Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-12-08
A TRYING NAVAL JOB.
WHAT IT MEANS TO PUT A WARSHiP
IN COMMISSION.
Tho Enormous Amount OF Work That Must
Be Performed and the Ceremonies That
Arc Observed Before the Pennant and
the Stars and Stripes Are Hoisted.

In times Of peace as well as when
wsr's dark clouds gloom the nation you
ar liable to read in the newspapers an
announcement to the effect that one of
the vessels of the navy is going Unto
commission I" 1t is not very impress
i've phrase, but the full meaning Of the
term is something Of which few have
any adequate conception. To put a mod
ern warship into commission involves
an enormous amount of work, which
can be fully appreciated only by one
who has observed the process from be-
ginning to end.
When a vessel Of the navy is laid up
in reserve, "in ordinary" as it is call
ed, it is far from an attractive object
and could hardly be recognized as the
same ship when in thorough trim, with
crew aboard. The ship is anchored at a
convenient navy yard; the stores are
sent ashore, her engines and guns GOV
cred with oil and an antitrust paint;
her decks are allowed to become dirty,
her sides dull and stained from rusty
chains. Thus she lies perhaps for
the secretary Of the navy, through the
chief of the bureau of navigation, di-
recting the commanding officer Of the
yard TO get her ready for sea.
The first thing TO be done is to bring
as many men as possible from the re-
ceiving ship, which lies hard by, and
these, with the force of the yard, under
the direction Of whatever officers are
available, begin at once TO put things to
rights and remove the accumulated dust
and dirt from the different parts of the
equipment; the engineer force goes at
once to the engines and boiler rooms;
the antitrust paint is removed from the
engines; new packing is put in the
valves and joints; the pumps are tested,
the rust and dirt knocked from interiors
of lire boxes, and boiler tubes and CRATE
bars renewed.
Outwardly everything is now in fair
condition, but this is only the begin
ming It remains TO get up steam III
some of the boilers, turn over the en-
gincs tn see if they are in proper trim,
start the dynamos, test the electric
lights and the pilothoUse, signals, turn
on the searchlights, start the fans work
the steering gear and steering engines,
set the hoisting machinery in motion
and put the boat cranes in operation
Every engine boiler, pipe, wire, tube,
rlvCt bolt, nut and plate is carefully
INSPECTED. and if found unserviccable
from any cause repaired,
leXt the equipment storehouse is Wis
tied and full allowance of beef, pork,
beans, potatoes, coffee, sugar, salt, flour,
meal, clothing, shoes, hammocks, hlun-
kets, paint, tObaCco--in short che whole
miscellaneous assortment of the com.
missary department, is placed on board.
The paymaster Of the ship is RESPONSE
Bic for every article received aud a
strict account is Kept Of cuch. Then the
galley, or cooking stove, has TO be eX-
amined to see whether it is complete in
oil its findings The outfit of galley
usually consists Of two copper kettles of
30 gallons each, 90 gallon kettle, with
east iron Jacket and copper hinged COY
crs, two steamers for vegetables, each
with capacity Of BE gallons two sets
Of saucepans, a fine set Of tools for lift
ing and firing and the ordinary cooking
implements.
The line officers look after the condi.
ton Of TIE guns, the rigging, the boats,
the cables tho anchors, the flags and
signals, the charts, the nautical insrru.
ncuts and other parts of the ships
equipment. What this means can only
To appreciated by one who has actually
undertaken the task a volume might
be written IN regard to the signals alone
When all this work has been done,
the ship Is ready to 90 into commission,
and mp 90 TINS tmo everything has been
under control Of the commandant of the
yard, SO that when the captain If the
ship arrives and reports himself to the
yard commander little remains for him
to attend TO In the meantime men have
been brought together TO constitute the
crew
Sometimes they are enlisted partlcu-
larly for the ship which is about to 10
into service at other times they are
withdrawn from other ships which have
Just been put out Of commission The
crew and marines report aboard with
bags and hammocks; the captain orders
the crew 10 he drawn up ON the spar
decl, promptly ut noon upon the day ON
which the ship Is CO w put formally IN
commission reads To thym his orders
from the secretary ct the navy detailing
him To tine command hufstS the com.