The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-20
LANDLUBBERS MADE SEAMEN.
LEARNING TO BE SOLDIERS AND
SAILORS, TOO.

Idea of the Mig Ten Inch Guns.
what They Are Learning and
What They Have 20 Learn-OnIy
Two Excursions TO BE Given 10 the
Amphitrite as She VIII Leave To-
morrow AfternOon-The Men
Wearing Their White Duck as the
Blue Uniforms Were not Accepted.
The United States flag is waving over
the Zorayda Club at Tybee and forty
seven Savannah boys are there. undergo
ing a new experience-the rigors OF
naval military life.
The Savannah Naval Reserve had its
first days work aboard ship yesterday.
The United States Steamship Amphitrite
is anchored in Tybee roads, just off Ty
bee light, and on board the monitor the
boys are learning how 10 handle the big
guns and what they viii have to do If
they expect to be seamen.
They went aboard the Amphitrite for
the first time about $50 o'clock IN the
morning. and while the ON GERS of the
reserve were I'm the cabin, with the Of
ficers of the ship fixing up the station
bills and assigning the men TO their Diff
ferent duties, the boys were given the
liberty of the ship and allowed to go
where they pleased and inspect its work
ings.
The Naval Reserve went aboard with
forty-three men and four officers Each
man was given a billet upon which was
the ships number, his name. rating, d.
vision number, section number, the tur-
ret ana boat crew to which he was as
signed. The men were thus divided into
divisions and sections, and the work of
the day was begun.
The boys We're started In the elementary
principles, taking first the setting up eX-
erclses, sort OF calisthenlcs winch pre-
codes the instruction of the infantry drill
Then began the instruction in the Organt-
cation of the ships company, which was
conducted by Lieut.. Commander j. u.
Adams. This was followed by the manual
Of the piece, and the pistol drill When il
came 70 the side step, the count was taken
up 1850 This is not a funeral the
officer said, and the count at once became
quicker !, 2, 3, 4. The morning instruction
included also technical inspection of the
snip, and the learning OF the names of the
shlps different compartments
The lunch hour was heartily welcomed
by the men, though they enjoyed their
mornings work. The officers of the COM
pany messed with the officers of the ship.
The men carried their lunch along In
bag. and II was given out to them by the
The work of the afternoon was, per-
haps, the most interesting Of all The
men We're taken into the monitors big
turrets, built of seven and oue-half inch
Harveyized steel, and set In barbettes
OF eleven and one-haf steel. In each of
these are TWO enormous ten-ncn guns,
which are operated entirely by hydraulic
pressure. Lieut.. c. f. BroughtOn and
Ensign c. +. Walker, with twenty-five
of the men, accompanied by Lieut.. j. s.
Purcell of the Amphitrite went into the
forward turret, while Lieut. II. S. Cold
ing and Ensign w. O. Cooper Jr., with
tWenty-One men, accompanied by Lieut.
f. j. Haeseler OF the Amph.trite, took
the aft turret. This exercise occupied
from to 2:3O o'clock. The men We're in
structed minutely as to the mechanism
of the guns and the machinery of the
turrets, and were then allowed TO handle
the guns and turrets themselves, so that
they might become thoroughly familiar
with their working. The guns were fired
with primers, as the men have not adj
vanced far enough yet for target practice,
which viii come with the work for next
year.
From 2:SO to $3.50 o'clock they were given
signal instruction after which they went
ashore. The sailors have a regular code of
signals given with the flag, somewhat sim
liar to a telegraph code, and all of the
marines have TO know this thoroughly; The
savannah boys are determined TO learn
this code thoroughly and when they went
back to their quarters yesterday afternoon
they spent sometime practicing the sig
nails so as to be able to signal TO the Am
phitrite when they go aboard this morn
ing. The reserve had some little instruction
in the boat exercise in going ashore, Inc
boats were manned by members of the
company, and they landed in the surf with
the aid of a Catamaran.
The instructing officers aboard the Am
phitrite, who had charge of the company,
are: Lieutenant Commander j. d. Adams,
in organization. Lieut. J. W. Stewart in the
boats Lieuts. J. L. Purcell and F; ]. Haes-
e.er In the turrets, with the pistols, setting
up exercises and In the infantry drills and
Ensign w X. Gise in the signal exercises
and secondary battery.
The boys spent quiet afternoon and
night in camp at the zorayda Club.
Thursday, the 4rst day in camp, Ensign
W G. Cooper, Jr., was officer Of the day
Lieut.. c. r. Broughton was officer of the
| day yesterday, and to-day that position
will be held by Ensign c. r. Walker. The
naval reserve has to so through with the
| hours on and four hours off.
There is no doubt they are enjoying their
stay on the island. The only thing that is
| worrying them is the mosquito, and
everybody knows what the Tybee mosquito
is when he wants to be. Mosquito nets
are an unknown quantity at the club
house, and the boys spend part of the
night in trying to keep safe from their
vicious attacks until morning. They mess
| together in the big hall, and are supplied
/ with a good substantial fare. Those who
| are not on guard duty are given as many
/ liberties as are possibly consistent with a
] camp life. They are permitted to go to
the hotels in the evening, some of them.
! until retiring hours, and altogether it
| may be said they are having a pleasant
! time of it,
! The boys went aboard the Amph.trte
/ in their white duck working suits, and
/ Will use them throughout this tour of
| duty. The blue uniforms arrived from
! kalamazoo. Mich. but as stated, Lieut..
! Colding refused to accept them, as they
did not come up to the sample ordered.
! Lieut.. Cold!ng wired the contractors with
regard to the matter but they refused to
! pay for the telegram. He submitted the
| sample and the uniform to two experts
| here, and both of them advised him not
to accept them. He has decided now not
to take the uniforms at all, and will make
| arrangements to secure others from some
company that Will give him what he or
| ders.
Some of the men do not like working
| in their white uniforms for three or four
days, as they change color too soon.
| They are pretty well covered with dirt
| already, and several of the men have al
ready announced their intention of com
ing 10 the city tonight in order TO get
clean suits to wear on Sunday. 1t is not
| because they are swells, but because they
/ are not particularly attached to dirt that
the boys do not like the white duck. but
| they are willing to put up with il under
the CirCumS tanceS, and as they have TO do
some pretty dirty work aboard ship. that
is going i'm places where they are Liable
to get dirt upon them. it is perhaps bet
ter that they had them instead of the
blue ones.