Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-02-11
aQURRN OR THE NAVY
THAT IS THE TITLE CONFERRED ON
THE NEW CRUISER BROOKLYN.


6omsthing About the Complement OF
the Men on Board-lt Takes Two Hun.
drsd Men to Handle the Engine-A
Fine Crew.
All American citizens who feel nm
interest In the progress OF our new
navy must have felt their hearts swell
with pride on the first of this month,
when the starry ensign was for the
first time unfurled on the quarter deck
OF the new protected cruiser Brooklyn.
AS Captain Francis A. Cook read his
orders 10 the officers and men grouped
about him, and as his pennant hutter-
ed out over the rim OF the lb-shaped
fighting top, our navy received from
the firm OF William Cramp Il Sons IN
addition that represented an outlay of
over three millions of dollars. Much
has been said of this new vessel. justly
called the Queen Of the Navy" aud
her many advantages of speed and
comfort ably and exhaustively dis
cussed throughout the land, but very
little is known about that very essential
requirement OF any man-of-war, be she
wood or steel--the full complement Of
men who toll far down In the intense
heat of the six fire rooms, and the brave
lads whose duty 1t Is to stand behind
her many guns in peace and war. 1t
is of the crew that / think more should
be said, especially in these last few
years, when good men are so hard 10
persuade TO leave the merchant service
for the navy, says the Philadelphia
Times.
The Brooklyn's men are composed OF
an almost unprecedented proportion OF
American citizens, and 1t may well be
said that a better looking crew never
was used in commissioning the ship
Of any navy.
The Br0oklyn's deck force consists
OF four divisions OF over two hundred
seamen, ordinary seamen, landsmen,
and forty-two apprentice boys. These
men and youngsters are under the SUI
perinendence of score of petty OFF,
GERS, boatswain's mates and coxswalns,
who, with their silver whistles, keep
up constant piping as they transmit
the frequent orders from the quarter
deck to the lowest AMI deepest compart-
ments Of her double bottom.
The .''gunners' gang" Is again a spe'
cial branch of the service. Years ago
the OM men of crew were called upon
to act as quarter gunners, with little
TO do but TO keep the old guns well pol
ished and prevent landsmen from lean
ing up against them. Alas for the old
quarter growlsr'; he has been sue
ceeded by the pick of the young men
who have served their apprenticeship
in the schools for gunnery and subma-
rine warfare at Washington, ID. c., and
Newport, Il. /. 1t is obvious that with
the late great improvements in heavy
ordnance the gunnery branch of our
navy must be filed by well-trained
and capable men.
The water line is many feet above
the heads of the two hundred grimy
and perspring men who handle the
engines beneath covering over cover
ing of thick tested steel. Down amid
that maze of whirling cranks, plstons
and rods these men dodge in and OUT
through the many compartments until
relieved by the succeeding watch. Ii
is the duty of fifty of these men to do
the firing of her forty eight furnaces.
These are the coal passers, who work
the hardest, and are paid less than the
other men Of the engineering brancn
OF the service. Sixty others hold the
more responsible positions of firemen,
these in turn being subservient to fifty
or more machinists, water tenders, oil
ers, bollermakers, blacksmiths, and in
fact representatives of almost every
branch of the snipbuildlng industry.
Even with such a large number of
men engaged in the performance Of the
various duties, everything is so snugly
and fittingly arranged that there never
occurs any crowding or clashing of one
compartment with another. The excel
lent discipline the quiet and respectful
manner Of the men, and the readiness
with which they have responded to the
general alarm drills that have already
taken place, have won for the crew the
admiration of the thousands Of visit
ors at Philadelphia, and the commen.
dation Of their own officers.
The full complement of the Brook.
lyn when flagship Of a station Is about
thirty officers, four hundred and forty
four enlisted men, and sixty marines.
1t Is hard to conceive the enormous ex.
pense incurred daily in keeping a ship
like this in commission and running
order. The pay of the crew, roughly
estimated, averages over $500 per day.
Add to this that Of the officers, from
the admiral down, the daily ration Of
80 cents per man, the cost of ammuni-
tion and projectiles used In target
practice, the depreciation of machinery
the price of one hundred tons of coal
per day when steaming full power, and
you will have a neat sum.
To give liberty to whole watch Of
over 200 men, most of whom have not
set foot on shore for a long time, Is
usually looked upon by our naval Of
ficers as sort Of experiment that near
~ always results In trouble ASHFORD.
Not so with the Brooklyn crew. The
men have gone ashore en- masse at
Philadelphia on two successive occa-
sfons, and with n solitary exception
have an returned scrupulously nea:
and clean. A bluejacket is an nm
common sight in the streets of the
Quaker City, and the residents of that
place have no reason 10 regret having
erfertaiped some of Uncle Sans bows.