, his list will be 120 short. Senator Hale. One hundred and twenty in all grades below the 720. Mr. Key. Yes sir; still sticking to the illustration, the last 120 steps will be vacant. According to his bill the last 160 steps are occupied by ensigns, and according to his estimate the last 120 will be vacant. Senator Hale. What would the Secretary's plan work out in 1899? Mr. Key. If you will let me show you what is the trouble with this bill, I will give you the modifications that I think ought to be made in the Secretary's plan. Senator Hale. You have stated what that trouble would be. Mr. Key. 1 have not shown what the real trouble is. It does make trouble, of course, that there are 120 junior officers missing, who are the men most needed for the service in the Navy. But still that could be overcome by keeping everybody in the junior grades constantly at sea. The classes conmiissioned in 1895, 1896, 1897, and 1898 would be one, one and a half, four, and five years, respectrively, higher up the list than they should be. Now take that class which comes in in 1899. When they are entered, they come on the steps four years ahead of the place where they ought to be; and the class that would be entered in 1900 which he estiinates at 45, would go on the steps nearly four years ahead of the place where they ought to be, and so on, until 1908 the vacancies are all filled with eight classes 50 per cent larger than the normal size, forming a" hump" to take the place of the one formed by the eight classes from ISGO to 1867, the main cause of our present trouble, and from which the admiral's plan has arbitrarily retired without any regard to merit, 157 officers, as shown by his mem- orandum, page 113. These eight classes from 1900 to 1908 would form a " hump " of exceedingly young men for the places they occupy. Senator Hale. All that follows from your general statement that there would be 120 vacancies. You do not need to amplify that. That is plain enough to be seen. Now, what would be the practical opera- tion of the Secretary's bill 1 JVlr. Key. The practical operation of the Secretary's bill would be that each year he takes out a certain number from the active list, and he regulates exactly what that number shall be; he fills in their places at the bottom of the list, and he gradually decreases the age and works oft the hump gradually, which is the only way it can be done, without form- ing a new hump. Senator Hale. Have you figured out, as has been done under the Walker programme, what will be the condition in 1899 under the Sec- retary's bill? Mr. Key. I have inspected the tables ; they are given in the Secre- tary's statement. Senator Hale. The statement there given agrees with your figures? Mr. Key. I did not make the calculations myself. The figures pre- sented by the Secretary have been investigated by several officers. The calculations were originally made by Lieut. Morgan, but his cla- PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 143 culations were made ob the basis that there were to be sixteen pro- motions each year to the grade of commander, that there was to be no restrictive clause limiting the number of compulsory retirements to four commanding oflBcers and three lieutenant-commanders; also that ensigns were to be commissioned junior lieutenants after three years' service. The figures are correct for the basis used, and are not very materially incorrect for the Secretary's bill. As I was going to say, those young men who are entered well up on the active list, 50 per cent more than the normal number, will nearly all be promoted by seniority to the grades of captain and com- mander, for, under the admiral's proposed system of promotion, officers, if sufftciently young for their place on the list, will not be affected by the retirement ages in the grades of lieutenant and commander. Up to and including the grade of commander, his scheme promotes practi- cally by seniority, and only half the promotions to the grade of captain are made by selection. Moreover, the promotions by selection as well as the promotions by seniority must be made from the "hump," as it would extend through eight classes, and would number at least 240 men when it reached the grade of commander. Consequently this youthful hump, no matter how much dead wood and indifferent material it might contain, could count just as surely, as under the present sys- tem, of practically iilling the grades of commander and captain, and remaining there to block promotion until they should reach the ages of 51 and 57 — the proposed retiring ages for those grades — and then there would be another acceleration of promotion, more vacancies at the bottom, and another "hump." It should be noted that, under the admiral's proposed system of retirements and promotions, an undesira- ble officer — if he happens to be young for his place on the list — is as safe as under our present plan of promotion. A good digestion is just as useful to him, except that he can not reach the flag grade. The great trouble with any plan that does not does not fill in at the bottom of the list as fast as it takes out a fixed number at the top, is that it must necessarily form lumps of officers that are alternately young and old for their places on the list. Now, it is not sufficient to say that not more than so many people shall go in at the bottom of the list each year. That is rather putting the cart before the horse, because you must regulate the number that go out. It is the going out that regulates promotions, and unless you can regulate that you can not regulate the number that come in. Other- wise you will have, just as the admiral shows in the memorandum accompanying his biU, a great variation in the number of officers in the service and a great variation as to the time that they will be at cer- tain places on the Ust, and, necessarily, a great variation in the rate of promotion. Senator Hale. Ton think the Secretary's bill diffuses them more properly ? Mr. Key. It not only does that, but it fixes their rate of promotion absolutely, so that you can state positively within three months the time that each officer will serve in a grade and the time he will reach a certain grade. That is fixed absolutely. It fixes the rate of promotion . in each grade, and it is the only way in which it can be done. If you do not regulate the number that leave the service you certainly can not regulate the promotion. Mr. Money. You mean the number of active officers retiring per year. Mr. Key. Yes, sir; that there shall be so many promotions to each grade, so that the rate shall be satisfactory. In the first place it should 144 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. be decided upon beforehand how many officers are required in the dif- ferent grades, the age at which they shall reach command grades, and the time you wish them to serve in the different grades. That being determined upon, it will not take ten minutes to determine how many promotions must be made each year in those grades in order to accom- plish it, and that would remain fixed. The necessary number of vacan- cies will always be greater than the natural number, for natural promo- tion must be accelerated in order that officers shall reach command rank at a sufficiently early age. The necessary numbers are selected from the grades where a reduction of number is required. That is, as you do not need nearly as many lieutenant commanders as you do lieuten- ants, nor so many commanders as captains, nor so many captains as flag officers, the selections for retirement are therefore made from the grades of captain, commander, and lieutenant-commander. For instance, according to what I have worked out myself, if I had to fix it I should say that there ought to be each year 11 promotions to the captains' grade, 18 promotions to the commanders' grade, and 24 promotions to the lieutenant-commanders' grade. That will necessitate each year the taking off the steps of a certain number of officers, and you will have to take out of the captains' grade a certain number, out of the com- manders' gradeacertain number, and out of the lieutenant-commanders' a certain number. Senator Bittlee. How would you get them out? That is the point. Mr. Key. By the plan proposed by the Secretary of the Wavy; that is, by a board of 5 rear- admirals. They select them out. It is not a question of selecting the best man to go out, but the board selects the 5 most indifferent men, as they may decide, to go out. If you told 5 rear-admirals to select the 3 best commanders to be promoted to cap- tains, which must be done under the admiral's plan, and you did not let each one know what the others were going to write down, when you came to compare the names as written down by the 5 admirals, I think you would not find 2 had written the same names, but if you asked them to retire 3 of the most indifferent commanders, I think you would find that generally their lists would pretty well agree. Another question about that is this: I think most of the objections to selection have been well pointed out by the Secretary of the Navy, and by Oapt. Sampson and Commander Bradford; but I think one point has not been brought out, and that is how, in time of peace, to select the best man to go up in another grade when each man has a good record, has done his duty, has been zealous in the performance of his duty, so far as the records show, and in the case of 40 out of 100 the record would be about the same. If you select 1 of the 40, each of whom thinks he ought to have the promotion and has, with becoming modesty, so informed his friends, the 39 passed over would not feel very well about it, and it would cause in the active list of the service a great deal of ill feeling, jealousies, and discontent, which would injure the military effi- ciency of the service. I do not see how it could be otherwise with us. The English and French have a certain amount of internal dissatis- faction in their navies on account of favoritism shown in promotions by selection. I am sure it would be much worse with us, for we are unac- customed to class distinctions, hereditary titles, honors, and preroga- tives, and would strongly object to being passed by a junior, unless it could be conclusively proved that he was the best man, and that would be a difficult thing to do in time of peace with him, a majority of the officers with equally good records. But the case would be entirely different under a system of compulsory retirements, selected by a board PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 145 of flag ofBcers; they might not succeed in selecting the least efficient officers, but they would succeed in gettiiig those below the average; they would not be interfered with by clamoring friends. OfBcers with poor reputations could best be distinguished by their extreme quietness, for they would not wish to dniw attention to themselves. Those selected would go on the retired list where, if they had a grievance, they would have ample opportunity to nurse it without interfering with the effi- ciency of the active list. Senator Hale. He and his friends are the only ones who feel bad about it. Mr. Key. Yes. Then another point about this is that the personnel of our Navy has a very good reputation, both at home and abroad, though I think it would be much improved if we had some system by which the laggards could be aroused and the deadwood thrown out, so that an officer could not long remain on the active list, or ever reach high rank without a good reputation and abundant zeal and merit. It has gone on for years under a system of seniority promotion. The only reason why this question is brought before this joint committee to-day is that there is a lack of steadiness and constancy in the rate of pro- motion. Stagnation is the main difficulty. That of course can only be remedied by forcing a certain number off the active list at certain points; that is, at certain grades. So far as I know, that is the most serious difficulty with the personnel of the active list of the line to-day. Certainly if the indifferent men were selected, you would spur on men to do the best they could in order to make a good record. Men would not want to be involuntarily retired, as a rule; they would want to stay on the active list, and they would use their best efforts to make a good record and reform a bad one, so that when the board of rear- admirals came to inspect them and decide which of the men should go off, the record and reputation of each man would be at least equal to that of the others if he could make it so. Senator Hale. That would illustrate the old adage of " Devil take the hindmost." Mr. Money. Tou think their fears would be more stimulating than their hopes'? Mr. i^Y. Well, sir, under the system of compulsory retirement, an officer up to the moment he was retired would have the hope of reach- ing possibly the highest grade in the Navy, and if he had a good record there is no reasoii why he should not have such hope; so, in the case of a man with a good record and reputation, I should say, that his hopes would be more stimulating than his fears, but with a bad record and reputation his fears would be more stimulating than his hopes. But if a man, under the system of age retirement at different grades proposed by the admiral, should happen to be an old man for his place or a year or so older than several men about him, he would be pretty well satis- fied that he was going to be retired though considered an excellent officer. Especially would many such good men go at the head of the lieutenants' grade, for only one man in four is promoted by selection; and as there would be only an average of fourteen promotions a year, only about three could be selected; the result would be that many sujjerior men would be retired, and many inferior ones, a year or so younger, would be promoted. Mr. Money. You recommend substantially the British system, do you not ? ' JUr. Key. No, sir; the British system is more like the plan presented LINE 10 146 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. by Admiral Walker ; his plau is based upon the French and English systems, only it has not so much selection in it as either of them. In regard to those systems of promotions, if you have time to do so, you will find that the Navy Annual that was published in 1891 con- tains some extracts from discussions in the English Parliament and from the public press in France and England criticising their system of promotions, and complaining of exactly the same trouble that is com- plained of to-day before this joint committee. Those systems of promo- tion do not regulate the rate of promotions; that is, under those sys- tems they will fill up the list at the bottom and cause these periods of acceleration and stagnation," of which I have akeady spoken. I think it must be evident, when you come to think of it, that you can not possibly regulate your promotion or regulate the length of serv- ice in the different grades, unless you regulate the number of vacancies that are made on the active list, and the only way to do that is to say absolutely how many shall be made. The modifications of the Secretary's bill that I should like to submit to the committee, in connection with what I have just stated about the number of promotions to captains'- and commanders' and lieutenant- commanders' grades, would fix the rate of promotion and it would be very rapid, that is, it would be sufiticiently rapid. It would promote to command rank at 43 years of age, and it would keep men in as com- manders something o\'er six years, and would keep a captain eight years and a half in that grade, and would keep an oflicer six years and a half in the flag grade. It is true that it would take some time for it to get the highest grades in normal working order, but it is efl'ective at once in the lowest grades. Another point where it is effective immediately is in determining the length of time a man will serve in any grade, that is, if such a bill should be enacted into law, the junior cai)taiu would serve eight years in that grade, and the junior commander would serve six years, a lieu- tenant-commander five years, a lieutenant ten years, a junior lieuten- ant five years; each officer would serve exactly these periods of time in each grade; there would never be any variation and, in my opinion, it would give our Navy the most effective, fairest, and altogether the best system of promotion existing or proposed. Senator Butler. Have you the figures worked out? Mr. Key. Yes, sir. Senator Bittlee. Leave them with the stenographer or incorporate them in your statement when you revise it, to which you may add any- thing more you would like to say, as we will not have time to hear you any further to-day, and we will have your tables and statements printed. Thereupon the joint subcommittee adjourned to meet upon the call of the chairman. CONTINUATION OF THE STATEMENT OF ENSIGN A. I. KEY. Availing myself of the kind permission of the joint committee I should like to submit, as a continuation of m.v statement made before the committee on Saturday, the 24th instant, this memorandum and proposed amendments to the Secretary's bill, with tables and explana- tory .statements. The principles of the bill submitted to the Secretary of the Navy receive the support of 80 per cent of the line officers of the Navy for the following reasons: PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 147 (1) It provides a plan by which promotion is immediately accelerated by removing officers from the active list, according to merit and repu- tation, and attacks no particular part of the active list, but provides a just and permanent working plan applicable to all. (2) It insures a fixed and unvarying rate of promotion, which, with proper modifications, will, within a few years, insure each officer who is retained on the active list promotion to command rank at a sufficiently early age, regulates the length of service in each grade, provides a, per- manent reorganization, always maintaining the active list at the full number desired. (3) It prevents any biit the best officers being promoted to com- mand or flag rank. The all important question of whether or not an officer is to remain on the active list, depends entirely upon his capabil- ity and reputation, and is not arbitrarily decided by one or two years difference of age. The plan of reorganization and promotion presented by Admiral Walker and Lieut. Stanton is opposed by 80 per cent of the line officers on the active list for the following reasons : (1) It attacks a particular part of the active list and arbitrarily removes, within the next five years, 206 officers, without any regard to record or merit. There are but 24 officers from the volunteer service remaining on the active list, commissioned into the line as a reward for meritorious services during the war. His plan arbitrarily removes 23 of the 24. (2) It provides for no fixed or permanent rate of promotion, it would form at once another "hump " at the bottom of the list, which, in future years would again cause stagnation, the length of service in the several grades would greatly vary in different periods of years, and the active Est would not reach the full number till 1908. (3) It would always remove from the active list superior officers, a year or so older than the average of their class, and would allow inferior officers, a year or so younger, to remain on the active list. Officers of inferior merit, if sufficiently young for their j)laces on the list, could not be retired from active service till they reached the head of the grade of captain. It should be noted that these three fatal defects in his plan are due to the fact that up to and including the grade of commander, he pro- vides, practically, a system of seniority promotion, with an age retire- ment in the lieutenant's grade, where many good officers, a year or two older than the men about them, would be removed from the active list. If his system provided for selection pure and simple these three objec- tions wovld be removed. It is difficult to understand that if it is conducive to military effi- ciency to promote one man from a grade by selection why it would not immensely further increase efficiency to promote all by selection. If there is anything to be gained by selecting one, five times as much ought to be gained by selecting five. If all were selected there would then be no question that the men retiring from a grade for age were indifferent or below the average. (4) It provides a sea-service qualification of the commander's grade and of the captain's grade, which would require, in order to give each officer a fair opportunity for promotion, 37 vessels in commission com- manded by commanders and 23 commanded by captains, making a total of 60 seagoing men-of-war. (This is allowing an average of eight years' service in the captain's grade and six years' in the commander's grade.) 148 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. As it is probable there will be no more than 45 seagoing men-ofwar in commission, one-third of the commander's and captain's grades could never fill the necessary sea-service qualification for promotion, and whether or not an oflBcer could obtain a command and the neces- sary sea service would depend largely upon his friends or lack of friends about the Navy Department, for it must be remembered that the Secre- tary knows little of the personal qualification of offlcers, and, in assign- ing commands, would act, generally, upon the advice of others. [Statement of Ensign A. L. Key, suggesting and explaining tlie desirability of certain amendmentB to tlie bill submitted by the Secretary for tbe reorganization ot the line of the I^Tavy, showing the work- ing effect of the amended plan, and comparing it with the -schemes presented by Kear- Admiral Walker.] The following amendments to the Secretary's bill are suggested: Section 1, line 4. Strike out " twenty" and insert " sixteen; " strike oiit " one hundred" and insert "ninety." Line 5. Strike out " seventy-four" and insert " one hundred." Line 6. Strikeout "fifty" and insert "seventy;" strikeout "seventy- five" and insert "and one hundred and sixty." Lines 1, 8, 9, and 10. Strike out the remainder of the clause that fol- lows "junior grade" in line 7. Page 2. Lines 22, 23, 24, and 25. Strike out after "that" in line 22 to " on," line 25. Line 28. Strike out " ensigns " and insert " lieutenants of the junior grade." Line 29. Strike out "thirty-five " and insert " forty." Page 2, section 2, line 1. Strike out "grade" and insert "grades;" strike out "is " and insert " and ensign are." Line 3. After "commodore "insert "or ensign." Line 4. After "rear-admiral" insert "or lieutenant of the junior grade." Line 5. After "commodore" insert "or ensign." Line 6. After " rear-admiral " insert " or lieutenant of the junior grade." Line 7. After " increase " insert " or decrease." Lines 8 and 9. Strike out " who shall hereafter receive the shore pay of rear-admiral " and insert " or ensign," and then insert the following: Officers of tlio line of the rank of lieutenant of the junior grade shall receive, for the first five years after date of commissiou, one thousand five hundred dollars per annum on sea duty, one thonsand three hundred dollars per annum on shore duty, and nine hundred dollars per annum on leave or waiting orders ; after five years from date of commission, one thousand seven hundred dollars per annum on sea duty, one thousand four hundred dollars per annum on shore duty, and one thousand one hundred dollars per aunirm on leave or waiting orders, provided that an ensign recommissioned lieutenant of the junior grade shall be entitled to longevity pay as if ho had continued to remain an ensign. Section 4, page 3, line 3, strike out " sixteen " and insert " eleven promotions to the grade of captain, eighteen." Line 4, strike out " nineteen " and insert " twenty -four." Page 4, lines 18, 19, 20, and 21, strike out the clause from " Provided," line 18, to "year," inclusive, line 21. Insert section 5 : Officers now on the active list of the lino holding flag rank, and those promoted to flag rank in the calendar year of oigbteen hundred and ninety-four, shall he retired from the active list at the age of sixty-two, those promoted to flag rank in the calendar years of eighteen hundred and ninety-five, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, and eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, shall be retired from the active list at the ages of sixty-two and » half, sixty-three, and sixty-three and a half, PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 149 respectively. Officers of the line promoted to flag rank thereafter shall be retired from the active list at the age of sixty-foxii, provided that all other officers shall contiuue to he retired from the active list at the age of sixty-two, according to the laws now in force. Section 6, the same as section 5 in Secretary's bill. When amended as suggested above the Secretary's bill would read as follows : Section 1. That the active list of the line of the Navy shall consist of sixteen rear-admirals, sixty cajitains, ninety commanders, one hundred lieutenant-command- ers, two hundred and seventy lieutenants, and one hundred and sixty lieutenants of the junior grade. Provided, That the officers now on the active list of the line of the Navy, who were appointed from the volunteer service, shall continue on the active list in addition to the numbers stated for the grades in which they now are or to which they may be promoted until removed from the active list by casualty or pro- cess of law now in force; that they shall not be subject to the involuntary retire- ment provided for in section four of this act, and upon reaching the head of any grade they shall, after passing the examinations now required by law, be eligible for promotion to the next higher grade, and that the numbers in the grades occupied and vacated by such promotions shall not be filled ; Provided further, That on the iirst day of each July a suificient number of graduates of the Naval Academy to fill the vacancies in the total number of officers be commissioned as lieutenants of the junior grade, provided that no more than forty be so commissioned in any one year. Sec. 2. That the grades of commodore and ensign are hereby abolished from the active list of the Navy. Officers now on the active list and entitled to the relative rank of commodore or ensign shall have the relative rank of rear-admiral or lieu- tenant of the junior grade, and those entitled to retire with the relative rank of commodore or ensign shall retire with the relative rank of rear-admiral or lieuten- ant of the junior grade : Provided, That nothing in this act shall be construed to increase or decrease the pay of oifioers now holding the relative rank of commodore or ensign, and that officers of the line holding the rank of lieutenant of the junior grade shall receive for the first five years afterdate of commission, one thousand live hundred dollars per annum on sea duty, one thousand three hundred dollars per annum on shore duty, and nine hundred dollars per annum on leave or waiting orders; after five years from date of commission, one thousand seven hundred dol- lars per annum on sea duty, one thousand four hundred dollars per annum on shore duty, and one thousand one hundred dollars per annum on leave or waiting orders. Provided, That an ensign recommissioned a lieutenant of the junior grade shall be entitled to longevity pay as if he had continued to remain an ensign. The only changes recommended in section 4 is to provide for 11 promotions each year to the grade of captain, 18 to the grade of com- mander, and 24 to the grade of lieutenant-commander, and also to strike out the clause limiting the number of compulsory retirements each year to 4 commanding officers and 3 lieutenant-commanders. Section 5 is an entirely new section.. Section 6 is the same as section 5 in the Secretary's bill. The principal and most weighty reason advanced for increasing the number of flag officers from 16 to 20 is that it is necessary in order to give a sufiicient length of service in that grade. It is believed that this is brought about more efficiently and certainly more economically by section 5 of the proposed bill which gradually increases the retiring age of flag officers to 64, the present retiring age in our Army, and the retiring age of vice-admirals in the Euglish, French, Eussian, and Italian navies. It shonld also be remembered that under the proposed biU 17 per cent of the men reaching the lieutenant-commander's grade, 28 per cent of the commanders and 55 per cent of the captains will be selected for compulsory retirement, and consequently only men of most superior merit, energy, and reputation will ever be promoted to the flag grade. If the average officer is not retired till he reaches the age of 62, the selected flag officers may well be retained on the active list till they have reached the age of 64. This would, should the proposed bill become law, when in normal working order, give an average of six and 150 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. one-lialf years iu the flag grade. For the next fitteeii years it woixld give ail average of about four aiid one-half years. In assigning numbers to the several grades, the main considerations have been to obtain a proper length of service in the grade and to obtain a proper number of ofiicers to ]3erforni the duty of the grade, always bearing in mind that it is desirable to attain conimand rank at an early age, and to maintain as many officers in the command grades as can be given a fair experience in command, this latter limitation being dependent upon the number of vessels in commission. On the first of January of this year there were 10 seagoing vessels commanded by captains, 17 commanded by commanders, and 6 com- manded by lieutenant-commanders. Of these 34 vessels 2 were training- ships, 3 nautical school ships, and 1 a Fish Commission vessel. (There were also 1 vessel on special service, 1 torpedo boat, and 7 Coast Survey vessels commanded by lieutenants.) In addition to the 34 seagoing- vessels there were 6 ships at navy-yards undergoing repairs, or not quite ready to be commissioned, and 20 new vessels under construction. When this addition to the fleet is completed it is probable that we will maintain about 50 seagoing vessels, 45 special service vessels, cruisers, and battle ships, and 5 training and nautical school ships. The present number, 34, is entirely inadequate. The necessity for more cruising ships has never been more apparent than during the recent complications at Honolulu, Brazil, Central America, and the Bering Sea. Of the 60 vessels, captains will com- mand 20 and commanders 30; supposing that captains will be assigned to the command of vessels of 3,500 tons or more and that commanders will be assigned to vessels of less than 3,600 tons, the special service vessels and nautical school ships. Adopting the rule that a command- ing ofticer should spend at least one-third of his time at sea, would require a list of not more than 60 captains and 90 commanders. Each vessel must have an executive ofiQcer, a lieutenant-commander, and allowing that grade to spend one-half of their time on shore would require 100 in that grade. This grade is retained because the duties required of an executive officer are entirely distinctive. He is the aid of the captain, and is responsible that all the general orders of the captain are executed and the regulations of the Navy are obeyed by the officers and crew. He takes charge when all hands are called for drill, and at general quarters, receives the reports of the heads of departments, and is the presiding officer of the ward-room mess, is responsible to the captain that the officers and crew are properly stationed for all drills and evolutions. The duties of an executive officer require a most intimate knowledge of every detail connected with the personnel and materiel of a ship and every officer should make a cruise as executive officer before promotion to command rank. There is much more reason for making a distinc- tion between the executive and watch officers' grades than between commanders and captains. The duties of navigating and watch officers are strictly subordinate, and there is no sound reason for dividing them in more than two grades. Naval cadets are graduated from the Naval Academy at the age of 21, make a cruise of two years performing subordinate watch and boat duty, and receive commissions as ensigns at the average age of 23; after going through the grade of ensign they are commissioned lieuten- ants of the junior grade, and must go through that grade before being commissioned lieutenants. During the greater part of their service as ensigns and during the whole of the time they are in the grade of junior PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. l5l lieutoTiaut tliey perform the duties of lieutenant. Prom the time I was commissioned an ensign I have performed the duties of a lieutenant six years at sea, and three years on shore. Either the grade of junior lieutenant or ensign should be abolished. The title of ensign conveys no meaning to people outside the Kavy, while junior lieutenant expresses both in and out of the ISTavy the exact duties of the grades, should it be the title of the junior grade of watch officers. Such a grade would correspond to the grade of sub- lieutenant in the English navy, the ages of officers in that grade run- ning from 20 to 2fl, while in our own Navy under the proposed bill they would be from 21 to 29. An officer at the age of 23, after foiw years at the iSTaN^al Academy and two years at sea, should certainly be trusted to perform watch duty and should be a member of the wardroom mess. If, after receiving his commission, he is given more subordinate duty and is put in the steerage with the naval cadets, it simply means stag- nation in his development as a naval officer. The jjay of an ensign at sea is now $1,200 for the first five years, and $1,400 for the second five years, the pay of a lieutenant of the junior grade is, at sea, $1,800 for the first five years and $2,000 for the second five years. The proposed bill combines the two grades and splits the pay, making it $1,600 for the first five years, and $1,700 for the second five years. It does not affect the pay of staff officers of the relative rank of ensigii, who receive $1,700 for the first five years, and $1,900 for the second five years. It is universally admitted by both line and staff officers that the grade of ensign in the line is most iinjustly dis- crimijiated against in the matter of pay. A bill to remedy this injus- tice has several times passed the Senate, and has been favorably reported by the House naval committee. This is a most inopportune time for asking for a raise of pay, no mat- ter how just the demand. I therefore suggest that the two junior grades of watch officers be combined and the pay of the combined grade be fixed half way between the two present rates of i3ay. I am not consulting my individual interests in making this suggestion, as I am near the head of the ensign's grade, and by any of the proposed plans of reorganization would at once become lieutenant or would be well up in the grade of junior lieutenant, and therefore might lose a little pay should the proposed amendment be adopted. With 50 ships in commission, each would require 1 navigating officer and 4 watch officers, making 250; allowing 1 additional officer for each flagship, 2 officers for the personal staff of each admiral, and 35 officers for duty in the Coast Survey and Fish Commission, makes a total of 300 watch officers required for sea duty. The bill provides for 430. Consequently the officers of the watch-duty grades would perform about three years' duty at sea and one year on shore. Under our system of mental, moral, and jihysical examinations previous to promotions the intervals between promotions should neither be too long nor too short, but should be as evenly spaced as is possible without interfering with the distinctive duties of the several grades. It is conducive to efficiency that an officer should be periodically sub- jected to a rigid r^^ntal examination, and his record in the service since his last examination inspected, and he should be periodically promoted, for long service in the same grade has a stagnating effect upon his professional development. 152 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. The following is a comparison of lengtli of service in the several grades under the Secretary's bill, and under his bill with the proposed ameiidiiieiits : Flag. Captain. Commander. Lioutenaiit- commander. Lieutenant. Junior lieutenant. Ensign. 4i 6i 6J 8i ? 4 5 m 10 ? 3 AVitli amendments None. The following table shows how admirably the length of service in the several grades, as fixed by the proposed modifications to the Secretary's bill, agrees with the probable requirements of sea service in the different grades ; Tears. Graduates at Naval Acacloiiiy At sea. Naval cadet. Subordinate "watch duty Commiaaioiied junior lieutenant At aoa. Watch duty On shore Commissioned lieutenant at 28 At sea. Watch duty On shore At sea. Watch duty On shore At sea. Navigatiug duty Commissioned lieutenant-commander On shore At sea. Executive officer Commissioned commander On shore At sea. In command Commissioned captain at 49 On shore At sea. In command On shore Commissioned rear-admiral at 57J At sea. Flag officer On shore , Eetiies • 2 years at sea. Years at sea. 23 Duty. Wntch Navigatiug Executive . Command , Command-. Flag. Tears on shore. 18 The number of compulsory retirements provided for in the Secretary's bill does not sufficiently accelerate promotion to get of&cers to the com- PERSONNEli OF THE NAVY LINE. 153 mand grade at as early an age as is desirable, therefore it is suggested that the nuinber be increased. Also, that a portion of the compulsory retirements be made from the captain's grade in order to regulate the promotion in that grade, and insuring officers reaching the flag grade at an average age of 57^. As filling the vacancies at the bottom of the list caused by the removal of the volunteer officers would cause an irregularity in pro- motion in future years, it is suggested that their vacancies should not be filled, which would leave the total number of line officers 696, 32 less than the number allowed by the Secretary's bill. When in normal working order, each year there would be 11 men promoted to the grade of captain, and 6 captains selected from that grade for compulsory retirement; 18 men promoted to the grade of commander, and 5 commanders selected from that grade for compulsory retirement; 24 men promoted to the grade of lieutenant-commander, and 4 lieutenant-commanders selected for compulsory retirement. The plan does not attack any particular part of the Navy list, but treats all alike; each man is under the inspection of the retiring board during tlie whole of his career, and is liable to compulsory retirement from the moment he enters the grade of lieutenant-commander till he is pro- moted to flag rank. There will be only an average of two and a half age retirements a year, 55 per cent of the men who reach the grade of captain will be compulsorily retired between the ages of 49 and 57J; 28 per cent of the men who reach the grade of commander will be compulsorily retired between the ages of 43 and 49 ; and 17 per cent of men who reach the ^rade of lieutenant-commander will be compulsorily retired between the ages of 38 and 43. Should there be voluntary retirements the per- centage of compulsorily retirements would be correspondingly reduced. It regulates the flow of promotion by taking out a certain number each year, and only selects out from the grades that must be reduced. The following table shows the eifect of the plan when in normal work- ing order. riags. Captain. Com- mander. Lieutenant com- mander. Lieutenant. Junior lieutenant. Nnmber (696 total) 16 3 2.5 B.5 57.5 60 11 7 8.5 49 6 90 18 14.5 6 43 5 100 24 21 5 38 4 270 30 27 10 28 160 34 32 5 23 Annual promotiona to g^racle Annual rate of promotion Time in grades years.. Age at reaching grade do Compulsory xetiremen ts So far as length of service in each grade is concerned, this plan would operate immediately and the junior officer in each grade of the new list of the Navy would serve the time in the grade shown by the above table. This d6es not apply strictly to the flag and captain's grades, as there would be, during the years that the remnant of the "hump" reached the retiring age, a slight variation in the length of service in these two grades, causing an average of about four years' service in the flag grade and seven years in the grade of captain. It gradually reduces the ages of officers to the point shown in the table giving the normal working plan. It does not operate perfectly in every grade till the year 1918, but the plan is as radical as any permanent scheme can be that keeps up a regular plan of promotion, for such a plan must always be limited to filling the vacancies at the bottom each year. 154 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. The annexed tables show the actual working of the plan. The age of officers reaching command rank wonld be 47 in 1894, which would increase to 49 in 1898, 1899, and 1900, and would then gradually decrease to 43 in 1911. The age of officers entering the grade of lieutenant- commander would be 44 in 1894, which would gradually be reduced to 38 in 1906, and would remain at that age. The age of officers entering the grade of lieutenaut would be 32 in 1894, which would be reduced to 28 in 1897. The age at entering the grade of junior lieutenant would be 23. Officers would ahcays continue to reach the different grades at these ages; there would never be any variations. The annexed tables were prepared with care and the calculations checked. Tablk a. — Average age on reaching the several grades under theproposed organization (A) and the list prosjiective in the years 1894, 1S99, 1904, 1909, and 1914, under the existing organization (B). [Retiring age for flag officers under (A) is 64, under (B) is 62.] Grades. Flag Captain Commander Lieutenant-commander... Lieutenant Lieutenant (junior grade) 1894. A. B 1899. A. B. A. B 61 59 53 49 31 25 Statements accompanying Tables B and C. The annexed Table B shows the change of niimbers and the increased pay over the existing organization and that proposed, showing the immediate effect of the latter and the final effect when the list becomes normal. The immediate effect will be an increase in the annual appropriation for pay of the active list of lino of the Navy of .$132,400, which will be reduced, as the supernu- merary volunteer officers retire from the active list, to $68,600. Table C shows the estimated annual increase for i>ay of the retired list of the line of the Navy. This estimate is based upon the total pay that will be received by the 328 officers who will retire during the next twenty years, their expectation of life being taken from insurance tal)le3. It shows the annual increase to be $83,800. The total increase for pay of active and retired lists is $152,400. Table B. — Increase in annual appropriation for pay of active list of line of the Navy under present and proposed organizations. Ex- isting num- bers. Proposed organization. Grade. N^nm- bers.* Pay. Wlien normal. crease. crease. In- crease. De- crease. Num- bers.! In- crease. De- crease. G 10 4;-. 85 74 250 75 174 710 16 10 ...... '"in $52, 000 $44,066' 228,'466' 16 $62, 000 - $44,,00(> 60 114 100 270 105 15 29 24 20 80 50, 400 81,400 60, 600 38, 800 121, 600 60 90 100 270 160 50, 400 14, 200 60, 600 38, 800 129, 200 Lieutenant-commanders Lieutenants {junior grade) .. 720 606 404, 800 272, 400 ' 346, 200 276, BOO 1 * Increase in appropriatiou, $132,400. t Decrease in appropriation, $68,600. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 155 Tabue C. — InGi'ease in annual appi'opHaiion for pay of reti7'ed list of line of iJie Navy under present and proposed organization. [Probal)le disposition of (328) officers, graduates of the Naval Academy, of 42 years of age on June 30,^ 1894, and differenco between approj) nations for this pay on the retired lists under the present ana proposed organization.] Present organization. Proposed organization. No. Plsposition. Ex- peota- Hon of life. Grand total of years on re- tired pay. An- nnal pay. So. 67 68 104 62 27 Disposition. Aver- age age. Ex- pecta- tion of life. Grand total of years on retired list. An- nnal pay- ini CiiHaalties 170 46 12 328^ Eetireas rear-a $3, 500 2, 600 3,000 2, 300 2,600 2.400 2; 200 2,000 2,200 1,800 $7, 000 14, 000 5 do ''i 28 do 04 400 10 26 UOO do do 28, 800 01 600 28 do ■><} ..do do 44, 000 65, 000 77,400 25 41 do 199 440,200 ARMY PAY TABLE. Ko. Grade. Eato of pay. Total. 7 Captains .■ $4,, 600 4, 000 3, 400 3,400 $31, 500 m 79 Lieutenant-coiinnanders 244 800 68 231, 200 715,500 199 The preceding tables are sufficiently close to show practically the working of proposed organization. It docs not require a prolonged period to get into working order, but Avorks at once. There is but the one shock of reorganizing and readjusting the grades, then the system will run smoothly. There will be no series of years during which the uncertainty of disintegrating and rebuilding must injure the efficiency of the service, but the relief of the congested state of the personnel of the line is supplied at once and as a consequence the eiiiciency of the service is immediately improved. A discontented service in any busi- ness is an inefficient service, and the Navy, to-day, is essentially a dis- contented service, officers and men, and speedy relief is necessary. A postponement only increases the trouble. If a delay of a year were assumed in putting this measure in operation, nearly 100 additional officers would be transferred to the reserved list who would now get their promotion under its provisions. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE, 161 Although the subject of officers of the line only is now under dis- cussion, yet the whole question of organizing the officers, the iieet, the enlisted force, and the warrant officers' corps are so intimately connected that I will in these remarks have to touch upon them, though appar- ently not relevant to the present subject. We have some ships, some officers, and some men, but we have not a navy in its modern accepta- tion, as there is no organization, and the machine is not ready for use. The organization of officers of the line proposed is based on the actual necessities of the United States were the ships now in the Navy, building, or authorized organized in fleets and squadrons and availa- ble for immediate service in whatever quarter of the globe their pres- ence might be needed. The titles of the present flag officers are changed in order that officers of the United States may be placed on an equality with officers of foreign States who hold the same relative army rank. In every foreign country rear admirals rank with brigade commanders, and vice-admirals rank with division and corps commanders ; but the titles of our flag officers place them at a disadvantage when brought in contact with foreign flag officers, notwithstanding the fact that when in contact with the Army their relative military rank is recognized. The two grades of admiral are provided for, as fleets should be commanded by a higher grade than is required for divisions of a fleet or detached squadrons. An efficient organization of the fighting force of ships of the U. S. Navy would be 2 fleets, 1 of the Atlantic and 1 of the Pacific, each composed of 3 divisions, each fleet commanded by a vice-admiral and each division by a rear-admiral. A proposed distribution of the sLips is shown in the appended table, which provides by the end of 1890 a fleet of 24 efficient ships in the Atlantic fleet and the same number in the Pacific fleet, while a sufficient representation of the United States is provided for on each foreign station. The dates of adding the ships now building to the fleet are based on a report of the chief constructor. A powerful war fleet of 19 ships ready for action is provided for on our Atlantic coast and a similar fleet of 17 ships on the Pacific coast, while at any time a division properly organized is ready on instant notice to proceed to the part of the world where it may be needed to reinforce the immaterial force there representing the country. A small repre- sentation abroad is in accordance with the policy pursued by foreign powers, now that practically the whole world is united by telegraph lines, and fleets can cover in days distances which took weeks but a generation ago. Great Britain has a vice-admiral and 3 rear-admirals in command of the fleet and its divisions on her home coast, an admi- ral and a rear-admiral in command of the Mediterranean fleet, and a vice or rear-admiral, 6 in all, on each important colonial station, North America, the Pacific, China, East Indies, Australia, and Gape of Good Hope. France has but 2 rear-admirals in command of foreign stations, 1 in China and 1 in the Atlantic, and 3 vice-admirals and 5 rear-admirals in command of the 3 home fleets and their divisions. Germany has no flag officers in foreign waters, but all of them are employed on her own coasts in command of coast districts and the 2 fleets and their divisions. Eussia has but 1 flag officer outside of the Baltic and Black seas. Italy has 1 outside the Mediteranean, and an admiral, a vice-admiral, and 4 rear-admirals in command of home fleets and their divisions. Austria has none outside the Mediterranean. A navy should exist solely for war purposes. Its organization and training should be with that one end in view. Its use during peace should be limited to training the officers and men, together, in the LINE 11 1G2 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. orgauization in which they would be called upon to engage an enemy. Every ship on the active list of the navy should be kept in a state of absolute readiness to go into battle. A military axiom is concentration not depression of forces. Every nation recognizes it in the organization of its Heets. England keeps the bulk of her fleet in home waters ready for active service and a powerful fleet in the Mediterranean. The vessels in other foreign waters where she has colonies or large commercial interests are as a rule small and adapted to the special service. The force thus scattered is immaterial from a fighting standpoint. France has 45 ships in her Mediterranean fleet, 13 on her north coast, and with the exception of small detachments of inferior vessels for special service in her colonies, all the rest of her fleet is in home ports ready for active service. Germany keeps her fleet concentrated on her coast, with the exception of 1 small vessel on each foreign station aud a cruising squadron of 4 vessels for service wherever needed. Italy does the same, having but 7 vessels of secondary importance outside of the Mediter- ranean. Austria keeps her fleet in the Mediterranean aud Adriatic with the exception of an occasional cruiser sent around the world for instruction of cadets. Kussia, until the establishment within a couple of months of a Mediterranean fleet, kept her navy concentrated on her own coasts. All other nations keep their ships in home waters and together except Holland, which requires a large squadron in her East India colonies, and Spain, which keeps a squadron in her West Indian colonies. The fleets of the above-named nations are organized as they would be in time of war, and trained as if about to go into battle, by the ofli- cers who would have to command them. Every one of these naval powers assigns each shij) permanently to a navy-yard, to which she always returns from active service, where she fits out, and where her supplies and armament are stored in separate buildings or rooms when not in active service. The enlisted men and junior officers of the British navy belong to one of these depots, to which they always return when not on ship- board, and where they live in barracks or hulks and maintain military dicipline by complete organization and constant traini]ig. The officers aud men of the French navy are assigned to 5 depots, the depot organization being in companies fully officered, aud where the training is thorough and the facilities for instructing specialists are ample and well considered. The men are recruited by districts assigned to the depot of the district to which they belong during their entire term of service, both active and reserve. Germany has 2 divisions of sailors, each with brigade organiza- tion, stationed, respectively, at Kiel and Wilhelmshafen, each division organized in battalions and companies with a proper proportion of offi- cers, and when not on shipboard quartered in barracks and trained continuously. All officers belong to these 2 divisions — the North Sea aud the Baltic. Austria has practically the same organization as Germany, though but 1 division is maintained, with a regimental organization of 3 bat- talions, each containing 10 companies. A man or boy on first joining the German or Austrian service is as.si;j;iied to a company, on whose rolls he is carried wherever he maybe serving during his entire period of service. Italy has an organization very similar to that of France. Russia has an orgauization of 18 regiments ("equipages") of 1,000 to 3,000 meu PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 163 each, fully offlcered. They are quartered and thoroughly trained in barracks when not on shipboard. In all the navies mentioned merit and good service are recognized by ' advancement through the several grades of noncommissioned ofQcers to ranks corresponding to our warrant officers, but whose specialties are adapted to modern requirements, and of whom a much larger num- ber are employed than has been customary in the U. S. ISTavy, and with relatively lower pay. In France, Germany, and Italy a certain proportion of commissions as officers of the line are open to this class each year. In the British navy commissions are given to warrant officers for special services only and on retirement. In France, Germany, Italy, and Austria commis- sions in certain staff corps are confined entirely to candidates from the ranks of warrant officers. The advantages of organizing the men into permanent divisions or regiments, as they practically are, are manifest. Local ties are formed, acquaintanceship with associates becomes intimate, the ships of the divi- sion become well known, and a personal interest in them is formed. Advancement for merit is certain, and an enlisted man has the cer- tainty of always coming back to his home port and finding his place in his comijany and regiment ready for him, and the navy becomes what it should be, the man's home. If good service is rendered a commis- sion is a possibility to any enlisted man. In the appended table such a battalion organization is provided for to efficiently man the ships of the new navy, and each ship is perma- nently assigned to the home port of its division. The number of flag officers provided for will allow for 7 in command afloat, 3 at the most important navy-yards, 1 at the Naval Academy, 1 in the Light-House Establishment, and 3 for bureaus, boards, or other duty connected with the Navy Department. The number of captains (37) allows 1 for every ship now in the Navy, building, or authorized, entitled by law to a captain in command, and one-third additional, which provides sufficiently for the present strength of the Navy. The number of commanders (85) allows 1 for each ship entitled to a com- mander in command, 1 commander as second in command to each first- ■ rate, and one- third additional for contingent duties. Commanders are allowed to first-rates, as the importance of such ship would appear to make it desirable to have an officer of that rank as second in command; following in this the example of England, France, Eussia, Italy, Ger- many, Spain, and other foreign countries. Some countries allow 2 commanders, in addition to a captain, on their largest ships. The grade of lieutenant-commander is abolished as unnecessary and the title inex- pressive of the duties. The number of lieutenants (325) is the sum of the present lieutenants and junior lieutenants, and is sufficient to properly officer all the available ships and to amply allow for contingencies. The grade of lieutenant, junior grade, is abolished, as it means nothing, the duties being precisely similar to those of a lieutenant. The grade of ©nsign is merely a feeder to the lieutenants' list, and is fixed at 160 as a proper number, if the entries are fixed at not over 35 each year, and a steady flow through the grade with not over five years' service is pro- vided. As old ensigns are usually found doing the duty of lieutenants, an increase in relative rank after four years' service is provided for. The assistant surgeons at present get only an increase of rank after three years. An increase of the relative rank of lieutenants of eight years' seniority is provided for, that the long service may bring the 164 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. small additional pay, and that the assiiuilatiou with Army grades may be complete. The age limits are provided in order that officers may reach the higher grades when not too old to form habits of command and of exer- cising independent responsibility. There is a general consensus of opinion that offlcers of all grades in our Navy are at ])resent too old for the rank they hold, and that with its continuance the Government will get less and less adequate returns for its expenditure in pay. An officer in a subordinate rank after 45 years of age decreases in value instead of increasing, and succession to a first command at 50 years of age and over is a distinct disadvantage to the country and a possible source of danger. It should be recognized as a principle, by the Government' that an officer to be entitled to the highest rewards of rank and pay must be competent to give an adequate return beyond the mere fact of his having lived. In order that an officer may lit himself to give an adequate return for the highest rank he should be required to serve a proper proportion of his entire service in each of the lower grades and to still have a certain length of time for active service in the highest, and no officer who has not given such highest service should be eligible to the highest pensions or "retired pay." It would seem proper that, as a general principle, no captain should be promoted to rear-admiral who has not still six years of active service; no commander should be promoted to captain Avho has not twelve years still to serA'e, and no lieutenant to commander who has not seven- teen years still to serve. Such a law would give the maximum age at which officers could attain the higher grades as follows: Promotion to commander, not older than 45; captain, not older than 50; rear-admiral, not older than 56. Officers failing to fulfill these age conditions should not be retired, as at i^resent, witli nothing to do, but should be placed on a separate list "for shore or other duty" and be available for all the extra duties, now performed by naval offlcers on shore,-not immediately connected with the military part of their profession. They might have the privilege, in the discretion of the President, of retiring from further service, after thirty years' service, on half pay ; after forty years' service on three- fourths pay, and after forty-five years' service with the rank and three- fourths pay of the next higher grade. Such a list as this will leave the younger men available for the harder service of sea duty and to them should go the higher rewards. Except in very exceptional cases no officer on the "active list for sea duty" should be employed on any duty not connected with the military part of his profession. To illustrate the practice of principal foreign nations in respect to age the following table has been prepared, showing the actual ages of their officers i^ronioted during the past year to the several grades. The oldest a\'erage age of reaching the rank of commander was 44 years, to captain 48J years, and to rear-admiral 56J years, all in the case of France. The average English ages to the same grades were 37, 42, and 51 years, respectively. The higher average ages of the French navy are due to the fact that they admit a certain number of older men, graduates of the lilcole Polytechnique, each year in the lowest grade of officers, and a certain proportion of m arrant officers who may be as old as 35 are granted commissions as ensigns. PERSONNEL OF TUE NAVY LINE. 165 near-admirals to vice-admirals. To rear-admiral. To captain. To coramaudor. 1 s £ a E 1 1 3 J 1 ED i i a i 1 i a P eS h 43 45 12 40 38 42 United States }1 573 59 57 60^ 7 4Si 47 51 11 54 48 59 * Captains in tlie German navy are not allowed to exceed the age of 53. Kear-adrairals are made at ahout 50. t None in 1893. t To rear-admiral. §To commodore. Average ages of the line officer's of the U. S. Navy. • 1874. 1884. 1894. 1904.* 1908.* 1914.* Kear-admiral 69 54 50 38-6 31 30 61 68 51 42 40 37 60 59 52 49 46-7 44-5 60 60 69 57 55 52 61 60-5 60 59 56 51 60 60 57 53 First 100 lieutenants/- . - 46 ^ Eetiroments at the age of 62 years only considered. The sea-service qualifications are reasonable, as it is experienced officers tlie country needs in the upper grades, not simply those who have spent a number of years in a grade, without getting that experi- ence at sea which should be an absolute requisite for promotion. This requirement is enforced in all foreign naYies. In England a captain must have served three years in command at sea to qualify for promo- tion to rear-admiral. A commander must have served two years at sea as a commander, reduced in time of war to one year when exceptional gallantry has been displayed. A lieutenant must have four years' sea service to qualify for promotion, reduced to two years in case of gallant war service. To qualify for lieutenant an officer must have five years' service. In France the sea service to qualify for rear-admirals is three years in command as captain. For captains, it is four years' service as com- manders, of which two years at sea in command. For commanders, four years' service, of which two at sea as lieutenants. For lieutenants, two years at sea as ensign. For ensign, two years' previous sea service. In Germany there are service qualifications of a very strict nature, which are varied by imperial order. In Italy for promotion to rear-admirals the service qualification is three years' service as captain, and at least one and a half years in com- mand at sea. For captains, three years as commanders, at least one and a half years at sea. For commanders, two years service, one year at seaaslieutenant-commander. For lieutenant-commanders, four years as lieutenant, of which three years at sea. For lieutenants, three years as sublieutenant, of which two years at sea. For sublieutenant two years as midshipman, of which eighteen months at sea. In Eussia eight years' service as captain, eight years as commander, and four years as lieutenant are necessary qualifications for promotion to the next higher grades. 1G6 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. The list for shore or other duty, or reserved list, iu addition to fur- nishing mnch-iieeded relief to the lower grades of the Navy and pro- viding experienced oflicers at an efficient age in the higher grades, is in the line of the practice of most foreigu countries. France has such a list and uses the officers on it where considered valuable. Germany provides for officers not promoted by reason of age, in civil-service positions, in the naval reserves, in the coast districts in charge of groups of light-houses, coast signals, pilotage, buoyage, etc. Italy provides for tliem in the coast defenses. Austria does the same, and Eussia gives them their relative army rank and titles and employs them on any Government duty where they may be valuable. England does not have such an intermediate list between active and retired officers, but pro- vides siTfficient pay for her large retired list and throws open to such officers many civil-service and diplomatic positions at home and abroad. As the lieutenant-commaaders' grade is abolished provision is made that the officers now in that grade who are not retained on the sea list shall be commissioned as commanders on the list for shore duty, as their age and length of service and the fact that they are denied lurthQ^' promo- tion would fairly entitle them to the additional rank, for the same reasons the lieutenants who go off the sea list are provided with the same increase of rank after thirty-five years' service, provided their services on the shore-duty list are valuable and an examining board certifies to that effect. That efficient qualified officers who have had the requisite sea expe- rience in each grade may not be denied their promotion to higlier grades by the presence above them of officers who have not had such sea experience it is provided that officers who have not been given the opportunity to gain the sea experience shall be passed over, which prac- tically places the responsibility upon the Navy Department of ordering' to sea only efficient men who will be creditable in a liigher grade. In other words, officers selected to go to sea are being selected to (|nalify for xjromotion, and sea orders would be striven for instead of shore duty. Retirements are provided for according to existing law, except that officers below the rank of flag officer go first on the list for shore or other duty, when, by reason of age, they are not considered valuable on shipboard, and then on reaching the retiring age they pass from that list to the retired list. An increase of title on the retired list is provided for after forty-five years' faithful service in the Navy. An officer not considered valuable for either sea or shore duty may be retired on half pay, or wholly retired as now. The title of admiral should indicate a position of active command, and it is provided that chiefs of bureaus shall retain their present rank and titles. It is also provided that a captain ordered to the special command of a squadron of not less than four ships for a particular service, as for instance, in command of the Bering Sea squadron of the last few sum- mers, shall have the advantage of the temporary rank and pay to which the responsibilities and importance of his position entitle him. Tliis is the custom in all foreign services, where the title of commodore or chief of division is granted to such an officer, and was the custom in this country before the war when a captain was assigned to command of a squadron. The title of commodore comes from Scandinavian countries, where it is now employed to designate the rank of captains of first class ships. PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 167 The annual number of ensigns entering is limited between thirty- five and twenty-five that a block, as now exists, may not occur in the future. Those figures will provide a sufficient number of officers to fill vacancies, and enough of them will, according to calculated proba- bilities, live to reach the admiral's grade to give a small proportion in the highest grade. The others jnust drop out in the various grades by natural causes as now, which does not drop out enough, or by some process of elimination, as by age, in each grade. The relative rank of officers of all titles now provided for in the Navy is referred to the Army standard, so that all naval officers will have distinctive titles to indicate their naval duties, and all will have rela- tive Army rank. This is the practice of every foreign naval power. This is shown in the tables this joint committee has had submitted to it by the Secretary of the Navy. To simplify the question of pay and provide for officers of the same rank receiving equal pay, thepay of their relative Army rank is provided for all officers in the Navy. ' This section is not intended as a feature of the bill but is inserted to round out the question of organization, rank, and pay of the line and to call attention to the inequalities of the Navy pay, as shown in two of the tables submitted by the Navy Department and printed with preceding testimony taken by this joint committee, as compared with the simplicity of the Army plan of giving equal pay for equal rank and paying allowances for extra services, such as adjutant, quar- termaster, aid-de-canii5, etc. Senator Hale. You propose to subvert the whole pay of the Navy and make it simply what the pay of the Army is ? Lieut. Cglwell. Yes; in order to simplify the question. The officers of the different corps of the Navy are always meeting somebody else, of the same relative rank, who receive more or less pay, and some provision should be made to put them all on an equality; so the Army as a standard is suggested. Senator Hale. How would it do for the military committee to report a bill providing that the pay of the Army hereafter shall be the same as that of the Navy? -Would that satisfy the Army? Lieut. OoLWELL. It would require a rather complicated calculation to arrive at just what everybody would then getintheArmy, if thetwo services were equalized in that way in the matter of pay. The pay varies in each naval corps, while the pay of any grade is the same in all corps of the Army. Mr. Meyer* Would that involve increased cost? Lieut. CoLWELL. That pay section ? Mr. Meter. Yes. Lieut. Col WELL. Yes, it would. I have the cost figured out in the tables appended to the bill, both under present pay and Army pay, but some grades of naval staff corps now receive more than they would if paid on the Army basis, which would considerably reduce the increase. It is a section, however, that has no particular connection with the rest of the bill, and could be erased. I put it in in order to simplify the question of pay. Mr-. Meter. How would it do to amend that provision by stating that hereafter all the staff" officers of the Navy shall receive the same pay as officers of the same relative rank in the line of the Navy ? What effect would that have? Lieut. CoLVSTBLL. I think it would be fair. That would undoubtedly decrease the cost. 168 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Senator Hale. What are tlie salient points of your bill, differing from the other bills we have had under cotisideration ? Lieut. GoL WELL. I do not increase the number of flag offtcers; I keep the present number of flag officers and change their titles. Senator Butlee. Do you increase the pay of the rear-admirals or vice-admirals? Lieut. Col WELL. No; not under this bill. Senator Butleb. Tlie pay is the same as rear-admirals now receive? Lieut. Colwell. Yes. Mr. Money. It is a change of names only? Lieut. Colwell. A change of titles only. Senator Butler. The principal difference between your bill and other bills before us is the feature of the reserve list, is it nof? Lieut. Colwell. Yes, that is the pi-incipal one; but I provide for abolishing the grade of lieutenant-commander and lieutenant of the junior grade, and I reduce the number of captains in order that they may get the proper amount of sea service as captains. With an inor- dinate number of couimanding officers as compared with the number of commands in the Navy, captains and commanders will not be able to get the proper amount of sea service unless some change is made. Senator Butler. How much do you reduce the number of captains'? Lieut. Colwell. By eight; and the last 45 of the commanders are available for executive officers on first-rate ships, practically taking the place of the 74 lieaten ant-commanders abolished. The officers on the reserve list are limited to shore duties not intimately connected with the military part of the profession. The ages for going off the sea duty list in each grade are essentially the same as arrived at by Admiral Walker in his bill, but he establishes those ages in four and a half years while I provide for doing it at once; because if a certain age limit is fixed upon as desirable for commanding officers, it is in the interest of efficiency to get men of the desirable ages immediately instead of waiting for five years. I also provide for a sea service quali- fication somewhat similar to Admiral Walker's scheme, but I make a , ten years' qualification for i^romotion to commander, while Admiral Walker provides for five years' sea service as a lieutenant, which is not qniie fair to officers who have spent many years in lower grades and have had many years of sea experience in those grades, which is quite as valuable as sea experience with lieutenant's rank, and it would limit the selections to the lieutenants near the topof the list, all of whom had very little service in the lower grades. Senator Hale. Do you see any practical difficulties that would arise in the service from abolishing those two grades that you abolish? Lieut. Colwell. No, sir. Senator Hale. Of course they make two additional ranks, and an ensign now gets to be a lieutenant of the junior grade. But do you see any embarrassment in promoting him directly from ensign to lieu- tenant? Lieut. Colwell. No, sir ; if he does the duties of a lieutenant I see no reason why he should not have the rank and pay that go with those duties. Senator Hale. You transfer him at once from an ensign to a lieu- tenant as you transfer a lieutenant to a commander? Lieut. Colwell. Yes; but wlien he comes to the grade of com- mander he is still eligible for the duties now performed by lieutenant- commanders as executive officer on board a first-rate ship. PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. 169 Senator Butlek. That would give a commander more experience at sea? Lieut. Col WELL. This would enable him to get more experience at sea, and it would enable him to get experience which he ought to have on a flrst-rate ship. He would also ha-\'e the same opportunity as now of getting experience in command of small ships. To arrive at what is needed in the way of officers and men it is nec- essary to establish what the Navy is expected to do, what its strength in ships is, and whether it is to remain unorganized or be grouped in efficient fleets and divisions after the manner of the rest of the world. The proposed scheme is based on the following organization of the ships of the new Navy only. The obsolete vessels as they are with- drawn from active service should be distributed to recruiting districts and as mercantile or naval reserve training ships. It is understood that they have no fighting value, and they are not considered. This fleet organization is, of course, merely tentative, bat it is quite practi- cable, and is given to show what might be done to make our Navy a compact, always-steady fighting machine, prepared to immediately fur- nish solid squadrons at threatened points, instead of slowly collecting single ships from widely diverse duties and stations. FLEET OP THE ATLA."N"TIC (24 SHIPS). [First Divisioiu — Home port, Boston (8 ships). For coast service — Division of tlie North, to Nan- tucket. For foreign service— Division of tlie Soutli Atlantic, south of equator.] Present strength. Add. Withdraw. Proposed strength, March, 1896. Ship. Men. Ship. Men. Newark 315 280 242 119 December, 1893, Castine. February, 1894, Atliinra. February, 1894. ]!aluis;h. November, 1894, M.aine. Marcli, 1896, Iowa. March, 1895, gunboat. Eebruary, 1894, Charles- ton to Fourth division. February, 1894, Tantic to Keserve (flag). 4C4 340 Detroit Is'ewark 315 297 265 Detroit 242 139 Gunboat First Naval Bat- talion 139 956 2,201 Headquarters of First Naval Battalion, Portsmoath, N. H. [Second Divisio7u — Home port, New Tork (10 ships). For coast service — Division of tlie Center, Nantucket to Cape Henry. For foreign service— Division of the NortliAtlantic — ^to the Equator.] Present strength. Add. Proposed strength, October, 1891. Ship. Men. Ship. Men. San Francisco . . . Miantonomoh . . . Vesuvius 311 135 04 Jan., 1894, Cohimhia. Jan., 1894, Marblehead. June, 1894, Kdtahdin. July, 1804, Amjibitrite. Ang., 1894, Terror. Sept., 1894, Puritan. Sept., 1894, Indiana. Sept., 1894, Massachu- setts. Jan., 1894, San Francisco to Fifth Division. Jan., 1894, Kearsarge to reserve. Second Naval Battalion . . Massachusetts (flag). Indiana (flag) . . . 400 400 180 Amphitrite Miantonomoh .. 141 135 131 Katahdin- Columbia Marhlehead Vesuvius 90 426 242 64 670 2 209 Head(iuarter8 of Second Naval Battalion, New London. 170 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. FLEET OF THE ATLANTIC— Continued. [Third Division.- -Home port, Norfolk. (6 ships.) For coast service, Division of tlie South; for foreign service, Division of Europe.] Present strength. Ship. Now Tork Chicago , lieiiniiigton Dolphin (special service) . Fern (special service) . Men. 550 181 Add. March, 1896, Brooklyn. Proposed strength, November, 1896. Ship. Brooklyn (flag) New T'ork Chicago Beimington Dolphin (special service) . Pern (special service) Third naval battalion Men. 550 550 ^57 181 120 (JO 1,818 Headquarters, Naval Magazine, "Washington. FLEET OF THE PACIFIC (24 ships). [Fourth division.— Kome port, Piiget Sound (9 ships). For coast service, division of the northwest to the California border; for foreign service, division of the South Pacific, south of Panama.] Present strength. Add. Withdraw. Proposed strength March, 1895. Ship. Men. Ship. Men. Philadelphia 311 205 178 138 190 130 130 94 60 Jan., 1894, Olymria. Jan., 1894, Cincinnati. Jan., 1804, Charleston. Aug., 1894, Baltimore. Mar., 1895, Concord. Mohican to reserves (flag) Alliance to reserves. Aditins to reserves. Ranger to fifth division. Charleston to sixth di- vision. Olynipia Baltimore Philadelphia 441 311 Vorktown 311 205 Cincinnati Yorktown Concord Pinta 297 178 180 GO Pinta ... Thetis Fourth Naval Eattalion. 94 1,342 2,137 Headquarters of Fourth Naval Battalion, Puget Sound. [Fifth Division.' -Home port, San Francisco (8 ships). For coast service, division of California. For foreign service, division of North Pacific to Panama.] Present strength. Ship. Men. Add. Proposed strength, January, 1895. Ship. Men. Monterey. January, 1894, San Francisco. January, 1894, Montgomery. February, 1894, Alert. August, 1894, Minneapolis. October, 1894, Oregon. January, 1895, Monadnock. Oregon (flag) Monterey Monadnock Minneapolis San Francisco Montgomery Eanger Alert Fifth naval battalion 400 1(J7 141 420 311 242 138 112 1,937 Headquarters of Fifth naval battalion, Mare Island. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 171 FLEET OF THE PACIFIC— Continued. [Sixth Division.— Kome port, Pearl Harbor (7 sbips). For coast service, Hawaii. For foreign serv- ice, division of Asia.] Present strength. Add. Withdraw. Proposed strength. March, 1895. Ship. Men. Ship. Men. Lancaster Baltimore 345 311 190 142 180 131 December, 1893, Maohias. August, 1894, Charleston. August, 1894, Texas. March, 1895, gunboat. March, 1895, gunboat. ■December. 1893, Lancas- ter to reserves. December, 1893, Marion to reserves. August, 1894, Baltimore to fourtJi division, March, 1895, Concord to lourth division. Texas (flag) Cliarleston 348 280 181 Monooacy Mouocacy Machias Gunboat Gunboat Sixtli naval bat- talion. 142 131 Petrel 339 139 1 310 1,299 Headquarters. ORGANIZATION FOR WAR MANEUVERS. For not less than four months in each year the divisions to be com- bined and exercised together as fleets and to work cut strategic and tactical problems prepared by the general staff office : FLEET OF THE ATLANTIC. Iowa, flag of senior rear-admiral. Brooklyn. Indiana. Revenue squadron. Puritan', flag of junior rear-admiral. Miantonomah. Amphitrite. Terror. Katahdin. Line of tattle. Massachusetts, flag of vice-admiral. Nevr York. Maine. Cruiser squadron. Columbia, flag of second rear-admiral ; Chicago. Newark. Raleigh. Atlanta. Detroit. Marblehead, Vesuvius. At all times there to be in the Mediterranean or coast of Africa, 1 Bennington or class (to be relieved each year) ; Rio Janeiro and coast of Brazil, 1 Castine or class; Rio de la Plata, 1 gunboat (not yet named) ; special service, 1 Dolphin or class, 1 Fern or class. FLEET OF THE PACIFIC. Line of battle. Oregon, flag of vice-admiral. Monterey. Monadnook. Olympia. Reserve squadron at Honolulu. Texas, flag of rear-admiral. Charleston. Petrel. Machias. Cruiser squadron. Minneapolis, flag of rear-admiral. Baltimore. San Francisco. Philadelphia. Boston. Montgomery. Cincinnati. Yorktown. Concord. At all times there to be on the coast of Alaska, Thetis and Pinta; Samoa and islands, 1 Alert or class; Chile and Peru, 1 Ranger or class; Asia, Monooacy, 1 gun- boat, 1 gunboat (not yet named). 172 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Thursday, March 29, 1894. The joint subcommittee met pui'suant to the call of the chairman. Present: Hon. J. C. S. Blackburn (in the chair) and Hon. Eugene Hale, of the Senate committee; and Hon. Adolph Meyer, Hou. Hernando D. Money, and Hon. James W. Wadsworth, of the House committee. Hon. Hilary A. Herbert, Secretary of the Navy, Commodore Francis M. Ramsay, and Lieut. Benjamin H. Buckingham, were also present. STATEMENT OF COMMODORE FRANCIS M. RAMSAY. Senator BLACKBti^RN. Commodore, you have examined tlie bill that is before the joint committee, and also the several proposed bills that have been submitted to us, I presume; I mean the suggestions of the Secretary of the Kavy and those embodied in what is known here before us as Admiral Walker's proposed bill. Commodore Eamsay. Yes. Senator Blackeitrn. Of course you understand the scope of the inquiry that this joint committee is making, as to the reorganization of the personnel of the Navy. The committee will be glad to hear from you any suggestions that you may have to submit to us, taking into view the bill that we have before us from the Senate and also what is known as the Secretary's line of suggestions and Admiral Walker's, and give us your views upon the whole subject in your own way. Commodore Eamsay. 1 shall have to start by saying that I am unable to submit a satisfactory solution of the situation. I have not had time — at least I can not find time — to make calculations in regard to working out the results of the proposed bills. Senator Blackburn. Allow me to interrupt you just long enough to complete the general question that I desire to submit to you. You understand that the problem with which the joint committee is con- fronted, as we view it, is that congestion that we find in the middle rank, so to speak, of the Navy, as now organized; and it is for the pur- pose of remedying that that we are seeking now to get the views of yourself and others of the older naval otticers who have had the most experience. Commodore Eamsay. As I understand it the keynote of the whole matter is to get oflicers to command rank while in the prime of life. Senator Blackburn. While they are of an age that fits them for duty? Commodore Eamsay. Yes. The difflculty which, of course, has been represented to you and which you know, Is the question of the age of different oflicers; many of the officers who are now In command rank are much younger than those who are In lower ranks. That is due to the fact of the wide limit of age allowed for entering the Naval Academy. That can be easily remedied by a law which would change the limit of age. Senator Hale. What would you have? Commodore Eamsay. I would enter the cadets between 14 and 16 years of age. Senator Blackburn. At present the age limit is from 15 to 20? Commodore Eamsay. Yes. The age has varied at different times. When I entered the service, which was forty -three and one-half years ago, the age was from 13 to 17. At a subsequent date, I do not recollect PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 173 the year, it was changed to 14 to 18. Since I left the Naval Academy, which was in 18SG, the age has been again changed to 15 to 20. It is a very easy thing to see that in the class entering the Naval Academy this year there may be many boys who are just over 15, and that in the class that will enter four years hence there may be many who will be just under 20, and that there will be no jjossible chance for those who may enter four years hence at the extreme age to get ahead of those boys who may enter this year at the minimum age. It is the ago limit at entering that causes much of the congestion existing to-day. The records show that there are now on the list of captains men who are younger than men who are on the list of lieutenants. Between the last captain and the senior lieutenant there are 85 commanders and 74 lieu- tenant-commanders. The commanding offlcer of the Concord, now in China, who stands 25 on the list of commanders, is only 9 days older than his execulive officer who stands 22 on the list of lieutenants. Senator Hale. Further from the top of the list? Commodore Eamsat. Yes. Senator Blackburn. Is this condition brought about by reason of any contrast of records as to the efficiency of those two ofiScers ? Commodore Ramsay. No, sir; it is brought about by this wide range of age. That is one reason. One reason that causes so many people to be in the classes referred to familiarly as "the hump" is that those classes were not oarefuUy scrutinized when they went from midshipmen to a higher grade. Senator Hale. You mean at the time of their graduation? Commodore Eamsay. Yes. Nor have they been properly scrutinized in every respect as they have gone along in promotion from one grade to another. By that I mean that the men have been pushed through; they are not now, I am happy to say, so far as the Department can pre- vent it, but they have been pushed through when they should not have been. Men have been promoted in the Navy against the recommenda- tions of examining boards. Senator Hale. Those are exceptional cases, however, are they not? Commodore Eamsat. Well, for instance, one of those classes — I am not exactly speaking by the book, and can not quote the year when it happened — but a class went down to Annapolis to pass its final exami- nation, and a I'arge number of that class failed in professional branches. Instead of setting those boys aside, putting them out of the service, as they should have been, they were given another examination and were given time to prepare for it; and therefore they are in one of the classes in the hump. A number of these men should not have been in the serv- ice. There were plenty of vacancies at that time and people were very lenient. Then many who failed were turned back, and some were turned back more than once. I recollect one man who served as mid- shipman with me who was called the grandfather of all the midship- men. He had been seven years, I think, in getting through the Naval Academy. There is a boy now at the Naval Academy who, after serv- ing three years, was sent away ; he was reappointed, and he will, there- fore, be about seven years in getting through the prescribed four year's course at the Naval Academy. Mr. Money. I suppose the Secretary of the Navy is not bound to appoint a man simply because he has been nominated. Commodore Ramsay. He can not help himself. Mr. Money. Then it is a mere matter of form. Commodore Ramsay. It is a mere form. The Secretary of the Navy has no authority in the matter. The regulations governing the Mili- 174 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. tary Academy at West Point are different. The law says that no per- son who has been in the Military Academy shall be reappointed except upon the recommendation of the academic board of the Military Acad- emy. So that when a member of Congress makes a nomination of a young man who has been there and been sent away, the case is referred to the academic board at the Military Academy, and if the board objects to him the Secretary of War refuses to appoint. Mr. Money. It would be a good thing to have such a provision for the Navy. Commodore Eamsay. It would be a most excellent thing. It is proper, in connection with this suggestion, I should say that for boys entering the Naval Academy the ages 14 to 16 the entering examina- tion should be changed, and I think it could be changed with great advantage to the boys and to the country. I refer to the examination for admission to the Naval Academy. I think the examination should be very rudimentary. A boy should of course be physically sound, should be required to know the first four rules of arithmetic, and be able to read, write, and spell fairly, with some knowledge of geography of the United States and United States history. His course of study during the first year should be preparatory. Mr. Wadswobth. It should be a probationary year. Commodore Eamsay. Yes. When a boy receives an appointment now he is generally sent to a coaching school to be instructed ; he is crammed enough to get him in the Naval Academy, but unless he has had "some other preparation the chances are very much against his passing the first semiannual examination. The coacher's business is only to teach him enough to get in. If a boy could enter the Acad- emy and have a probationary year he would be much further ahead at the end of that probationary year, having entered as a young boy, than under the present system, and there would be nothing to undo. As it is now the boys who are old when they enter the Academy have to be untaught, so to speak, before they get into proper training for the studies at the Academy. Senator Hale. From your experience would you have the proba- tionary year counted as one of the six years'? Commodore Ramsay. No, sir; I would reduce the cadet course to five years and have it all at the Academy and in the ]^ractice ships, the first year to be probationary. During the five years the cadets would get at least one year of practical sea service in the practice shii)S. Upon the completion of this course the graduates should be commis- sioned ensigns (if put into line), assistant engineers, and second lieu- tenants of marines. Senator Hale. You would have a commission as ensign issued to him when he leaves the Academy? Commodore Ramsay. Yes. Senator Hale. And you would strike off the two years' sea cruise and have a preliminary year at the Academy ? Commodore Ramsay. Yes; under the present system a boy who goes through four years at the Academy goes off on a two-year cruise, which is very expensive, for at the end of the two years, no difference in what part of the world he may be, he must be brought back for final examination. The Department tries to arrange matters to bring the cadets home in the least expensive way, but the unexpected movements of ships make it difficult to arrange matters satisfactorily. It has sometimes happened that it has been necessary to bring a dozen men from China, some from South America, and some, perhaps, from the PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 175 coast of Africa. Under this system the cadets do not always get the required two years of sea service. They must get home in time for final examination, and the time consumed in coming home must be taken out of the two years. With a five-year course at the Naval Academy, one year of which should be probationary, the cadets would be further ahead at the end of the probationary year than they now are when they enter the Academy, and with the practice cruises properly arranged they would get at least one year of practical sea service during the five-year course. After completing the course at the Academy they should make a full three-year cruise, aud the expense of bringing them back for final examination would te avoided. Mr. Money. Tou would dispense with one examination? Commodore Eamsat. 'So. Senator Hale. Tou must have an examination at the end of the probationary year. Commodore Eamsat. Oh, yes. Senator Blackbuen. An officer would have the same number of examinations as now. He would have five examinations in five years (instead of four examinations in four years), and one at the end of two years more. Commodore Eamsat. No. A cadet would have more examinations, because, during a five-year course at the Naval Academy a cadet would have ten examinations. Now he has eight examinations in four years and one when he comes back for final graduation, making nine. I can not give exact figures, but about 50 per cent of tlie candidates who present themselves for examination for admission are rejected. If boys were required simply to pass the rudimentary examination that I suggest about nine tenths of the candidates would be able to enter at 14. Senator Hale. Naturally, if this system were adopted, of sea-cruis- ing part of the course, you would require, would you not, that at the end of the probationary year the boy should be examined somewhat severely aud required to be further advanced than he is now on first examination'? Commodore Eamsat. Yes. Senator Hale. So that the test of a boy's capacity to master the course would come at the end of his probationary year? Commodore Eamsat. Yes. To make myself clear, let me say that when I went to the Naval Academy as Superintendent, in 1881, the first thing that struck me was the number of boys who passed a good exam- ination on entering and failed in mathematics at the end of four months. I came to the conclusion that this was due to the fact that so few of them had been taught algebra before they came there; that they had simply been taiight arithmetic. Arithmetic Is not now taught in the Academy ; there is not time to teach it. The result of that was that, if a boy had never studied algebra, when he entered the Academy and looked at his first lesson it appalled him. You might just as well have put Greek before him if he had never studied Greek. He did not know how to study algebra. He staggered along. He was afraid to ask assistance, because he thought if he asked an officer the other cadets would jeer at him, and he did not dare to ask another cadet; he was in mortal terror of the older cadets ; so he continued to stagger along, and at the end of four months would fail. The matter was discussed by the academic board, and it was decided, out of charity to the candi- dates, to require a slight examination in algebra; and, in order that there should be no question about what that examination was to be. 170 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. the regulations published that the boy would be examined on the first one hundred pages of Bay's Algebra. That took the boy far enough to insure his knowing how to study algebra. That worked very well for a time; but now, unfortunately, mauy of the boys are drilled in tbat much algebra by the coachers, and they think they kuow it so well they do not study much at the start in the Academy, and when tliey get beyond where the coachers have taken them they commence to flounder. I would again put arithmetic into the academic course and take the cadets along gradually, as was the case many years ago. Senator Blackbukn. Then I understand this suggestion of yours embraces the idea of teaching arithmetic in the Academy, which is not now done. Commodore Eamsat. Yes. I would commence at the beginning of the arithmetic ; I would commence with geography also ; there are a great many boys who are found as deficient in geography as in arith- metic. They can not tell you the States through which they pass in going from their homes to Annapolis. I would also commence with the history of the United States, and have them taught how to study. The great thing is to teach them how to study. When I entered the Academy I was started in that way. Senator Hale. You ^vere there three years as superintendent. Commodore Eamsay. Yes ; I was superintendent five years. Senator Hale. Are these suggestions somewhat the resalt of your observation there? Commodore Ramsay. They are the result of my experience there. I decided then that this was a better course to pursue, and I so stated to the Secretary of the Navy who appeared to agree with me, but never got to the point of bringing the matter before Congress. Mr. Wadsavobth. The present Secretary of the Kavy has very much the same idea, has he not! Commodore Eamsay. I believe he has. Mr. Wadswobth. I know he has, for he has so expressed himself to me. Commodore Eamsay. There are other advantages connected with this proposed change. If a boy comes from this neighborhood — from Baltimore or Philadelphia, or even from New York — it is not such a dreadful thing for his parents to have to pay his expenses down to Annapolis and back if he fails. But you must recollect that the boys who come to the Naval Academy come from every walk of life, the low- est as well as the highest, and the poorest as well as the richest; that there are many boys who are a])pointed whose parents really have not the means by which to pay their way to Aunai^olis, and have to borrow money to do it. Take the case of a boy who comes from a far off point — from a Southern, Southwestern, or Northwestern State — and have that boy come to Annapolis and fail and have to go back home; that may be a very severe expense for his parents to bear. The boy may have all the intelligence necessary for the course but lack the education required to pass thepresent entering examination. If entered, however, and properly instructed afterwards, he might make a most excellent naval ofi&cer. Senator Hale. Have you noticed in these late examinations whether it is the younger boys, or the older, who are likely to be rejected upon examination '! Is it the boys of 15 and 16. Commodore Eamsay. I have notnoticed that since I left the Academy ; but when I was Superintendent 1 had the records worked up for ten years, as to the candidates and also the cadets, with reference to that PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 177 point. The records showed that of the boys who presented themselves, who were between the ages of 14 and 15 (though there wervi not as many of that age as of an older age) a larger percentage passed the entering examination than of any other age; and the smallest per- centage that passed the entering examinatipn were boys between 17 and 18; then after they got into the Academy, of the boys who entered between 14 and 15 a larger percentage went through the four-year course than of boys of other ages, and the smallest percentage of those who got through the course were the boys who were from 16 to 18 when they entered. That was when the limit was from 14 to 18. Senator Hale. Tou have figured that out? Commodore Eamsat. That can be shown by the records. Another feature was developed. At that time there were two classes of cadets entering the Naval Academy — cadet midshipmen and cadet engineers. The cadet midshipmen simply had to pass an examination; there was nothing competitive; if a boy barely got through that was sufficient. When a boy was marked 2.5 on the entering examination it was very questionable whether he really made 2.5 ; but the examiners thought he could get along, and so he was given that mark. Candidates for admission as cadet engineers were selected for appointment after a competitive examination. The limits of age for these candidates was greater than that for cadet midshipmen. I think it was 17 to 21, Sometimes large numbers of candidates presented themselves ; at one examination there were, I believe, more than 200. But whatever the number, only 25 were selected and appointed, and these 25 were, of course, those who stood first in order of merit. After admission the cadet engineers were given, at the start, a higher course in mathemat- ics than the cadet midshipmen, but at the end of t■w^o years the two classes would come together in that branch, and it quite often hap- pened that a number of the cadet midshipmen would lead the cadet engineers. I only mention this to show that the younger boy, properly trained, will do much better than the older boy can do, as a rule. Senator Hale. Is not that opposed to the theory and practice that are recognized now in the colleges of the country? Are they not increasing the age at which they desire applicants for courses in the different colleges of the country? For instance, is it not within your observation — you have had your attention called to it — that at the lead- ing colleges in the country the faculty, instead of cutting down the age of applicants (of course there is no limit in their age, but it is the study that they require), the ages are such as to make the average u]K)n entering much higher than it was a few years ago? For instance, at Harvard University, where formerly the age of entering would be from 13 and 14 up to 15 "and 16, it is now 18 and 19. Mr. Monet. There is no maximum limit. Senator Hale. 'So ; there is no limit fixed by age; it is fixed by studies. Owing to influences that have been brought to bear it has become a fact, as the figures will show, that the age of entering, and, of course, of graduation, is much higher than it was twenty years ago. That being so, what reason is there — I am asking for your suggestion on this subject — why one rule should apply in the colleges and another Tule should apply in the military schools ? Commodore Eamsat. I have not studied matters at Harvard enough to be able to answer you properly; but have you never heard that any- one could graduate from Harvard ^ter entering, but that the difficulty was to pass the examination to get in? line 12 178 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Senator Hale. The entering exaniiuation is very mucli more diffi- cult. Mr. Wadswoeth. I do not think it is a matter of study, but is a matter of discipline. I think parents are loth to send their boys to college at the age of 14 or 16, for fear they can not be properly taken care of. At the Naval Academy it is different. Mr. Money. What is the age when a young man enters the service as midshipman in Great Britain ? Commodore Eamsay. I have forgotten the exact age, but I think it is either 12J or 13^. Mr. Money. I think they have been entered as young as 8 or 9. Some of the most distinguished men in the British navy were midship- men at the age of 8 or 9. Commodore Eamsay. Tes. They were treated very much like chil- dren. Before we had a Kaval Academy boys were entered in our Navy at almost any age. There was one officer in the Navy who was appointed from this district, who died a lieutenant, and who was one of the best ofQcers in the service of his age. When he entered there was not room enough on his jacket to put the nine buttons. The same thing happened with another officer, the nine buttons could not be put on his coat, and he would not wear a coat when he could avoid it ; he was so small. Now, to go back one minute to this question of age and education : There is a very bright young officer, an ensign, who entered the Naval Academy just under 18. I was at the Academy when he entered. His father, a very prominent man in New York, wrote to me and asked about the advantages of entering in May over September. He said the reason he asked was that his boy was No. 1 at the school where he bad been for four or five years, and he was very anxious to graduate, which he would do in June, and that the faculty of the school were very anxious to have him graduate; that the boy was to deliver the valedictory address upon that occasion; and he went on and showed the boy to be a very superior boy. I wrote him the advantages of entering in May over September. He also asked about the require- ments for admission. I sent him a circular giving the information. That "gentleman wrote back that he fully appreciated the advantages of entering in ]\Iay over September, from what I had written to him, but he wished to know whether knowledge of ancient geography and ancient history and modern and dead languages could not be substi- tuted for the required examination, as his son did not know enough to pass that examination. The boy was just under 18, and he had to wait until September in order that he might prepare himself to pass the examination required for admission. Senator Hale. He had not been drilled in those studies at school? Commodore Eamsay. No. In other words, he had no rudimentary education. He came to the Naval Academy, and for the first two years he stood at the head of his class. At the end of that two years there was a little fellow, to whom no one had paid any attention at first, who took it away from him and held it. Senator Hale. You think the records of the Academy show that the :first five of each graduating class are not the older boys. That would seem to be something of a test. Commodore Eamsay. I would not say that positively, but there are classes in which some of the youngest in the class are at the head of the class. Mr. Money. Yo do mean to say, however, that the proportion of the jounger boys at the head is larger than that of the older? PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. 179 Commodore Eamsay. Yes. There are more older boys enter than there are younger boys, but the percentage of the number who gradu- ate is in favor of the younger boy. Mr. Monet. Of those who succeed? Commodore Eamsay. Yes. Senator Hale. You would graduate every one of them at 20 to 21, whereas now they are graduated at 26 sometimes. Commodore Eamsay. I would graduate them at from 19 to 21. Senator Hale. Kow it is 20 to 26. Commodore Eamsay. Now they graduate from 21 to 26. Mr. WADSvroRTH. I suppose a graduation at the age of 26 is excep- tional'? Commodore Eamsay. No ; there are quite a number who graduate at that age. At the last entering examination in September I took a sheet of the candidates who had failed, and called the attention of some gentlemen who came to see about it to the fact that the majority of the boys who failed to enter were old boys ; several of them were 19 J; and I think there were only 2 boys out of 26 who were not over 16 years of age; there were 2 who were 15 years and 11 months old; but the majority of them were old. Mr. Meyer. Are there not really, to your knowledge, many instances where men who entered at a later period have risen to eminence in the profession? ' Commodore Eamsay. I suppose there are, Mr. Meyer, but it is so much easier to train a young boy and make him what we want than it is to educate a young man whose habits are formed (as is the case with these older ones). I remember the case of one young man at the Naval Academy for whom I had a great fancy personally, though I knew noth- ing about him except the knowledge I gained of him whUe there. In the last year of his course I noticed him walking about the Academy grounds during study hours looking woe-begone, and ascertained that he was on the sick list. I asked the doctor what was specially the matter with him. The doctor said : "Nothing, except that he was studied out; that he was too old, that he had studied too long." He had entered old, and at that time having aU the education apparently that he needed. He came in under this law which permitted them to enter up to a certain age as cadet engineers, and he had to study hard, of course, to keep up, because it was a different course from what he had had anywhere else, and this had worked him out. Mr. Money. His burden was too heavy for him. Commodore Eamsay. Y^s. ' Mr. Monet. You can cultivate a great many soils until you wear them out. Commodore Eamsay. Yes ; but we must remember that a man in order to get to the end by a certain age must start in young. Senator Blackburn. I am satisfied that we all appreciate the force of the suggestions you have submitted on the line you have taken up, which is confined, as it were, to the many ages of entrance and the change in the course or curriculum of instruction at the Academy. But, in addition to that, what, in your judgment, is the best remedy, sup- plementary to this foundation, one that you have been dwelling upon, to accomplish the purpose that this joint committee has in view? I mean what would be practical legislation as applied to existing condi- tions? Commodore Eamsay. I am very sorry, Senator, to have to acknowl- edge that I can not solve that problem satisfactorily to myself to meet the present case. 180 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Senator Blackbtjen. You have examined these suggestions in the nature of bills proposed by the Secretary of thelSTavy and also the one embodying the views of Admiral Walker. Commodore Eamsay. Yes; of course I have my views about certain points with reference to those different bills that have been presented. Senator Blackburn. Let us have thos^. Commodore Eamsay. I think the first step to take to help the Navy would be to repeal section 1505 of the Revised Statutes. That section provides that any man who is found professionally disqualified for promo- tion shall be suspended for one year and shall lose numbers correspond- ingly. It does not mean suspended from duty, but suspended from promotion. It also provides that the man is allowed, at the end of one year, to be reexamined, and if he can pass that examination, then he is promoted. Senator Blackbttrn. Under that section are these lost numbers restored to him? Commodore Eamsay. No, sir; he is held in the way of a good man during the year of his suspension from promotion, and if he passes he still stands in the way. Any man of ordinary ability can pass the examinations that are required. Senator Blackburn. Let me interrupt you just there. Do these disqualifications include physical disqjialifications 1 Commodore Eamsay, No ; it is simply confined to professional dis- qualification. A man who can not pass a professional examination for promotion when he comes up to the head of a grade is not a man to be kept in the Navy ; he should be put right out of the service. The last case of that kind we had was a man who now stands on the list of lieu- tenants, junior grade, who after being in the Navy seventeen years could not pass his examination in navigation. Yet the Secretary of the Navy could do nothing. Senator Hale. What was the actual result in that case; was he hung up for a year ? Commodore Eamsay. He simply stood at the head of the list for one year. Senator Hale. Then what"? Commodore Eamsay. Then he was ordered for examination again. Senator Hale. And passed then? Commodore Eamsay. Then he passed. Senator Hale. Because he crammed ? Commodore Eamsay. He crammed himself. Senator Blackburn. What disposition would you make of him'? Commodore Ea:msay. I would put him out. He is not entitled to any consideration if he does not keep up with his profession. Senator Blackburn. Then he would go off the list altogether. Commodore Eamsay. Altogether. Senator Blackburn. You would not recommend him to be placed upon the retired list? Commodore Eamsay. No sir; he has no claim. The professional examination is one that any oflicer can pass. Any ordinary man can pass it. It is not severe, it simply shows that the man must know how to do his duty. Senator Hale. Are there many of these cases 1 Are there so many that the repeal of that section would result in any large feature of relief from the trouble that the Navy is now uuder? Commodore Eamsay. No, sir; but still I think it has a bad effect that such a section should be in the law. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 181 Mr. Money. If your idea were acted upon, it would weed out some of the incompetents? Commodore Eamsay. It would make them understand that they had to keep up with their profession. There are men who are not very particular whether they get through at one time or another, so long as they get through and are not turned out. Those are the men that that section protects. It does not bother a good man at all. Senator Hale. In the course of a year how many men do you think that provision applies to ? Commodore Eamsay. The number is not large. It does not average one per year; but the effect of the law is bad. It is a bad provision. Men are put out, or are put on the retired list, for physical defects for which they are in no way to blame. Take the case of a very bright man like Lieut. Meigs. Meigs got to the top of the list of lieutenants, and he is color blind. Color-blindness was not considered at the time he entered as midshipman, nor at the time he was promoted to a lieuten- ant. When he was examined for promotion to lieutenant-commander after twenty-eight years' service he necessarily failed physically. Mr. Meigs is suitable for the Navy in every way except that he is color- blind, and under the law he is put aside on $800 a year. If he had been an indifferent man, a man of no special use to the Navy, and had come up to the head of the list, and his color sight had been good, notwithstanding he had paid very little attention to his profession, if he had failed professionally his promotion would have been stopped only for a year, the law would have given a y6ar to study up in, and at the end of that time, if he could scrape through he would have been promoted. Senator Hale. In the one case he could not be relieved of the dis- ability of color-blindness, but they could relieve him of the other dis- abilities. Commodore Eamsay. Yes; and that is why such things have such a demoralizing effect. Mr. Money. The point is that the man is acting under the necessity of keeping up his professional studies, and if he fails to do that it simply proves that he is not fit to be there. Commodore Eamsay. Yes. Mr. Money. Whereas we ought to weed out the incompetent men in order to make places for the competent. Commodore Eamsay. Yes. Senator Blackbxjen. That section of the statute to which you refer can be of no possible advantage to an efficient or valuable ofiQcer, but is simply a shield and shelter to the incompetent. Commodore Eamsay. That is all it is. Senator Hale. Are there not more cases? You say that on the aver- age there is only one a year. Commodore Eamsay. That is because they study up for these exami- nations now; but still, occasionally one occurs. The system of exami- nation we have, which I think the Department is now endeavoring to improve, iis one of the best methods possible of weeding out the Navy. Senator Hale. You have had great experience in the service with the younger and older ofiicers of the Navy in connection with these new ships, which form practically a new service. What has been the gen- eral result upon your mind — one of satisfaction at the adaptability of the officers to this service, or have you been disappointed? Comodore Eamsay. There is no more difficulty in putting these offi- cers aboard a new ship and getting satisfactory service from them than 182 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. there was in connection with the old ships. When these ships were first built there was a great deal said about them, about having so much more machinery and so many more things put into them, and we had been so long accustomed to our old ships that these new ships seemed somewhat mysterious to people until they were put on board. But I have seen no difference in officers doing their duty in the new ships as compared with their performance of duty on the old ships. Mr. Monet. The improvements would tend to facilitate the discharge of their duties'? Commodore Ramsay. Tes; the man who was a good officer in an old ship is a good officer in a new ship. In fact, so far as captains are con- cerned, I think it. is much easier for them to handle and take care of the new ships than the old, though a captain in command of one of these new ships does not go into shoal water with the same freedom that he did with an old ship. I commanded the Boston for two years, and every officer I had on board was a source of great satisfaction to me. I do not mean to say that some of the young ensign's did not need a little more experience, but I am speaking of the lieutenants and the officers I looked to for assistance. An officer just ordered to the com- mand of a new ship asked the views of another who had just given up the command of one. His answer was that he had had an easier time commanding the new ship than he had had on an old ship. They all rise to the situation — I mean the average officer. Mr. Wadsworth. Mr. Chairman, how would it do to ask the com- modore to put his ideas, in regard to the reorganization of the Naval Academy, into the shape of a bill? Senator Blackburn. That would be a very good idea. Senator Hale. Do you think this feature you have brought out, about the age at the Naval Academy, would be a very important factor ? Commodore Eamsay. There could be only two years' difference in age in a class, and the average age of the class would be about 15. The average age of each class would generally be less than that of the class before it. There would, no doubt, be some men in a class who would be younger than some in the class above, but it would not be so on the average. Of course there must always be a limit to the number of offi- cers who are to enter the service each year. We must not put in classes of 70 and 80 when we can only absorb 25 to 35. That has caused some of our present troiible — the piling them in without regard to absorption. Mr. Wadsworth. Under this system you propose a greater per- centage of men would graduate? Commodore Eamsay. Tes. Mr. Wadsworth. What would you do with the surplus ? Commodore Eamsay. I would discharge them. Senator Blackburn. Pro tanto it would be a saving to the Govern- ment, for it is a clear waste to the Government to educate a man and then turn him out. Commodore Ramsay. If a man graduates at the end of four years you are now obliged to send him to sea? Mr. Wadsworth. Whether you want him there or not. Commodore Eamsay. Tes ; and suppose he stands No. 40 in the class. He knows he is not going to get into the Navy; so his course of conduct on board ship is just to keep within bounds to avoid being turned out and to insure his getting the $1,000 to receive at the end of six years if honorably discharged. Senator Hale. He can go out in the meantime if he desires. Commodore Ramsay. Tes; but he says to himself : I would not mind PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 185 traveling around for two years and seeing a great many countries and getting a thousand dollars at the end of that time; and so he keeps just within the bounds. He has no ambition to do any duty on board ship; he can not be found fault with, because he does what he is told, but he does no more. Suppose in order to get all the cadets to sea you have to send one to China by steamer; it costs $240 to get him across the continent to San Francisco, $250 to get him from San Francisco to China, provided his ship is at Yokohama ; if the ship is somewhere else it will cost more. Then it will cost about $500 to get him back for iinal examination. His salary for two years afloat amounts to $2,118. If he is honorably discharged he receives $950. To sum up, the two-years' service afloat of each cadet sent to a foreign station who is discharged after completing the six years' course costs the Govern- ment about $4,000, which is an unnecessary expense, and one for which the Government gets no return. This expense will be avoided if the proposed five years' course at the Academy is adopted and surplus cadets are discharged at the end of the course. The cost of a cadet per annum — that is, his pay and rations — while at the Academy is $609. There is no advantage in sending cadets to sea who wiU never get into the Navy. Senator Blackburn. At what time was that two years' sea service added to the academic course? It was not so when I first came to Congress. Commodore Eamsat. It was first put on in 1851; later it was dropped, and then put on again. It was dropped during the war, and put on since. I do not recollect the year. Lieut. Buckingham. It was in 1875. Mr. Money. I suppose you are familiar with these two bills of the Secretary and of Admiral Walker, and, as they are both designed mainly to promote the efficiency of the I^avy, and to get rid of the block that we have talked about, have you any suggestions to make to us upon those features of these two bills relating particularly to relieving us of this block, or have jou any criticisms of either or both of the bills? Commodore Eamsat. With all respect to the Secretary, I can not agree with him as to the proposed method of retiring captains and commanders arbitrarily to make a flow of promotion. The system that is proposed of ordering a board of 5 admirals to select at least 4 captains and commanders each year to be arbitrarily retired, if there are not enough vacancies otherwise, is on the same principle as the celebrated board of fifteen, organized in the year 1855, and which was called the scrutiny board. There were 15 officers (5 captains, 5 com- manders, and 5 lieutenants) organized into a board to scrutinize the whole ISTavy and say who should stay on the active list, who should go on the reserve list, and who on the furlough list. It made no end of trouble and we were years in getting over it. Senator Haib. What kind of trouble did they make? Commodore Eamsat. Officers claimed that they had been unjustly put aside, while others who had not as much merit were kept on the Ust. So Congress passed a law which authorized those olflcers who considered themselves aggrieved to go before three or four courts of inquiry organized for that purpose in Washington. Many officers put their claims before these courts and many were reinstated, because the courts found that injustice had been done. The records of the Navy Department until within the last few years have not been so kept as to enable a board of officers to make an absolutely correct judgment as to the merits of officers. 184 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Mr. Money. Excuse me for the interruption, but do you understand that the retiring board suggested by this bill -will have duties analy- gous to those of that scrutinizing board? Commodore Eamsat. Yes ; just the same. Senator Blackbuen. As I understand it, the recommendation embraced in the bill of the Secretary, to which you are referring now, was the result of election upon his part between the process there recommended, of retiring, as you say, this number, unless vacancies occurred, without the application of the knife, and the converse of that, a board of promotion? Commodore Eamsat. Tes. Senator Blackburn. Do I understand you to tell us that you pre- fer the promotion method to the arbitrary retirement method 1 Commodore Eamsay. Yes. Mr. Money. This bill proposes to try both, does it not? Commodore Ramsay. We have one already. Mr. Money. I know that, and it is proposed to add the other. Commodore Eamsay. Yes. Mr. Money. And that is what you object to? Commodore Eamsay. It would be a most difficult duty to perform. I do not mean, for one moment, to say that there are not officers on some of the lists that should not be there; but I mean to say that the difficulty of making a correct selection of officers to be retired would be very great. Take this case. There will be two promotions all through the line next month; vacancies will occur on the 10th and 15th of April at the head of the list; two admirals go off. Two commodores, two captains, two commanders, two lieutenant-commanders, and so on down, wiU come up for promotion. The two commanders and two lieu- tenant-commanders will be examined by the board of examination as to their fitness to be made captains and commanders. After a careful examination of these four officers, the members of the examiniug board, being all under oath, and the records of the Depart- ment being before them, the board may recommend that these four officers be promoted — the two commanders to captains, and the two lieutenant-commanders to commanders. The recommendation in each case goes to the Secretary of the Navy. The Secretary of the Navy carefully examines into each case, with all the Department records before him, and approves the recommendations of the board, believing the recommendations to be correct. The four cases, with all the records, then go to the President. He examines and approves them. These four officers are then promoted. There will be no more promotions, in the ordinary course of events, until July. If then this proposed law shall be in force it will become the duty of the Secretary of the Navy on the 1st of June, there not being enough vacancies, to order a board of five admirals to examine the list of captains and commanders, and to select four to be retired. There has been no opportunity in the meantime to send either of these four recently promoted captains and commanders to sea to test their abilities as captains and commanders. That board of rear- admirals may select these four captains and commanders to be put aside. Here is presented a case where one board may recommend officers for promotion, where the Secretary and President may approve the recommendations, and where another board may, with the same records before them and before these officers have had any chance to be tried, select these same officers to be put aside. Mr. Money. Is that likely to occur? PEKSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 185 Commodore Eamsat. I say it might occur. Senator Blaokbukn. It is a possible case; but let me ask you just there, commodore, how much of value, in your judgment, attaches to that recommendation in the bill proposed by the Secretary of the Navy £rom this point of view : Should the dropping feature suggested in the bill become a law how much effect would it have upon the number of offlcers in the Navy who are conscious of the fact that they are in danger of being caught or cut by this knife, and would take advantage of the other provisions of this submitted bill, and voluntarily go upon the retired list and get out of the way? I ask that question, because, coupled with this proposition of dropping, it is proposed in the Secretary's bill, as a safety valve, or means of escape of ofiQcers of the Navy who may feel conscious of the fact that they are in danger of being caught under this dropping rule, that they may avoid it by taking advantage of this provision to go upon the retired list and voluntarily get out of the way. How much of value, in your judgment, attaches to that feature of the proposed bill? Would it, or not, in your judgment, tend. to relieve this glut in the middle rank by many gentlemen, apprehen- sive of the result that might come to them, quietly stepping aside and voluntarily getting out of the way? Would there be much of that, in your judgment? (Jommodore Eamsat. I think not, because every man would hope that he was going to slip through. But we have the other system, this examination for promotion. Senator Hale. Substantially that is not an examination. There is no selection. You only examine the few men at the head of the list. Commodore Eamsay. The board reports whether, in its opinion, the officers are qualified for promotion. Senator Hale. While there are two men at the head of the list, who are the only men who are examined and who barely slip through and are approved by the President and the Secretary, do you not think it is frequently the case that there are dozens of offlcers below them who are superior in merit really if it could be disclosed by an examination? Commodore Eamsat. Of course. Senator Hale. Then let me ask you this question — because we are interested in getting at what is practical — what is the feasible method? Now there are two methods of selection: One for promotion, the other for dropping out. They operate in this way : We will suppose that in a grade or rank where there are 50 offlcers there are to be examina- tions and selections of 4 for promotion or 4 for being dropped. If the 4 are selected to be dropped there is no dissatisfaction generally in the grade except on the part of those 4; bat if you select for promotion, every man who is near the top of the list and is a good offlcer is likely to feel aggrieved by reason of the fact that somebody else has been selected and put over him. Would there not be less dissatisfaction if you selected to drop out, and thereby you gathered all the dissatisfac- tion in those who are dropped? Nobody else could object, could he? Would not the dissatisfaction be much less if you selected to drop out than if you selected for promotion? Commodore Eamsat. I think you can do more justice to the men in selection for promotion than you can the other way. Senator Hale. I am speaking now about the feeling of dissatisfac- tion and hardship that would remain in the corps. Commodore Eamsat. Naturally the dissatisfaction would only go with the men who are dropped out; but that does not seem to me to meet the case. The first thing to be looked at in the Navy is its 186 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. efficiency, without regard to what the people in the Is!avy themselves may feel. You want to promote the efflcieney of the Ifavy. Keeping that in view, then comes in the personal question, of course, as well as the economy of the matter. I think that when a man comes to the head of the list for promotion in any grade, and his record is anything below good, that man ought not to be promoted. There have been some changes lately. While such changes can not work instantly to much advantage, they are gradually working and will be a great bene- fit to the service hereafter. According to the new regulations, officers' records are much more care- fully kept and scrutinized. Commanding officers of ships and shore stations are obliged to make semiannual reports of all their officers. If there is anything at all in the semiannual report of a commanding officer unfavorable to one of his subordinates, the commanding officer is obliged to submit that to the officer interested, and he makes his answer thereto. We find by these reports that there are officers whose .general record is tolerable; that is, there is nothing especial in the record against them, but they are only tolerable in the iDcrformance of theirduties. Such officers should never be promoted. Thefactthatthey are only tolerable, instead of good, should prevent their being pro- moted. If such a system were carried out we would keep only the best men. Senator Blackburn. What has been the result of your observation in that regard ! Is that rule adhered to, and is it carried out upon the line you suggest, Avith an officer who goes ahead of his grade for pro- motion naturally, with only a tolerable record, as you very aptly describe it? Does he not go through, or does he? Commodore Eamsay. Officers have been passed because there was nothing against them. The careful system that is now in operation has only beeii in operation about a year. Senator Blackburn. That leads me to the question I had in my mind to ask you awhile ago on this same subject: What has been the effect, in your judgment, of this comparatively recently established jjrac- tice of requiring semiannual reports from the connnauders of ships and shore stations, constituting a record here in the B'avy Department by which to guide the authorities in the matter of promotions? Has it been salutary or otherwise? Commodore Ramsay. I think it will be salutary. As I say, it has only been in operation for a short time. At first I think the officers were a little disposed to be as lenient as possible; but now we are get- ting some pretty plain answers. Senator Hale. These examinations are based upon blank circulars requiring answers to be filled out? Commodore Eamsay. Tes; the commanding officer is not allowed to make his report for a period less than three months. He makes his semiannual report of every officer of his ship or of the station he com- mands. If the report is from the commander in chief, he reports on his captains only, and he is obliged to state his opinion of the captains during that time. One of the questions required to be answered is : " Were you in command of a ship of war during time of war, would you have any objection to having this officer as one of the officers of the ship?" Senator Hale. That is a pretty penetrating question. Commodore Eamsay. Yes; that is a searching question. There is another question to be answered: "Would you, as commander, be willing to trust this officer upon hazardous and independent duty?" PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 187 Mr. Money. That means where he is on his own resources ? Commodore Eamsat. Yes ; where interrogatories as they are called are sent, they are answered under oath. The semiannual reports have certificates from the commanding oflQcers that the answers to the ques- tions are true and correct to the best of their knowledge and belief. Mr. Monet. Are these reports confidential, or are they put on file? Commodore Eamsat. They are put on file, but no one is allowed access to them but the ofiicer himself. Senator Blackbtten. But where any subordinate ofBcer is affected, he is given an opportunity to reply? Commodore Eamsat. The commanding ofiicer is obliged to furnish, to the ofQcer affected, a copy of his unfavorable report, and the sub- ordinate officer then has his opportunity to answer, and if he does not desire to answer he must so report in writing. Senator Hale. Has that system been in operation long enough so that occasion has arisen for action? Commodore Ramsay. Tes; in the case of one ofBcer, I think these reports may stop his promotion. Mr. Wadsworth. He is up for promotion? Commodore Eamsay. Yes. Mr. Monet. TVith reference to this retirement board you have spoken of, have they not in the British Xavy such a board working as a complement to the board of promotion and which works apparently satisfactorily there? Commodore Ramsay. I can not answer that question positively, but they have various ways in the British Xavy for getting rid of people; for instance, they leave an officer off duty for a certain number of years, and if he is off duty that number of years he retires under the orders of the admiralty. Senator Hale. "They take that way of getting rid of him"? Commodore Ramsay. Tes. I think if a captain is unemployed for seven years in the British Navy his career is ended. Mr. Money. Who determines that matter? . Commodore Ramsay. The board of admiralty. Mr. Money. That is equivalent, then, to a retiring board? Commodore Ramsay. Yes; the board of admiralty sits iu judgment on himj, that is all; they let him alone. I can not say positively, but I think that is the only way of getting rid of a captain in the British navy. Mr. Meyer. Is he then placed upon the retired list? Commodore Ramsay. Yes; they work their officers very differently from the way we do. Their a-ctive-list officers, with the exception of a few of the higher class, only do sea duty; they do not put their officers in navy-yards to do ordnance duty, equipment duty, and work of that description, as we do. Mr. Money. We do that because we have no shore duty for them to perform. Commodore Ramsay. Not only that, but I think every young officer in the service, as he comes home from each cruise, should be made to serve in each of the different branches of the service on shore, in order that he may learn the business of every part of a naval officer's duty, for he does not know when he may be called upon for that duty. Mr. Money. You would make him an all-around man? Commodore Ramsay. An all-round man; that is what we claim to do with our officers, and we very seldom find an officer who is not capable 188 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. of performing every duty that may be assigned him. I do not mean to say that some are not better than others. Mr. Monet. You do not think it necessary to have naval oiBcers detailed to perform clerical work in the Navy Department? Commodore Eamsat. No, sir; but much of the Department work must be done by men with technical knowledge. Of course clerks may in time be trained to carry on such work in a routine way, but we need officers who have technical knowledge to superintend the clerks and to direct the different branches. To do this properly an officer must often do clerical work himself. Mr. Monet. They are not employed siinpty to do clerical work that can be done by civilians'? Commodore Eamsat. Oh, no; not at all. Mr. Meter. Is the matter of the complement of ships' officers the result of legislation, or merely of regulation by the Department? Commodore Eamsat. It is a regulation by the Department. The Department puts the officers on board ship according to the duties that they have to perform. In the first place, there must be a captain of the ship; then, of course, there is the executive officer of the ship; then there is the navigator of the ship ; then come the watch officers. The number of watch officers is regulated by two things — the size of the ship and the battery that she carries. In order not to make it too hard on watch officers the Department gives most of the ships five watches. There are generally five divisions on board; that is, four gun divisions and thepowder division. The powder division is equally as important as the gun cTivisions, because if the ammunition is not properly supplied the guns are of no use. So that, except in small ships, eight line ofdcers are required for the duty mentioned. The division officers fight the battery, instruct the men in their vari- ous duties, and have the supervision of every detail connected with the ' ship and her exercises. The division officers personally instruct the enlisted men. The junior line officers assist, but the older line officers are responsible and do the work themselves. The junior line officers, such as ensigns, if there are any on board, do duty as mates of decks; for instance, one will have charge of the berth deck and the hold of the ship. It is his business to keep the berth deck in order and to keep the holds in proper order. If she is a gun -deck ship an ensign is needed as mate of that deck. Then it is usual, if we have an ensign to spare, to have a mate of the hull; that is not a necessity, however, because if there is a carpenter on board he can perform that duty. Then you want a signal officer, particularly on board a flag ship; but in the case of a squadron you want a signal officer on each of the ships in the squadron, and that officer is generally au ensign. The cadets are assigned to various duties which will instruct them in their duties as naval officers. They keep watch under the officer of the deck. If there are four on board they keep watch, as it is called, on the forecastle. There is always plenty for them to do. Mr. Meter. How many officers are usually assigned to ships of the first class ? Commodore Eamsat. The Department generally assigns 4 — a chief engineer and 3 assistants. Generally the assistants are 2 passed assist- ants and 1 assistant, or it may be 1 passed assistant and 2 assistants, just as they happen to be available. The chief engineer, of course, has direction of everything connected with the machinery and the boilers, and his assistants have the work of keeping in order the machinery and boilers divided among them; that is, into three portions; at least PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 189 that is tlie usual way of doing it. Then, when the ship is under way steaming, the assistants stand watch, but not in the old fashioned way when there were so many engineers aboard the ships that 1 kept watch iu the engine room and 1 in the fire room. Now, the assistant on watch has general charge and moves all around the engines and boilers and their dependencies. The engines themselves are handled by machinists. If it is a single-screw ship, there is 1 machinist on watch; if a double screw, there are 2; if a triple screw, there are 3 and the number of machinists assigned to a ship is regulated by the duties that are to be performed and by the peculiarities of the machinery. In port the engineers keep no watch. It is only when the ship is running that they keep watch. Mr. Meyer. Mr. Chairman, inasmuch as the hour for adjournment has arrived, I should like to have Commodore Eamsay come before us again, for the subject has not by any mean? Leen exhausted. Senator Blackburn. Without objection that will be considered as ordered by the ijommittee. Thereupon the joint subcommittee adjourned to meet on the call of the chairman. April 7, 1894. STATEMENT OF COMMODORE FRANCIS M. RAMSAY— Continued. Senator Bxjtler. Have you anything additional to state? Commodore Eamsat. When I appeared before the committee on the other occasion I stated that I had no plan to propose, because I am forced to admit that I can not satisfactorily work out a solution of the present difficulty in the line. Having made that statement, I have no bill or plan to present. I suggested some changes in the present laws which would tend to prevent in future this difficulty. Senator Butler. You have read the biU suggested by the Secretary of the NaVy, have you not? Commodore Ramsay. Yes. Senator Butler. Did you make any criticism on that in your former statement? Unfortunately, I was not able to be present at that time. Commodore Eamsay. Yes; I said that, in my opinion, the proposed system of forced retirement I thought objectionable, and gave my reasons. Senator Butler. Have you examined the bill suggested by Admiral Walker? Commodore Eamsay. I have read it. Senator Butler. His biU provides, I believe, for a system of selec- tions in promotions. Commodore Eamsay. Yes. Senator Butler. Lieutenant Colwell submitted a proposition pro- viding for what he called a reserve list, to which officers might be trans- ferred, as I understand it, without the privilege of promotion, and • assigned to the duties on shore which are now discharged by what he calls seagoing officers. Have you examined that proposition? Commodore Eamsay. I have read that bill. Senator Butler. Do you think that is practicable? Commodore Eamsay. I think there are many places on shore duty' that could be filled by officers on a reserve list equally as well as by 190 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. officers on the active list. But I know tbat there are other positions of shore duty that can not be so well filled by officers on the reserve list as by officers on the active list. Senator Butlbk. I think his proposition contemplated reserving a certain number of those cases for seagoing officers on the active list — I forget just how many of them — so that at the end of a three-year cruise they could have shore duty for a limited or prescribed time. I do not remember the details of the proposed bill, but I must confess that his idea made some impression on my mind as a means of reliev- ing this congestion that has been referred to. If there is anything additional you would like to say we shall be very glad, indeed, to hear you. Commodore Eamsay. The only thing that I would like to say is, that It would be a great mistake, in my opinion, to reduce the number of grades in the line. If the number of grades is reduced, as is proposed in some of the bills — for instance, such as abolishing the grade of lieu- tenant-commander, abolishing the lieutenant of the junior grade, and abolishing the grade of ensign — each grade that is abolished takes away an examination of the officer as to his qualifications, mentally, morally, professionally, and physically, and officers would go for years without an examination as to their qualifications in these respects. Senator Bxjtlek. When you get to the grade of commodore, do you think there is any necessity for retaining thaf? Commodore Eamsay. I would retain the grade of commodore. I see no objection to it. It is an intermediate grade between the grade of command and that of admiral, and it is a very suitable rank for many positions that we have. I would make 4 more admirals, increasing the number to 10, as an absolute necessity to meet the wants of the service. I would let the number of commodores stand as it is now. Senator Butler. You would give a commodore what you call fleet or squadron rank, would you not? Commodore Eamsay. Yes ; I would count him in with those of flag rank. The Medical Corps has discovered that it is a grave error that a man entering that corps is examined to go from the grade* of assist- ant surgeon to passed assistant surgeon, which examination takes place about three years after his entry into the service, and then he is not again examined for promotion until he has passed entirely through the grade of passed assistant surgeon and surgeon, and comes up for a medical inspector, which, in some cases, is quite a long period of years. The present Surgeon-General has called attention to this fact and has urged upon the Secretary of the Eavy the necessity of having another exam- ination for promotion from passed assistant surgeon to surgeon. The more examinations we have in the line the better do we keep people up to the mark. I do not so much mean examinations where people are asked questions and have to answer them, but it is the record that an officer establishes which should be carefully examined from time to time to determine his fitness for advancement or for retention. A man may be a very good officer for a number of years, and he may then become a very indifferent officer and still drag along. There are lieu- tenants coming up now for examination who have not had an examina- tion for twenty years. Those officers, under the old system, have very little record in the Department, and commanding officers of ships with whom they served fifteen or twenty years ago find it very difficult, when interrogatories are sent to them, to answer them. Senator Butlbk. For want of information. Commodore Eamsay. It is a question of memory for twenty years. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 191 The Department is trying to better that condition of affairs. One great advantage of having these steps is that it gives the Department an opportvinity to thoroughly inquire into an officer in every respect. Senator Butlee. And keep up his record? Commodore Eamsat. Tes; as to the numbers in the different grades ; that can very readily be established by considering the duties that require ofQcers of certain rank; that is, it is the custom to put officers of certain rank in certain positions. Eank adds dignity to position, and it is frequently very necessary for the efficiency of the service. It has been frequently quoted that officers of lower rank are in positions for which officers of higher rank are deemed necessary. That will continue to happen as long as influence can be brought to bear to get a man a place. One position that is frequently referred to is that a captaia commands the Mare Island navy-yard. The fact that a captain commands that yard does not make that the proper rank for the commander of that yard. Senator Butler. You think he ought to have higher rank? Commodore Eamsay. I think the commander of the Mare Island navy-yard should be an oificer of almost the highest rank. It is a very important yard, and is detached. Senator Butlee. With reference to influence, how are these matters regulated in the British service? The assignments are all made by the board of admiralty, are they not? Commodore Eamsay. They are made by what they call the three sea lords of the admiralty. The board of admiralty in the British service has two civilian lords and three sea lords, and matters relating to the personnel are managed by the three sea lords. Senator Butlee. Exactly; but they are not subjected to the influ- ences that we are in this country, are they? Commodore Eamsay. The whole English method is different from ours. Very few officers of the British navy are employed on shore stations — only some of the higher officers. You go to an English dock- yard and you do not find subordinate officers of the navy filling places that we consider it very advantageous to put them in. Senator Butlee. Are those duties i^erformed by civilians? Commodore Eamsay. Yes. Senator Butlee. The point I want to get at is whether or not in «ase of an assignment, such as you have just suggested, at the Mare Island navy- yard, or at Korfolk, or at any other duty of that kind, poli- ticians have anything to do with the matter. Commodore Eamsay. That I can not say. I take it for granted, how- €ver, that people get command over others, or get preference, so to speak, in the British service through influence as well as they do in other countries. But a captain is not likely there to get an admiral's position. A junior captain may get command in preference to a senior captain through interest, but a captain would not get a position that belonged to an admiral. Senator Butlee. So that there influence is not quite so powerful as it is with us ? Commodore Eamsay. Fot in that way Senator Butlee. Have you anything further to suggest? Commodore Eamsay. No, sir. Thereupon the joint subcommittee adjourned to meet upon the call of the chairman. 192 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Navy- Yard, Norfolk, April — , 1S94. Mt dear Senator : Naval officers at this station have learned with grave connera that the joint committee consider all testimony bearing upon the personnel of the- Navy as closed. This concern Is caused by the fact that according to the printed testimony given before the committee the officers that have testified, with one exception (Commodore Ramsay), are regarded by the service generally as represent- ing the radical element and not the conservative, vrhich is a great majority of our branch of the public service. When the j oint committee was approved the Navy at once entertained high hopes of remedial "legislation that would better the present stagnant condition of the line officers, which, while requiring prompt action, was not of the fearful nature pic- tured by the extremists that have appeared before the joint committee. The officers at this station and on board the ships arriving here considered the question of the needs of the line officers, and the expression of their views was regarded as a very conservative one. The only exception taken to the Secretary's bill was to the compulsory retirement feature, which was regarded as unAmerioan, contrary to all the traditions of the service, not well founded upon a reasonable basis, and if enacted would result in injury to the service and endanger the retired list, which Congress had created for every man in the service, from the lowest to the highest, in his old age or disability, and which has ever been regarded by the Navy with a jealous eye. The causes leading to the present congestion in the line undoubtedly are, (1) the large classes graduated from 1865 to 1869, (2) the placing in the regular service of a large number of volunteer officers, (3) the legislation of 1882, which caused all hands to mark time, as it were, for five years. This, I believe, has been made plain to the committee. The volunteer officers are now men well advanced in years for their grade, with two or three exceptions, and their training was not such as to enable them to face modern conditions of active naval service afloat in the new ships. Some legislation would therefore seem advisable that would tate this ele- ment out of the active list. Their services have been faithful and all over thirty years in length of time. With the exceptions mentioned, they can not hope to reach any higher grade by promotion, on account of the present age limitation. The great body of officers now in the command grades, with the exception of the volunteers, reached their command rank at early ages, varying from 25 to 40, and therefore have had much experience in command, the thing sought after by the framers of the bills presented to the committee. The question naturally arises, if these men possess already the needed experience, why the so-called necessity of annually selecting out a given number. The present congestion, it may safely be said, exists mainly from the lieutenant- commanders down through the grade of lieutenant. If the body is diseased, excision of the diseased parts becomes necessary. The surgeon does not cut away healthy portions to make room for further spread of the disease. This excision must be made by Congress, and the only question is how best to do it. Assuming that the smaller hump (the volunteers) may be justly offered retirement, and that there may occur occasional spots in the upper grade by reason of advancing years, there appears only one safe method of procedure, and that is to fix the ages at which officers must be removed from the active sea-going list, and make this limit as high as experience indicates, probably halfway between the French and English, plans. This would give the following: Captains, 58; commanders, 54; lieutenant-com- manders, 48 ; lieutenants, 45. It would not be wise to place such officers on the retired list, for possibly all could render most efficient service to the Government employed on shore duty. Thfr number would be iibout 150, or the size of the major hump. The naval service has always regarded with disfavor any form of selection — theoretically it may be the correct method — but "it is a condition that confronts us, not a theory," and the experience of war only can offer any reasonable defense for its operation. Existing law gives wide scope for selection in its full sense, and such power is daily used in. the administration of our Navy. This is as it should be, and the Navy generally believe this is as far as it is wise to allow such authority to be exercised. The officers at this station had hoped that the committee would, after hearing those near by, call for one, selected at the different home stations, to voice the sentiments of those in their vicinity, and in this way obtain the general sentiment of the serv- ice, which can be had in no other way. I have talked freely with all the officers at this station and those on board the ships here, and have written this to let you know what ideas those officers have who are not influenced by the peculiar surroundings of Washington. We all hope the committee may achieve something that will redound to the good of the service, feeling that the individual members are friendly to our branch of the public service. But at the same time we feel that conservatism should rule in any PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 193 legislation affectinc the Navy, and no extreme ideas prevail -without absolute proof of its necessity. A careful reading of the testimony given before the committee fails to show this proof except as to existing congestion in the lower half of the line officers on the active list. I feel I have a right to address you on this matter, you being a Senator from Kentucky and myself a citizen of that State. I hope yon may find time to carefully read and consider the subject referred to in this personal communication. Very respectfully, C. C. Todd, Ideutenant-Commander, U. S. N. Hon. J. C. Blackbukn. TT. S. Navy- Yard, Boston, Mass., March 31, 1894. Deab Sir: I send yon the inclosed report, trusting you will use it before your Naval Committee in our favor. Benefit of the mates in the TT. S. Navy. Very respectfully, Wm. Jknney, Mate, U. S. Navy. Hon. Matthew C. Butler, U. S. Senator. [Eeport Secretary of the Navy, 1883, vol. 1, p. 14.] MATES. Attention is also called to the position of the mates. The appointment of mates was a necessary measure during the war by reason of the deficiency then existing in the junior grades of line officers. The necessity has now passed away; but the 38 mates still in the service form a deserving body of men, who should not be dis- turbed as they are approaching old age. It is recommended that legislation be adopted discontinuing the appointment of mates, but applying the provisions of naval retirement to those now in the service. There are now (1894) 27 mates in the U. S. Navy. LINE 13 194 PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Saturday, April 14, 1894. The joint subcommittee met pursuant to the call of the chairman. Present, Senators Butler (chairman) and Hale and Mr. Meyer. William Walsh, gunner, U. S. Navy; Frank 0. Messenger, gunner, TJ. S. Navy, and E. W. Smith, carpenter, U. S. Navy, were also present. STATEMENT OF WILLIAM WALSH, GUNNER, U. S. NAVY. Senator Hale. Give the stenographer your full name and your pres- ent service. Mr. Walsh. William Walsh, gunner, U. S. Navy. Senator Hale. Where is your present place of service? Mr. Walsh. At the Washington navy-yard. Senator Hale. How long have you been there, at the navy-yard? Mr. Walsh. I have been there about two years, this last time. Senator Hale. What has been your service at sea? Mr. Walsh. I have been eleven years ait sea. Senator Hale. In what ships have you been? Mr. Walsh. I have been in the U. S. S. Minnesota, Bichmond, Swatara, Vandalia, Charleston, and others for shorter times. Senator Hale. How long have you been in the naval service? Mr. Walsh. Seventeen years. Senator Hale. How long have you been a gunner ? Mr. Walsh. I have been twelve years a gunner. Senator Hale. You are ranked as a warrant officer? Mr. Walsh. Tes, sir ; I am a warrant officer. Senator Hale. What is your pay? Mr. Walsh. My pay ranges from $700, on waiting orders, to $1,800, at sea — the highest. Senator Hale. Your full pay is $1,800? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. And your shore pay? Mr. Walsh. Shore pay ranges from $700 to $1,600, in a series of twelve years. Senator Hale. These other gentlemen who are here — are they war- rant officers also? Mr. Walsh. Mr. Messenger is a gunner and Mr. Smith is a carpen- ter, both warrant officers. Mr. McGee is a petty officer. Senator Hale. We have until 12 o'clock, and you should arrange among yourselves how that time is to be taken, so that you may each have an opportunity to be heard ; or perhaps you can agree that one of you shall occupy the time. Settle that among yourselves. Mr. Walsh. I will go on and make my statement, and be as brief as possible; these gentlemen can then be heard. Senator Hale. Go on in your own way, and state what you have to say to the committee, aside from your memorial. Q'he memorial can be printed. You need riot read it at this time. Mr. Walsh. I have a note or two that I would like to refer to. Since the Navy has been a navy, we the warrant officers have remained in the same position which we now occupy. We are warrant officers. We have no relative rank. In the earlier history of the Navy the con- dition of the men was such that our warrant gave us sufficient authority to carry out our work; but of late years the condition of the men has PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. 195 been improved, and very properly so, until at the present time the petty officers are receiving appointments and they make no distinction ■whether the appointment comes from the Secretary of the Navy, from a Bureau chief, or from the President. In that way, our position has been lowered, or at least kept at a standstill, while theirs has been brought up to ours, in a great measure. This leads to a great deal of conflict. Senator Hale. Of whom do you speak as the officers whose position has been brought up to yours"? Mr. Walsh. The petty officers. Senator Hale. Such as what? Mr. Walsh. Such as chief boatswain's mates, gunner's mates, and captains of tops. All these are now appointed olficers. All petty of- ficers now receive au appointment from the Navy Department. Senator Hale. Prom whom do you get your commission, if I may call it a commission'? Mr. Walsh. From the President. I have one here. Senator Hale. A regular commission'? Mr. Walsh. It is a warrant; but it is worded, and everything, the same as in a commission, but not confirmed by the Senate. But it is not generally recognized in the Navy as such. Senator Hale. The commissions of gunners are not sent to the Senate; are they"? Mr. Walsh. No sir. That is the only difference, and this has led to conflict; a captain of marines has made the point that a sergeant's warrant was of an older date than the gunners, thereby giving him precedence. _Our warrant comes from the President, and of course is of higher rank ; but that is not recognized by the marines and others. I have been told within the last six months by a captain of marines that warrant officers are not officers at all, and I had to go to higher authority to establish my rank. Senator Hale. Regular marine officers, down to lieutenants, of course, are commissioned by the President. Mr. WAiSH. They are commissioned by the President. Senator Hale. The minor officers in the marine — what are they called? Mr. WAiSH. They are noncommissioned officers, with a warrant from the colonel-commandant of the Marine Corps. Senator Hale. From the head of the corps'? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. The President does not give any commissions, then, to the minor officers in the Marine Corps'? Mr. Walsh. No, sir. Senator Hale. What are the minor officers in the regular Navy, including gunners? Mr. Walsh. Boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sailmakers. Senator Hale. They all receive such a commission as you have there? Mr. Walsh. Tes, sir; such as this. Senator Hale. Directly from the President? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. But the commissions are not sent to the Senate to be confirmed, like those of the ensigns? Mr. Walsh. No sir. In this connection, I wish to call attention to this — that we would like to have the same standing in our Navy as a warrant officer does in the English navy. A warrant officer in the English navy upon receiving an appointment takes rank with a sub- 196 PERSONNEL OF THL NAVY LINE. lieutenant. He tabes positive rank. We do not wish for that, but Ave would like to have an assimilated rank. Congress has passed a law, giving us assimilated rank, if the President, in his discretion, may deem necessary. That has never been promulgated. It has been on the statute books for a number of years, and if at that time Congress was warranted in giving us an assimilated rank of that kind, in a much greater degree would they be warranted in giving it now when our responsibilities and duties have increased many-fold since then; and we would now like to ask to have the opportunity to go as high as the assimilated rank or grade of lieutenant. Senator Hale. What is that statute which you refer to that gives the President such authority? Mr. Walsh. It is section 1491 of the Eevised Statutes. In the English navy they have this rank. They give them not assimilated rank, but ]30sitive rank. They are also, in many instances, sent to sea in lieu of a sublieutenant; and if they pass an examination in naviga- tion, they also gee extra emoluments. Senator Hale. Are they ever in absolute command of small craft! Mr. Walsh. They are in command of a number of torpedo boats, and smaller vessels. Senator Hale. The warrant officers! Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir; gunners and boatswains. 1 have here a naval register which gives them command of a great many of the smaller craft, and they are very often borne on the books in lieu of a sub- lieutenant. Speaking of the duties of a gunner, they are as dangerous as any other corps in the navy, and we think, to properly perform our duties, we should get the higher rank — something to carry more weight ■with it. A gunner is responsible, under the regulations, for all the ordnance equipment of a vessel, and in these times it is a great deal more of a responsibility than formerly. On shore we are in charge of magazines, and have charge entirely of all powder depots. The work (I quote the regulations) can not be carried on at those magazines unless the gun- ner is present; and furthermore, in loading and fusing shells the most dangerous part of the operation has to be done personally by the gun- ner; that is, he has to personally put in every shell, the fuse, after a rigid inspection, so that if there is any accident he is likely to be the one that is injured. Furthermore, we are required (although this is elec- tive) to go down in diving suits, and after the disaster at Samoa, two of our people were so badly injured from constant diving, that one of them is on the retired list now, and the health of the other is badly shattered. This would also give a great deal of advantage to the apprentice sys- tem. I was an apprentice boy and Mr. Messenger was an apprentice. We came from the lowest rank, and passed through all of the grades. Senator Hale. Did you come from the training school! Mr. Walsh. Yes, Sir; I was from the training school. I entered the training school as an apprentice. Shortly after I became 21 1 received my warrant. Until I go on the retired list 1 have no hope of reward. No matter how much 1 may study, I never can get advanced to a higher grade, or an increase of salary after 12 years' service. No matter how hard a man might study and try to elevate himself in the warrant offi- cers' grade, he would receive no more reward than the man who simply obeyed orders and performed his duties in a routine manner. Also, in this connection, if a commissioned officer performs a heroic act he can be promoted thirty numbers. He can get promotion for a heroic action. If an enlisted man performs a similar act be can become a warrant ofQ- PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 197 cer, with a gratuity of $100, and also a medal. If a warrant officer performs an act of heroism there is no promotion whatever. Numbers do not count. He may be thirty on the list of gunners, and it would not increase his pay, his emoluments, or his standing to be advanced further in numbers. We respectfully request that all those who have served a term of twenty years may be granted a rank of chief warrant offlcer, with the rank and pay of a lieutenant as in first five years, but that we shall have no additional right to command, or interfere in any way whatever with the prerogatives of other commissioned oificers. Senator Hale. Have you warrant officers embodied the views which you present in the form of a bill? Mr. Walsh. It is stated in this petition which I present to the com- mittee 5 not in any bill. Senator Hale. It is of great advantage to the committee, in respect of anything that is sought in the way of new legislation upon this matter of reorganizing the personnel, to have the views of the difierent grades and ranks put into the form of a bill which would cover the points of each grade. Otherwise you are not apt to get exactly what you want. Can you do that in a few days, and send it to the com- mittee? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. I will put it in a separate bill. Senator Hale. Are your views stated in this pajjer in form, or as a matter of discussion'? Mr. Walsh. They are stated in form. Senator Hale. A bill such as you want? Mr. Walsh. Yes sir. Senator Hale. That is sufficient, if you have it stated in that paper. Have you put it into the form of sections'? Mr. Walsh. I did not number the sections 5 but it is put in para- graphs. Senator Hale. In legal form'? Mr. Walsh. No sir; it is not in legal form. Senator Hale. Leave that with the committee. The said paper introduced by Mr. Walsh is as follows. Jn explanation of duties and responsiMUties of the Naval Warrant Officers of the JJ. S. Navy, with an earnest request that their status he improved iy the honorable commit- tee now considering the personnel of the Navy. The facts in the case being as follows : An enlisted man or boy promoted to a Warrant Officer in the Navy, or appointed from civil life, is debarred by all laws from ever attaining a higher rank than that of a Warrant Officer. - This is the only branch of military organization of the United States where merit has no reward. Attention is respectfully invited to the English navy, where an enlisted man pro- moted to a Warrant Officer ranks with sublieutenant, and after a term of years is promoted to Chief Warrant Officer, with the rank of lieutenant. {See Queen's regu- latious.) Attention is also invited to the law of Congress, section 1491, Revised Statutes, conferring assimilated rank on Warrant Officers, the promulgation of which has been successfully opposed by persons unfavorable to the Warrant Officers. The public schools of our country teach that one may aspire to any position. In the Navy it is taught that there is no reward for merit, so far as promotion from the ranks is concerned; and that an aspiring American having an aptitude for the serv- ice can never attain more than a warrant officer's position. While the responsibili- ties of tliis grade are as great as others, no promotion in the future helps to arouse their ambition. Warrant officers may be sent to take charge of stores on foreign stations (sec. 1438, Rev. Stats.), and are stationed at mary important and responsible shore sta- 198 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY — LINE. tions, and it is earnestly requested that the honorable committee grant promotion to them as follows, viz : First [ive years after date of appointment, to he warranted as boatswains, gun- ners, carpenters, and sailmakers. After five years from date of appointment to be commissioned, boatswains, g-nuners^ carpenters, and sailmakers, with relative rank of ensign. That after twelve years from date of appointment to rank with jnnior lieutenant; after twenty years from date of appointment to be commissioned as chief boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sailmakers, with the relative rank and pay of a lieutenant, as on the tirst five years. The pay to remain the same as now provided by law for warrant officers until the highest rank is reached. This would give the enlisted men more certain promotions, and be an incentive for the best men to remain in the service. Provided that nothing in the above would give additional rights to command, and would in no way interfere with any other grade now in the service, nor with quarters on board ship. The position of a warrant officer in the Navy is now an anomalous one, there being no similar rank in the Army, Marine Corps, or Militia. This leads to con- fusion, and in the event of cooperation with the Army, would lead to conflict of authority which would not be the case if relative rank as above were given. The following are the requirements for entry in the service, and the subsequent duties and responsibilities of the warrant officers : "Sec. 1406, E. S. Boatswains, gunners, carpenters and sailmakers shall be known and entered upon the Naval Register as 'warrant officers in the Naval Service of the United States.'" "Skc. 1417, E. S. In the appointment of warrant officers in the naval service of the United States preference shall be given to men who have been honorably dis- charged upon the expiration of an enlistment as an apprentice or boy to serve during minority, and reenlisted within three months after such discharge to serve during a term of three or more years: Provided further, That nothing in this act shall be held to abrogate the provisions of section fourteen hundred and seven of the Kevised Statutes of the United States." Chapter II, Aeticlb 27, U. S. Naval Regulations. Boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sailmakers are warrant officers. They have no relative rank, but shall take precedence of each other according to the date of their warrants ; in case the warrants of twoor more are of the same date, then accord- ing to the order in which their names are borne upon the official Navy register as kept in the Navy Department. They shall, under their snperiors,*have all necessary authority for the due performance of their duties, and they shall be obeyed accord- ingly. They shall take precedence of all mates, petty officers, and noncommissioned officers of the Marine Corps. For requirements to become a boatswain in the U. S. Navy : "862. A candidate for boatswain's appointment must be of sober and correct habits: except when an ex- apprentice, he must not be less than twenty-one nor more than thirty-five years of age; he must have beea at least seven years at sea and have served one complete year of that time as a petty officer in the Navy; he must be a thorough, practical seaman, and understand the rigging of ships according to regulations, and the cutting and fitting of the same; also the weighting, catting, fishing, securing, and transportation of anchors and the working of cables; the erection and securing of shears, the handling of purchases, the masting of ships, the securing of yards, and be able to write sufficiently well to keep an account of stores." For the duties of a boatswain during time of action see Ordnance Instructions, p. 85, paragraphs 155 to 161, inclusive, and also 162, hereunto appended. "162. The boatswain, beingan assistant of the navigator, is to see that the rig- ging, especially forward, is kei)t clear, and that all damages are promptly reported and repaired. If his seniors are absent, he will prepare the division and report it to the executive officer." BOATSWAIN and GUNNER. 469. They must, with the yeoman, carefully examine all the articles belonging to, and all stores received for, their respective departments, and see that they aro of good quality, that they agree in quantity with the invoice or bill sent with them, and that they are in good order^ and must make immediate report to the executive officer of any defect or deficiency which they may discover. 470. They are resijonsible for all articles in their departments not in the immedi- ate charge of the yeoman, and particularly for the careful preservation of all tools PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. IQg or implements issued by the yeoman for the use of their cepaTtments. They will retain for survey all of these that may become worn out or otherwise rendered unfit for further use, as their responsibility with regard to them will not cease until they have been formally disposed of by survey. 471. They shall request a survey upon all stores which may be injured or become unfit for service in their respective departments, and such as the surveying officers condemn shall be expended, preserving a copy of the survey as a voucher; but il the survey shall direct articles to be converted to some other use, they shall be charged accordingly and expended in the same mauner as any other stores. 472. They shall be particularly watchful and make immediate report to the execu- tive officer of any neglect or misconduct which they may discover in the yeoman or person having charge of their stores. 473. When a ship is about to be dismantled, they are to be careful that all the arti- cles belonging to their respective departments are properly secured and tallied, with their name and quantity, whether "serviceable," "requiring repairs," or "unserv- iceable," and that all precautions are taken to prevent their being in any manner injured. They will only receive credit according to the receipt given for them by the naval storekeeper, or other person into whose charge they may be delivered, or according to the report of the surveying officers duly appointed, and they will attend the survey which may be made to ascertain the quantity of stores so returned by them, and will be called upon to account for any deficiency that may be found to exist. 474. They are to report daily, at morning inspection and at 8 p. m., to the execu- tive officer, the state of all things in their respective departments. 475. The boatswain is to be generally upon deck iu the day and at all times by both day and night when any duty shall require all hands to be employed. He, has with his mates, to see that the men go quickly upon deck when called, and that when there they perform their duty with alacrity. 476. He is, every day, before 7 :30 a. m ., and as much oftener as may be desirable, according to the service the ship is employed on, to examine the state of the rigging, to ascertain whether any part be chafed or likely to give way, and to report to the officer of the deck the state in which he finds it. He is at all times to be careful that the anchors, booms, and boats be properly secured; and he is to be very atten- tive to have ready a sufficient number of mats, plats, nippers, points, and gaskets, that no delay or inconvenience may be experienced when they are wanted. 477. He shall be particularly careful that the masts of the ship are not crippled or strained in setting up the stays and rigging, and that the masts retain the same angle with the keel after the stays and rigging are set up that they did when they were only wedged. 478. He is to be very attentive when working up junk that every part of it is converted to such purpose as may be ordered. 479. When the ship is preparing for battle he is to be very particular in seeing that everything necessary for repairing the rigging is in its proper place, that the men stationed in that service may know where to find immediately what may be wanted. Chaptbe XVIII, Article 742, Naval Eegulations. Warrant officers shall act as assistants to the heads of departments to which they belong; the boatswain and saihnakers to the equipment officer; the gunners to the ordnance officer, and the carpenter to the construction officer. They shall also per- form such other duties as may be assigned them by superior authority. Page 166 : The gunner shall faithfully comply with the ordnance instructions in reference to the care and use of ordnance material. Page 166: When at sea he shall carefully attend to the security of the battery and use of every effort at all times to prevent injury to any part of the armament. Page 166 : He shall faithfully supervise all ordnance work and carefully collect data for the ordnance returns. Page 166: He shall perform any clerical services for the ordnance officer that the latter may require in connection with ordnance accounts and returns. Page 166: He shall be responsible for the efficient condition of the life buoys and shall test them as often as necessary in order to insure their good condition. They must be kept ready for use at sea and in port, and kept primed or ready for lighting between sunset and sunrise. Article 750 (p. 167) : He shall always report to the executive and ordnance offi- cers any repairs to the armament or other work in his department that he deems necessary. '2(30 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. Article 751 ( p. 167 ) : He stiall be accouutable to the executive and ordnance offi- cers for the couditiou of tlie armament and ordnance stores. He sliall issue no ordnance stores without authority from the ordnance officer. Article 752 (p. 167) : His station at quarters shall be iu accordance With the ord- nance instructions; when all hands are called it shall be where the captain may direct. Article 589 ( p. 130 ) : When a ship is about to be put out of commission the ordnance officer and the gunner shall not be detached until the report of the sur- vey on ordnance stores has been made, and not then unless it is satisfactory, except by special direction of the Navy Department. Aeticle 1690, U. S. Naval Ekgulations. A candidate for the appointment of gunner must be a seaman of correct habits ; except when an ex-apprentice, he must be not less than 21 nor more than 30 years of age. No person shall bo appointed an acting gunner until he shall have satisfac- torily passed an examination on the subjects herein mentioned at the Washington navy-yard before a duly authorized board of lino officers ; and no acting gunner shall recei\'e a warrant as gunner unless he shall present commendatory letters from the captain under whom he has served, after making a cruise of not less than one year as acting gunner in a sea-going ship of war. 2. He must be able to read and write with facility ; must understand the first four rules of arithmetic and proportion, and must be able to keep the gunner's accounts correctly. 3. He must understand the construction, mode of dismounting and assembling, and the method of remedying difficulties and defects in B. L. rifles, B. L. howitzer, all revolving cannon and macbine guns of service types, and the magazine rifles and other small arms in the naval service ; also the use of such tools as are supplied for repairing ordnance at sea. 4. He must be able to put up all kinds of ammunition, to take impressions of vent and bore, to star-gauge guns, to adjust, verify, and use sights, to fit all gnu gear, and thoroughly understand and be able to explain all fuses in use in the Navy. 5. He must understand the manner of fitting magazines, shell rooms, shell houses, and light rooms; the manner of stowing and preserving powder, projectiles, fire- works, and all ordnance stores afloat and on shore, and the manner of handling and securing guns. 6. He must be fully conversant with all orders and regulations in regard to the care and handling of ordnance material and stores afloat and ashore, and with the charges of powder for guns and projectiles of every caliber. 54. He shall attend personally at the ordnance store where his stores shall be delivered to him, the inspector of ordnance furnishing him with means of transpor- tation and men for stowing them in their appointed places on board ship when the crew is not available for this purpose. He is to be especially careful that the equip- ments and stores belonging to the magazine are arranged therein in conformity to ordnance instructions. Chapter xii, Part iii, should he consulted, as it treats of the ordnance stores. 55. He is to examine and report daily, before 10 a. m. and 8 at p. m., whether the ordnance equipment of the vessel is in order and in place. His attention is to bo specially directed to the guns and their equipments, the shells on deck, the ammu- nition and whips, etc., for supplying the same, divisional arm chests and boxes, machine and small arms, the torpedo outfit, and the state of the armory and various ammunition rooms. He shall report to the executive officer without delay defects deficiencies that he may discover at any other time. 56. The guns and their equipments are to be kept as dry as possible, and no salt water used in cleaning them. 57. Whenever the magazines or shell rooms are opened, he is to take every pre- caution to guard against accident by fire; to examine particularly that all the men stationed in any way in or about the magazine, embracing all stationed within the magazine screen, put on the magazine dress and shoes, and on no account have any- thing metallic about them, and that no improper articles are introduced. He will also see that all the articles required for sweeping and removing loose powder are at hand, and that those operations are performed before the magazine is closed. He will see that all persons on duty about the magazine or shell rooms are familiar with the position and operation of the flood and waste cocks. 58. The powder tanks containing charges for each class of guns are to be stowed on their sides, with the lids next the alleys and hinges down near the magazine scuttles through which these charges are to be delivered, the service charges nearest the scuttle. When tanks are emptied they are to be stowed on the upper shelves in PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 201 order that the powder may he kept as much as possible helow the water line. If any powder is carried in barrels they must he kept carefully chocked and secured. 59. The tanks are never to he opened unless hy special order or when powder is actually required for service, and then no more of the lids are to he uncovered than is necessary for immediate supply. The strictest attention to this regulation is re- quired of the gunner, as experience has proved that the preservation of the powder in good condition depends upon the entire exclusion of damp air. 60. In time of war passing boxes are to have service charges kept in them ready for passing up at once. 61. No loose powder is ever to betaken or carried on board ship, and all, whether public or private belonging to officers, must he safely stowed in tlie magazines. 62. Nothing is permitted to be kept in the magazine passage but flannel dresses, empty powder boxes, and canvas shoes for the magazine men. 63. The charges and projectiles for howitzers are now put up separately, the car- tridges being packed in tanks and stowed in the magazine with the other powder, while the projectiles are packed in boxes as before and stowed iu the shell rooms. 64. No coopering is ever to be done in the magazines of ships. In case cartridges are to be filled from powder in barrels the hoops and heads must he slacked on the orlop or berth, after which the filling can be done in the magazine or in any place suitably prepared. 65. If a hose is attached to the flood of a magazine it shall never be bighted or stopped up, hut shall always be led out fair for use. fi6. FUled hollow projectiles are to be stowed iu boxes in the shell rooms. Each caliber shall form a separate mass or range, which shall be divided vertically into lots, each consisting of projectiles of the same nature. These lots shall be subdi- vided vertically according to the kind of fuse or the time of burning. Battens must be placed if necessary, to keep the shells from falling down, and pieces of board placed upright between the lots will serve to keep them distinct. 67. Filled torpedoes may he stowed in the shell rooms; empty ones in a torpedo room or in any convenient dry place. The stowage of those of elaborate or special form will be governed by directions from the Bureau. 68. All metallic cartridges for small arms, percussion caps, and percussion or fric- tion primers, or other articles containing ftilminating matter, must be kept in boxes prepared for the purpose, and the boxes must be stowed separately from other arti- cles in a dry, secure, and safe place, under lock and key, and are on no account to be put iu the magazine. It is recommended that they he distributed in two or three places, a portion conveniently at hand. 69. The fireworks, after carefully removing all fulminating matter, such as caps or primers, if any such bo used to ignite them, are to be stowed in their proper packing boxes in other light boxes of suitable length, made water tight, with lock and key, and to fit between the beams and carlings of the gun decks of frigates and berth decks of single-decked vessels. Those for immediate use must he placed, if possible, so as to be constantly under the care of the sentinel at the cabin doors. In no case, however, are they to he placed over any standing light or lantern. 70. All ammunition packing boxes, shell bags, or other coverings, and all metal cases are to be preserved and returned into store at the end of the cruise. 71. When the charges are ordered to be drawn before entering a friendly port the gunner is to be particularly attentive to assure himself that no shot or wad is left in any gun. 72. In saluting he is to guard against accident in loading, pointing, and firing, and to be particularly careful in reloading, where that operation is unavoidable. With the B. L. howitzers used for saluting the sponge must be passed through the bore after each fire. 73. Whenever M. L. guns are to be struck below or prepared for transportation the gunner will see that the bores are washed with fresh water, carefully spouged, thoroughly dried, and coated with melted tallow, and a wad dipped in the same material inserted and connected with a tompion by a lanyard. He is to see that the tompion is put in securely and the vent and all screw holes stopped by a plug of soft wood and puttied over. 74. In the case of B. L. great guns the following rules will be observed: The breech closure (including the trays and gas check) will he removed and boxed, the unpainted iron and sleel parts being coated with white lead and tallow. The whole bore of the gun shall be cleaned as prescribed above and thoroughly coated with white lead and tallow. It shall be stopped at each end by a tompion or suitable stopper, a groove being cut in the after tompion at its lowest point, and the whole is to he so arranged as to exclude water from the bore and to allow any moisture of condensation therein to be drawn off by the groove. The muzzle tompion should be puttied in and the muzzle slightly elevated. The vent and all screw holes must he filled as directed for M. L. guns. A B. L. gun shall always he stowed with the axle of the trunnions horizontal. 202 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 75. In the absence or illness of the gunner, his general duties will devolve on the chief gunner's mate, under the suijevvision of the ordnance ollicer. 76. If he shall discover any articles to he liable to injury, or find any damaged, he will ask in writing for a survey to be held to determine the degree of liability to injury and its cause, or the amount and cause of damage. A copy of this request and also of the report of survey, is to be furnished to him as a voucher by the officer ordering the survey. 77. When the ordnance outfit is placed on board of a ship, it shall be accompanied by an "invoice" or complete list of the articles furnished, showing number, prices, and weights. A ledger and suitable account books shall also be furnished. When ordnance articles are received during tlie cruise, either by inirchase or otherwise, they shall be entered on the ledger, and at the end of the cruise a memorandum, showing prices, etc., as above, shall he appended to the ship's original invoice. The gunner shall keep a minute book of all receipts and expenditures, and on Monday of each week shall submit it to the ordnance officer for examination and approval. Within ten days after the expiration of each quarter, and at the end of the cruise, he shall have tide ledger posted and his quarterly return made out in the required form. These books shall be signed by him, certified correct by the ordnance officer, and approved by the captain. The quarterly return shall be forwarded to the Bureau. If the gunner is to be relieved during the cruise the ledger shall be posted, and the relieving officer shall take an inventory of the stores and give his predecessor a receipt for such as he finds. If the inventory should he short of the final columns of the ledger the relieving gunner shall inform the ordnance and executive offi cers. ■The captain will call upon the retiring gunner for a statement in writing of the reasons for the deficiency. If the captain considers the reasons satisfactory he will direct the necessary deductions to be made from the final columns of the ledger, sending a copy of the gunner's statement and of his own order with the next quar- terly return. If the reasons are considered unsatisfactory the captain will direct a new account to be opened in the ledger, and will send at once to the Bureau a copy of the list of deficiencies and of the statement of the retiring gunner. The latter is not usually to receive his detachment (unless his stores are found correct) until he has handed in his written statement. If, however, circumstances should have re- quired his immediate detachment the list of deficiencies above referred to will be sent to the Bureau with information that the officer has been detached. When a vessel is to be put out of commission or when her ordnance outfit is to be formally turned over to a navy-yard aud the gunner discharged of responsibility therefor, the ledger shall be posted, signed, oertitied, and approved as above directed. The invoice (with appendix) and the ledger shall then be delivered to the inspector of ordnance for use in the examination and survey of the stores and for ultimate transmission to the Bureau. If deficiencies are discovered, or injuries apparently due to want of care, the gun- ner will be called upon to show cause for them in writing, and his statement will be forwarded to the Bureau with the report of survey. The gunner will receive from the inspector of ordnance a receipt in general terms for the ordnance and stores of the vessel, and upon it will be noted such articles as are deficient by the final columns of the ledger and such as may have been injured, as above mentioned. The gunner must show this receipt to the officer to whom he applies for detachment from the vessel. The above rules apply to any person who may be acting as gunner. If the ship is to be put out of commission he shall, after the stores are landed, per- sonally inspect the magazines and their passages, shell rooms, ordnance storerooms, and lockers, and report in writing to the commanding offloer that they have been so inspected aud are empty. 78. When powder tanks are landed from a vessel they are inspected by the ord- nance department of the yard at the magazine landing, in order to ascertain whether they show marks of injury or careless handling. 79. When target practice is ordered he will superintend the rigging of the targets by his crew (assisted by the carpenters, if necessary), and will sec that such fused projectiles as have been longest on deck are presented for first use, if they are in proper couditiou. After practice with small or machine arms, he will collect the empty cartridge shells for reloading. The value of the empty shell is about two-thirds of the cost of the cartridge, and they can be reloaded ten times. 1043. After the survey the conditions of the articles turned in will be reported by the inspector of ordnance (Form No. 15-0), in order that the care and attention of the gunner may be known and properly appreciated by the Bureau. Both ordnance ledger and invoice are to be forwarded to the Bureau with the report of survey. 1046. In the absence of the inspector his duties will devolve on the senior assist- PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 203 ant, and if from any unforeseen cause tlie inspector and all his assistants should he absent, the senior gunner may temporarily discharge the duties of the office, with the sanction of the commandant of the yard. CARPENTER. A candidate for the appointment as carpenter in the Navy must be of correct liahits. Except when an ex-apprentice he must be not less than 21 nor more tliau 30 years of age. Before appointment he shall pass a satisfactory examination as to his professional, moral, and physical qualiiications, the professional and moral exam- ination being conducted by a board of three officers appointed by the Secretary of the Navy, and composed of a naval constructor and a carpenter. The candidate must satisfy the examining board that he is a good mechanic, having a general knowledge of practical shipbuilding in wood, iron, and steel, and of the qualities and strength of the materials used therein. He must be able to read plans, luaUe working sketches, furnish estimates of cost of work, and keep accounts of stores. He must understand in general the care and preservation of ships, their equipment and fitting, and the care and operation of such apparatus and machinery as he may be required to look after ou board ship. He mnst also be familiar with the precautions necessary to be taken in docking and undooking ships. 1. The carpenter shall make himself familiar with the regulations and such other instructions as may be Issued from time to time concerning the care, preservation, and repair of ships, and shall strictly carry them out. 2. He shall supervise the work done by the mechanics placed under him. 3. He shall sec that all fire-extinguishing apparatus except the steam fire pumps and their appurtenances (which are under the charge of the senior engineer) are kept in order and always ready for immediate use. He shall he held accountable for the good condition of all hand pumps, with their attachments, pipes, drains, valves, and other appurtenances. . 4. He shall keep in place and ready for use at all times the apparatus used for battening down hatches. 5. He shall see that the air and all other ports are kept in good order and water- tight. They shall only be opened at sea by permission of the executive officer, and both their opening and closing shall he reported to the officer of the deck. 6. He shall frequently examine the lightning conductors and see that they are kept in good condition. 7. He shall, so far as possible, keep at hand and ready for use apparatus for repair- ing damages received in action. 8. He shall take the draft of water when entering and just before leaving port, and report it to the navigator. 9. He shall, except where otherwise directed, be held responsible for the cleanli- ness and good condition of the capstans, windlass, steering engines, winches, pumps, valves, air ducts, and pipes ; so far as possible the mechanics under him shall be utilized in the care and operation of the machinery under his charge, but such addi- tional men shall be detailed as may be uecessary for their proper care and operation. 10. When at sea he shall examine the spars during every morning watch and report their condition to the officer of the deck. Article 754: He shall always report to the executive officer any repairs that he may deem necessary. Article 755 : He shall be accountable to the executive officer for the condition of all constmction stores, whether in use or not. Article 756 : His duty in action is to repair damages, his station at quarters for inspection and at all hands shall be as the captain may direct. THE REQUIREMENTS NECESSARY TO BECOME A SAILMAKBR IN THE NAVY. 865. A CBjididate for a sailmaker's appointment must he of sober and correct habits; except when ex-apprentice he must not be less than 21 or more than 35 years of age ; he must be a good workman in his line of bus iness ; be capable of draft- ing, and understand thoroughly the cutting and making of sails, awnings, hammock cloths, boom covers, and wind sails for a vessel of war, and be able to write sufficiently well to keep an account of stores. 590. The sailmaker is, every day, before half pa'st 7 a. m., and as much oftener as the service on which the ship is employed may render desirable, to examine the sails in use, and report to the officer of the deck their condition. 591. Before the sails are received on board he is to examine them carefully, and report to the executive officer, should he discover any defects. He is to examine the sail rooms frequently, to see that the sails are kept perfectly diy and free from vei- 204 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. mill. He is to keep tlie sails properly tallied, and so stowed that lie may \>e ahle to find easily any oue wanted. When sails are to be landed, he- is to see that they i>ro dry, well made up, and tallied. "The sailmaker may be detailed to the powder division, and could attend more particularly to the passage of projectiles." lu addition to duties assigned to warrant ofiScors by the United States Naval Regu- lations and Ordinance Instructions, they are frequently called upon by their com- manding officers to perform deck watch, forecastle watch, take charge of boats and divisions, and such other duties as are incident to the service while at sea, and to per- form such duties as the honorable Secretary of the Navy may'desiguate on shore, such as keepers of magazines, experts in the general stores, watch aiul division offi- cers on receiving ships, naval ordinance proving ground, Naval Academy, torpedo station, and oarpeuters as assistants to naval constructors. A EIXiL to increase the efficiency of the Corps of warrant officers. Be it enacted iy the Senateand Soiiseof Bepresentativesof the United States of America in Congress assemhled, That flrst five years from date of appointment boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sailmakers shall be warranted, after five years from date of appointment, to be commissioned boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sail- makers, with the relative rank of ensign; that after twelve years from date of appointment to rauk with junior Lieutenant ; that after twenty years from date of appointment to be commissioned as chief boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sailmakers, with the relative rank and pay of a Lieutenant as on first five years; Provided, That the pay remain the same as now allowed by law for warrant offlcers until the highest rank is reached: Provided, That nothing in the above shall give additional rights to command, nor to additional quarters on board ship; Provided, That the minimum number of the above grades authorized by law shall be fifty each. Mr. Meter. Do you liold in your rank of gunner, Mr. Walsh, the highest noncommissioned rank ? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir; it is the highest. Mr. Meyer. I have prepared quite a bill, but have not had a chance to correct it. I simply had it jotted down, in order to formulate some- thing deiinite to cover some of these points; but it is too long, I think. Under existing law and regulations, you cannot rise any higher? Mr. Walsh. So, sir; no promotion whatever. Mr. Meyer. You have been in the service how long? Mr. Walsh. Seventeen years, sir. Mr. Meyer. How old are you? Mr. Walsh. I am 33 years of age. Mr. Meyer. Do you know what the requirements are for the posi- tion of ensign? For instance, a young man, to be admitted as ensign in the U. S. Navy, has to graduate at Annapolis? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. Mr. Meter. And has to possess certain qualifications and attain- ments? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. Mr. Meyer. Do you think it would be practicable for a man situated like you to perfect himself sufficiently to pass such an examination ? Mr. Walsh. They could peifect themselves, \\'ithout doubt, but I think it would be a hard matter to get the position. I tliink the oppo- sition would be too great. Mr. Meyer. I do not want any views as to that. I only wish your views as to practical ability. Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir; persons could perfect themselves. Senator Hale. That is, you think a bright man, as a gunner — this is merely in the line of suggestion — might by study fit himself so that he would be equal to do the work and perform the duties of an ensign? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. Without going to the Academy? PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 205 Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir; or those of a junior lieutenant. Mr. Meyer. It would be a difficult matter, but, in your judgment, it could be accomplished? Mr. Walsh. It could be accomplished. Mr. Meyee. My object in asking that question is simply this: I am in favor of such legislation as will aiford enlisted men and warrant offi- cers the opportunity to become commissioned officers, if they possess the requisite qualifications. I believe that young men can, by diligent study and hard work, acquaint themselves, and acquire the necessary knowledge; but yet I appreciate it would be an exceedingly difficult mabter, and they would be laboring under some disadvantage. In your judgment, it could be done? Mr. Walsh. It could be done; but I do not think that that would inure to the benefit of apprentices as much as the things that we ask for here. Mr. Meyek. Why not? Mr. Walsh. Because there would be only one or two who could get it. There is a greater number of warrant officers, and that would allow a greater number of apprentice boys to be promoted to that grade; and then, for instance, after they were made warrant officers, if there were a couple of vacancies allowed in the grade of junior lieutenant each year, the warrant officers who are most nearly of the proper age could take the examination, and if competent to pass the same go in the regular line of promotion. At the same time the war- rant officers who do not take this examination should be given au assimilated rank up to the grade of lieutenant. Mr. Meyer. Why should that be limited? Why should not a man who enters the !N"avy as an enlisted man, and who has qualities which may enable him to accomplish results the same as commissioned offi- cers do, have the same opportunity by legislation- which we might enact, to aspire to be an admiral of the Navy? Mr. Walsh. He could go right up in that line; but our object in asking for this was to make a moderate request — not to ask too much. We think we deserve what we are asking for, and we do not want to create any opposition, or anything like that. Mr. Meyer. Ton must understand that in framing our legislation we are not legislating especially for you, or for any particular class. It is not what you want especially. It is what we think the enlisted men of the Navy should have, the chance that should be given to Ameri- can sailors to attain the very highest prizes in the profession. Mr. Walsh. They could be taken from the warrant officers after they have prepared themselves; but I think it would be a very limited number who could attain such positions. Senator Hale. You think the benefit to these lower grades would be greater if you were allowed a little more promotion to assimilated lieu- tenancies ? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. You think that would be a greater general benefit than the one feature of one or two men getting in possibly as lieuten- ants and going higher? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. Your grades as grades would share in the benefit more in that way than in the other? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir; because in one case a gunner or boatswain would be the only ones to get in as a line officer, and if that was the only chance open it would leave out others in the different grades. 206 PERSONTSfEL OP THE NAVY LINE. Senator Halb. Ts there any order of precedence in tLese different grades, gunners, boatswains, and others, or do they all rank alike. Jilr. Walsh. They all rank alike. But a boatswain takes precedence of a gunner, a gunner of a carpenter, and a cari^enter of a sailmaker. Senator Hale. That is the order, is it; boatswain, gunner, carpenter, and sailmaker? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. .► Mr. Meyer. What advantage would an assimilated rank be? Mr. Walsh. It would give us a better standing on board ship, and give us the necessary weight of rank to properly perforin the duties that we are now called upon to perform, because when the petty ofiicers receive an appointment they do not distinguish it from a President's appointment, or a Secretary's appointment, or a bureau chief's appoint- ment, and they think they are all equal; and, while we can get the duties performed, they are performed much more reluctantly by them than if we had sufficient rank to make it imperative. Senator Hale. You have been to the training school. That is a sub- ject I am interested in. Where do the boys, after their course at the training school, generally go? Mr. Walsh. They go to seagoing vessels until their apprenticeship has expired. Senator Hale. And after their apprenticeship has expired? Mr. Walsh. They stay out of the Navy, in most cases. Senator Hale. They stay out of the Navy? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. How long were you in the training school? Mr. Walsh. I was a year on the training ship and then three years on a seagoing vessel afterwards. Senator Hale. AVhile you were on the training ship, what was your age? Mr. Walsh. I was between IG and 17. Senator Hale. How many boys were there at the time on the train- ing shij)? Mr. Walsh. There were 400. Senator Hale. When you went on shipboard for further training, how many of these 400 went on shipboard? Mr. Walsh. Seventy-five. Senator Hale. What became of the others ? Mr. Walsh. There is one of them a gunner, and I have met two in the service since that time. That is all. Senator Hale. Of the 400 that were in ihe training ship, only 75, you say, remained ? Mr. Walsh. Seventy-flve were carried on board the same ship with me. The others were sent to different ships. The others were in time transferred to other cruising ships. Senator Hale. What was your ship? Mr. Walsh. The Richmond. Senator Hale. Of the 75 apprentices who went, after a year's service or training on the training shij), at the end of your course, on the BiehmoncI, what became of them? How many went into the service? Mr. Walsh. I have only met two in the service, one of whom was afterwards discharged, and another who came in temi)orarily until he got a better position. After that he left; but there is another one that is now a gunner in the service. Senator Hale, Take any case where you have been on shipboard in PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 207 regular naval service as a gunner. How many of the warrant offi- cers who had been in the ship with you came from the training school? Mr. Walsh. All, since 1875, with one or two exceptions, have been appointed from the training school — all the giinners and boatswains, and there are 28 of them, out of about 15,000 boys, that have been enlisted in the service. Senator Hale. Who make up the rest of the warrant officers? Mr. Walsh. There are only 39 gunners in the service. The others were appointed away back, during and after the war. Senator Hale. What has become of these boys who have been through the training school? Mr. Walsh. I know some who are clerks in banks, some in grocery stores, some contractors on their own account, some bookkeepers, many electricians. I have met them in various positions. Senator Hale. Do they go into the merchant marine considerably? Mr. Walsh. Some of them do — ^not to a great extent, because there are not sufficient ships that they can go in and get promotion. I have met some that have gone in foreign ships, but they have left them shortly afterwards. Senator Hale. When you went there on the training ship it was not the general expectation of the boys that they would go into the ISTavy? Mr. Walsh. They did at first, but afterward they said they could not get anything. If they came back in the Navy they could only got a warrant officer's position, and that was not sufficiently high for them to stay in for. A few aimed at that with the hope that in time this condition would be better, and could get something in the end to com- pensate them for staying in. Senator Hale. How many gunners are there in the Navy? Mr. Walsh. There are 39. Senator Hale. How many boatswains? Mr. Walsh. Thirty-three. Senator Hal,e. How many carpenters? Mr. Walsh. Forty-two. Senator Hale. How many sailmakers? Mr. Walsh. There are 20. Senator Hale. There are subordinate places under thoset Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. What are they? Mr. Walsh. Gunners' mates — seamen gunners, etc. Senator Hale. How many gunners' mates or seamen gunners are there? Mr. Walsh. Mr. Messenger will answer that, because he has been instructing them for a number of years. Mr. Meyee. Are there classes of the seamen gunners — first class, second class, etc. ? Mr. Walsh. ISTo, sir; just seamen gunners; and when they get on board ship, they are rated to any vacancy thej"^ can fill, such as gun- ners' and boatswains' mates, or captains of tops — any rate that pays a higher rating of pay. Mr. Meyer. What are^your special fanctions as gunner? Mr. Walsh. I have charge of and am responsible for the eflcient condition of a ship's battery at all times, for tlie correct storage of ammunition, for the proper condition of life buoys, and for the care of all magazines and ordnance storerooms ; and I would like to say in this connection tnat an officer standing his watch for four hours is respon- sible for the ship, or for such parts of it as may be under him. When 208 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. he is off watcli bis responsibility ceases, wbile a gunner's responsibility does not cease at any time, during the day or night. While he is on board ship, he is responsible at all times for the condition of the battery. The duties of a gunner are more fully set forth in the memorial which I have here. Senator Hale. He does not stand watch, does he? Mr. Walsh. Except at times. I have stood watch. Senator Hale. But in general? Mr. Walsh. In general, no, sir; except on receiving ships. They stand nearly all the watches there. Mr. Meyer. What would, in your judgment, induce these young apprentices, after they leave the training ship, to continue in the Navy rather than seek occupation in civil life? Mr. Walsh. I would give them a greater number of chances to become warrant oflicers. Where one now gets a warrant officer's posi- tion, several more stay in the Navy with the hope that they may get it, until they continue so long in the service that they do not care to leave it. If these opportunities are multiplied, it would multiply the number that would endeavor to stay in and get that i)osition. When a man becomes 25 or 30 years of age, and is in the service all that time, he will not stay out of the service long; but when'they can see that there has been only two promoted to about each thousand enlisted, they leave at the earliest opportunity, to perfect themselves in some other line of life. I would also give the enlisted men of the Navy the advan- tages that the enlisted men in the Army have, such as retirement, etc. Senator Hale. Is the training in the training school, or on the train- ing ships, such as would fit a young fellow who went through it to be appointed a gunner's mate? Mr. Walsh. After he has finished his full course at sea, he would be a long way advanced toward it; but he might require some further studies, which they now get at the Washington yard and at the torpedo station, to perfect them as gunners' mates, handling torpedoes, etc. Senator Hale. Have there been any gunners appointed in the last year? Mr. Walsh. They are examining two now. Senator Hale. Are they from the training school? Mr. Walsh. Tes, sir. Senator Hale. Have any gunners' mates been appointed in the last year? Mr. Walsh. There is a number of seamen gunners, and all ships carry a certain number of gunners' mates. When the ship is in com- mission, they pick out the seamen gunners that are allotted to that ship and make petty ofBcers of them, as far as possible filling the gun- ners' complement from them. Senator Hale. It seems, from what you say, that, out of all the boys that have had the advantage of this training school, only a very small proportion are to-day in the Navy anywhere? Mr. Walsh. Only a very small proportion. Senator Hale. A very small percentage. Mr. Waish. Yes, sir; less, probably, than 5 per cent; though I have not looked n^j the matter. I calculated it some years ago, and I found it was between 3 and 4 per cent; but I think there are a few more stay- ing in at present, because the enlistments have been increased. I would also like to call attention to the Avay an enlisted man's rec- ord is carried with him throughout the service. He enters the service as a boy, and any mark of bad conduct, or anything of that kind, would PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 209 be entered against Mm on a paper like this, so that wherever he may go, whether his conduct is good or bad, he has his record with him. Senator Hale. It is a kind of credentials you carry about? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. So that one has to have good marks in order to get any promotion whatever. Senator Hale. I did not know that gunners received their commis- sions from the President. They are not sent to the Senate, however. There has never been anything done under that statute giving you this assimilated rank? Mr. Walsh. We tried to get it, but the promulgation of it was opposed by other officers. Senator Hale. Is there anything further you wish to say? Mr. Walsh. I wish to call attention to a few regulations governing the English warrant officers to show that they really have more than we ask for. All of the English petty of0.cers and warrant officers come from the apprentice system of the English navy. On page 42, article 182, of the Queen's Eegulations and Admiralty Instructions is the fol- lowing: Chief and other gunners, and boatswains, shall rank with but after sublieutenants, and shall take command as laid down in article 127. And also, on page 187 : Midshipmen shall take command according to seniority after gunners and boat- swains. A midshipman in the English navy is similar to the ensign in our navy, and the naval cadet means the same thing. Page 45 : The relative rank of gunner and boatswain next but after sublieutenant. And also in the rank of officers, it is laid down, first, captain, * * # navigating sublieutenants, chief gunner, chief boatswain, gunner, mid- shipmen, and naval cadet. Senator Hale. You say that warrant officers in the English navy take charge of the torpedo boats? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir; in a number of torpedo boats they have com- mand. Senator Hale. They actually have the duties of command? Mr. Walsh. The duties of command, and receive extra compensa- tion while they are in command. Senator Hale. But in our navy there is no instance of a warrant officer having any independent command? Mr. Walsh. They have charge of tugboats in some cases. Then they come under the captain of the receiving ship. STATEMENT OF FRANK C. MESSENGER, GUNNER, U. S. NAVY. Senator Butler. What is your rank in the Navy? Mr. Messenger. Gunner, U. S. Navy. Senator Butler. How long have you been in the Navy, Mr. Mes- senger? Mr. Messbngeb. Fifteen years. Senator Butler. In what capacity did you enter the Navy? Mr. Messenger. I entered the Navy as a second-class boy. Senator BirTLER. As an apprentice boy? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. Did you go through the training school, training station? 210 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. Mr. Messengek. Yes, sir. Senator Butlee. When were yon appointed gunner? Mr. Messenger. Very nearly six years ago. Senator BuTLER. At wliat age did you enter? Mr. Messenger. I entered at the age of 16. Senator Butler. And your present age? Mr. Messenger. Thirty-three. Senator Butler. So you were appointed gunner when you were 27 ? Mr. Messenger. Twenty-seven; yes, sir. Senator Butler, Is that about the average age of gunners, boat- swains, and warrant officers generally? Mr. Messenger. There is a limit. Of course an appointment can- not be obtained until after you are 21 years of age, and after 30 you are not eligible. Senator Butler. After 30? Mr. Messenger. Tes, sir. Senator Butler. Ton are not eligible after you pass the age of 30? Mr. Messenger. No, sir. Senator Butler. How many warrant officers of the Navy are ap- pointed from these apprentice boys? About how many? Mr. Messenger. During the last nineteen or twenty years there have been 28. Senator Butler. Warrant ofQcers? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. Out of what number? Mr. Messenger. Out of perhaps 15,000 enlistments. Senator Butler. I am speaking of the apprentice boys now. Mr. Messenger. That is what I mean. Senator Hale. How many of the boys who were with you when you were in this training course have you ever met or heard of in the Navy now? Mr. Messenger. There are not a great many. During my last cruise I don't believe that I met over 25, if that many. Senator Hale. Met them where? What do you mean? Mr. Messenger. On board ship. Senator Hale. On board ships anywhere? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir ; anywhere in the service. Senator Butler. What becomes of them, Mr. Messenger? Mr. Messenger. That is hard to say. Most of them go into some other occupation in civil life. Senator Butler. After they go through their apprenticeship? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. They do not enlist in the Navy ? Mr. Messenger. Of course in some cases they do, but generally not. The inducements are so few and far between that they prefer to run their chances outside. Senator Hale. How long is the course for apprentice boys on the training ship? Mr. Messenger. I was on the training ship about eleven months. It is generally a year. Senator Hale. It is a year there? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. Then you take a cruise? Mr! Messenger. On a seagoing vessel. We were then sent on board ship to do the duties of ordinary sailors. Senator Hale, What pay did you get? PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY^-LINE. 211 Mr. Messenger, The first pay was $10 a month. Senator Butlee. Is not the time prescribed for which a boy en- tering the service as an apprentice shall serve? I thought it was three years? Mr. Messenger. No, sir. In my case, I entered at the age of 16, and I was required to remain there until I was 21, Senator Butler. That is five years 1 Mr. Messenger. During minority; yes, sir. Senator Hale. Do they remain five years, most of them? Mr. Messenger. I think the greater percentage of them do. Of course many of them desert. Senator Hale. Suppose we take your case. You went in at 16. When you became an apprentice, where did you go first? Mr. Messenger. I enlisted on the Constitution in Philadelphia, and remained there four or five months, and about that time the Constitu- tion was sent to France, and all the boys (there were about 160) were transferred to the Minnesota in New York, Senator Hale. You did not go then to the training school? Mr. Messenger. We were transferred to the training ship Minne- sota, at New York, and after remaining there a few months longer (four or five months), I was transferred to the Plymouth, and in due course of time she went out of commission, having the yellow fever on board. Then I was transferred to the Kearsarge, upon which ship I finished my apprenticeship. Senator Hale. That made five years? Mr. Messenger. Five years ; yes, sir. Senator Hale. What pay did you get during those five years? Mr. Messenger. At the end of the five years I was getting $21 a month. Senator Hale. Then at the end of five years, what was your next step? Mr. Messenger. My next step was to reenlist for the gunnery class, which offered some few inducements. Senator Btjtler. You reenlisted? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir; for a term of three years. Senator Hale. What service did you go into then; what duty? Mr. Messenger. I went under a course of training for one year. Senator Hale. Where? Mr. Messenger. Half of it in New York and the other half here at the Washington navy-yard. Senator Butler. As a gunner? Mr. Messenger. No, sir; as a seaman- gunner. Senator Hale. What was your pay then? Mr. Messenger. Twenty-six dollars a month. Senator Butler. Then at 27 you were made a gunner? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. And have occupied that position ever since? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. What further rank can you get as a warrant ofacer? Mr, Messenger. None. Senator Butler. There it stops? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. Is that true in regard to boatswains! Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. And sailmakers and carpenters? 212 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. What is your pay now, Mr. Messenger? Mr. Messengee. My pay now is as on shore duty. I get $1,600 a year. Senator Bxjtlek. What is your sea pay. Mr. Messengee. My sea pay is $1,800 a year. Senator Butlee. That is really more than an ensign gets? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir; but it is under existing law the highest we can ever get. Senator Hale. You say that almost all the boys who take this traiuing go out of the l^Tavy and go into other employments, into other duties, other business. Taking this course you have described — enter- ing at 16, continuing as an apprentice for five years until you were 21 — at what time is it that they generally go out; at the end of the five years? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir ; upon attaining their majority. Senator Hale. You would say then from your observation and ex- perience, that of all the boys who enter the service as apprentices and take the training on these different ships, that the very large propor- tion of them, when they have finished the five years course do not go on in the Navy? Mr. Messengee. Do not rcenlist. Senator Hale. You think the percentage is small? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. The other officer said that he thought it was about 5 i^er cent. Do you think that is right? Mr. Messenger. About that, I should say. Mr. Meyer. What in your judgment would induce a larger body to remain in the service? Mr. Messenger. My idea about that is similar to that of Mr. Walsh. We might have a stated number of warrant oflicers. Now there is no limit to them ; and otherwise my views are similar to those of Mr. Walsh. Mr. Meyer. Are there not as many warrant officers as the service requires? Mr. Messenger. I do not believe that there are. Senator Hale. You want more than one full gunner on a ship? Mr. Messenger. No, sir; although the English have two or more. Mr. Meyer. You have assistant gunners, have you not? Mr. Messenger. No, sir. Senator Butler. Mr. Messenger, what is the course of study that you took while you were an apprentice? You are taught, are you not? Mr. Messenger. It is mostly practical seamanship and gunnery. Senator Butler. You do not go to school? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. A boy that is very backward, he is put in a class and taken in hand by the schoolmaster. He is perhaps taught to write, and taken up through the first 4 rules of arithmetic, and that ends his course of studies. Senator Butler. Have you no text books on the subject of naviga- tion and gunnery? Mr. Messenger. No, sir; we have some on gunnery, but not on navigation. Senator Butler, You are not instructed in arichmetic or mathe- matics? Mr. Messenger. In the lower branches of arithmetic; that is, if a pupil or boy is backward they bring him up to the requirements. PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY LllSE. 213 Senator Hale. But a bright, average boy at 16 who goes in as au apprentice does not after that have much study or book instruction? Mr. Messengee. He does not have any. Senator Butler. He has no opportunity then of being instructed in tlie higher branches of the profession of a sailor? Mr. Messenger. No, sir. Mr. Meyee. If he so desired, would he have any opportunity to enter upon other studies'? Mr. Messenger. He could do it by himself. Mr. Meyee. There are no teachers or professors to whom he could apply for instruction ? Mr. Messenger. No, sir. Senator Hale. There is no opportunity for him to pursue that course of study that a young fellow does who is at the academy, or who is fitting himself for an ensign? Mr. Messenger. No, sir. Senator Hale. You think the best reward that could be given to these grades would be, as Mr. Walsh suggested, the chance to get up a little higher with an assimilated rank, and little likelihood of going further than that. You would be content with that? Mr. Messenger. I believe that would give more geueral satisfac- tion than anything else. Senator Butler. Would that open the door to i^romotion to the average sailor or enlisted man? Mr. Messenger. Yes, to a certain extent, but more particularly to the apprentice system. Senator Butler. A man can not enlist in the Navy, as you suggest, until he is 21? Mr. Messengee. Under certain conditions, yes; he can enlist as a landsman. Senator Butler. Under 21? Mr. Messenger. Yes sir; with the consent of his parents. Senator Butler. What have you generally found the ages of the seainen on the ships to be; are they young? Mr. Messenger. When I first entered the service their ages ranged, I should say, from 34 to 50. That is, in the majority of cases; but now the standard, I think, is somewhat younger; but in order to get these younger men we get them from foreign countries. That-is, they are foreigners. Senator Butler. I was going to ask you that question next. What was your last cruise? Mr. Messenger. On the Atlanta. Senator Hale. What was the cruise? Mr. Messenger. We were on the North Atlantic station, with the White Squadron. Senator Butler. You were then a gunner? Mr. Messengee. Yes, sir. Senator Butlee. How many seamen or enlisted men were there on the Atlanta? Mr. Messenger. About 270, including the firemen. Senator Butlee. And their general age, you say, would be between what ages? Mr. Messenger. Their average age, I should say, would be 30. Senator Butlee. How many of those do you think were native- born Americans, out of 270? Mr. Messenger. I should say that there were 60 Americans. 214 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. Senator Hale. Sixty Americans, and the others made up of what nationalities? Mr. Messbngee. Mostly from Norway, Sweden, Germany, a few from England and the British Isles. Senator Qale. At the end of that cruise, how many of those do you think reenlisted? Senator Butler. At the end of their term of enlistment? Mr. Messenger. Those people generally reenlist. Senator Butler. Tou mean the foreigners? Mr. Messenger. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. I understand you to say they were not natural- zed"? Mr. Messenger. No, sir; they have no sympathy with us at all. Senator Butler. As a rule, do they become naturalized and citizens of this country? Mr. Messenger. Very few of them. Senator Butler. But they keep on in the service? Mr. Messenger. They keep on in the service. When their enlist- ment expires they generally take a trip across and visit their friends, and come back and reenlist. Senator Butler. Do you think that is about the proportion in the Navy, Mr. Messenger? Mr. Messenger. The percentage of Americans in some vessels, of course, may be larger, but not a great deal. Where the percentage is larger, it is made up from the apprentices, who have not served their minority. Senator Hale. Not more than 25 per cent. Senator Butler. What do you think is a reason Americans do not reenlist, Mr. Messenger? Mr. Messenger. There is no inducement for a man to enlist in the Navy, or a boy either, that I can see, only that of becoming a warrant officer; and the chances of ever attaining that are so few and far between that they give it up. Senator Hale. In other words, they can do better at something else? Mr. Messenger. They can do equally as well as if they remained seamen. Senator Butler. How does the pay in the merchant marine com- pare with the pay of sailors of the Navy? Mr. Messenger. I think it is pretty much the same. On the coast of California the pay of the sailor is somewhat higher than it is in our Navy. Senator Butler. Tou mean the pay on the merchantmen ? Mr. Messenger. Tes, sir. Senator Butler. Do any of our enlisted men, when they leave the regular service, go into that service? Mr. Messenger. Some. Mr. Meter. What is the relative degree of efficiency, so far as you can judge, between American sailors and foreign-born sailors, as far as you have observed? Mr. Messenger. The Americans are, of course, by far the brightest. The foreigners are perhaps very good sailors, but they are not as effi- cient in the other duties of a man-of-war's man as an American. Mr. Meter. You have no opportunity of seeing them during action, I suppose — during an engagement. There has been no war since you have been in the Navy? Mr. Messenger. No, sir. PEKSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINK. 215 Mr. Meyer. Have you ever seen them under conditions wliicli would test the courage and patriotism of a man on board ship? Mr. Messenger. No, sir; but I should keep my eye on them, if ever we were in action. I think it would be advisable, especially if we were in action with their country. Senator Butlek, Tou think their loyalty to the United States flag would be very doubtful in case of a war with their own country? Mr. Messenger. I feel sure of it. Senator Butler. Do we get many Italians in the American service? Mr. Messenger. Yery few. They are mostly in the capacity of ~ cooks and musicians. Senator Hale. Tou think the larger number are from the northern people? Mr. Messenger. Tes, sir. Senator Hale. Swedes and Norwegians? Mr. Messenger. Tes, «ir; very few French, Senator Hale. Many English? Mr. Messenger. Quite a number of English. Senator Hale. Irish? Mr. Messenger. Tes, sir. Senator Butler. Mr. Messenger, do you think that jirovteion of law which allows an enlisted man to purchase his discharge has been beneficial to the service-? Mr. Messenger. I have never seen that operated as yet. Senator Hale. Tou have never seen any instance of it? Mr. Messenger. No, sir. Senator Hale. I do not think there are any. STATEMENT OF E. W. SMITH, CARPENTER, U. S. N. Senator Butler. State your full name. Mr. Smith. E. W. Smith. I am a carpenter in the Navy. Senator Butler. How long have you been in the service, Mr. Smith? Mr. Smith. I have been in the service five years, sir. Senator Butler. Did you enlist after serving an apprenticeship? Mr. Smith. No, sir. I served an apprenticeship under the Govern- ment in a navy-yard until I became 21; then I made application for the service. Senator Butler. As the hour of 12 o'clock has arrived, we will have to suspend this hearing until next Saturday, at half past 10 o'clock. Tou may resume at that time, Mr. Smith. Mr. Walsh. On my own behalf, Mr. Chairman, and on behalf of the other members of my corps, we thank you sincerely for having been allowed an opportunity to present our petition to you. It is the first opportunity, to my recollection, since the Navy has been a navy, that the warrant officers have had a chance to be heard. We earnestly request that our status may be improved in the service. Senator Butler. If there is any one else who desires to come here next Saturday at half past 10, who cau not get here without the per- mission of the Secretary of the Navy, if you will let me know, I will have the clerk ask him to order you here. Mr. Meter. We would like to have a man in the capacity of a machinist on board a steamer come here next Saturday, so that we may interrogate him. The joint subcommittee thereupon adjourned until Saturday, April 21, 1894, at half past 10 o'clock. 216 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. Saturday, April 21, 1894. The joint subcommittee met pursuant to adjournment. Present: Senators Butler (chairman), Blackburn, and Hale, and Mr. Money and Sir. Meyer. William Walsh, gunner; E. W. Smith, carpenter; Eush C. Steele, machinist; Benjamin Francis Megie, ship's writer, and Henry Hudson, boatswain, U. S. Navy, were also present. STATEMENT OF E. W. SMITH. Senator Blackbtjbn. Please state your name and position. Mr. Smith. E. "W. Smith, carpenter, U. S. Navy. Senator Hale. On duty where? Mr. Smith. In charge of the construction department at the Wash- ington navy-yard. Senator Blackbukn. You know the line of inquiry that this joint subcommittee is making, looking to a reorganization of the personnel of the Navy? Mr. Smith. Yes, sir. Senator Blackburn. Then we will not undertake to ask you speciiic questions, but you may proceed to make your own statement. Mr. Smith. I am satisfied with the statement that Mr. Walsh made last Saturday in regard to warrant officers. We are in the same posi- tion, with the exception of having different duties to perform. Senator Hale. You think Mr. Walsh covered the case of the warrant ofi&cersf Mr. Smith. Yes, sir. Senator Blackburn. Do you want to make any additional state- ment? Mr. Smith. No, sir. Mr. Meyer. What are your specific duties as carpenter? Mr. Smith. I have the general preservation of the ship to look after, such as drain valves, air ports, water-tight doors, hand-pumps, steering engines, capstans, windlasses, and winches, and the double bottom of the ship. I also have to look out for the repair of boats, building boats, making spars, etc. My duties are more fully set forth in the memo- randum left with the committee last week. Senator Hale. Have you been on a ship that is constructed with compartments ? Mr. Smith. Yes, sir; I have just left one. Senator Hale. What ship is that? Mr. Smith. The San Francisco. Senator Hale. You remember the fate of that British shiji that was sunk? Mr. Smith. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. And the trouble about the comj)artments being opened instead of closed? Mr. Smith. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. How is it in the San Francisco, or any other ship, about the compartments being kept closed, so that if there should be an accident the ship would not fill and go do\\'n? Mr. Smith. The San Francisco had 137 water-tight compartments, kept closed at sea. Mr. Money. Do they not keep them closed all the time? Mr. Smith. They are kept closed when the ship is at sea, but when PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 217 the ship is in port they are kept open for purposes of ventilating the compartments. Senator Hale. You say there were 137 of those water-tight com- partments on the San Francisco? Mr. Smith, Yes, sir. Senator Hale. How were they distributed? Mr. Smith. Fore and aft, and athwartship. Senator Hale. What was the size of those compartments? Mr. Smith. Some of them were 12 feet square; some were only 3 feet 6 inches deep— the latter in the double bottom of the ship; and others were used for storerooms and dynamo rooms, etc. Senator Halb. What are the doors'? Mr. Smith. They are steel doors with rubber gaskets attached. Senator Hale. How large are the doors? Mr. Smith. They are about 2J by 5 feet. Senator Hale. That, then, is the way the bottom of the ship is built ? Mr. Smith. No, sir; on the double bottom of the ship they are called manholes, about 21 inches long by 12 inches wide, just large enough to allow a man to go through and examine the compartment. Senator Haxb. How many compartments are there besides the lower bottom that these doors apply to? Mr. Smith. About 110, Senator Hale. As many as that? Mr. Smith. Yes, sir.' Senator Hale. If there were a collision what part of the ship would be likely to be struck? Mr. Smith. She would strike above the water line when not a war ship. Senator Hale. How is it above the water line? Mr. Smith. It is water-tight. Senator Hale. How many compartments are there above the water line? Mr. Smith. There are about twenty on the San Francisco. Senator Hale. And those doors, Avhile you are cruising, are kept closed? Mr. Smith, Yes, sir; everything is water-tight. Senator Hale. Is that under your charge? Mr. Smith. I have to look out for all water-tight compartments, excepting those under engine room and boiler spaces, and see that there is no deterioration in any of the gaskets or other appliances for keeping them tight; and make an inspection every day to keep them in perfect order. Mr. Meyee. You are now on the Dolphin? Mr. Smith. 2^ro, sir; I am in charge of the construction department at the Washington navy-yard. Mr. Money. How many carpenters are there on the San Francisco? Mr. Smith. Only one. Mr. Money. What are they paid? Mr. Smith. The salary ranges from $700 to $1,800. There are also chief carpenters, mates, carpenters, shipwrights, calkers, black- smiths, plumbers, and painters. Mr. Money. How many men had you on the San Francisco belong- ing to your force? Mr. Smith. I had about eleven. Mr. Money. They were under your orders, and subject to you, and you were responsible for their efficiency? 218 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Mr. S:^^TH. Tes, sir. Mr. Meyee. Their duties were coufliied entirely to your depart- ment? Mr. Smith. Tes, sir, generally. Mr. Meyee. And under your supervision ? Mr. Smith. Tes, sir. Senator Hale. Were those eleven men all good mechanics? Mr. Smith. Fair. Senator Hale. What pay do they get? Mr. Smith. The pay ranges from $25 to $50 a mouth. Mr. Meyee. To what officer of the line is it your duty to report when on board ship ? Mr. Smith. To the executive offlcer. Mr. Meyee. Ton report directly to the executive officer? Mr. Smith. Tes, sir; I report to him the repairs that I think neces- sary to be made. 1 make a general report to him twice a day in regard to the matters in my department. ' Senator Hale. How many in all were there on the San Francisco with a full complement? Mr. Smith. I think 380, including the marines, men and officers. Mr. Money. Tou say you I'eported twice a day to the executive officer? Mr. Smith. Tes, sir. Mr. Money. Do you mean to say that you had the ship inspected twice a day in all places and rejDorted that inspection ? Mr. Smith. No, sir; I make a report at half past 7 in the morning to him that everything is secure in my department, that there is no water in the ship, and also make another report at 8 o'clock p. m, gen- erally covering the above points. Mr. Meyee. How did you enter the Navy? Mr. Smith. I served an apprenticeship under the Government in the navy-yard at Washington for five years. Mr. Mey'ee. Were you ever in the training school as an apprentice? Mr. Smith. No, sir; 1 served a regular shipwright's apprenticeship under the Government at the navy-yard. Senator Blackbuen. Speaking of warrant officers, what, if anything, do you, or those who hold the same relative position you hold in your branch of the service, want us to put iuto a bill, if this committee should draft one? Mr. Smith. We would like to have a status — something which we have not at present; something to give us more authority. Senator Hale. Such as Mr. Walsh described ? Mr. Smith. Tes, sir. Mr. Money. Mr. Walsh covered that part, did he? Mr. Smith. Tes, sir. Mr. Meyee. At what point would you have the promotion stop? Mr. Smith. I would have it stop at the relative or assimilated rank of lieutenant. Mr. Meyee. Why? Mr. Smith. I think that would cover the grievance. Mr. Meyee. It is not understood by this committee that you have had any especial grievances; there has been no complaint made to that effect. One object of the committee is to improve, if possible, the status of the enlisted men and give them opportunities to attain even the highest positions in the Navy. According to your idea, to reach the PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 219 rant of lieutenant — even the assimilated rank — you think would satisfy the ambition of the warrant ofiicers of the Navy'? Mr. SiiiTii. I meant to say wishes; I think that would cover our wishes. Mr. Meyer. Do you not think that it would stimulate the warrant officers and the enlisted men of the Navy still more if opportunities for higher rank were given those who would seek to perfect themselves in that line? Mr. Smith. Yes, sir ; but by the time a warrant officer reached the assimilated rank of lieutenant he would be nearly of the age to retire. Senator Hale. You do not think the opportunity of getting a higher rank than that of lieutenant would be of much account to your grade? Mr. Smith. No, sir. Mr. Meyer. Do you claim that as a general i)roposition with regard to the warrant officers and enlisted men, or do you refer only to the present generation? Mr. Smith. The present generation. Senator Butlee. Is there anything further you would like to say, Mr. Smith? Mr. Smith. No, sir. STATEMENT OF RUSH C. STEELE, MACHINIST, U. S. NAVY. Senator Butlee. You may make any statement that you see lit to make. Mr. Steele. Would you like to have me make a general statement for all the men, or for any special class? Senator Butlee. The door is oijen; though, of course, there must be some limit to your statement. Still, anything you desire to state in regard to the personnel of the Navy we shall be glad to hear. Mr. Steele. In my opinion, every man in the Navy ought to have the same chance that a man can have anywhere in this country. As the case stands now an enlisted man in the Navy can not rise higher than a warrant officer ; he can not be a commissioned officer of the Navy. In the engineer's department J think the whole thing wants to be changed. There are different ships, and, of course, different circum- stances. I think the machinists ought to be put on a line with the eugiuecrs in the merchant service. As enlisted men we have the same responsibilities and duties as engineers in the merchant service. Senator Hale. What are your duties as a machinist? Mr. Steele. We have one engineer on our ship, who is the chief. Senator Butlee. What ship is that? Mr. Steele. The Dolphin. My duties at sea are to take a platform watch the same as an engineer, with four hours on and eight off, and in port to do all necessary repairs and to have charge of all work going on in the engineer's department, and am held responsible to the chief. Senator Butlee. To whom do you report? Mr. Steele. To the chief engineer. Senator Butlee. And he reports to the executive officer? Mr. Steele. He reports to the captain. Senator Butlee. You do not report either to the captain or the ex- ecutive officer directly? Mr. Steele. No, sir. Senator Hale. Are you reckoned as a part of the engineers' force? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; on most sea- going ships we have to stand 220 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. watch, and bave to drill the same as the enlisted men, and have the same privileges as the enlisted men, and no others. There are other mechanics in the Navy whose places are not near as responsible as the machinist, who have the warrant and by having the warrant we would then be about on the same plane with the engineers in the merchant service. Senator Hale. Do you have any sort of commission or certificate of appointment? Mr. Steele. No ; we ship the same as other men. Senator Hale. Do you not have, like the warrant ofQcers, a certifi- cate or commission'? Mr. Steele. No, sir; we ship just the same as any other enlisted man. Senator Btjtlee. What is your pay? Mr. Steele. Seventy dollars a month, and I put $5 of that into my mess. Senator BuTLER. Your pay, then, is different from that of enlisted men? Mr. Steele. My pay is more, that is all. I do the worlc of an engi- neer and also the work of a machinist. If anything breaks down I have got to work to repair it in any part of the ship. Senator Butler. How many machinists are there on the I>oZp/w«? Mr. Steele. Two besides myself. Senator Butler. Your idea is that those machinists ought to be made warrant officers? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; that would put us on the same footing as other mechanics in the ship, who do not have near as much responsi- bility, for the machinist on watch while the ship is steaming has as much responsibility on him as the captain or anyone else, as any fail- ure to respond to the bell might mean the loss of ship and life. Senator Butler. How long have you been in the Navy? Mr. Steele. About eleven years. Mr. Money. You stated that a machinist in the Navy, you thought, ought to be put on the same grade with an engineer in the merchant service. Are not those engineers in the merchant service simply ma- chinists? Mr. Steele. Most of them are machinists by trade, which is but the foundation for an engineer's art. In the steamer City of New York they have about twelve watch engineers, and about twenty others are shipped as oilers, but the most of them are machinists by trade, and from them they select their own engineers. The same applies to other line steamers. Senator Hale. You are speaking of the City of New Torh? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; and if our oilers got the same pay and jirivi- leges as merchant oilers get, it would induce young mechanics to ship in our Navy, but as the pay and conditions are different, they fail to come in, as there is at present no hope of advancement. Mr. Money. What do they get? Mr. Steele. An oiler in the Navy gets $36, or $1 more than a fire- man, and he really ought to be a man with some knowledge of an engine, for after the machinist of the watch has to go about to exam- ine the bearings and in case the bell should strike he should be able to stop and back the engine, till the machinist could get to his place, as one minute might mean much disaster. Mr Money". Is not his position better than that of the fireman? PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 221 Mr. Steele. No, sir; he has more responsibility and only a differ- ence of $1 a month in pay. Mr. Money. I am talking about the oiler. Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. Mr. Money. You are talking about an oiler who would take your place? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. I think they should be put on the same grade that oilers are in the merchant service. A young machinist in the merchant service has some chance to rise, but if he ship as an oiler in the 'Narvy he has no chance. What have I got to look forward to? If any man would ofi'er me $10 a month less than I am getting the year round I will leave the service right now. I am away from home three years at a time, then I come back and am at home for three months, and then I am gone again for three years more. There is nothing in that. It is only a job, that is all. Senator Hale. What ship had you been on before you were upon the Dolphin^. Mr. Steele. I was on the Monitor, Mahopac, U. S. S. Ganandaigua, Banger, Monongahela, Richmond, and Boston. I believe the last named is about the hottest ship I was ever on. Senator Hale. How long were you on her? Mr. Steele. Seven months. I came home on the Boston from Hayti. She was so hot that men could not stand it to work on her. I have known men to ai^ply for a discharge, and have written across the dis- charge that they were "discharged for incompetency," because they could not stand the work and heat. Mr. Money. The work is hot? Mr. Steele. They could not stand it because of the work and the heat together. They had to throw coal down from the upper bunkers, and then the coal had to be hauled out, and they could not stand the heat, especially the coal passers. Mr. Money. Is the Boston one of the new ships? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; one of the new ships; she was built in 1884 or 1885. Mr. Money. Who built her? Mr. Steele. I think Eoach built her? Mr. Money. Was that a peculiar arrangement of that ship? Mr. Steele. Everything is below the water line and everything is so compact; the piping is all boxed up. I have worked on the blower engine — there are blower engines at each end of the boilers. I have worked in there and it was so hot the lamps would not burn. The men there had to be worked by reliefs, and then had to knock off work as the heat could not be stood. On a trip through the Eed Sea, on the Ranger, I have seen the temperature in the Are room go up to 169°, and the Arabs that were shipped to heave coal gave out and our own men had to do the duty, and in coming down the fire-room ladder they would have to put waste over the mouth and nostrils, but still this could not compare with the Boston. I would almost as leave spend three years in jail as another three years on the Boston. Senator Hale. Do they box up all the pipes in these other ships that have been built in the last few years ? Mr. Steele. Not so much so. The new ones are more free. I believe those are the worst two in the Navy. Mr. Money, What was to be gained by that arrangement. Mr. Steele. It was from lack of space and on account of the making arrangements for forced draft with the fire rooms inclosed. A coal- 222 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Leaver gets the same pay now that he did when the coal ran out of the bunker by gravity, though he has twice as much worlc to do and one third or one-quarter more heat. A great many coal-heavers run away. They only stay until the weather gets warm in the spring, and then they skip out of the service. They can not stand it. I think a coal-heaver is worth $30 a month if he is worth a dollar. If he is not worth that he is not worth anything. These men have to put so much money into their mess for subsistence every month in order to live. Mr. Money. How much is that? Mr. Steele. Two dollars in some cases, in addition to their rations, and sometimes $3, according to the agreement. The iiremen generally put in from $3 to $5 a month. Mr. Money. Can they live on that? Mr. Steele. On that, together with their rations. That is in addi- tion to the rations they are allowed. In our mess we put in $5 apiece, in addition to the $9 for commuted rations. Mr. Money. You ought to live pretty well on that. Mr. Steele. We manage to obtain wholesome food. In a mess where they put in $5 apiece on any sea-going ship around home here we can live, but in South America we put in $6, and sometimes the assessments ran as high as $12 a month, and then we did not get suffi- cient to satisfy our wants. There is nothing but pampas beef; beef all the time, salt meat being too high at 50 cents per pound. Mr. Money. What is the ration? Mr. Steele. Thirty cents a day. Thirty cents a day is a small amount for a man who has got to work hard. It should not be less than 50 cents per day. On the Ifew York, in the Brazils, they had to get 40 additional men from the deck to go into the coal bunkers to shovel coal, as the men could not stand it. In the Hew York there are sixty-odd coal bunkers, each having water-tight doors. Mr. Meyer. What are most of these men, natives or foreigners? Mr. Steele. A great many of them are foreigners and a few of them are American citizens. Senator Butler. Naturalized? Mr. Steele. Naturalized citizens. Of course, there many who are not naturalized and never will become so. Senator Hale. Of what age are they, generally? Mr. Steele. From about 23 to 33, generally along about there. You never see an old man nor rarely a middle aged man in a fire room ; they die early or become decrepit. Mr. Money. Are not many of the coal-heavers colored men? Mr. Steele. In the Dolphin they are, but they do not afliliate with white men. There might be a ship for them, the same as they have a regiment for them in the Army. Mr. Money. They stand the heat pretty well, do they not? Mr. Steele. Not quite as well as the white men. Mr. Money. They certainly can stand more heat. Mr. Steele. Not artificial heat. They are all right in natural heat, but when it comes to excessive artificial heat they can not stand with a white man. I have seen the experiment tried. No race of men can stand the heat like wliite men. We shipped a gigantic colored man, a perfect Hercules, at Pensacola ; the captain shipped him for that rea- son, in order to tiy him. When we got out to sea and everything was battened down, the thermometer went up to 140, and the darkey couldn't stand it; he was the first to give out. I have seen the ther- PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LII^E. 223 mometer in the fire room on other ships go up to 135 or 145, and you could see the men look pale and fagged out. I could not eat anything myself when the heat was so great. I fell away about 35 pounds on the voyage fi;om Malta to Aden, Arabia, but I managed to hold out. You know how ifc is, a man always tries to hold out; if you do not the other men will banter you when you come into port. So, of course, every man stands it as long as he can. He wants to hold up his end. Our hardships are much greater than those of any people in any mili- tary calling. I think the chances ought to be opened for promotion in the Navy as in civil life. In civil life a man can be a Senator or member of Con- gress, or even President of the United States, from the ordinary walks of life. What is there that ought to prevent a man in the Navy from becoming an admiral? The Navy Deijartment ought to be permitted to obtain the best talent and best men the country affords, and the door for promotion might be opened to men in civil life, with possible- advantages. Mr. Money. Let us look at the i)ractical difficulties. What chance has a man in your position, as a machinist, and bound to attend to his duty, to prepare for the examination necessary for promotion ? What time has he for thaf? Mr. Steele. We have time when off watch. At night we have time for study. At my age, I should not try to get any higher than a war- rant. 1 have thrown away too much time already. But I would speak for others coming after me. The engineers in the Navy are scientific men, and some also practical, and of course it would take a long time for a man to get the same amount of scientific knowledge that our naval engineers have. Mr. Monet. Would not a man in your rank have to have a pecu- liar adaptability for study in order to ever master the difficulties that surround him, even if he had the time to spare to study? Mr. Steele. In order to become an engineer? Mr. Money, No, to rise in the Navy; to be a commodore, for instance. Considering the difficulties he would have to encounter, would he not have to have considerable incUnation and adaptability for it, as well as have time for study ? Mr. Steele. Of course he would. Adaptability is found in every walk of life. Mr. Meter. I take it, however, even if a man in your position aspired to the very highest position, you would not seek to gain pro- motion in the line which would enable you to become an admiral, but you would seek promotion, I take it, in the line to enable you to become an engineer officer? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. I would not want to do anything except in my line as a mechanic. I have served my trade, by preference, and because I believed I was adapted to that art. Mr. Meter. Are you subject to any examination to enable you to hold your present position? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. I have to pass a physical and mental exami- nation, and have to pass a practical examination about the work in a shop, and a right rigid examination before an engineer officer. Mr. Meyee. On the line of the question that my colleague asked you do you not think that men, even of your age, or perhaps at an earlier period in life, could qualify themselves by study and applica- tion to become engineers? 224 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Mr. Steele. Most undoubtedly tbey could, or any other grade. The sToatest eusiueers have, I believe, beeu self-made men. Mr. Meyer. Tbey could acquire the attainments that the engineer officers of the K^avy now possess 1 ]Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; they could acquire it by hard study and younger men would ship. For instance, a man, in order to be a mechanic, has to have ordinary intelligence, and if he has the rudi- ments of education, and sees a chance ahead of him for promotion, he would make an effort. When I iirst went in the service, when 1 was just past 21, if that chance had been held out I should have studied for it. Mr. Meyer. Would you have found sufficient time and oppor- tunity? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; I should have had time for it. Mr. Meyek. You would have found sufficient time and opportunity during the length of service to take up that study? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. I have had books offered to me by the engi- neers. Senator Hale. You do not think there is anything in the duties of engineers upon shij)s that would prevent a young man who entered the navy at 131, as an oiler or an ordinary machinist, by studying, from acquiring knowledge enough to perform those duties? Mr. Steele. Do I think he could do so? Senator Hale. You think he could do so ? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. You think there is nothing in the duty of an engineer to prevent that? Mr. Steele. l!Jothing in the world. When it comes to the handling of an engine, the building of her, or repairing of her, I consider that I could do as much as the average man. Senator Hale. Could you take charge practically of the engineer- ing department of the Dolphin and run her? Mr. Steele. If everybody on board was sick and I had the firemen I could take her anywhere as long as I could keep awake. Senator Hale. You think you are capable of doing everything that the officers who are in charge of the engineer department do now? Mr. Steele. I have to take charge of a watch as it is, and if I can do it for a watch why not longer? Of course we have a chief who is responsible, but one man can not be in the engineer room all the time. But we do not desire to take charge, we only ask for warrants as other mechanics in the N'avy, and come under the engineer, simply watch engineers, as the engineers are the most important officers on modern ships, in or out of the Navy. In the merchant service there is a super- vising inspector, who inspects periodically, sets safety-valves, and locks them, but in the Navy this responsibility comes on the chief of each ship. Senator Hale. So that really the engineer would not be missed? Mr. Steele. Of course the engineer is around as much as a man can be. Mr. Money. If he were to happen to fall overboard, however, every thing would go on just the same? Mr. Steele. Just the same; if the chief, the captain, the doctor, or the paymaster were to die or fall overboard, the ship would con- tinue ker voyage. Mr. Meyer. Do you receive your orders frdm the engineer officer 1 Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 225 Mr. Meyer. Ho commands you and your men ? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; he is directly over me. 1 go to him loi every- thing, except liberty. If I want to go on liberty I ask him tirwt, and then I go to the executive officer. Mr. Meyer. Is it within your experience that the line officers of the ship give orders to you or to your men directly without the mediation of the engineer officer? Mr. Steele. Yes, -sir ; in my first cruise it happened, greatly to my detriment, that the captain of my ship ontu'ely ignored the engineer, and gave me orders direct. In that case I was between two fires. Mr. Money. Making it all the hotter for you? Mr. Steele. Making it all the hotter for me, only the engineer hap- pened to be personally interested in me, and went to him and told him how things were, and he said to me, "Go ahead; don't mind that; go ahead." Of course, I had been on the ship for some time, and was acquainted with the machinery and understood her. Mr. Meyer. Do you know why that was done? Mr. Steele. I can not say positively. Mr. Meyer. You do not know of any special reasons? Mr. Steele. ISTo, sir. Senator Hale. In the case of one of these larger ships, with the machinist doing what you do, what is the need of more than one en- gineer officer? Mr. Steele. Thei-e is no need, except in a medium size there should be two, and a ship like the Neio Yorlc at least four. Senator Hale. Not more than four! Mr. Steele. Four would be sufficient, I think. Senator Butler. Do not these engineer officers have to stand watch? Mr. Steele. If there is enough of them they do, and there is some- times a machinist also, but it is not often there is enough on the smaller ships, so the machinist stands the watch, and if anything happens he reports to the engineer, who is on watch. It is essential to have young engineers stand watch, as it is an important jneans of their becoming proficient. Mr. ilEYER. Those troubles are usually discovered by the machinist on watch, are they not? Mr, Steele. Yes, sir, or by the oiler, and he reports immediately. Mr. Meyer. Not by the engineer officer. Mr. Steele. No, sir; not unless he happens to be on the spot.' It is the custom on all ships the world over for any and every man to re- port promptly anything found to be wrong. Senator Butler. Is he not responsible. Mr. Steele. The chief engineer is the responsible man, but with one engineer on the ship, and not in the engine room at the time, and if I happened to be on watch and something occurred, the responsi- bility would be mine, and if I were a warrant officer I would be even more responsible, be held to more strict accountability, and the only way I would have to get out of it would be to say that I am an enlisted man and not responsible. Senator Hale. You think a machinist ought to be a warrant officer? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. Senator BtiTLER. What is the difference in pay between a machinist in in the Navy and a machinist in the merchant service. Mr. Steele. In the merchant service they do not call them machin- ists, they call them engineers. They get anywhere from sixty to one T.TNW 15 226 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. liniulrcd aucl twenty-five dollars a month, and they are in the line ol promotion. Mr. IMoNET. The manhiuist on a man-of-war corresponds with an en- gineer on a merchant vessel or passenger steamer? ilr. Steele. They are not just the same thing-; in a merchant ship the assistant engineers are the peers of the declt officers and receive more pay. Mr. iMoNEY. And have the same duties? Mr. Steele. Much the same; they both run the engine, but in a TJ. S. war vessel he can not control his men, while on a merchant ship he can control them on and off watch. ]Mr. Money. And the same capacity'? Mr. Steele. The same capacity; only the machinists on board a man of- war has more work to do and has more restrictions i)laced upon him. When a mereliant ship reaches port the superintending engineer of the line is ready with shop hands to do all the repairs, while on a war vessel we do much with our own hands. Mr. Money. Eut still the positions are the same? Mr. Steele. The same, except as I have just stated. Mr. Money. And a man who could perform the duties in one place could perform the duties in the other? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; ordinarily. Senator Hale. You could to-day, could yon not, go right abo.ird one of these great ocean liners as engineer and perform the duties? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; so far as the machinery is concerned, though, I would have to get a little familiar Avith the ship and service, which I think I could do in a short time. Senator IIale. And that would be the case if you had charge of the ship? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. Mr. Mbyee. Have they no officer on board a merchant vessel who holds the same relative position that the engineer officers of tlio Navy do who control and command tlie so-called engineers, the machinists? I mean have they no supervising machinist? Mr. Steele. Tliey have a chief engineer on merchant shii^s, who la head engineer; and (except on small ships) ho does not take a watch. But any of those eugiueers on ship have a chance to rise to be chief engineer of the ship. A chief engineer on a merchant sliipis no differ- ent from a chief in the Navy. A machinist in the Navy is a substitute for an assistant engineer. A captain on a merchant siiip has nothing to do with the machinery nor men, except in case of disaster, when he takes control of all in the ship. But the engineer has his men under him, men whom lie selects himself, and when the ship goes into port if they are off watch they go ashore if they choose. He has almost an independent position in the merchant service, which owners of ships have found advisable. Of course, the ship is under the control of the captain alone. Senator Butler. How many chief engineers do they have on mer- chant vessels? Mr. Steele. One. Senator Butler. Only one? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. And the subordinate officers are what they call engineers! Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; they are assistant emgineers — first, second, etc., assistants. PEliSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINli. 227 Senator Hale. But tliey .ire machinists 1 Mr. Steele. Machinists, by trade, preferably, wliich is the founda- tion of the art. Mr. Money. And so is the chief! Mr. Steele. The chief is promoted from the assistants, and com- mences his life as a machinist. Mr. Money. All of thom are machinists'? Mr. Steele. They are nearly all machinists by trade, I believe. Senator Butler. Would you not call them mechanical engineers? Mr. Steele. You might call them mechanical engineers; I suppose that would be the most proper name. On board a merchant vessel, and also in the Navy, some men rise from firemen to be machinists. It is all very nice to have an engineer, who is a handy man on the ship, butif any of the machinery breaks down the practical machinist is there and he has got to do the skilled work. The machinists ought to be practical men. Senator Hale. You have made that j^our life work? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; I have worked at it the best part of my life. A man may be a good fellow, a good, handy man, and all that sort of thing, but if there is any machine work to be done, you have got to have a machinist to do it, not a good fellow. I liave been on one ship where there was only one "machinist" in four who was a real machinist. Mr. Money. What did the others do? Mr. Steele. They stood engine-room watch, platform watch. They could run the engine, but they could not repair it. Senator Butler. Do you know anything about- the rules in any foreign service in regard to machinists, whether they have the oppor- tunity to rise, as you suggest? Mr. Steele. I do not know, sir. They are called different names. In the English service a man learns his trade in the navy-yard; then he gets so much sea service; then has to i^ass a certain examination; and then he goes to the naval college; and from there he branches out as an engineer. About a year and a half or two years ago I read of a case where something happened to the machinery and the chief engi- neer and the machinist were court-martialed and both dismissed from the service. The machinist must have been a responsible man or he would not have been tried with his chief. Senator Hale. That was an English ship? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir ; but I do not know how those things are man- aged in foreign services. Mr. Money. They are uot democratic in their organization anyhow. Mr. Steele. No, sir; they are not, nor do we seem to be. Senator Hale. Do you find among the enlisted men any foreigners who have prepared themselves for the position to which you refer? Mr. Steele. Not specially. There are foreign mechanics in the Navy; most of the foreign mechanics in the Navy are English men? Senator Butler. Are they pretty well educated men? Mr. Steele. They are not particularly educated, but they are pretty good mechanics. I have never found any of these people equal in edu- cation to the American element. There are, of course, a great many fairly educated Germans who are smart, and they are generally about the brightest, so far as education is concerned. But if you get two English mechanics in the service, together on ship, they hang together; they do not want anybody else on ship with them. If there is only one Englishman he is nice enough ; but they generally go back to their own country to spend their money at the end of their cruise. I remember 228 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. that at Norfolk one time I wanted to set a ten clays' leave, and I only got five days' leave, to come to my home. At the same time there was an Euglislimaii there who got his three mouths' leave, and fit the end of that time he got two weeks' extension, and then came back to the ship and stayed a few weeks and got a month's additional leave on top of that, and he went to Iilngland to spend his boodle. Mr. Meyer. Iu tlie examination to which you were subjected, in what branches were you examined? Mr. Steele. In arithmetic, and reading and writing, to show that the man would be competent to write his log; and then he is examined with reference to all pints of mailiinery and valves and the uses of valves, and steam and everything pertaining to a marine engine, as well as to the condenser and boilers. Then required to do a job on a lathe, a planer, a miller, drill, etc. ; do ^•ico work and show how to lay out work. Senator Hale. By whom were you examined? Mr. Steele. By an engineer of the Navy. Senator Butlee. You were not examined in electricity? Mr. Steele. No, sir. We have now nothing to do with that, except occasionally to do repairs on the dynamo engine. Senator Butler. Could a man such as you describe, entering the service, say, at the age of 31, and Inning an ambition to rise iu his pro- fession, have an opportunity to study electricity and all those cognate branches which an engineer is now required to study? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; he would have opportunities to do that. I have had plenty of opportunities in }iiy time to study. Of course when I first went into the service electricity was not much thought of, but now a man should study it; it is simple. There are some machinists, in small merchant ships, who have to look out for the dynamo. But that still would not take nnxny hours for a man to learn who was an engi- neer. Sir William Thomson said, " to run an electric-light plant, a man needs be nine-tenths steam engineer and one-tenth electrician."- Senator Butler. If you had an opportunity to study the dynamo you could do so, could you not ? Mr. Steele. Y"es, sir; it is a simple machuie. Senator Butler. You could have studied it when you were younger? Mr. Steele. \'es,sir; I could have had all the opportunities to study that I wanted. As a rule the engineers will assist a man if he wiints to learn. Most of the engineer officers are a pretty good lot of men, and I have struck very icw who would not have given me books or any information that I asked for. Mr. Money. Tliey would " lend a hand?" Mr. Steele. They are willing to lend a hand; yes, sir. The engi- neer I am under now is a scientific as well as ])ractical man, and ho will never hesitate to give a man any information he wants and to assist him. He will do whatever he can to assist a man and help him to rise. There is another thing regarding the Navy; there ought to be one law in the Navy governing all alike. There should be but one r>lne Book, or whatever book it would be, and everybody in the Navy should go by it. As it is now, if a man goes to anotliei ship he is a compara- tive stranger as to the rules goA^erning those on board. There are dif- ferent rules on different ships. Mr. Money. You mean that different captains have different disci- pline? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; different methods of discijjline. Mr. Money. They are all, however, governed by the Articles of War, are they not? PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 229 Mr. Steele. I -would not like to go before a captain, in case of a difference of opinion between biui and me, and take tlie Blue Book and show him that I was right. Mr. Money. He would soon convince you that you were wrong"? Mr. Steele. He would soon convince me that I didn't know any- thing at all. Senator Butler. I do not see how that can be regulated. That is a matter of discipline in the hands of the commandijig officers of differ- ent ships. We could not very well mal^e any arbitrary rule about a matter of that sort auy more than we could in regard tothe discipline of a regiment. Colonels of different regiments have different systems of discipline, but, of course, the Army Kegulations control all. So the Naval Regulations control all ofQcers in the Navy. But, in the mat- ter of detail, I take it that each commanding oiiicer should be allowed discretion. Mr. Steele. If an officer has a book before him that says there shall be one punishment for one crime there should be just that one pun- ishment. Mr. Money. The most we could do would be to make the law; but you say they do not pay any attention to that? Mi-. Steele. There is no law to prevent a man from getting his pay every month, but they do not get it in all ships. Senator Butler. How often do you get your pay ! Mr. Steele. On this ship we get it twice a month. They only keep back $20. But on some ships they keep back from $100 to |200; on others they keep back two months' pay. It is just according to the idea of the commanding officer. We are satisfied with the arrangement about keeping back pay on our ship. Senator Hale. The keeping back of arrearages has a tendency, of cotirse, to prevent desertion'? Mr. Meyer. If the commander knew his crew pretty well, and knew them to be reliable, he would probably relax somewhat in that respect? Mr. Steele. No, sir; there is no relaxation. Every man has the same amount kept back. A. machinist gets $70 a month, and a coal- heaver gets $22 a month; the coal-heaver has $22 kept back and the machinist $70, generally. Senator Hale. You will get it ultimately? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; we will get it in the end; but we die some- times. Mr. Meyer. Is there any hardship in a regulation of that character? Mr. Stei;le. It very often happens that a man wants his money, but in order to get it he has to explain his private affairs. When I was on the South American cruise I liad to write home and get my wife to go to see the Secretary of the Navy in order to get my earnings. There are some circumstances, of course, where it Would be very dis- agreeable to make explanations about one's private affairs in order to get the money. And a man signs articles to get so much per month, and if he does not get it I think it is a broken agreement. Senator Butler. What is the object of keeping back a month's pay? Mr. Steele. The captain wants the men to save their money, I sup- pose. Mr. Money. Is that all? Mr. Steele. It Avould be hard for me to say. Mr. Money. He wants to be a father to them? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir, and all the rest of the family, but we are not children and the Navy is not a nursery. lu my own experience I have 230 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. known men to save uioucy and Lave it piled up on the books, and then they would go and lose it in one night. Somebody would rob them. But if he is given his money pi-omi)tly all the time during his three years' cruise, he can enjoy his money as he goes along, and then when his time is out he will have but little and will reshiii. If he is a saving mau he will save it anyhow. Senator Hale. The main thing, as I gather it from what you have stated, is that j^ou want the machinists to have the same commissions tluit warrant oflQcers do! Mr. Steele. Yes, sir, the same warrants; and to have the oilers and water-tenders put on the same level, with the same grade, as they are in the merchant service. A water-tender is a very responsible man, and should be, and they get $45 and $50 in the merchant service, and should get the same in the Xavy. We would get good jnen and keep them, as they could be promoted and young mechanics would ship, and that would materially strengthen not only the engineer's force but the whole Navy. At this time, blacksmiths get $50, aud coppersmiths get $50, and boilermakers get $00 per month, and they should get $75, as the pay in the Navy is nob as much as it is outside; in tact, the demand for coppersmiths is so great that they could hardly be procured at that price. Senator Hale. And the warrant officers on ship are the sail- makers, boatswains, gunners, and cariienters ? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. Senator Hale. Is there any order of rank or precedence among them? V.'lio is first? Mr. Steele. I believe a boatswain is first. Senator Hale. Tlieu gunners ? Mr. Steele. One of these other gentlemen who are present can tell you better than 1 can. 1 do not really know myself. Senator Hale. I do not know but Jlr. \\'alsh stated that the other day. I tliink he did. Mr. Steele. There does not seem to be much difference. They all seem to bo on one line. Senator Butler. Uo you not have quartermasters ? Mr. Steele. The quartermasters take the bridge. Senator Butler. A quartermaster is an enlisted man 7 Mr. Steele. Yes, sir. Senator Butler. Not a warrant officer ? Mr. Steele. No, sir; he is only a petty officer. Mr. Money. Does not the quarfermaster steer? Mr. Steele. He stands by Avhile a seaman does the steering, and he looks out with a spyglass. Senator Butler.. Hoes the quartermaster get any additional pay? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; he gets from $30 to $40 and $45, 1 believe, under the new regulations. Senator Butler. He has no commission? Mr. Steele. No commission; no, sir. Senator Butler. Is the quartermaster selected from the crew by the commanding officer of the ship? Mr. Steele. Yes, sir; the commanding officer selects the man he wants from the crew, but there is no prescribed examination; it is about like a corporal in the Army. Mr. MtaYEE. What distinction do you make between a petty oflcer and a warrant officer? Mr. Steele. The warrant oflflcer has a warrant signed by the Pres- PERSONNEL OF THE. NAVY ^LINE. 231 ident and is an officer, bntpetty officers have just a "rate." Youmay say there is only a diilcrence in pay. My privileges are no more tliau those of a landsman or a coal-heaver, or any one else, without the cap- tain chooses to make it that way. If he cliooscs to allow me extra privi- leges, all right. If a warrant ofticer has any difHculty or anything to say he can apiiroach the captain, but I have got to go to the mast and see the executive officer and get pei'mission to see the captain; some- times I can see him and sometimes I can not. Senator Butlek. Is there anything further you want to say'? Mr. Steele. I would like to say that I think there should he some law for retiring men after a certain length of service, for after a man has put twenty or twenty-liA'e years in the fire room, especially in modern ships, he is not iit to do a man's work. In fact, if he lives it is only owing to a robust constitution, and there should be some provi- sion for the life he has given to the service. There has been little or no legislation in the past ibr the enlisted men of the Navy. We have no retiring laws, and after a man is "burnt out" in the fire room what is to become of him'? I think he^ should be retired after twenty years, or not longer than twenty-five anyhow, and I think that that would materially lessen desertions, as time would count. STATEMENT OF BENJAMIN FRANCIS MEGIE. Senator Butler. Please state your position, and where you are in service, Mr. Megie. Ship's writer, U. S. Navy; in service on board the U. S. S. Dolphin' Senator Butler. How old are you? Mr. Megie. I am 25 years old. Senator Butlee. How long have you been in the Navy? Mr. Megie. Between six and seven years. Senator Butlee. Did you get in through the school of apprentices? Mr. Megie. No, sir. I was an api^rentice on board the New York nautical schoolship St. Mary's, and I hold a certificate of graduation therefrom. Senator Butlee. What are your duties as ship's writer? Mr. Megie. My duties as ship's writer are those of clerk to the com- manding and executive officers. 1 have to station the men, and be thoroughly familiar with all duties on board ship. Mr. Metee. Military duties? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir; that is because I have to keep the watch quarter and station book, to make battalions and keep them posted in different parts of the ship, and do all such duties. I have to attend to the correspondeiice ; on the ship where I now am I have not only to write the letters, but to compose many of them as well. As a rule, if a letter comes, I have to take that lettor and write an answer to it myself, of course subject to change by the commanding officer. Mr. Money. It looks as if your duties were rather inconsistent, many of them, one with another. You say you have to attend to the correspondence and that you have to station these men on ship? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir. Mr. Money. It looks as if those duties were soihewhat incongruous. Mr. Megie. I have to know everything, in fact, that every other man on ship does. Senator Butlee. You do not have to scrub the ship, do you? 232 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Mr. Mbgie. No, I do not have to do that. Mr. Money. It looks like au anomaly, to have a secretary stationing the men at their posts. Mr. Meyek. It looks almost as if the secretary were in command of the ship. Mr. Megie. I have to keep the records of the ship, the records of the men, and all that. Senator Hale. As ship's writer do you deliver orders from the captain? Mr. Megie. The executive officer delivers certain orders through me. Senator Hale. What orders"? Mr. Megie. Any thing; any information or any orders he wants to give to the diii'erent parts of the ship, as a general thing I take them; he gives me my instruction to deliver these to the diflerent parts of the ship, or men, and I see that those orders are carried out. Senator Hale. Are you then a sort of adjutant? Mr. Megie. No sir; I am simply the clerk to the executive officer and the commanding officer. The executive officer is the assistant of the captain; he gets his orders from the captain, and he gives them to the writer — that is, the minor orders. In case of very important orders, he delivers them direct. But I have to go around and attend to these different things and see that they are done. Senator Butler. What is the difference between your position and that of a yeoman ? Mr. Megie. The yeoman has to keep the accounts of the different departments in which he may be. Senator HALE. You do not do that? Mr. Megie. No, sir. I have the accounts of the enlisted men of the ship, all these accounts of the yeomen, and such things as that to attend to. They go through my hands to the captain, because they come into the hands of the executive officer, and he generally trusts the writer to look over them and see that they are correct. Mr. Monet. What do you mean by stationing men? Mr. Megie. For instance, when a new man comes to the ship lie will report to the executive officer, and the executive officer will say: " Station that man," and I put him in any part of the ship where there happens to be a vacancy. Mr. Monet. Then your relations with him cease? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir. Mr. Monet. That is what you mean by stationing men? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir. Mr. Monet. What do you mean by ordering battalions? Mr. Megie. I do not mean ordering battalions; I mean forming battalions. Mr. Money. What does that mean? Mr. Megie. Say a vessel goes into commission ; I have to take the watch quarter and station book, picl^out different njen on ship and form battalions; I have to station the men, give them their numbers, and classify them into companies and battalions. Mr. Monet. You do that without the intervention of an officer? Mr. Megie. Of course the executive officer looks out to see that it is right. Mr. Monet. He revises if he sees fit? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir. Mr. Monet. But the original work of organizing is yours? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir. For instance, when the Monongahela went in PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 233 commission in 1891, in March, at Portsmoutli, JS". H,, we received about 172 men. Wlien I reported to the executive officer he said to me: "You understand your business, don'tyoul" I said: "Yes." He said : " A^^ell, see that these men are stationed." Then I had to take my watch quarter and station book and go to these men, who were thoroughly green men to the ship, and station them in the different parts of the ship, in boats, companies, messes, at gams, etc. Senator Hale. Do you mean to say that you did that from your own knowledge of how it should be done'? Mr. Megie. I did : but the executive officer backed me up in every- thing I did '^ Mr. Money. He approved it, but you really did it? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir. Mr. Meyek. Is that customary for ship's writers to do that, or was this a special matter in your own case? Mr. Megie. It depends upon the executive officer. Senator Hale. What pay do you get 1 Mr. Megie. Forty-five dollars a month ; I hold the old rate. The rate was reduced by President Harrison, and none of the officers now seem to know the reas^on why it was done ; they say it is an error which should be remedied. Three classes of writers have been made in place — first, second, and third, receiving respectively $25, $30, and $35 a month. Senator Hale. What are they called. Mr. Megie. Writers of the first, second, and third class. But I still hold the old rate of ship's writer, and will continue to do so until the expiration of my present term of eidistment. Senator Butler. When will that be? Mr. Megie. On the 26th of October, 1895. Mr. Meyer. You state that you keep the accounts of the men? Mr. Megie. l^Tot the pay accounts, but the records. Mr. Meyer. The paymaster's clerk keeps the pay accounts? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir; he keeps those accounts. I would respectfully call the attention of the joint commission to the fact that while the . Navy is self-sustaining in the matter of pensions, through the naval pension fund, there is no provision made by law for pensions for long and faithful service. The Army is not only not self-sustaining in this matter, but a hundred and fifty or sixty millions are appropriated annually for Army pensions, and they have, in the regular Army, pension after thirty years' honorable service. The Navy pension fund amounts now to something over $10,000,000. Through an a,ssault made on it in 1868 by the late Gen. B. F. Butler the interest paid by the Government on the fund was reduced to 3 per cent. If a rate of interest equivalent to that paid by the Government on bonds had been paid on this fund it would now be doubled. This fund has been accumulated principally from prize money taken from the pockets of our enemies and their foreign sympathizers. In all questions of pensions and all that relates to providing au honorable and desirable career for the enlisted men, the Navy is immensely behind, not only our own Army and Marine Corps, but the armies and navies of all other first-class powers. Our men should be given rewards and pensions for length of service equivalent relatively to that whi(ih the officers of the Navy get. Sec- tions 4766 and 4757 provide for pensions for disability in line of duty after ten and twenty years' service. What is needed is a service pen- sion after twenty and thirty years' faithful continuous service, 60 per cent of pay in the former case and 76 per cent of pay in the latter case, or on attaining the age of 55 after twenty- five years' continuous service. 234 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. I think tliat wlieu a man enters the S6r\'ice he should have the privilege of staying nine years, three continuous enlistments, and that at the end of that time, provided he is willing, of course, he shoxrld be appointed or enlisted for life; it does not make any difference whether he is a petty officer or not, but he should be taken into the service for the rest of his life; he should become i^art and parcel of the U. S. Navy. I think a man should have the opportunity of becoming a commissioned officer, provided he can qualify for the same. I think there should be no limitation whatever, positive and not relative rank. If an enlisted man had that to look forward to it would be a great incentive, although there is only a very small nixmber who would ever be commissioned. , Still, I do not refer to the percentage so much as to the beneflts to the service. I think if they had these things to look forward to it woidd bring a better class of men into the service. At the present time there is not more than 33.^ per cent who are Americans — that is, natural born or naturalized Americans, citizens of the United States. There are about two-thirds of the present force who are foreigners. Tliey are not citizens of the United States, and never will become citizens. In fact, they do not want to become citizens. Not more than a month ago I heard a man say he did not want to be a citizen of the United States; that he did not care for the American service or the American flag; he damned, tlie flag and the ship and everything else. He was court-martialed and discharged. But I do not doubt that the same man will be in the service again. Senator Hale. Have you been on a long cruise in any of the new ships? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir; I was on the Minnesota, the apprentice recruit- ing ship. I went from there to the Monongahela, and from there I went out of service awhile; and then I came to the Bolpliin. I was on the Boston for a short time, just a few days. Senator Hale. Why did you come back into the service after you went out? Mr. Megie. I left the service because there was no inducement held out to me for advancement. I had some money left to me, aiul I went west, to Minneapolis, and into business, and I lost all the money I had there. Then I had this i^osition offered to me by Lieut. Buckingham, who wrote and asked me if I wanted the position, and I took it simply because I had to. Senator Hale. Temporarily? Mr. Megie. I expect to leave the service just as soon as I can better myself, because 1 would not stay in under present circumstances. Senator Hale. How old were you when you took charge and arranged and disposed men on the Monongahela, as you have described ? Mr. Megie. That was in March of 1891. Senator Hale. Tliiee years ago ? Mr. Megie. Yes,- sir. Senator Hale. You were then 22. Mr. Megie. Yes, sir; when we came from Portsmouth, N. H., down to Newport to receive apprentices on board, the executive officer took me and the watcli quarter and station book which I had arranged on shore to station these boys. They had all of them drawn up in the gym- nasium, and I stationed each one of them. At that time Lieut. Com- mander Eaton was the executive oiflcor; when 1 went to the Mononga- hela he said: "Megie, if any men come on board here that you know, who have ever been shipmates of yours before, if you will recommend them to me, I will put them in any rating on board the ship, as petty PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 235 ofBcers, that you say, and try them, and if they do not give satisfaction I will change them, but 1 will give them a chance." I recommended several men. I recommended a man as chief quartermaster, and he remained in that position during the whole cruise; I recommended captains of the top, and all were put in upon my recommendation. Mr. Money. Was that contideuce reposed in you particularly, or is that the general custom ? Mr. Megib. It is the general custom, as I say, when the executive officer knows he has a writer who knows his business. The way I look at it is this : If these men who serve as enlisted men for nine years were appointed or enlisted for life, then you would have men that you knew were good men and who could be depended upon, because if they were not good men they would not get the appointment. Then men would go in the service to stay becaiise there would be some iuducement held out to them, and they would know that their career was made, and that when they ceased to be useful through the hardships of the service they would be pensioned or retired. The pay should be fixed to compete ■with civil appointments so that a man would stay in the service, and there should be the same advances in pay for length of service as are given commissioned ofQcers. Senator Butlbk. Wliat education had you before you went into the Navy? Mr. Megib. I first went to school at St. John's Military Academy at Haddonfield, N". J., where I stayed for three years; then went to Bur- lington College after that for two. Senator Butlee. Do you think you could pass an examination for a commission'? Mr. Megib. ISot at present; but I think I could prepare myself. Mr. Meyer. The position that you could aspire to in the line of duty you now occupy would be that of paymaster, it seems to mel Mr. Megib. I hold a certificate of graduation from the New York National School, and it is "excellent" for seamanship, navigation, and all branches ef the line. I think I could very easily pass an examination for boatswain in the Navy. Senator Hale. I believe you could. Mr. Megib. And a man who can pass an examination for boatswain in the Navy, provided he is educated, you know, and understands the higher branches, could become a commissioned officer. Senator Butlee. An ensign? Mr. Megib. Yes, sir. Of course to make a large number of com- missioned officers from enlisted men at the present time would tend to lower the standard of officers. I do not believe in lowering the stand- ard of officers at all. I think the standard should be held just as high as it is now, and that there should be just as rigid an examination. In that case, of coarse, there would be very few enlisted men who would be promoted to commissioned officers. Still, I think if such induce- ments were held out it would bring good boys into the service who would not come otherwise. Senator Halb. You want the door open, if even only a few enter? Mr. Megib. Yes, sir; I know that the commissioned officers say that if the law were changed so that enlisted men might aspire to commis- sions, as soon as they underwent an examination, and there were only one or two out of several thousand men in the service who should receive commissions, that fact would discourage all the men and they would leave the service. Supjwse a few did leave the service. There is no possibility whatever of all of them going out; but say 100 or 150 236 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. did go. The same ini mber would come in again. There would be others to take the places of all who lel't. Senator Butler. Y^ouu idea would be to apply the same rule to the Niivy that is applied to the Army? Mr. Megib. Yes, sir. Tlie commissioned officers of the Navy do not want enlisted men to become officers. They claim that an oliicer of the Army does not have to be half so smart as an officer iu the Navy; does not have to be as thoroughly educated. There is but one beuefit in aslving for relative ranli for warrant officers, and that is that if you enact such a iirovision as tliat it would not meet with any opposition from the line or the staff, and half a loaf is better than none. Senator Hale. You think the officers of the Navy would not object to warrant officers having relative rank? Mr. Megie. No, sir; tliey would not, to go as high as lieutenant. They are willing to tolerate them, but they are not willing to make anyiiody who has been an enlisted man one of them. Senator Butleb. What do the Army officers say on that subject? Mr. Megie. I have Jiot had much conversation with Army officers, but I have been told by naval offlcers that I would be very foolish to come here and ask for any such thing as that; and they attempted to point out to me that it would lower the standard of commissioned officer,-? of the Navy; that Army offlcers, as a rule, were not as smart as the offlcers in the Navy; that they have to pass a great deal higher examination; that any man can shoulder a musket and afterwards become an Army offlcer, but not so with the Navy. I think, in order to advance the men in the Navy and to benefit the entire service you should increase the importance of petty offlcers on board ship ; give them all the benefits of a commissioned offlcer, such as retirement laws, pension laws, etc. In order to do that you will have to make space, and in order to make s])ace you have got to increase the commissioned and other officers as niuch as possible. I believe that the number of noncombatant oflicers should be decreased. The principal offlcers on board ship are tlie line officers. You could keep as many of these as are necessary, but I do not think it is necessary to have as many staff officers and noncombatant officers as we have in the service to-day. Senator Hale. Is tliat the result of your observation ? Mr._ Megie. l'"es, sir; I think the Marine Corps should be abolished. Marines are of no use and benefit on a modern man-of-war. He inay be good enough to handle a rifle, make a salute, run errands, act as mail orderly, or, in his full-dress uniform, make a ilue show, but the experience of a whole cruise of the Dolphin has proved that " blue jack- ets" are not only superior to the marine iu his own (the marine's) duties, but can be used for any other service that occasion may require. The marine is required to act as a guard and watch the sailors, but I will guarantee that if the records of the Department were overhauled the marine guard would be found to have 50 per cent more offenses and court-martials to their credit (in proportion) than the men of the Navy. At the same time it creates dissatisfaction and ill feeling among the men having this foreign body among them as a watch. I Avould recom- mend, for the good of tlie service, that this body of men be abolished and that the enlisted force of the Navy be increased. Mr. Money. When on board a ship he handles a battery, does lie not ? Mr. Megie. What he kno^vs about batteries does not amount to much. If you had that same number of blue jackets they would know enough to man batteries and twenty-five other things that the marine PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 237 never will know. Sailmakers have ceased to be aseful, there befng hardly any sails on modern vessels, and sailmakers' mates are comjie- tent to make awnings, etc. Oar])enters are rather out of place on board ship, and, although he has certain responsibilities, they are entirely out of place, and, as a general rule, not in his line -of business and should be placed where they belong. Senator Hale. These views that you have you get from your own experience that you have been describing to us, where you were brought into relations with everything on board shipl Mr. Megie. Yes, sir; and I am not only expressing my own views, but I am expressing the views of nearly everybody I have spoken to on the subject on board ship. Senator Hale. The views of people who knew what they were talk- ink about? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir. Senator Butlee. I suggest to you that you and these other gentlemen who are present get together and formulate a bill embodying your ideas, and send the bill to us. Can you do that? Mr. Megie. Yes, sir. STATEMENT OF HENRY HUDSON. Senator Butlee. Please state your name and position. Mr. Hudson. Henry Hudson; boatswain, U. S. Navy. Senator Butler. Make any statement you desire. Mr. Hudson. I wish to call the attention of the committee to the responsibility of a boatswain while attached to a navy-yard, in the rigging loft. When a ship is about to be constructed an order is for- warded to him, through the equipment officer, to make an estimate of the amount of material, the kind and size, required to fit that shij) out — that is, her running, standing, and miscellaneous rigging. He is fur- nished with a set of spar and rigging drawings of the vessel, to govern his measurements. He then has to estimate the cost of the material and labor, and submit that estimate to the equipment oificer. That estimate is then forwarded, through the proper channel, to the N"avy Department for approval. He also has to submit a report of all the blocks that are required in the fitting out of the rigging, which report is forwarded to the Construction Bureau for approval, to be manufac- tured. He is also required to submit an estimate of the amount and size of iron required for the making of different articles which belongs to the rigging, which are too numerous to mention. After the esti- mates have been forwarded to the Bureau and approved he receives, through the equipment officer, an order to fit the rigging for the vessel. He has to keep the accounts of the labor, of the material received and expended for that particular ship, and keep an entire set of books during the fitting out of that ship, or any other ship's rigging that might come into the loft at that or any future time; he may possibly have four or five ships' rigging undergoing repairs, and others being fitted at the same time. Senator Butler. Those are the duties of a boatswain in a navy-yard ? Mr. Hudson. In a yard at a loft. Senator Hale. One boatswain has to do all that? Mr. Hudson. He has to attend to all that. Senator Butler. How many assistants has he! 238 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. Mr. Hudson. He has a quarterman and as many men as are required to do the work. Senator Hale. Those are not enlisted men, are they? Mr. Hudson. They are laboring peoi^le from outside. Senator Butler. Civilians'? Mr. Hudson. Civilians; yes, sir. Senator Butler. What are the duties of a boatswain on board ship ? Mr. Hudson. A boatswain on board ship has the entire charge of all the rigging belonging to the ship. Senator Butler. Above and below? Mr. Hudson. Yes, sir. He has every morning, between the hours of 6 and 8, to go over the mastheads of the ship to see that the rigging has not been chafed in anj' way or that it has not moved from its proper place, and to see that nothing has happened to the rigging or spars that would be detrimental to human life or delay the progress of the ship. He has to inspect all the blocks and sheaves connected with the yards and running rigging. He has to take a look at the spars, bolts, and other appliances which are aloft, to see that they are in their places and ready for use. At 8 o'clock in the morning lie reports the condition of the rigging and spars to the executive oflicer, aiKl if there is any -work that he desires to have done the executive oflicer will authorize him to do tliat work during the day. He is to personally superintend all work which is being conducted in his department. He is held responsible for all stores that are on board ship, whether in use or not. He is held responsible for all stores received on board ship and to see that they lit in their proper places. Senator Hale. Do you mean supplies'? Mr. Hudson. Supplies and everything that appertains to the depart- ment of the boatswain. Senator Butlek. You do not mean the commissary stores'? Mr. Hudson. No; I mean the supplies that belong to the equipment strictly. Then he has anchors and cables to look after, the chain lockers below, to see that they are properly cleaned. Then he has to overhaul and see that the sluu'kles and ])ins Avhicli connect the chains are in good condition. AA'lien in ])ort he has to see that the anchors are at all times ready for letting go; that the stoppers and everything connected with the cables lor the purpose of securing them to the ship arc in place and ready for use. Wlien at sea he has to see that every article necessary in bad weather is in its place. He has to be on deck generally from 6 o'clock in the morning until 8 at night, and always when all hands are called. If bad weather is coming on he then will probably remain ou deck all night, especially if the weather continues to grow worse. Senator Hale. Does one man do all this'? Mr. Hudson. One man looks out for all this. I am held responsible for all of this to the executive officer of the ship. In next to the last shij) that I was on, the U. S. S. Constellation, ou my trip from Norfolk, Va., to Gibraltar, thence to Naples, thence to Havre, France, with about a one-half allowance of crew, for the purpose of getting the World's Ex- position goods and bringing them to the United States, it was in the win- ter time; we made a northern passage, and I seldom left the deck from 6 o'clock in the morning iintil 8 o'clock in the evening, and then, it being in the winter, and as a general rule bad weather all tlie time, with high winds and seas, that necessitated my constant attention to the rigging. Senator Butler. The ConntcUation is a sailing ship? Mr. Hudson. A sailing ship; yes, sir. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE, 239 Senator Hale. Of course there is muoli more to do on a sailing ship than on one of these modern steamships. Mr. Hudson. Yes; much more. Senator Butler. How long have you been in the service? Mr. Hudson. I have been in the service seventeen years. Senator Butler. Whut is your age now? Mr. Hudson. I am 33 years old, nearly 34. Senator Butler. Did you come in as an apprentice? Mr. Hudson. I entered as an apprentice. Senator Butler. And served your time? Mr. Hudson. I served my apprenticeship, and then served six years and six months as an enlisted mao. Senator Butler. Then you became boatswain? Mr. Hudson. I made an application for the position of boatswain in the Navy. Senator Butler. What Is your pay? Mr. Hudson. My sea pay now is $1,800 a year. Senator Butler. That is more than an ensign receives? Mr. Hudson. Yes; but I stand right there; there is no advancement for me. Senator Hale. What do you think ought to be done for the boat- swains ? Mr. Hudson. I think, as Mr. Walsh has represented for the benefit of the corps in general, that they should, if I am not mistaken, for the first five years be granted warrants as boatswains ; then, after a cer- tain number of years of service, they should be granted the relative rank of ensign; then junior lieutenants, and then lieutenants. Senator Hale. Yon agree, then, with Mr. Walsh? Mr. Hudson. Yes; I have a book here in regard to the warrant offi- cers of the English service, and I find that the men in the English service can rise from enlisted men to the rank of lieutenant. Senator Butler. Would your idea be that when they attain the relative rank they should wear the uniform of an ensign or a junior heutenant or lieutenant? Mr. Hudson. The rank will be exclusively among ourselves and will not in any way conflict with the other officers. I presume the Depart- ment will, as it has previously, regulate the dress or uniform. I think that should be left to the discretion of the Department more than to ourselves. In the English service men have reached the rank of lieu- tenant'from second-class boys. Senator Butler. Was that man a boatswain? Mr. Hudson. He was a boatswain. Now, suppose I am sent out on a ship to serve on a three years' cruise in foreign waters; I evidently have been ten years a boatswain; but from a social point of view I am not recognized by that gentleman. That is perfectly natural, from a military point of view. But if I had an opportunity to raise from one step to another, it would allow me to form social acquaintances on foreign stations, and make things very pleasant for me generally, which would be the same for others of our corps. A great many of our war- rant officers have served twenty years. I have had seventeen years' service, but this gentleman evidently only hns had about ten years. My practical experience and education, which I have gnincd during that seventeen years, is superior to his; yet, by the privilege allowed him by his country, he does not recognize me on a social point of view. I would have liked very much, when in Gibraltar a year ago, to visit.a corps of warrant officers there; but, owing to their rank, 1 did iiot feel 240 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. that I could, witli propriety, step dglit in witli tliom. Ilere is a letter wliich I will submit if tlie committee does not d<'siro me to read it. Senator Butler. You had better leave that with us. Mr. Hudson. I will do so. Senator Butler. Iu the English service do they have this relative or assimilated rank ? Mr. Walsh. It is positive rank with them. On entry in the service a warrant oiScer takes rank with sublieutenant, and after a number of years becomes a lientenant, and lie takes precedence over midship- men or naval cadets. Senator Butler. In the British service? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. I left n memorandum, when I gave my testi- mony last Saturday, as to the admiralty instruction on tlic subject. Mr. Hudson. I also wish to call the attention of the committee to the fact that the warrant officers of tlie Navy (the grade of boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sailmakers) liave now been in existence for one hundred years. If I am not mistaken, the law creating these grades was passed by Congress JMarch 27, 1794. The flrst warrant officer was appointed by the Secretary, and warranted by the Presi- dent of the United States, IMay 11, 171)8. In 1800 I think a great many of them returned their warrants and went out of the service. Senator Butler. There has been no change from that day to this? Mr. Hudson. There has been no change from that day to this. The grading is now where it stood one hundred years ago. It does not sat- isfy the ambition of an American citizen of tlie United States to stand still. And I earnestly request that something be done for the warrant officers of the United States Navy. Senator Hale. How many boatswains are there in the Navy? Mr. Hudson. We have in the Navy now 33 boatswains. In the four grades of warrant officers we have 137 on the active list, of which 28 have been naval apprentices. Senator Hale. You say in the four grades? Mr. Hudson. Tliat means boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sail- makers — one corps, but four grades. Twenty-eight have been naval apprentices, appointed since 1875. So, out of 15,000 apprentice boys which have enlisted in the service since that time, there has been some- where about 2 per cent remained in the service. That is as close as I can come to it. The total number of warrant officers appointed in the past hundred years is 1,400. I calculate they are about one and a half of one per cent of the entire number of enlisted men which have been in the service, that is, that have been borne on the registers at the Department up to date. That is about the proportion that has been granted warrants by the President of the United States. Of course, inior to 1840, I think it was, the engineers and other grades were war- rant officers. The laws have been changed considerably since then to benefit others, but not the boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sail- makers. Senator Hale. But if you had these warrants from the President, and then had the opportunity of being promoted to the relative rank, first, of ensign, and then to the grade of junior lieutenant, and then to lieutenant — not to interfere at all with the commissioned officers, but only a rank among yourselves — you tliink that would be satisfactory? Mr. Hudson. That would be perfectly satisfactory, because any per- son who applies for the appointment as boatswain must have had seven years' service at sea; he requires that for practical experience. I had an opportunity, upon the expiration of my enlistment as an apprentice, PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 241 to apply for an appointment as a boatswain. I was informed tliat the three years, to complete my seven years, wliich, by regulation, we are supposed to serve, would be waived. I informed the gentleman who was so kind to me at that time, that, as I had just come out of my apprenticeship and had only served four years and five months at sea, I considered that I required more practical experience in order to per- form the duties of boatswain. Senator Hale. You did not apply, then? Mr. Hudson. I did not apply, then; no, sir. I have now served eleven years and nine months as an enlisted man, and five years as a boatswain, and made four full cruises aboard full-rigged ships. Senator Bxjtlee. I wish you gentlemen would get together and see if you can formulate a bill and send it to us. Mr. Hudson. Yes, sir. Thereupon the joint subcommittee adjourned to 10:30 o'clock a. m. of Saturday, April 28, 1894. April 28, 1894. STATEMENT OF MR. SAMUEL B. CALDWELL, APOTHECARY U. S. NAVY. Mr. Caldwell. On the part of the corps of apothecaries of the U. S. Navy I beg to request, through your committee, that as a part of the proposed reorganization of the U. S. -ISTavy, they be made warrant officers, and base this request upon the following considerations : 1. Not only is the pharmacist of to-day a professional man, but the Navy rightfully demands the most able men in that profession. A can- didate for apothecaryship in the U. S. Navy is not only required to be a graduate in pharmacy, but as well to pass a rigid examination in scientific subjects and in many of the brauches of a general English education. In addition to this he is required to " present testimonials or certificates as to character, good habits, and sobriety." [See U, S. Navy Eegulations, Circular No. 2, March 1, 1893.) [U. S. Navy Regulation, Circular No. 2.] Navy Dbpaktment, Washington, D, C, March IS, 1893. A candidate for examination and first enlistment as apothecary in the United States Navy must be a graduate of some recognized college of pharmacy, and must he between 21 and 28 years of age. Apothecaries for duty on cruising vessels will be enlisted for three years, general service, and will receive the benefits of honorable discharge and continuous service. Those for duty on receiving and stationary ships or for duty on vessels of the Fish Commission will be enlisted for one year spcci.al service ; those for duty on vessels of the Coast Survey will be enlisted for the cruise, not to exceed five years. When practicable, applicants for the position of apothecary will be examined by a board of three medical officers. Applications for first enlistment as apothecary must be referred to the Bureau of Navigation. Candidates nmst pass the usual physical examination, and must present testimo- nials or certificates as to character, good habits, and sobriety. They will also be required to pass a satisfactory examination in the following sub- -jects, viz : (1) Genecal education. Arithmetic, orthography, writing (legible and grammatical), geography, and his- tory of the United States. LINE 16 242 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. (2) Professional. Materia mcdica. — A knowledge of tlie botanical names, origin, habitat, prepara- tions, and doses of the drngs recognized by the Pharmacopeia. i^Afiiniiac]/.— A knowledge of the various pharmaceutical processes employed in tlio manufacture of the various oiHcinal and offici.il jirei^arations, and tlio relative pro- portions of the more import.ant drugs entering into the comjiosition of these prepa- rations. Chemistry. — A knowledge of chemical symbols, the formula? of the more important officinal chemicals, and of the reactions produced by the combination of oheiuicals. Toxicology. — A knowledge of the symptoms and toxic doses and antidotes of poisons. The recognition of crucle drugs, the making of ordinary ph.armaccutical prepara- tions, the compounding of prescriptions, and the criticising of prescriptions incor- rect by reason of pharmaceutical or chemical incompatibility, or from dangerous doses. A practical knowledge of bandaging, minor surgej-y, application of dry and wot cups is desirable and for which the applicant will be given due credit. Hilary A. HEiinERx, /Secretary of the Xavy. After all this he is now required to enlist and thereby become asso- ciated with men, who, with one exception, are not only required to pass no examination other than the nsual physical one to which every one entering the naval service is subjected, but are not required to present testimonials, certificates, or any other evidence as to tlieir moral character, habits, sobriety, etc. The exceptio)! referred to is in the case of the machinists wlio have already been recommended to your committee by the Navy Department for warrants. 2. As further reason why the apothecaries of the Navy should be made warrant officers I beg to state that in addition to their numerous technical scientific duties they are required to perform duties of a clerical natiire, quite as extensive as those of the Navy pay clerk who is assisted by the pay yeoman and is a steerage officer, [U. S. Navy Regulation Circular No. 117.] Navy Dupartmknt, Washington, Decemher S,?, lS9g. APOTHECARIES. Hereafter all apothecaries for vessels in commission shall be enlisted for general service. B. F. Tracy, Secretary of the Navy. 3. Until the issue of U. S. Navy Eegulation Circular No. 117, De- cember 22, 1892, naval apothecaries were appointed by tlie medical officers under whom they were to serve, and were only on rare occa- sions required to pass any examination other than the pliysical, and while the issuing of the two circulars to which I have relrn'red (copies of which are hereunto appended) took away from the medical officers the appointing i)ower and required the apothecaries to be not only educated professional men, but gentlemen as well, no provision was made for their betterment in pay, etc., although it will be seen that such a radical change in the requirements calls for, in fact makes necessary, a corresponding increase in the pay and status of the office to be filled. 4. In conclusion, apothecaries may be warranted, as proposed, with- out otherwise affecting the plan now before your committee, for form- ing a separate hospital corps of the Medical Department of the Navy, as the desired class of men could then be retained in the service, whereas they have now no inducement for so doing, beyond one enlistment. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 243 MAECH 31, 1894. Sir: Being a constituent (my residence is South Carolina), and liaving learned you are a member of the joint committee to consider the personnel of the Navy, I beg leave4o submit the following refer- ence to the apothecaries in the Navy : I will call your attention to U. S. Navy Eegulatiou Circular No. 2, hereto appended. A section reads : "A candidate for examination and first enlistment a-s apothecary iu the U. S. Navy must be a graduate of some recognized college of pharmacy." To obtain a degree from any col- lege of pharmacy, two years' apprenticeship prior to matriculation and two years' attendance upon its lectures are required. Therefore, at least four years' preparation is necessary to comply with above section. We are also req^uired to undergo examinations in minor surgery, bandaging, etc., and on those vessels carrying one surgeon we have to do his duty during his absence.* Now compare the above necessary capacity with the pay according to present arrangements. The iiay is $60 monthly, and we are sub- jected to conditions identical with the ordinary landsman. What we want, and believe we are entitled to, since the requirements are increased, and the exactions more stringent, is increased pay, eleva- tion of status, and retirement when disabled by age. All of these benefits are incorporated in a warrant, and if your com- mittee is to consider the application of warrants to improve the condi- tion of enlisted men, I hope you will see that we are included in the provision. Hoping yon recognize the justice of our claim and will assist us to relief, I remain, Yours, very respectfully, M. T. DeLoeme, A;pothecary, U. 8. Na/oy. Hon. M. C. BuTLBE, Washington, D. G. [U. S. Navy Eegulatiou Circular No. 2.] Navy Department, Washington, D. C, March IS, 1S9S. A candidate for examination and first enlistment as apothecary in the U. S. Navy must be a graduate of some recognized college of pharmacy, and must he between 21 and 28 years of age. Apothecaries for duty on cruising vessels will bo enlisted for three years, general service, and will receive the benefits of honorable discharge and continuous serv- ice. Those for duty on receiving and stationary ships, or for duty on vessels of the Fish Commission, will be enlisted for one year special service; those for duty on vessels of the Coast Survey will be enlisted for the cruise, not to exceed five years. When practicable, applicants for the position of apothecary will be examined by a hoard of three medical officers. Applications for first enlistment as apothecary must be referred to the Bureau of Navigation. Candidates must pass the usual physical examination, and must present testi- monials or certificates as to character, good habits, and sobriety. They will also be required to pass a satisfactory examination in the following sub- jects, viz : (1) Gene^ral education. Arithmetic, orthography, writing (legible and grammatical), geography, and his- tory of the United States. (2). Professional. Materia medica.—X knowledge of the botanical names, origin, habitat, prepara- tions, and doses of the drugs recognized by the Pharmacopeia, Pharmacij.—A. knowledge of the various pl,;irniiicoutical processes employed in the manufacture of the various officinal mid official proparati'ms, and the relative pro- 244 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. portions of the more important drugs entering into tlio conipositicii of these piepiira- tions. Chemistry. — A knowledge of chcniical s\nihols, the formuhe of the nioro iiuportniit officinal chemicals, and of the reactions jn-odnced by the corabination of choiiiicnls. Toxicology. — A knowledge of the symptoms and toxic doses and antidotes of poisons. The recognition of crude drugs, the making of ordin.Try pharmaceutical ]iroi)ara- tions, the compounding of prescriptions, and the criticising of ])res(-rii)tious iiudiroct by reason of pharmaceutical or chemical incompatibility, or from dangerous doses. A practical knowledge of bandaging, minor surgery, .application of dry and wet cups is desirable and for which the applicant wiU he given duo credit. Hilary A. Hbisbket, Secretary of the J^'aoy. STATEMENT OF LODEWYCK HOORNBEEK, Editor of "Our Xary," the organ af the enlisted men of the Navy. Mr. HooENBEEK. The annual reports of tlie Bureau of Navigation show that, in 18'J:.', 908 men and 352 apx^rentices deserted from tlie TJ. S. Navy during the year; and in the year 1893 the number of deser- tions does not fall far below those numbers. Tliat 1,L'«0 jiersojis out of a force of 8,250 men shoukl commit the crimeof desertion, thus deliber- ately forfeiting all their rights and privileges as citi/.ens, ought to arrest the attention of our lawmakers. Tliat nearly one-half (■4().9 jier cent) of the total number of apprentices desert in any one year, is cer- tainly a matter of grave importance. Committees have investigated in the past and have made recommen- dations, but with little effect. A law has been passed permitting en- listed men to purchase discharge from the naval service;- its avowed object was to lessen the number of desertiojis, but it lias not done so. The fact that a person desiring dischnrge mui^t purchase it, imidies that the Government wtmld otherwise lose by tiie tinnsaction. It therefore follows that each desertion is a decided Joss to the country. Instead of passing laws permitting men or boys to recede from their engagements to the Government, might it not be as well to make some inquiry as to whether tliose persons can not be retained in the service by some changes in its management? It ouglit to be, and no doubt is, the aim of the Navy Department and of the offl(;ers to retain good men in the service ratlier than to facilitate discharge therefrom; but this object can not be attained while all the conditions of life in the Navy are made so different from those on shore. It would, therefore, seem to be the best policy to ameliorate the present status of the enlisted men as much as possible, having due regard to necessary discipline and nature of the service in time of peace. Nearly 75 per cent of the enlisted force of the U. S. Navy have, directly or indirectly, requested me to appear before this commission to call your attention to a practice in the Navy that is the cause of nine-tenths of all the desertions, and the real reason why Americans do not more readily adopt the Navy as a career. Many causes have been assigned as the reason why Amencans do not enlist, or account for the fact that nearly 75 per cent of all the de- serters from the naval service are Americans. The fact that the Navy, as at present constituted, offers no oxitlet for the ambition of "Young America," may be, and certainly is, one reason why Americans do not enlist in the Navj^; but that is not the reason why so many Americans who enlist in the naval service desert before they have served their first year. PEESONNKL OF THE NAVY LINE. 245 The ration table of tlie Navy, as provided by nearly every pay offi- cer, will compare favorably in quality, quantity, and variety with almost any second-class hotel on shore. There must be much allowance made, however, for the lack of conveniences and facilities in the preparation and serving of the material iDrovided; and these allowances are always made by the men. The pay of the Navy, assuming that all nonrated men in the Navy are on the same plane with unskilled labor on shore, is better and higher than that paid on shore. In the matter of clothes, the paymaster's stores provide against every change of climate, and the prices for clothing arc much less than the same goods could be purchased for on land. There is no complaint from enlisted men as to the strictness of dis- cipline; every enlisted man in the Navy who has served on more than one ship appreciates the benefit of strict discipline; it prevents him from trespassing upon the rights of others, but at the same time assures to himself all the privileges that are the rewards of good con- duct. The enlisted men in the Navy only complain of the fact that the United States does not keep to the contract it makes with them when they en- list. When a man eblists in the Navy he signs articles of enlistment, which are also signed by the recruiting officer as the represeutative of the U. S. Government. By those articles he binds himself to serve for three years, to obey the orders of his superior officer, render him- self at all times amenable to naval discipline, and support the Consti- tution of the United States. The United States on its part agrees to pay him " dollars per month, or the amounts due to theratingsto which he may be assigned." From this agreement he has every reason to believe tliat if he obeys orders and behaves himself he will receive his pay monthly. But he does not. He, on first enlistment, must be provided with an outfit of uniforms and bedding, which is advanced to him by the paymaster, and which runs him in debt to an amount varying between $45 and $00. Until that debt is paid he can not go on shore nor leave the ship. As men without previous naval service are invariably enlisted as landsmen it takes the recruit from three to four months to work off this debt (the pay of a landsman being $16 per month). When his debt is paid, and he has some money due him on the pay- master's books, he has a right to expect that the Government will cer- tainly carry out its part of the agreement and thereafter pay him " $16 per month, or the amount due to the rating to which- he shall be assigned." But it does not. Before his debt is canceled he is usually transferred to a seagoing ship, and he then runs against the pay regulations of that ship, which are entirely within the discretion of the commanding officer of our naval vessels in commission. Should this landsman be transferred to any oif the 5 ships nov in commission, he would find that he could draw no money as pay until he had accumulated $100 on the paymaster's books, He is patient and remains on board ship six or seven months more, till he has accumulated the necessary $100. He is not compelled to remain on board ship during this period, but without any money he finds little pleasure in going on shore. When he has accumulated the $100, he then certainly thinks that he will be entitled to his " $10 per month, or the pay of the ratings to which he may be assigned." But he is not. He only receives an. allowance called "monthly money," the amount of which is entirely within the discretion of the commanding officer, 246 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. and wliieli varies from onetliird (o one-half a month's pay each niontli. The balance of liis pay the Government yenerously allows him to accumulate on the books of tlic ship, but he oau not draw it. About this time he is tiioroughly disgusted and ready to desert, and in the case of Americans, !) out of 10 do desert on the arrival of a shi]) at a home port. To my knowledge, there are but 3 ships in the U. S. Navy where the amount retained by the Government is less than two mouths' pay. After the recruit has paid his debt and accumulated the necessary amount to entitle him to draw money, if he desires to send money to his family he must luake what is known as a special requisition, in which lie must specify the objects and uses to which this extra money is to be applied; and this not generally, but specifically aud in detail. If the executive officer and captain of the ship approve of his object, he gets the money; if they do not, he does not get it. Can you reasonably expect Americans to remain in the naval ser- vice subject to such degrading, debasing and manhood-destroying reg- ulations? Our Navy of the future must be composed of intelligent men, trained in their various duties; every ship should be as much a machiue in relation to her officers and crew as to the inanimate parts of her equipment. The higher the intelligence, the more skillful the crew, the greater will be the efficiency of the ship. The deuiand is for intelligent young men, but the first asstimptiou they meet after enlist- ment is, that they have not sufficient intelligence to take care of their own earnings. In time of peace a young man does not enlist in the Navy through a ' patriotic desire to serve his country; ho does not enlist for the honor of serving under the flag ; but he is filled with an ambition to see the world, to travel, broaden his views, and seek adventure. Tliesearethe motives of the desirable men who enlist in the Navy. But when they find that for at least a year they will see the world with empty pockets, they are disillusioned, and although they would cheerfully endure all the hardships and perform all the duties, they expect (and they have a right to expect) that they shall be treated as men and i^aid their earnings when due; which would give them an o^Dportunity to realize their ambitions. There is another motive for enlisting in the Navy : When a man is healthy, but out of work; when he has tramped from one part of the country to the other looking for work, butaccumuhiting vicious habits; when he has been badly clothed, hungry, and without a bed — that man goes to the Navy (if he knows of the Navy) as a refuge. He is fed, clothed, and life to him is without a care. Without care he is also without ambition ; he performs his duties perfunctorily, and behaves himself just well enough to permit him to reenlist. He has experienced the "slings and arrows," but now he is in a safe haven. When he gets his money he indulges without restraint in the vices he contracted before he entered the Navy. He seeks the resorts of which he was an habitue when a tramp; he leads apprentice boys and impressionable younger men astray with him, and by his actions and conduct brings disgrace, not only uiion his fellow-sailors, but upon the uniform he wears. The money he is forced to accumulate by our present money regulations is spent in one long debauch at the end of each enlistment; when bankrupt in cash and broken in nerves, he again seeks the receiving ship as a matter of course and reenlists for another i)eriod of accumulation. To such men our picseut pay regulations are a boon and no hardship. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 247 To the foreigner who comes to this country in a merchant ship attracted by the pay in our ISTavy, and who enlists for the sole purpose of accumulating nioney, the present pay regulations are no hardship. But to the American who enlists to see the world, who enlists to be on haud when needed, who enlists to serve his country well, and to deserve credit and promotion, ^whether he receives it or not— to him our absurd pay regulations are iron-pointed, and tlie iron enters his heart, causing him to despise the service, to couravy, men who have become rich by lending money to their shipmates. The rate of interest is 20 per cent a month. A man borrows $5 from money lenders under pressure of circumstances; at the end of the month he must repay $6, or he must pay $1 for each month till the money is repaid. If the borrower is a recruit, he only gets $4 and repays $5. Officers in the Navy have not escaped suspicion of being concerned in lending money to the crew. As an instance of money lending let me cite one very recent circum- stance which came to my knowledge through my acquaintance with the crew of the vessel. After the Kearsarge had been wrecked on Eoncador Eeef, and the crew been returned to the U. S. S. Vermont, they were penniless with the exception of the money due them from the Gov- ernment. They had been cruising where climate and conditions rendered it necessary to cut off shore liberty; consequently they had drawn no money, and their pay had accumulated for four months on the books of the vessel. They arrived on board the Vermont on the 21st of February; on the Friday following they were given shore leave for three days, from Friday until Monday. The captain of the Vermont allowed the landsmen to draw $2, ordinary seamen $3, and seamen $5 ojit of their accumulated pay, with which amount they were expected to remain on shore three days in a strange city. This pittance would hardly pay their hotel bill at the cheapest hotel, and yet they were sent on shore to enjoy themselves. More than 20 of them declined to go on shore with the pittance allowed them. Then it was the money lender appeared ; word was rapidly passed from one to the other that they could borrow money from a man in the •248 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — -LINE. bng room, if tliey were willing to pay $G for $5. If tlicy wanted |5 they signed tlieir uame on a jjaper for $0; if thoy wanted $10 tliey signed for ftl2; if tliey wanted $15 they signed for $18, etc. That money lender owns real estate in Brooklyn; he is a landsman and liis pay is 81G a month. You ask me where did he get his money. The captain of the Vermont last fall appointed him caterer for the 1,000 men on board ship, and he drew as commuted rations over $9,000 eacli month; whetlier that monej' was used to extort any iniquitous and usurious interest from men who are hard up on tlie Vermont, or whether he furnished the cash from his private funds, I do not know. I am informed (and I believe my informants to be truthful) that on one alternoon more than 250 men had visited the bag room to get loans. It would seem to be the duty of the chief petty oflicer of that vessel to know of and report these facts to the commanding oilicer. It would seem to be the duty of the captain of the Vermont to stop this iniquitous practice by being more liberal in his money allowances to the crew, and it would seem a very peculiar discretion in a corq- manding oflicer who selects a landsman to be the custodian of a fund amounting to $9,000 a mouth. It would seem to be the duty of the captain of the Vermont to avoid being suspected by the men under his command of being iu partnership with those petty officers on board his ship that make a practice of lending money at the rate of 20 per cent interest per month. I am not here, however, for the purpose of making charges against any person; and I mention this instance only for the purjiose of show- ing one of the results of retaining the pay of enlisted men, and of placing the right of retaining a man's pay within the discretion of any one man, be he commanding officer of a ship or be he Secretary of the Navy. The fact that every enlisted man in the naval service lias a balance due him from the Government is a coustant temptation to, and invites, a manipulation of those balances by naval pay officers or their clerks. How many scandals have arisen from this cause alone in tlio Navy. Compare the record of the Navy in this respect with that of the Army. In the Army the men are paid each month in full. The result is that the Army paymaster has no balance to mauijmlate and scan- dals in the Pay Department of the Army are exceedingly rare. In the Navy the men are never paid in full except when they leave the serv- ice, and during the past year four naval paymasters have been, under suspicion of misappropriation of funds. When a man has anyone dependent on him for support, the retention of any part of his pay is an injustice and a hardship, even should the captain and executive officer approve his requisitions whenever pre- sented. I have heard of one case where an executive officer refused to let a man have money to send to his mother until he procured a certifi- cate from the mother's sxiiritiial adviser to the effect that she was not only sick, but destitute. I think it was Lord Coke who said that "the discretion of a court was the first engine of tyranny." What an engine of tyranny, then, isplaced in the hands of a naval officer who commands a ship, from whose de- cisions there is no appeal. Within the last year a machinist of the Navy, a man who holds a cer- tiflcuto as engineer in the merchant service, was compelled to deliver his letter open to an officer, when he desired to inclose a cheque to his PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 249 relatives at home. By the captaiu's order the paymaster declined to deliver to hiui the cheque for the money the .machinist had asked for, and would only deliver it to an oflicer, who inclosed the cheque in the open letter, sealed, and mailed the same. I do not thin'i it necessary to state that that machinist is not now in the Navy. There is not a man in theXavy who supports mother, wife, child, or sister, but has felt the degradation of being compelled to tell his family secrets to an officer before he conld get the money, or rather a small part of the money, due himself from the U. S. Government. The only men who are paid in full in the Navy are the officers and that class of men known as special service men. A man who enlists in the Navy for general service enlists for three years; he enlists to go to sea; he enlists to fight, if necessary, and to l^erfect himself, as far as possible, in his duties as a sailor. There is another class of men, called special-service men, who enlist in the Navy for one year; who do not enlist to tight nor to go to sea, and who have no other duties than a navy-yard workman would have. They enlist to serve on board receiving ships; they have their rations commuted for cash, live on shore with their families, or in boarding houses, and they are well satisfied. Not a few of them own saloons, or interests in saloons. just outside the different navy-yards. They can leave or resign at any time they x)lease. These men draw their money in full each month. The retention of money and the uncertainty of its payment handi- caps the men of the Navy in their dealings with merchants on shore. Naval messes are compelled to btiy mess stores largely from people on shore; the uncertainty as to time of payment justifies dealers in charg- ing for that element of uncertainty. It may be said that the paymejit of the men of the Navy in full monthly would necessitate the paymaster carrying much larger amounts of money on board ship than is now necessary. This I do not think to be the case. There is a savings- deposit, system in the Navy similar to that of the Army; it is ray belief (and my belief is founded on experience) that if the men of the Navy were paid in full each month, whether at sea or in port, that nine-tenths of all the money paid at sea would be returned to the paymaster in the form of deposits. That the retention of money is the cause of desertion can be verified by the official records of different ships, under different money regula- tions. On board the Vesuvius, the BolpMn, and one or two other ships only, are the men paid in full. Comparing a record of desertions from those ships with the desertions from ships on board which the captain retains from $35 to $100, it will be seen that on those ships where the most money is retained desertions will be most frequent. To sum up, therefore, we may say that the withholding of an enlisted man's pay hampers him in his business relations with civilians; it makes him the victim of unscrupulous men on board ship and on shore; it keeps from him the full opportunity of enjoying life while in the service; keeps him constantly dissatisfied; does not add one mite to the dignity of a commanding officer; and is the direct cause of nine- tenths of all the desertions from the Naval service. The fact that one man has' the power to withhold entirely, or grant in part only, that which is every man's right, is axiomatically a wrong and an injustice, and should be remedied. Permit me to say one word in regard to the retirement law. Enlisted men of the Army may retire after thirty years' service. No provision whatever has been made for the retirement of the men of the Na^y. 250 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. I ask yon to remember, in considering tlie question as to -wliat period of service would be reasonable before retirement, that wLile an officer alternates between sea and shore duty, the enlisted man is always at sea. Thirty years for him means thirty years cut off from the com- forts and delights of a home; it means thirty years at sea. His quar- ters on board ship are limited and uncomfortable at best. An otticer lives in a palace, compared with the accommodations of a snilor. I ask you to remember, too, that nearly, if not quite one half of all he enlisted men in the Navy are employed in the fire and engine rooms, and in our modern ships the temperature of the fire rooms averages about 125° to 140° at all times. Thirty years' existence in that tem- perature means complete annihilation. The conditions between the sailor and petty oflficer on deck and the engineer's force are vastly dif- ferent. While thirty years' service for the men on deck before retire- ment would be tolerably just, to the men of theengincer's force it Avould be injustice. After a man has served twenty-five years in a modern fire room, he will be a candidate for a disability pension, if not for funeral honors. Thirty years of life under such conditions is impossible. The enlisted men of the Navy ask you to consider that a class of reliable petty officers is a necessary requirement of a progressive Navy; it is just as essential to have the positions before the mast filled by men who have adopted the Navy as a career, and who are permanent and reliable, as to liave commissioned officers who are permanent and relia- ble. While a guard of marines — soldiers — is stationed on board ship to protect the captain from his crew, and to j)erform dnties whicli in other navies devolve upon and are a part of the functions of petty officers, one can hardly expect much jirogression. Petty officers should be made responsible for the discipline of the ship forward of the mast, and the men of the Navy should not be placed under the surveillance of a guard, whether that guard be composed of marines, artillery, cavalry, or infantay. Give the men of the Navy a retirement law to provide against the disabilities of old age. The necessity for a liberal retirement act is absolute. Give the men of the Navy their money each month, as the Govern- ment agrees to do, so that they may enjoy the comforts of civilization and relaxation from duty in their hard-earned days of liberty. Give the men of the Navy some outlet for their ambition other than that ambition-kiUing position — the warrant officer. No stereotyped set of regulations can possibly provide for lesser grievances, small in themselves, but which, cunmlative, make life on board ship harassing and burdensome. These can be remedied, to a great extent, by the officers ; and it is gladly admitted that many officers now adopt more rational treatment towards the men over whom they are placed. Self-respect should be the standard of Americans afloat as well as on shore, and any measure whose tendency is to lessen that feeling degrades and will be repellant to a desirable class who would otherwise be contented, and who would yield that cheerful obedience which their intelligence causes them to perceive to be necessary in an effective naval service. Unless the whole service indicates progress, the service stands still. To advance the officers and permit the enlisted force to remain sta- tionary but stretches out the service and creates a strain. In connection with the principal cause for desertions permit me to say one word regarding the principal reason why men who have received the training of seaman gunners leave the service. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 251 After an enlisted man whoso conduct and qnalitications render liim eligible iias served one eiilistiueut and reeulisted ho may he detailed, on recommendation of his commanding oilicer, for instruction at tlie gunnery school at Washiugton navy-yard and the Torpedo School at Newport, E. I. The courses at these schools of practical instruction last eighteen months, in which time the man is constantly uuder practical instruc- tion in the manufacture, use, etc., of all kinds of explosives and pro- jectiles. He receives practical and thorough instruction in electricity, and when he has passed the necessary examinations of the course he receives credentials as a seaman gunner, diver, and electrician. His pay by reason of those accomplishments is raised only $2 a month. Instead of receiving $25, he receives $27 a month. On board ship this iustiuction fits him to take entire charge of the electric plant of the ship. His pay when placed in entire charge of the plant of a shij) is $50 a month. It was by the last pay schedule of the Navy reducetf from $70 to $50. At the very time when the present pay table was before the President for approval the Government was advertising in the New York daily papers for an electrical machinist to take charge of the navy-yard iDlant, and the pay offered was $100 a month. The pay of electricians on shore is from $3.50 to $5 a day, and the electricians of the Navy are in constant demand by the electrical com- panies. It can not be surprising when I state that naval electricians, whose greatest possible pay is $50 a month, file applications with these com- panies a few months before the expiration of their enlistment for posi- tions on shore. To do otherwise would be an imputation on their intelligence. Swift, I think, said that a sailor •\i'as in the position of being in jail with the additional risk of being drowned. A man who would not accept a position on shore at pay from three to four times as high as he receives in the Navy would not be intelli- gent. The great trouble with our present Naval Eegulations lies in the fact that they assume that the enlisted personnel of the Navy has not improved during all these years. They assume that the blue jacket is not intelligent, in which fact they are greatly mistaken, and commit a grave error in so far as the best interests of the naval service is concerned. The enlisted men request this commission by recommendation or law to change the present system of paying men and provide for their payment in full of their pay monthly. Thereupon the joint subcommittee adjourned to 10 o'clock a. m. of Thursday, May 3, 1894. Thursday, May 3, 1894, The joint subcommittee met pursuant to adjournment. Present: Senator Blackburn (in the chair) and Messrs. Money and Meyer. There were also present Hon. Hilary A. Herbert, Secretary of the Navy, and Lieut. F. Singer, Chief Intelligence Offlcer U. S. Navy. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. STATEMENT OF HON. HILARY A. HERBERT, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. _ Secretary Herbert submitted tlie following letter, with accompanying bill and papers : Navy Dkpartmemt, n^asUngion, May 3, 1894. Gentlemen of the Joint Subcommittee: Tho bill presented by me for your cousideratioQ, when I first appeared before you, was based upon tbo siippositiou that the provision for nineteen vacancies annually in the grade of lieutenant-com- mander and sixteen in the grade of commander, would in itself be sufficient to secure tho needed flow of promotion, and enable officers to reach command rank at proper ages. As 1 stated to yon in a recent communication, further calculations made nnder my direction have satisfied me that such provision was in itself not sufficient for the purposes I had in view, and I now have the honor to lay before you some additional suggestions looking to tha.t end. The great obstacle to the application of any systematic scheme to remedy existing evils is found in the congested condition of a part of the list duo to the abnorjually large number of officers composing the classes that entered tlie Naval Academy between 1860 and 18(58, and the measure now advocated looks to the relief of that condition of the list by reducing these classes to about what should be the normal number and thus placing the list in a condition to be eft'ectually dealt with in the future as proposed in section 4 of the hill submitted. A further consideration inclines me to the lielief that some change in that section would be advisable, such as altering the number of yearly promotions to tho rank of lientenant-commamler from nineteen to twenty, and removing the restriclion from the number of captains, commanders, and lieutenant-commanders to be selected for transfer to the retired list. Great difficulty is experienced in harmonizing the demands of economy and those of justice to the officers who will have to be ren\oved from the regnhii- line of pro- motion; officers who are not resjionsible for tlie existing conditions and whose rec- ords and reputations in tlie service are in no way inferior to those of tlie officers more favorably placed on the list, especially as many of them have borne the brunt of the evil by being kept in the subordinate grades an unprecedented length of time (some have seen twenty-one years' service as lieutenants). A practicable solution seems to lie in the creation of an extr.a list composed of offi- cers who, although taken out (jf the regular line of promotion, will yet bo discharg- ing duties which arc now properly performed by naval officers. This list can be created and still a proper amount of shore duty will bo loft for the officers on the seagoing list. These officers Avill, under the circumstances, maintain a status consistent with proper self respect; they can not receive more than the shore pay of their grade ami will render adetiuate return to the Go\ernment for such pay. This would bo a measure of economy compared with a scheme that would put them on a retired list, which, though possibly more advantageous to the officer by leaving his time at his own dis- posal for other pursuits, woulcl not give any return to the Government for the pay he would receive on that list. Moreover, should the occasion for suddenly expanding the service arise (as in case of war or other emergency to be judged of by the President) these officers would, from their contiuuous assooiatioawith the service, be a most valuable reserve to draw npon ; this would not be the case were they retired and thus entirely dissociated from their profession. The composition of this reserve list should be such as to have it a thoroughly hon- orable one, and in keeping with the character of the officers who first compose it; strong safeguards should be thrown about it to prevent any nondescrving officer being placed on it in the futnre. In reducing 1he number of officers on the congested part of the list, the number retained is but slightly in excess of what would be normal as compared with the other classes that entered the Academy before and after these dates, with the ex- ception of the date of 1800, which is allowed to remain somewhat in excess, as its members have seen actual service in the civil war and thereby have earned this con- sideration; the officers who entered the regular from the volunteer service are also exempt from the operation of this reduction, although the officers thus exempt are permitted by the proposed bill to have their names placed upon the other duty list upon their own application. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVTJ — LINE. 253 This accomplishes the purpose of placing the list on a proper basis to apply the provisions of section '4 of the proposed bill to insure regular flow of promotion and getting reasonably young commanding officers, but the provisions of that section do not give a satisfactory showing in regard to the ages and length of service of flag ofBoers. f of the naturalization laws, etc., which now apply to the Army is but a matter of justice to this branch of the public service. The second section explains itself and is but an application of busi- ness principles to the naval service. Our present warrant ranks are obsolete and are expensive far beyond their value. For the same money, or but a slight increase, an efficient and valuable corps of war- ranted officers, experts in their several specialties, can be obtained and a much needed incentive to ambitious and competent young men in the lower enlisted grades is provided. The establishment of warranted grades of specialists in suitable numbers for their respective needs is in accordance with the practice of foreign nations. England has two grades of warrant officers in the specialties of gun- nery, torpedoes, signals, seamanship, and mechanics, numbering alto- gether 1,091. France has also two grades numbering, on an average, 1,800, in the specialties of gunnery, torpedoes, riflemen, helmsmen and signalmen, seamanship, pilots, engineers, writers, clerks, mechanics, purveying, etc., and hospital corps. Italy has 690 in practically the same specialties. Germany has 721 in about the same, and Austria has 462 in similar corps. All these countries provide for systematic pro- motion from the lowest enlisted grade through all the intermediate noncommissioned grades to the grade corresponding to our warrant officers, of which they all provide two ranks. The higher rank is a stepping stone, for the military branches, to a commission as an ensign in the French navy ; to commissions in certain special corps having military duties in the German and Italian navies; and to honorary com- missions upon retirement in the British navy. From certain warranted civil branches commissions in those branches are obtainable in the French, Italian, Austrian, and German navies ; and all the engineers of these last four countries are provided by commissioning the warrant officer engineers who can pass the prescribed examinations. Schools of instruction for enlisted men, candidates for promotion to warrant rank, are provided in all the countries, and similar schools exist for warrant officers who are candidates for commissions in civil branches of which their specialty is a subordinate part. Section 3 provides for enlisting boys at nearly the same age and also for a class of young men who may have had a better opportunity of judging what are the realities of life. The boys of the present appren- tice system are not sufficiently supplying the 'N'avy, and it is provided that an older class of recruits shall be entered who shall have the same opportunities for training and advancement to the higher grades as have now the apprentices and the chance recruits of all nations who present themselves as seamen. Steady promotion from gi;ade to grade, guarded by examinations, and one year's service in each grade, are pro- vided, and it is thought that such a system will in a few years provide an efficient and stable body of noncommissioned and warrant officers for the ^a,yj, a condition which is now much needed. Section 4 provides that any of the apprentices or of the older class of recruits who may successfully win their promotion through all the non- commissioned ranks to the grade of warrant officer shall be eligible for promotion to a commission in the special branch to which they belong, and a school of application where they may fit themselves for examina- tion is provided. An apprentice may reach a commission by the age of 26 years and one of the older special recruits by the age of 30, if they fill all the conditions. The master warrant grade is still an honorable 266 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. position for sucli -warrant officers wlio may not be found competent or desirable for commissions. Section 5 provides for one master warrant officer to each flagship of the six squadrons and two to each of the six naval battalions as instructors in their specialties. The number of warrant officers is fixed at the present number of chief petty officers in the jS"avy. Section 6 provides for trained musicians as buglers, with promotion for efficiency and length of service, and, eventually, for instructors for the different squadrons. Also for a trained corps of ship's cooks who can get the best results out of the liberal rations now issued and exer- cise intelligent supervision over the culinary and mess arrangements of the various messes. Promotion is also established in this corps to provide eventually for experienced trained cooks as instructors at the several headquarters. The police force at navy yards and stations is now a civil force, not under military discipline or supervision, while the police force on board ship is graded to the necessities of the ship, but requiring men of a high order of tact and special knowledge. Good men are hard to retain for this ship duty, as there is no assured future. These two public services are combined by this act, and promotion is provided to the highest grade of warrant officer with an assured honora- ble and responsible shore duty, while the lowest grade of the corps is first under their supervision and instruction as watchmen at shore stations before being available for sea duty as masters-at arms. Section 7 provides for classifying the present warrant officers in the new specialties for which they may be competent, and for honorably retiring those who are not competent to fill the new conditions. The obsolete grades are abolished by section 8. Section 9 provides for a detailed statement in the naval estimates each year, of the number of enlisted men, noncommissioned and war- ranted officers in each grade and specialty who will be needed by the Navy during the next year. This is but following the practice of all foreign nations, except England, and of our own Army, where the num- ber of warrant and noncommissioned officers and privates of each organization is set forth. It also provides that the number and ranks of the men in the Coast Survey and Fish Commission shall be similarly estimated for, and that they shall be in addition to the trained and organized men for ships of war provided for by this act. Provision is also made that veteran seamen of over twenty years' service may be borne on the Ifavy rolls for special service at shore stations, etc., and shall be extra to the organized force. Section 10 organizes the men of the Navy into permanent bodies with definite duties, and a headquarters which may become a home. A headquarters for each ship in the Navy is also provided. Section 11 establishes the pay of all grades below commissioned ranks, and by it a saving is established, while a notable increase of efficiency is assured. A BILL to increase the efficiency of the Navy by the reorganization of the enlisted men and warrant oiScers and to establish In the future a regular system of promotion. JBe it enacted iy the Senate and the House of Eepresentatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That tlie term of enlistment for tlie enlisted men of the Navy shall hereafter he four years, and the enlisted men of the Navy shall have all the privileges of naturalization, continuoue service, and retirement now accord- ed hy law to the enlisted men of the Army. The laws for administering the oath of allegiance now provided for the officers and enlisted men of the Army shall hereafter be applicable to the officers aqd enlisted men of the Navy. Section 2. The right of worthy and efficient enlisted men to advancement to ■warrant and commissioned rank in the line of their specialties is recognized, and the following specialties and grades therein are hereby established. PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 267 Relative Army rank. Rank. Ordnance. Torpedoes and electricity, Signals. Helmsman. Private Apprentice, first class. Seaman, third class. Seaman, second class. Seaman, first class. Seaman gunner. Quarter gunner. Apprentice, first class. Si gnalman, tbird class. Si ff nal man, second class. Signalman, first class. Chief signal- man. Signal quarter- master. Signal mate Signal master . . Do Private, first Seaman, second class. Seaman, first class. Seaman, torpe- doist. Electrician Torpedo gunner . Master torpedo gunner. class. Corporal Sergeant First sergeant . Sergeant-major Third-clasB petty officer. Second-cl ass petty officer. First-class petty officer. Warrant offi- cer. Master war- rant officer. ond class. Seaman, first class. Coxswain. Quartermaster. Pilot Below second lieutenant and above eergeant-ma- jor. Master gunner.. Master pUot. The above shall be known as specialists of the noncommissioned military staff of the Navy. Kelative Army rank. Hank. Pay and commission. Steam engineering. Mechanics. Medical. Private Apprentice, first class. Fireman, third class. Fireman, sec- ond class. Fireman, first class. Oiler and wa- ter tender. Artificer Machinist Master ma- chinist. Apprentice, first class. Mechanic, third class. Mechanic, sec- ond class. Mechanic, first class. Quarterman Pumpman Master mechan- ic, second. Master mechan- ic, first. ....Do Private, first Writer, third class. Writer, sec- ond class. Writer, first class. Seaman Clerk Master com- missary. Bayman, second. Bayman, first. Chief bayman. Apothecary. Master apothecary. class. Corporal Sergeant First sergeant . Sergeant - mar jor. Below second lieutenant and above sergeant-ma- jor. Third-class petty officer. Second-class petty officer. First-class petty officer. Warrant offi- cer. Master war- rant officer. The above shall be known as specialists of the noncommissioned civil staff of the Navy. Sec. 3. Apprentices shall be enlisted between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, to serve until twenty-one years of age, and the first year of service shall be in a train- ing ship. A class of recruits between twenty and twenty-four years of age shall be enlisted in grades not higher than that of seaman, third class, and shall serve the first six months at a naval headquarters or training establishment. They shall, with apprentices of over two years' service, be eligible to all the promotions in the specialty in which they may prove efficient. Promotion below the next rank shall be from grade to grade for fitness only, after not less than one year's service in each grade in time of peace, and on the recommendation of a board, appointed by the commanding officer, of not less than two commissioned and one warrant officer, of whom one com- missioned and one warrant officer must be of the branch in which the candidate seeks promotion. From first-class petty officer to warrant rank promotions shall be made on the recommendation of a board similarly constituted, appointed by the admiral commanding. To master warrant officer the promotion shall be made on the recommendation of a board of three commissioned and two warrant officers, simi- larly qualified, appointed by the Secretary of the Navy. Sec. 4. Annually master warrant officers and warrant officers not over thirty-five years of age may, on the recommendation of a board appointed on each station by the Secretary of the Navy, be sent to a school of application, established at such con- venient place as the Secretary of the Navy may designate, for a course of six months' instruction, on the completion of which they may be examined for oomuaissions in the Navy. Master warrant officers and warrant officers of the military staff may be 268 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. commissioned ensigns in the Navy, not to exceed five in any one year in time of peace, provided there are vacancies over and above those to be filled by graduates of the Naval Academy during the cuirent year. Master warrant officers and warrant offi- cers of the civil staff may be similarly commissioned in the lowest grades of commis- sioned rank in their specialties, not to exceed three annually in any one corps in time of peace. Sec. 5. The number of master warrant officers shall be : Eighteen in ordnance, eighteen in torpedoes and electricity, eighteen in signals, eighteen in helmsmen, eighteen in mechanics. As many in commissary branch as there are pay clerks now allowed our ships iu the Navy. Eighteen master machinists ; as many in the medical branch as there are now apothecaries on shore duty. The number of warrant offi- cers shall be: As many gunners as tliere are now allowed chief gunner's mates; as many torpedo gunners as will supply one to each ship fitted with torpedoes; as many signal mates as there are now chief quartermasters; as many pilots as now chief boatswain's mates; as many clerks as now yeomen; as many machinists as now; as many master mechanics, second class, ae now chief carpenter's mates; as many apothecaries as now apothecaries on ship. Sbc. 6. Special corps shall be enlisted as follows : First, a corps of buglers and trumpeters ; second, a corps of ship's cooks not to exceed men, who shall per- form all the duties now performed by ship's cooks on board ships and at naval stations; and the chief buglers and chief master buglers and ship's cooks shall be the instructors in music and cooking and purveying at the several headquarters of naval divisions; third, a special police force, not to exceed men, who shall perform the police duties on board ships and at navy-yards and stations, now performed by masters-at-arms and watchmen. Enlisted men not below the grade of seamen, first class, may, by authority of the Secretary of the Navy, be transferred to these corps. The grades shall be : Apprentice bugler. Bugler, tliird class. Bugler, second class. Bugler, first class. Chief bugler. Master bugler. Ship's cook, third class. Ship's cook, second class. Ship's cook, first class. Chief ship's cook. Master ship's cook. Master-at-arms, third class. Master-at-arms, second class. Ma.ster-at-arms, first class. Chief-at-arms. Master late watch. "Rank, seaman. Third-classpetty officer. Second-class petty offi- cers. Pirst-classpetty officers. "Warrant officer, Master warrant officer. The warranted grades of these special corps shall not be eligible for sea duty except in the case of chief masters-at-arms on ships of the first rate. Sec. 7. As soon as practicable after the the passage of this act, boards of officers shall be convened by the Secretary of the Navy, before which all the warrant officers now in the Navy shall appear to demonstrate their fitness for a warrant in either of the grades established by this act. Those warrant officers not found qualified shall be retired on three-fourths pay if they have served over thirty years, on one-half pay if between fifteen and thirty years, on one-third pay if between eight and fif- teen years, and wholly retired with one year's sea pay if they have served less than eight years. Sec. 8. The warrant ranks of boatswain, carpenter, and sailmaker, now obsolete, are hereby abolished. Sec. 9. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Navy to submit to Congress each year in the estimates for the maintenance of the Navy a tabulated statement of the ships to be kept in commission during the year, showing those to be relieved and those to be commissioned during the year, and the service for which they are intended; also a tabulated statement of the number of enlisted men, including non- commissioned ranks required in each grade and specialty to man such ships, and of the warranted officers whose numbers are not limited by this act. The numbers in each grade above that of seaman, first class, appropriated for each year, shall be the established strength of noncommissioned and warrant officers, which is not to be exceeded. No enlisted man or noncommissioned officer shall be reduced in grade except by sentence of a general or summary court-martial^ and no warranted officer except by sentence of a general court-martial. No specialist above the grade of pitty officer, third class, shall be transferred to another specialty except on recom- mendation of the promotion board. Specialists of the grade of petty officer, first and second classes, shall be certificated as such. The Secretary of the 'Treasury shall similarly estimate for the number of men in each grade and specialty for duty in the Coast Survey and Fish Commission services, which number shall be in addition to those appropriated for the Navy, and they shall be enlisted for special service only. No other special service men shall bo allowed in the Navy except bandsmen, mess attendants, and officers' cooks, and stewards; and all other special servicemen now in the Navy shall be enlisted for general service or discharge : Provided, That any such man who has served over twenty years in the Navy may lie retained on special serv- ice, and shall be considered as supernumerarj' to tlio general service force appropriated for: Provided, furilier, That any enlisted man or noncommissioned officer of over twenty PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 269 years' service may be transferred to this supemmnerary list for special service, and shall be entitled to such transfer upon his own application. Sec. 10. For purposes of permanent organization, administration, and training, and to create depots from which certified noncommissioned specialists can be sup- plied, the enlisted force of the Navy shall be divided into six naval battalions, and each battalion shall be assigned to a division of ships to man them when on actual service and care for them when not so employed. Each ship in the Navy shall he assigned to a navy-yard, which shall be her home port to fit out, repair, or be laid up, and where her stores and equipments shall be kept immediately available at all times. The coasts of the United States shall be divided into six districts, to each of which shall be assigned a division of ships, whose home ports shall be within the limits of the district. The headquarters of each naval battalion shall be within the limits of the district to which it belongs. Hereafter enlistments shall be made for one or other of the six naval battalions, and all enlisted men now in the Navy shall elect on leaving a ship going out of commission to which battalion they shall be assigned, until the established strength of that battalion shall be reached. All warranted ofSoers shall be distributed to the six districts. A sufficient quota of commissioned officers shall be assigned to each battalion, and their shore duty shall not be ex- tended beyond two consecntive years in grades below that of commander. Sec. 11. The pay of master warrant of&cers shall be one thousand dollars a year on first appointment, increased by two hundred dollars at four year intervals to a maximum of one thousand eight hundred per year. The pay of warrant officers shall be six hundred dollars a year on first appointment, increased by two hundred dollars at three year intervals to a maximum of one thousand dollars per year. The pay of other grades shall remain as now established. Snggestions to increase the efflciencf of the Nary by the reorganization of the actire list of line olll- cers, creating a reserve list, and to establish a flow of promotion and an assurance of officers for sea doty of a snltable age and experience in the several grades of the Nary, and at the same time to do so without being unjust or harsh to the large body of officers who entered the Navy daring the years of 1S60, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1861, 1865, 1866, 1867. Be it enacted by the Senate and Souse of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled, That from and after the pas- sage of this act the active list of the line of Navy for sea service shall consist of ten rear-admirals, ten commodores, fifty captains, eighty commanders, three hundred and twenty- five lieutenants, and two hun- dred and forty-five lieutenants (junior grade) and ensigns, to be taken from the graduates of the United States Naval Academy, as now authorized by law : Provided, That five years after the date of his com- mission, or within five years if a vacancy occurs, an ensign in the active list of the Navy with three years' sea service as such aboard a cruising vessel, and after passing the examination now prescribed by law, shall be commissioned a lieutenant (junior grade). Sec. 2. That no promotion shall hereafter be made to the grade of lieutenant-commander, and that vacancies in that grade shall be con- sidered as vacancies in the grade of lieutenant, and shall be filled by promotion to this latter grade, thus increasing the number of lieuten- ants as the number of lieutenant-commanders is diminished. A lieu- tenant after ten years' service as such shall rank with a major in the Army, and shall be eligible, as now prescribed by law, for lieutenant- commander to the command of certain classes of vessels, and also entitled to the uniform and rank now prescribed for lieutenant-com- manders, and shall receive an increase of pay of two hundred dollars per year. After fifteen years' service as such a lieutenant shall receive an increase of pay of two hundred dollars per year. When all the officers now in the grade of Ueutenant-commander shall have been pro- moted or removed by casualty, or in pursuance of law, the active grade of lieutenant-commander shall be abolished, but as long as the 270 PEESOISTNEL OF THE NAVY ^LINE. grade exists it shall be considered as forming, -with the grade of lieu- tenant, one grade for the purpose of promotion and retirement, as herein prpvided, and lieutenant-commanders shall be paid as lieuten- ants, computing their seniority from the dates of their commissions as lieutenants: Provide*?, That no officer now in the Ifavy shall lose his commission by reason of this act, and, furthermore, nothing in this act shall be construed to aflect the rank or pay of officers now on the retired list of the ITavy: Provided further, That officers in the several staff corps of the Navy who would under existing laws become entitled to the relative rank of lieutenant-commander when the line officers with whom they rank reach that grade, shall hereafter be entitled, under corresponding circumstances, to relative rank of lieutenant of more than ten years' standing. Sec. 3. That the age of admission to the Naval Academy shall not be less than fifteen years nor more than seventeen years. Sec. 4. That the officers now on the active list of the line of the Navy who were appointed from the volunteer service shall be consid- ered as in addition to the number authorized by section one of this act for the grade in which they now are, or to which they may be promoted, until removed from the active list by casualty or process of law now in force, and that the vacancies thus created shall not be filled. Sec. 5. That there is hereby created and established a Navy reserve list, to be composed only of those officers of the line of the Navy below the grade of rear-admiral, who, though qualified professionally, physi- cally, and morally, as now required by law, are denied promotion on the list of the Navy for sea service by reason of the age limitation pre- scribed by section six of this act: Provided, That the number fixed for the grades of captain and commander by section one of this act shall include those on both the reserve list and active list for sea serv- ice, and this number shall not be exceeded. Should the number on the reserve list taken from the number allowed by section one not leave enough officers on the active list for sea service to perform the duty of commanding cruising vessels of war, or for training or for practice or other purposes, or to act as chiefs of bureau of the Navy Department, or as commandants of navy-yards and stations the officers actually necessary to make up the deficiency in commands afloat shall be, in the case of captains, taken Irom the senior commanders, and in the case of commanders from the senior lieutenants : Provided further , That officers on the reserve list shall be available, and when required be assigned according to their rank and precedence to all shore or other duty now l^erformed by officers of the Navy, except on board of vessels of war, whether training, practice, or otherwise, in commission for sea service as a cruiser, or as chiefs of bureau of the Navy Department, or as com- mandants of navy-yards or naval stations: Provided further, That in time of war officers on the reserve list shall be eligible, and when required detailed for any duty required of a Navy officer without exception. Sec. 6. That, beginning January first, eighteen hundred and ninety- five, and during that year, commodores shall be placed on the reserve list at the age of sixty-one, captains at the age of fifty-eight, com- manders at the age of fifty-four, lieutenant-commanders and lieuten- ants at the age of fifty-one. Durin g each succeeding year, commencing January first of each year, the placing for age on the reserve list for each grade, except commodores, which shall remain at sixty-one, shall be diminished by one year until the age for captains shall be at fifty- seven, that for commanders at fifty-two, and that for lieutenants and PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 271 lieutenant-commanders at forty-seven years, at -whicli tliey shall remain : Provided, That a lieutenant or lieutenant-commander, who by reason of age is placed on the reserve list, shall have the rank and title of commander if he is qualified professionally, physically, and morally, to be determined before a properly constituted board of examiners as now required by law in the case of oificers coming up for proportion from one grade to a higher: Provided further, That an officer on the reserve list, and not a captain, shall, after forty years from date of entry into the service and upon the recommendation of an examining board, be promoted on that list to the rank of captain. Sec. 7. That retirements from those on either the list for sea service or the reserve list shall be in pursuance of the present laws governing the retirements of Navy officers, except that a rear-admiral shall be retired at sixty-four years of age: Provided, That an officer on the reserve list when retired at sixty-two years of age shall be granted the retired rank of the next highest grade if he has served forty-five years in the Navy : Provided further, That hereafter when an officer of the line of the Navy comes up for promotion from one grade to a higher one and is found physically disqualified, he shall be placed on the retired list with the next higher grade if such physical disability was caused while on duty. Sec. 8. That thirty years after date of entry into the naval service officers of the line of the Navy may, upon official application and approval of the Secretary of the Navy, be placed upon the retired list with the rank and seventy- five per centum of the sea pay of the grade they hold. Sec. 9. That promotion from the several grades of the line of the Navy shall be by seniority, and after the examination now required by law : Provided, That after January first, eighteen hundred and ninety- nine, no officer shall be promoted to the grade of commander on the list for sea duty until he has had fourteen years' sea service on a commis- sioned, sea-going, cruising vessel of war, for training or practice or otherwise, at least two years of which shall have been as executive offi- cer, two years as navigating officer, and three years as a watch and division officer: Provided further, That after January first, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, and while within their respective grades on the list for sea duty and before promotion to a higher grade on that list, a commander shall have commanded a cruising vessel of war or for training or for practice or otherwise for at least two years, and a cap- tain for at least eighteen months, and a commodore commanded inde- pendently for one year a division of three cruising vessels or as second in command of a squadron commanded by a rear-admiral. For special meritorious service or in time of war the sea-service qualification may be waived by order of the President. Sec. 10. That officers coming up for promotion, and who are qualified in all respects except in the amount of sea service required before pro- motion by section nine of this act, shall be retained in the grade they hold until they have the required amount of sea service, or in default of same until the age limit is reached, when they shall be transferred to the reserve list after the examination required by section five of this Act : Provided, That officers at the head of any grade by reason of the provisions of this section are not to block promotion to the next hi^gher grade, but are to be passed over in order of seniority by officers below them who are qualified in aU respects as vacancies occur In the grades above. Sec. 11. That when either a commander or a captain on the list for sea service has, while in their respective grades, been a chief of bureau 272 PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE. for more than three years, the sea-service requirement of section nine shall in each case be reduced to one year, and in the case of a com- modore it shall be waived. Sec. 12. That nothing in this act shall be construed to annul the existing laws and requirements for examiuation previous to promotion to the next higher grade, and when, upon such examination, an officer is found unfit professionally or deficient in the officer-like qualities required for the next higher grade he shall be retired with one-half the sea pay of the grade he then holds, if so recommended by the examina- tion board : Provided, That an officer found unqualified by reason of misconduct shall be wholly retired, as now required by law. Sec. 13. That the pay and allowance of officers of the Navy shall be the same as the present pay and allowances of officers of the Army with whom they rank. Sec. 14. That for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act all laws or parts of laws inconsistent with it are hereby repealed. AEGUMENT IN STJPPOET OF THE FOREGOING SUGGESTIONS FOE THE IMPEOVE- MENT OF THE NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES. As to section 1. Experience shows that the numbers here given are the least in the different grades to properly perform the various duties required of a Navy officer of the line. The present allowance of flag officers is too small, as is evident from the fact that the commodores are acting as rear-admirals, and captains performing commodores' duty; therefore the rear-admirals are increased four more than at present, so that at all times there will be enough to command the different squad- rons and most important shore stations, instead of as at present assign- ing commodores and captains to that duty, thus leaving the commodores free to be assigned to such important sea and shore duty as does not fall within the province of the rear-admiral. The proportion of twenty flag to other officers is very much less than in the English navy and a trifle less than in the French, but will fill all the present needs of the present TJ. S. Navy. The number of captains has been increased five, and that of commanders diminished by the same number, for while both grades exercise command, the ships assigned to captains will, in modern navies, be more numerous. The aggregate number of 570 assigned to the grades below that of commander is about 4 in the junior to 1 in the senior grades, which comforms to the requirements suited to the U. S. naval establishments. Considering the length of time which must be passed in the grades below commander, and that watch and division officers are charged with onerous and important duties, it seems that by far the greater part of their service should be passed in the grades of lieutenant and lieutenant-junior's grade; hence it will promote efficiency and be an act of justice to commission ensigns and make them Meutenant, junior grade, five years after the date of their commission, or, if a vacancy occurs, in less time. As to section 2. The examination and duties required of a lieu- tenant are so similar in all respects to those of lieutenant-commander, and in order to more conveniently and satisfactorily carry out the pro- visions of this act, it has been deemed best to abolish the grade of lieutenant-commander, and give all the present rank and prerogatives of a lieutenant-commander to a lieutenant of over ten years' standing. As to section 3. The present course at the U. S. Naval Academy is of such a nature that it is difficult for one younger than 15 years of age to master, and the period now required between entering and PERSONNEL OP THE NAVY LINE, 273 final examiuation would, by the provisions of this act, make the age- of ensign from 21 to 23, and, if the course should be shortened, from 19 to 21. As to section 4. The oflflcers who came from the volunteer navy" were select«d as being especially meritorious from the large number of volunteer officers who served during the civil war, therefore, they should be shown special consideration. Again, the ages at which these ofQcers entered the service differs so much from those who- entered at the Naval Academy, that it is difficult, and under the circum- stances would be unjust, to regulate their promotion by the same rules — hence, it seems best that their promotion and retirement be continued in regular order as now provided by law, irrespective of the numbers in the grades of and above commander; furthermore, it is proper under the circumstances that when they pass from the list the vacancy be not filled. This would increase temporarily the numbers for command rank, and place a number of younger men in the list of commanders. As to section 5. It is an unwelcome and undeniable fact to those who- entered the Navy, 1860 to 1867, that the present distress in the promo- tion of the Navy is to be attributed to the natural but inconsiderate policy of appointments to the Naval Academy during the war and just after, and to which those who entered as young boys were innocent parties. Then, by the laws enacted for the Navy, 1869 (or 1870) and 1882, a large reduction was made in the numbers of the upper grades of the line and affecting severely those who entered, 1860 to 1867, who again were made innocent parties, iaasmuch as they had to mark time while they were getting older. These, reductions were greater than the excess now existing in those dates over what is necessary for a healthy flow of promotion. The question naturally arises how best to get rid of this excess and do away with the existing stagnation in the line of the Navy, and at the same time have promotion so that officers will come to positions of responsibility and command at a suitable age, without injustice to officers with long and faithful records behind them and a desire to continue in active service. It is a very difficult prob- lem to solve, but in a great measure the reserve list suggested Jiere does so. It is but proper and just that a separate list be provided for those officers whose only bar to promotion on the list for sea duty is because their ages are greater than what is considered suitable for an officer to commence the responsibilities of certain duties aboard a sea- going modern vessel of war, and it is also advisable that under the cir- cumstances entry to the list should be guarded by the same examina- tion and officer-like requirements as the active list for sea duty, of which it should be considered an honorable part. By the provisions of this section officers on the reserve list are liable to all except sea duty, and certain shore or other duty; thus their serv- ices are not lost to the Government, who will at all time have a body of healthy, intelligent men to perform the various duties required of a Navy officer not attached to a cruising vessel, while the younger and more vigorous, who generally better able to withstand the vigor of seafaring life, will be available for the more arduous, and to some temperaments anxious, duty of commanding cruising vessels of war^ with all their complicated and quick working mechanism requiring a steady hand and cool head to manage. For the present it is probable that when the retirements for age from the active list for sea com- mences it will put a large number on the reserve list, but it is hardly possible that it will contain three-fourths of the number allowed by LINE 18 274 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. section 1 of this act for the command ranks (about three-fourths of them being now on shore or other duty than commanding cruising vessels of war), but should it do so provision is made for the extra temporary number who would be required by ordinary senior command- ers temporarily to captain's command, and senior lieutenants tempo- rarily to commander's command. Undoubtedly it would for the present require those in the active list for sea duty to be more constantly at sea, but that is directly in the line of efficiency, and it is what younger men must expect who step into the shoes of those put on the reserve list for their benefit. After the present congestion is broken the reserve list would in future years (provided the present law continues of only putting in each July as many ensigns as vacancies since the previous July) hardly contain any one. With regard to the last provision of the section, those on the reserve list should, in time of war, be employed on any duty without exception, as would be the case under present laws for those on the retired list. As to section 6. The iufrequency of war, especially in a commercial nation like the United States, places military interests at a discount, hence, in military affairs political influence naturally preponderates over military, and it is the apprehension of this predominance and probable tendency to favoritism which mainly accounts for the repug- nance and opposition manifested in the U. S. Navy to promotion by selection as is now practiced in foreign navies. Nevertheless, some rule must be applied by which officers may reach command rank at an age when responsibilities will be promptly assumed and the habit of independent command readily acquired. The method of attaining this end in the U. S. Navy without doing injustice, or the intervention of any kind of influence except that which springs from natural causes, is by retiring, or placing on the reserve list, from the different grades on the list for sea service, by reason of age, after a fair warning to those likely to be affected. Such a method would produce the least discontmit, and give the least trouble to the powers which be, particu- larly when an officer knows he is to be transferred to an honored list for active shore duty and be given an opportunity to continue in the practice of his profession. As this section suggests a most radical method for attaining positions of responsibility in the active Navy for sea, it seems but just that under the circumstances it should commence at a greater age than experience suggests to be the best, and slowly become operative within a reasonable time, in this case within four years. It is probable that the younger men in the Navy may wish all impediments to their advancement removed immediately, but it should be remembered that something is due those who have grown gray in the service of their country. The last jjrovision of this section are suggested- to meet the peculiar circumstances of the present block in promotions by a large body of officers, able, intelligent men, who, with honorable records, have, through no fault of theirs, reached an age and had the experience which fits them for command rank, and are thus entitled to some other recognition than at once being shoved aside or shelved on the retired list. As to section 7. The retiring age of the rear-admiral has been put at 64, the same as a major-general in the Army with whom he ranks. The present laws as to examinations and the provisions of this act guarantee none but the very best men reaching that grade, men of sufficient vigor to stand sea life up to that age. It is but just to those officers who have seen honorable and faithful service on both the reserve list and the list for sea service, and then are placed on the PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. 275 retires list for age, and after forty-flve years service. When an ofScer serves faithfully and honorably all through a grade, and until he reached the head, but is barred promotion by reason of physical dis- ability caused while on duty, it is also just that he should be retired ■with the next highest grade — such is the present retiring law in the Army. As to section 8. This is but according to the Navy what is now operative in the Army, and at the same time it makes promotion, and affords a method of permitting officers an opportunity for retiring from both the active and reserve lists. For the moment it might be taken advantage of, but such would hardly be the case after the act became well established in its operation. It will always be within the power of the Secretary of the Xavy to withhold this privilege. As to section 9. It is not so much length of service as it is experience at sea aboard cruising vessels of war, either singly or in squadrons, which fits an officer for a single or squadron command, hence, this sec- tion, which is based on the principle that a naval officer should spend at least half his active naval career at sea in cruising vessels of war, and that this sea service should be so distributed that he will keep in touch with all the improvements constantly being made to promote the efficiency of a cruising modern ship of war, and not lose his naval, military life and man-of-war, habits of discipline, so necessary to the effectiveness of any naval establishment. It is seen that a lieutenant will come to a position of responsibility about 36 or 37 when ordered as navigating or executive officer, and to a position of command (of certain classes of gunboats) about 43 to 45 — thus be fitted for aU the duties of command rank at 47. As to section 10. This is to avoid a block in promotion when an officer is at the head of the list for sea duty and has not fulfilled all the requirements for advancement. As to section 11. As the chiefs of bureaus are by law selected from these grades it is obvious that they should have the opportunity of remaining a full term, hence the sea service requirement is diminished or waived. As to section 12. The present laws give no discretion to the board of examiners to do otherwise than promote or drop from the service^ officers of long standing who come before it, and who, for reasons beyond their control, failed, yet are entitled to some consideration, which would be the case if instead of being dropped they be retired with half pay. As to section 13. It seems but applying a rule of equity that Navy officers should have the same pay and allowances as officers of the Army with whom they rank. Section 14 is customary in such acts, and explains itself. EEJIAEKS. An examination of the Navy Eegister ( Jauuary, 1894) and retiring lists is a convincing argument to an impartial mind that a radical modifica- tion in existing laws must be made to prevent the personnel of the active line of the Navy for sea service becoming inefficient from further stag- nation in promotion, otherwise the high present efficiency will be seriously jeopardized. How best to accomplish this, and change or modify the laws so as to promote efficiency and advance the younger men without undue injustice and harshness to those who with honor- able records block promotion and will be affected, and at the same time 276 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY LINE. minimize the increase of expenditure for the naval establishment, has been a burning question for a number of years among all grades and age in the Navy. Before deciding let us examine the methods of pro- motion in vogue among the maritime nations — English navy — by selec- tion up to the grade of captain, then strictly by seniority, but lieu- tenants and ofiBcers of a higher grade do not have to pass any kind of an examination. The majority of promotions each year are made from those on sea service, and who have good sea records. This method of promotion causes deep heart burnings, frequent and bitter disappoint- ment, and tliere is much accusation of favoritism in the selection, it being often maintained that as good and sometimes better men are passed over. There is now a great demand in the service that selection be so surrounded with safeguards as to minimize the chance of injustice. France in 1890 by a decree abolished the admiralty council which had had charge of selection in the French navy since 1824, because during the past ten years it was accused of favoritism, and, above all things, of nepotism of the most flagrant kind. No officer who had not relatives, or at least intimate friends among the higher ofiBcers, was considered to stand any chance of being promoted, hence the abolishment of the council was demanded by the so-called Jeune 6cole of the French navy. The admiralty council was succeeded by a board of ofiBcers who now select officers for promotion. In speaking of this new board an officer says: '' If any one has cherished the hope that by the appointment of this board all harshness and injustice in the promotion of ofiBcers by selections would be done away with, he will be disappointed." It does not seem that the creation of this new board has imjiroved matters much in the French navy. The French navy officers have made an urgent demand of this board, which is, that those selected for promo- tion be taken from the first half of the list. At present promotion by selection in the French navy is ensign to lieutenant, one- third by selec- tion, lieutenant to commander, one-half by selection, and above com- mander all by selection. The Jeune ecole demands that promotion from ensign to lieutenant shall be by seniority. In the French navy officers above the grade of ensign are not required to pass any exami- nation. Italian Navy. — All promotion to sublieutenant is by seniority. To lieutenant, in peace, two- thirds by seniority, one-third by selection; in war, one-half by selection, one-half by seniority. To lieutenant- commander, in peace, one-half by selection, one-half by seniority; in war, all by selection. To commander and above, both in peace and war, by selection. Italian navy officers above the grade of sub- lieutenant are not required to pass any examination. Austrian and German naval officers are promoted by seniority, and above sublieutenants have no examination. United States Navy. — Peace: Bach officer is promoted by seniority, and as each one's time for his promotion comes he is, under present laws, selected for his mental, moral, and professional fitness by a board of officers. According to law, the Department can select any officer not below the grade of commander to command a squadron or navy-yard. In time of peace, below commander they have been, by a special a«t of Congress, advanced. (Young.) In time of war, not below the grade of commander can be promoted to rear-admiral, provided he shows himself worthy of it, and the President recommends him to Congress, and if below commander can, and have been, by special act of Congress, advanced. (Gushing.) This shows each officer has to pass an examination before promotion. The board is never accused of PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 277 favoritism. After the civil war tliose oflcers who had good war records were selected and promoted, but it produced endless trouble, and many of those who had a "pull" raised a row, bothered Congress to death, and regained their original position. It will be observed that only those with a "pull" got back. All ofilcers from the fourth classmen at the Naval Academy to the admiral are examined before promotion. All navies have elaborate systems of keeping accurate records of each ofQcer. The system at present in the United States, if rigidly carried out, makes it as selective as the English, the most pronounced of all navies in the matter of selection. To illustrate, let us take the case of an officer well up on the list, but within the congested part. He was the successful candidate in a competitive examination held in his Congressional district, and the head of his class at high school. Having received his appointment, he has since then passed successfully thirteen mental, moral, and physical examinations (nine at the 2^aval Academy), and, if he lives to be a rear-admiral, still has four more to pass. How is it possible to compare him with a foreign officer who is only required to pass an examination from ensign to lieutenant junior grade, then depends mainly on family and social influence for further promotion? This network of examination, in combination with the reports now made each six months as to an officer's mental, moral, and physical fitness when on duty, makes it difficult for the undeserving to escape through; and if any have, it is a very small percentage, and probably due to official pressure or that kindness of heart which does not want to drop a man of long service and unfitted for civil life because he fails to attain a certain ideal of naval efficiency, and there was no alternative but to give him the benefit of the doubt and pro- mote. This would be avoided if section 12 of this act was to become a law, and make as perfect as possible the method of promotion as now practiced in the U. S. Navy. A comparison of all the methods of promotion, both foreign and home, shows foreign navies do not require an examination above the grade of ensigns, and that the U. S. naval officer of the line is the only one who from the time of his appointment (often obtained by competitive examination) until leaving the active list, has to pass a rigid examination as to his mental, moral, and physical fitness, thus making him, as it were, in all respects a selected man. A substitution or combination with any of the foreign methods of selection for advancement, so far from promoting efficiency, would bring demoraliza- tion, heart-burnings, and disappointments which do not now exist, and, in political parlance, would keep a naval officer constantly look- ing after "his fences" among those with official and social influence. In foreign navies an officer does not have such a thorough naval edu- cation as in the United States, nor is he examined above the junior grades, and depends largely in his chance for promotion on both influ- ence of his family and friends, which would probably be the case in the U. S. Navy should selection other than at present or by grade retirements for age be introduced. It being conceded that the present U. S. Navy system of promotion by examination is really by selection of the fittest, it is not necessary to look to foreign navies for laws to break the block in promotion on a list where every man is a picked man. Such being the case, this act, with its various provisions, has suggested itself whereby the stagna- tion will be removed; younger and more vigorous men will be retained on the active list for sea duty, whUe equally intelligent and efficient 278 PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY — .LINE. but older men will be retained on the reserve list for shore or other duty, thus preventing that injustice which any other plan seems to make probable for those in the "hump" (1860 to 1807 dates), if effi- ciency is to be attained. A general examination of the act shows that an oificer would become an ensign about 22, a lieutentant (junior grade) about 27, and lieutenant about 32; between 32 and 42 he would be ordered as navigation or executive officer, and about 43 to command of a small vessel; he would be j)romoted to commander at 47, captain at 52, commodore at 57, and rear-admiral at 01, giving him practically twenty years or about half his time after graduation in the command and flag ranks. ISTo one would be promoted to rear-admiral unless he had three years to serve and had had some experience in command of a division of at least 3 vessels commissioned for cruising. Probably for the next few years, and until the excess in the classes 1860-'67 become mxich reduced, the reserve list would be well filled, and those on the active list of commanders and captains for sea duty would be more constantly employed than at present. While much could be said oh that subject the staff corps, it is believed, the line or backbone of the K"avy, should be organized first. Ko attempt is made by this act to change the laws regarding the staff corps as it is now organized. Each title for the staff corps conveys at once and briefly a clear understanding as to the special duty and occu- pation of the officer addressed. The line of the Navy is composed of a specially educated body of officers, on whom devolve the duties of the discipline and efficiency of the service at all times, and of representing and acting for the Government abroad, consequently has no countei part in civil Ufe or in the merchant marine, so that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to fill their places. Whereas with the staff corps it is dilferent, in fact so dittereut that were the Government to find it necessary to charter immediately for war purposes the transatlantic liner Paris, it would only have to replace the captain and mates and some of the deck hands with line officers and trained men-of-war's men, such as seamen, gunneirs, etc., whereas it would not be necessary to change a single one of the staff" corps officers, such as surgeons, pay- masters, and engineers, or the people in their departments. It will probably be said the N^avy had no difiiculty during the civil war to supply vessels with line officers from the merchant marine, but the comparative simple character of the armament of that period and the fact that the enemy had no navy was what enabled the United States to do it in only a fairly satisfactory manner, and this can be said without detracting in the least from the zeal and maritime efficiency of the line officers who came into the volunteer Kavy. It is more plain now than it was then that to officer with line officers our modern vessels of war from such a service, efficient as it may be of its kind, would bring disaster on the vessels were they to confront a regular service. In conclusion, it is hoped that, whatever laws are passed to increase the efficiency of the line of the Navy and remove the present stagnation, it will be borne in mind that all the' congested part is composed of officers who have long served the Government faithfully and, with honorable records, are mentally, morally, and physically qualified to fill any positions on the active list, but, by reason of the many reduc- tions since 1870, have been compelled to mark time untU they have reached or are rapidly reaching an age which experience suggests is rather old to commence the habit of independent command, and this through no fault of theirs. The following table shows comparatively PEESONNEL OF THE NAVY — LINE. 279 how few, under the present system of examination, etc., of those who enter the Naval Academy continue on the active list of the line. Taile of congested.part of the graduates (!ine) of the Navy. Year. Number enter- ing. Number re- maining on active list in 1894. Sank in 1894. Eemarks. I860 101 189 191 190 137 128 128 68 18 39 36 44 29 43 29 20 Loss 83 in 34 years. Loss 150 in 33 years. Loss 155 in 32 years. Loss 146 in 31 years. Loss 108 in 30 years. Loss 85 in 29 years. Loss 09 in 28 years. Loss 48 in 27 years. 1861 1862 Commander and Ueutenant-oommander. . . do 1863 1864 Lieutenant-commander and lieutenant.-. do 1867 , . do STATEMENT OF EEAR-ADMIRAL WM. G. TEMPLE. In the general effort to improve the condition of the enlisted men of the IsTavy, with a view of obtaining and retaining a better class of sea- men and others, I herewith submit a plan which I believe would be found more simple and more efficacious than any other. Under the present system, when an apprentice comes of age he is discharged at a time of life when the spirit of adventure impels him to seek any change that may offer itself. And, although certain induce- ments are held out for his return to the service; yet, as this involves a direct act on his part, of reenlistment, the result is that most of them are permanently lost to the Navy; whereas if he is offered the dis- tinction of an appointment it would require a direct act on his part of resignation to sever his connection with the service. In other words, we would have the vis-inertice on the side of retaining instead of on that of losing his trained services. And the provision for promoting him to the higher ratings as occasion may occur, and eventually of placing him on the retired list, would make his case parallel to that of the cadet and commissioned officer. Suppose the naval cadet were discharged after graduating from the Academy, and after making his first cruise, how many of them would apply for a reappointment within three months ? And if the discharge were repeated at the end of every cruise it is safe to say that only those who could best be spared would remain continuously in the Navy. It is only the permanent position in an honorable profession under the Government which gives us the life services of such men as compose the officers of the Army and Navy. Again, there are doubtless many enlisted men now .in the higher ratings of the service whom it would be desirable to retain, and these should receive such appointments at once; and they would form a fine nucleus around which to build up this system; which, in the course of twenty years, would give us a Navy such as has never been known in the history of the world, where the crews would be attached to the service by the same bonds, and would stand to the guns with the same sentiments as the officers themselves. KespectfuUy, Wm. G. Temple, Bear-Admiral,