The morning times., 1897-01-21
THE NAVAL APPRENTICES
Another Training School to Be Es
tablished on the Pacific Coast
A Problem That Is Now Perplexing
the Navigation Bureau
Very Much.

While the government has ample ord
nance shops, can secure the best Of armor in
the world in as large quantities as may be
desired, and produces its own ammunition
and all other equipment for nrst-ciass war
ships, it is deficient in the number of men
required to properly man the ships III the
navy had ready half a dozen vessels Tor
commission il would be impossible 10 place
them in service for lack OF men. Yet even
now the enlisted force is nearly one-haf
as large as the standing army, and with
ships building it will have TO be increased
in two or three years to fully l3 600 or
$4,000 sailors
A problem that is now perpleXing the
Navigation Bureau is how ii viii be pos
sfble for the Newport training school TO
educate apprentices as fast as the navy
viii require them Its capacity is limited,
and it is usually well filled. In order,
therefore, To relieve the school OF a part OF
its burden there will soon be established
on the Pacific coast a school somewhat SINH
lar in character to that at Newport. The
old wooden corvette Adams has been Sc
lected for the training ship, and will leave
San Francisco soon with her first crew of
BOYS enlisted on the coast. The new naval
station is to be patterned after that OF
Newport.
For the present the training VIII be
confined TO service on ship, but later on
il is expected that quarters VIII be es-
tablis he'd ashore and small institution on
the lines OF that at Newport built W here
all BOYS enlisted for the navy on the Pa
cific coast will be sent for instruction pre-
vious TO assignments to regular sea-going
vessels. The cid wooden cruiser Adams
will leave San Francisco with tie first
detachment OF los boys for a cruise prob
ably as far west as Hawaii and thence
back TO the Lower California coast. The
establishment of this training system in
the West is expected TO greatly encour-
age enIistnients in that section and secure
for the service fine material which here
tofore las not been available, owing to
the disinclination of the department TO
bring tFrl bows across the continent 10
the Newport school.
The enlisted force OF the navy at present
consists OF 10000 seamen and l 800 ap-
prentices, and for the only time since the
close of the war fully three-fourths Of the
sailors are Americans. This increase in
the introduction of Americans into the
navy has been due to the establishment Of
the training system at Newport, where only
American boys are taken, and these have
been found TO make the best sailors in the
entire service. The commanding Officers
OF every ship in which apprentices form
part Of the crews have reported that in
nearly al instances the Ne wport boys make
the most efficient petty Officers.
There are many advocates OF a return to
the old system Of holding out cadetships at
Annapolis as prizes TO the two apprentice
boys who make the best allround averages
each year Some Ofthe best officers now in
the navy entered through these channels
Lieut.. SoaUherland, the executive officer Of
the official yacht Dolphin, is one of them.
and he is not only considered one of the
finest executive officers OF the navy but he
has the record OF being the only apprentice
boy graduating from the Naval Academy at
the head of his class.