The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-14
FIREMEN IN THE NAVY

PtrS.roou-Heat C,ataiepsy- Pay.
New York Post: Patriotism which
VIII endure a temperature Of one hum
area and forty degrees Of heat is Of
some value to country. Surely, those
who labor cheerily and with never
falling regard for their duty, standing
untold dlscomforts contentedly deep
down In the lower regions Of man-oi-
war. in peace and war, in battle and
out, are worthy OF high praise, even
when we are so lost IN admiration Of
the accuracy OF our gunners.
There Is nothing romantic In shovel
full of coal as compared with the shining
breech OF thirteen-inch gun. but II we
search dspassIonHtely and without pre-
fudlce, We will hnd that at the battle OF
MANILA Bay, the bombardment Of SAN
tlaEo. and the successful chase OF Ger
yera's fleet, that shovelfui Of coal, or
the man handling IT, had almost as
much TO do with the victory as the gun.
To-day speed Is the most Important
requisite OF a war-ship. Admiral Ger
vera was supposed by naval tacticians
10 have an advantage over Sampson be-
cause his squadron could .foyer more
knots In the hour. It is acknowledged
that II the Spanish admiral had rot
made the fatal mistake sof entering
Santiago harbor, he might have, caused
US many uneasy hours With his fast
ships. In short, Admiral CeTvera failed
because he did not take advantage Oh
the most valuable possession OF his
command, the powerful engines and
great steaming capacity.
This stamps at once the Importance
OF keeping up the engineering departs
ment Of the navy. The men composing
It are unheard OF IN dispatches, unr
known 10 the daily chTOnIeler Of events,
and unsupg In history, but their duty Is
done as faithfully as the duty Of the
men on deck, and their peril iB as great
IN time Of battle. In addition, they la
bor at greater disadvantage. The men
on deck can see the fight, and the hub
hub OF war and the smoke and excite
ment spur them on TO reckless ValOr,
but down below, the engine and Are
room forces are working away In semi-
darkness, not knowing when a shell
will pierce boiler and bring hot death
upon them. Captain McGifin, the
American naval officer who commanded
a Chinese warship IN the war with ia
pan. speaking Of this. said in his char
acteristlc way: I'D rather be on deck
any time In fight. don't believe ]
could be induced to take an engineers
or a fireman's trick during an action.
The uncertainty OF being below decks
under such circumstances Is entirely too
wearing for me-,
This can be thoroughly understood by
any one who has, for instance, been In
a freFoom during target practice. Down
there between the great roaring FUR
naces OF course nothing happening on
deck can be seen, but what Is heard
makes up for It. The discharge Of the
heavy guns creates laundering echoes
md raises a din almost indescrlbable.
with the kissing OF steam. the quick
changing Of furnace doors the rumble
OF machinery. and the spectacle OF half.
naked, persplring figures tolllng in the
glare of the flames. there is nothing else
that more nearly approaches the Infer
no OF Dante. Add to II the uncertainty
IN time OF battle and the possibility OF
the ships being torpedoed without Civ
ing one chance to gain the upper deck
and you have circumstances under
which none but brave man can work.
And the tiremen Of the United States
navy are brave men, deserving Of all
the credit and applause we can give
them. II Is particularly Of Interest at
this time when we have nearly two
hundred ships at the front, 10 know
something about the life OF fireman In
our navy, to learn how he works, the
salary paid him. and his daily routine Of
labor on board ship.
on battle ship of,the Indiana or Or
egon class will be t1pund an engine
room force OF about one hundred and
thirty, and OF theseSabout sixty-six are
fremen-men whose duty It Is to shovel
the coal into the furnaces, Cruisers like
the Baltimore carry seyenty-hve In the
engineers department, and gunboatg
about thirty. OF these the firemen on
ali ships stand watch four hours out Of
every twelve. which gives them eight
hours Of duty in the stoke-hole out OF
every twenty four, q very long space OF
time when spent In such a grimy, not
hole as the fire-room OF a war-ship,
There are other differences. too, be-
tween the daily life OF the naval fire.
man and the worker ashore. The latter,
in nine cases out OF ten, has home and
family to welcome him after his daily
toll Is over. He Is free to come and go
as he pleases. He can spend the even
ing at places Of amusement, and enjoy
ali the pleasures OF a citizen.
Contrast this with the picture OF a
fireman's life on board one OF our bat
tleships or cruisers now off Cuba. Let
us say that he has the middle watch,
from twelve to four in the morning. He
"A called at ten minutes before midnight
and as the ships bell strikes eight he
hurrles down to the fre-roOm to report
with his watch. He has left a cramped
hammock swinging on a berth deck
made foul by tropical heat and the
presence Of several hundred men. and
he feels exhausted instead OF invigora-
ted. II the ship is under way, and the
engines are working at top speed. there
Is pressing call for steam. SEEKING
the sllce-bar he falls 10 the task OF
livening up the fires, lnborlng like
Trojan for many minutes, then with
few breaths OF fresh air snatched from
the blower. he continues TO feed the
great, gawning fires placed under his
care. II is no easy work, this shoVeiiinB
OF coal Into a pit that Is never satisfied.
for II requires skill and an apt turn OF
the wrist that comes only with practice,
and the amount OF hard physical labor
entaIiel In keeping a furnace well sup
piled Is more than one would imagine.
For clothing, the fireman wore on
leaving the berth-deck suit OF faded
blue oyeralls These he speedily dis
cards with the exception OF thin shirt
and trousers. Before he is at work 1--WE
minutes the heat o. the Are-room has
bathed him in Precipitation, and he
leaves little rivulets Of water as he
frudges back and forth In front Of his
fires The dust and black Of the coal
primes his face and body, and Il Is DIFF
Hoult to distinguish him from negro
coal-passer. For four long hours he