"The uncertainty which exists regarding the true speeds of our warships - that is to say, the velocity which they may be anticipated to attain at sea in service, does not depend solely on the depth of the water; there is another and most important condition, which has not yet been made public. It is simply that very many of our finest ships cannot carry firemen in sufficient numbers to work them at full speed… It may be said, Why not ship more stokers? The answer is that they cannot be shipped because they cannot be berthed. There is no place to put them in. If more stokers are carried, then the complement of sailors, marines, and combatants in general would have to be reduced. So much has to be packed into a modern man-of-war, that at last there is no room left for the men on whom she depends for utility."