The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1894-11-10
NAVAL STUDENTS ABROAD.
Uncle Sam Pays for Giving Them
a Liberal Education.
They Learn How TO Build Ships
Young Men Who VIII Design the
Coming American Navy They
Carry Off All the Prizes in Foreign
Schools-Students Sent Over Here.

Three lucky young men will be sent
abroad this autumn to finish their educa-
ton at Uncle Sans expense. Their
names are w. p. Robert, d. II. Cox and
Thomas G.. Roberts. They have just
been graduated from the Naval Academy
at Annapolis and for the next three years
they will study in Europe the art of
building ships Of war.
The Government sends two or three
young men across the water every year
for this purpose. They are always chosen
by the Secretary of the Navy from
the graduating class at Annapolis, the
faculty OF the academy being consulted.
However, those who are first in scholar
ship are invariably selected.
They are ordered to take course of in
struction at one of three great naval
schools-the Royal Naval College at
Greenwich, the University of Glasgow or
the Ecole d. Application du Genie Mari
! time. Invariably the young men from
Annapolis carry of all the prizes. On
! that account the professors at the EcOle
say the American students do the insti-
tuition honor, but the English people take
a different view.
The latter have become so disguised
with the success of the Americans in out
stripping British youths that great
clamor has been raised. Last year the
President of the Greenwich Naval Col
lego evoked applause by recommending
| that foreigners should not be admitted to
that establishment any longer. one of
our boys, III. G. Gillmor, is now on his
way back to the United States with a
'irst-class certificate from greenwich
an honor far more difficult to obtain than
double-tfrst at Oxford or senior Wran-
glership at Cambridge.
These young men are interesting. They
are the designers of the coming Ameri-
can navy. They return to this country
masters OF the shipbuilding art up to
date, able to superintend the construc-
ton OF great naval vessel from the
laying of the keel to the last rivet in the
armor. Our new WarShips have been
built under the direction of maritime
architects thus taught.
TO educate them costs money, but this
method is vastly cheaper than to main
tain naval school in this country,
at an expense of 900 or $780,
900 per annunl. Courses in marine archi-
lecture have been established recently
at Cornell University and at the Institute
of Technology in Boston. But the period
| of study abroad affords opportunities of
observing and comparing the latest types
of vessels in actual process OF building by
Tile IldtlOuS IItOSG advanced IN Inc ART
The fortunate student selected for this
duty enters thereupan into the Construc-
| ton Corps OF the navy. This has SO
many advantages that the opportunity is
rarely refused. Promotion is rapid. The
| young officer attached to this branch of
the staff jumps into the relative rank of
| Junior Lieutenant at once on leaving
! Annapolis, skipping the grade of ensign,
| in which a line officer, as things go now,
may stay ten years before reaching d
Junior Lieutenancy. The pay is pro-
| portionately better.
1t is Tor such reasons that the line in
| the navy is always Jealous of the staff
! On the other hand, the staff officers con-
/ slider that an injustice is done them be-
cause they are under no circumstances
! permitted to take command of ship.
| Their rank is hardly more than courtesy
rank. The engineers particularly have
| fought against this discrimination, and
now even the paymasters and surgeons
are claiming that they ought to have the
/ right to command.
! Nevertheless, an officer of the line, if
| he lives long enough, will come out
ahead of the stall officer in respect both
| to pay and rank. The highest relative
! rank in the Construction Corps is that of
! Captain, with pay very much less than a
! Rear-AdmiraPs. The business of the
| Construction Corps Is to make designs for
/ ships and attend TO repairs, except OF en-
gines. There is a popular notion, by the
| way, that war vessel is finished when
| she is launched, but the truth is that she
! Is not half done. She has her outer shell
/ and framing complete, with some of the
| main bulkheads, but after she is afioat
are added all of the decks, the interior
! woodwork, the arrangement for drainage
and ventilation and the living accommo-
dations-not to mention most of the ar
NOR, the turrets and the putting aboard
of the boilers and engines.
Cox and Robert have been ordered to
| Greenwich. Naval students have been
! sent thither from this country ever since
! 1879. Only two are permitted TO take the
! course at any one time, and this quota is
/ always kept filled. Gillmor and another
! young officer named Smith return this
fall, having completed three years study
at the college. They will make ten who
have been graduated from the institu-
| ton. OF these ten only six are now left
| ia the navy. Three OF the original num-
Der are dead. and one. Lewis Nixon, re-
! signed recently from the service and is at
! present employed by the Cramps as man
ager Of their shipyards.
The tuition fees for our naval students
are paid by Uncle Sam. They amount 10
! $3.50 year at Greenwich. At the Uni
versity of Glasgow they are slightly less.
! The regular course of study at the latter
institution covers two years, but one
year in addition is devoted to advanced
studies. The establishment is under pri-
vate ownership, aided to some extent by
the British Government. No limit is
placed on the number of Americans adj
united.
At Greenwich and Glasgow the Amer
| leans enter on the same terms with the
English students. However, they are not
obliged to pass examinations in order to
get in, their certificates of graduation
from Annapolis being deemed sufficient
evidence OF their qualification in point of
scholarship. They live outside The COL
lege, and no restraint is put on their lib
erty. There are no Rotations, instruc-
tons being given by lectures in design
ing, marine engineering, naval archi-
lecture and practical ship building. EX-
aminations are held three times year.
The young officers are not compelled TO
wear uniforms unless on some such eX-
traordinary occasion as a presentation to
the Prince of Wales.
AT the Ecole d. Application du Genie
Maritime, in Paris, they are glad TO get
as many Americans as care to enter.
Seven OF our naval students have finished
there and two more have taken part of
the course. The regular studies occupy
two years, preceded by one year in the
School OF Mines. Nc ices for tuition are
charged, the school being supported by
the Government. The studies have a
somewhat wider range than at Glasgow
and Greenwich. Undergraduates learn
how to build marine engines and acquire
knowledge of metallurgy. The latter
is likely to be of value to them in case at
any time they shall be called upon to in
spect material for warships.
The students take French lessons incl
dentalIy. They have already had two
years of schooling in the French lam
guage at Annapolis. In the summers they
make tours of the shipyards. and the
in MI iak, a