Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-10
RUSH or MEN )ro ENLIST
Call for Recruits Brings Crowds to BROOKLYN
Navy Yard.
Majority of Applicants Young Men
Out of Employment - Enfhusiasm
u ia
Among ItaIian-Amerieans.

dt
Among NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Special Correspondence of The Evening stsr.
NEW YORK; March 8. 1893.
There has been great rash Of men eager
to enlist at the navy yard. The news was
published fer and wide, and applicants
hurried to the yard to offer their services.
Before the gates at the Sands street en-
trance were thrown open today a crowd of
men had gathered around, eager to he
first to reach the recruiting office on the
receiving ship Vermont Many of those
who came had been at the yard previously
and had been told to return. A few an
peared in old uniforms. They were men
who had formerly been in the service and
had come back to re-enlist. All such are
accepted almost at once. When the rush
begins of a morning special measures have
to be taken to keep the Sands street en-
trance clear. The marines make applicants
fail In line on the left of the entrance and
admit them in squads of six or eight men
The crowd is usually composed mainly of
young men. A few that come, however
are in the decline of life and utterly unfit
for service. large number are mere bows.
many of them twelve, fourteen and sixteen
years old. These are not allowed to po
to the cob dock. All of the men seemed to
belong to the city. None appeared to be
OF the farming class. The majority of
those VINO come are very poorly dressed
and seem to be in poor circumstances
Numbers of them have been out of work
for months. These turn to the navy as q
last resort. great many of the younger
men, however, seem TO be in spirit with a
genuine enthusiasm to serve the flag They
believe war is imminent and are DESTROYS
Of having hand in it. They are evidently
familiar with the course events are TAX
ing Thew have Sincera hatred
whom they blame for the Maine disaster
Only a few of them have been to sea.
Capt. Stayton Expected Back.
w. H. Stayton, commander of the Brook
lyn division of the naval reserve. is ex
pected to return soon from Washington.
where he has been in conference with NAVY
Department officials. He will, it is said. is
sue orders in furtherance OF line of pol
icy for the naval reserve suggested by the
navy officials.
These orders will effect the enlistment of
men, it being considered desirable inst
now tnat such recruits as 'longshoremen
deep sea fishermen and trained seamen
generally be encouraged to enter the SER
vice, thus creating q recruiting ground for
the navy. New recruits will be permitted
TO exercise a preference as to the kind of
service for which they shall enlist whether
at the front on the warships or nearer
home as harbor defenders The reserve is
TO be put in hard training at once Execu
tive Officer Forshow of the Brooklyn diyi
sion said today he had as yet received no
vera from Commander Stayton. but that
ne expected some sort of communication at
any moment. Everything isdn readiness to
begin at once the work of executing what
ever plan may have been, decided upon bv
t u1e oneers as result of Suggestions from
The Italian legion is READY for war
More than 2,C00 men have signed the roll
ana are ready to be mustered into service
s SEX war be declared between Spain and
tne United States. They have chosen as
their leader an American who Served with
distinction In the civil war, Captain David
humphrey formerly of the S5th and 18th
emo volunteers: The Italian Americans
are in earnest Hundreds of those whose
patriotism for their adopted country IS
boiling over have had military expert
ence, having served in the Italian army
a Am Ioreisn-born citizens the war has
not burned more brightly than among
those who came from Italy. 1t showed it.
self in communications to- the italian news
papers printed in New York directly fol-
tiers were printed, showing that no men
are more jealous of the honor Of the United
States than the Italian-Americans.
Prospect fer New Workers..
Many people are beginning to say that
New York would not be threatened in
case of war. But war would make this
wonderfully busy city Demands would
be made on it for coal, food supplies, cloth
Ing arms and money that would keep many
branches Of industry busy for weeks
Should fleet blockade New York, how
ever, While there still would be an enor-
nous Increase of business in certain lines
many trades would be stopped almost COM
pletely. All shipping except that depend
ing on interior harbor navigation would be
rendered almost idle. All 'longshoremen
ard many truckmen would be thrown out
OF employment, and that in turn would be
disastrous 10 the large number Of small
shopkeepers who depend upon the trade
OF these people. An interesting specula-
ton is one to the probable course of
New York's population There is little
real and direct danger to menace the peo-
pie of large city in case of an attack of
civilized enemy. Even should hostile
fleet get into position to lombard New
York, the laws of humanity and of warfare
alike demand that enough notice be given
to enable the non-combatants to get out
of danger. AS the authorities would take
care to keep New Workers posted by issu-
ing frequent proclamationS and news bull
letins, 1t is reasonable to assume that the
people would take things coolly. OF course
there would be certain number of per-
sons who would lose their heads and flee
from the city helter-skelter at the first
announcement, but it is probable that the
majority of people would remain quietly
in town, and they would not be sorry for It,
Gifts 10 Cuban Relief Fund.
The collection of a relief fund for Cuba
has developed many unique indications of
sympathy. At the Office of the Christian
Herald there have been received contribu-
tons which were not money, yet to the
donors they represented much more than
moHey-things that they treasured more
than anything else, and because they so
treasured them, sent them to be sold for