The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-07


| Friday of this week, although it has had
the immediate task of manning the two
| former Brazilian ships, the New Orleans
/ and Albany, the cruisers Minneapolis and
| Columbia, the dispatch boats Dolphin and
| Mayfower, and Others and is, at the same
! time, under the necessity of looking after
it's ordinary duty of filling the places of
| men whose terms of enlistment have ex-
| pired.
There is no lack of raw material; indeed,
| the trouble lies in its being too raw. APP
| plicants for the class known as "landsmen'
| are numerous; but these, as the name i'm
| plies have had no actual experience on the
sea, either in the military or merchant serv-
| ice Experience counts quite as much here
as in the callings of civil life, and is paid for
at a rate higher than mere inclination can
command. The classes in greatest and al
most exclusive demand for the moment at
| the office of the Vermont. as at other naval
| recruiting stations, are those of machinists
| and seamen. In the demand for the former
| is found, strange to say, the reason why
| they are difficult to secure. Openings TOR
| their services in factories and machine
| shops on shore in a time of preparation like
! the present are brought about by naval
| activity. and since land occupations have
their own advantages, as well as greater
| pay, they are naturally preferred
STRICT EXAMINATION.
A candidate for enlistment as a machinist
must have been one in civil life, but is new
ertheless put through a rigid examination
to test his knowledge of tools and shop
| work. and is required also to display some
| familiarity with marine engines and boilers.
| 1t is prescribed that the former examination
| be made in the machine shops of the yard
| and the latter in the engine room of the
| ship. A man who has had no sea experience
is assigned to the second class and paid $40
| per month, while one years previous work
! in the engine room at sea entities him TO
| be put in the first class, with pay at the
| rate of $50 per month. An ordinary seaman
| is one who has had at least two years serV-
| ice at sea, and is examined, in addluon 10
! the usual points of age, citizenship ana III
telligence, in reef1ng, splicing, knotting, etc,
and is paid $40 per month. seaman is
| supposed to have had four years sea serv-
| ice, and is closely examined In SeamanSnlp,
| receiving $14 per month when accepted.
| No recruits are kept on board the recelV-
| ing ship longer than is absolutely necessary
| because this means expense and outlay
| without adequate return in service; and re-
| ceivng ships, at best, are not suited TO tne
| training and drilling necessary to the proper
| education of a ships crew. This is done,
| for apprentices, at the Newport training
| station and on board such school SHIPS as
| the Essex and Alliance; after which they
are returned to the receiving ships for dis
| tribution among the vessels in commission;
These boys find quite as much pleasure ana
/
| generally and meet with the usual viclssi-
| tudes in the way of punishment and COM
mendation.
| I don't want to go there any more an
nounced one lad whose assignment 10 the
cruiser Minneapolis had made hlm the cen. zen,
| ter of an admiring group of fellows. Inc
| brig? Oh, the brig is where they put you
VIXEN you've been disobeying orders or over
staying your leave us f Wna et {eT o' I've
been drafted now. and I'm going TO De the
| ships good boy. 80. 20
SOh. we don't have to get in the habit; 1t
just comes natural. We amt allowed 10 40
If until we come to the receiving snip, put
fellow isn't watched all the time. on BOARD
ship they won't let US smoke cigarettes. put
we can smoke pipes at meal tlmes' anu L
guess that's about as good.
ON A RECEIVING SHIP.
The apprentices are at present much the
larger element in the life of the Vermont,
and this is indicated to the visitor by the
tear-stained faces of the women coming and
going. The boys are a good humored, light
hearted lot They are allowed to see their
friends and members of their families
aboard and are often given the liberty of
the yard when their Parents or guardians
are there to accompany them 1t is under
Stood however that the government as
sumes, actual guardianship over them in all
things from the time of their enlistment UNI
til they are twenty-one years OF age, and so
these privileges are granted only at the OPP
ton of the commanding officer.
Life on board, barring the monotony of
routine is very pleasant There is always
band at the station to furnish music on the
spardeclS for uimble feet and appreciative
ears, and piano is part of the ships regu-
lar equipment; such modest, but serviceable.
instruments as harmonious, accordions and
jewsharps seem to be found in every nook
and corner when occasion requires and the
hour permits. During the evening gymnas-
tic exercises are allowed, and are perhaps
INDUCED in with greater relish by reason of
the absence of any prescription to that eff
feet. Punching bags, boxing gloves and
dumbbells. are in great demand. and con-
tests in jumping, wrestling and athletic
tricks are always in order at that part of
the day. Cards, checkers and other games
are permitted, reading room is provided
and ample time is allowed for such diver
sions.
The waiting list is of the same general
character at all periods, made up of the
boys about to be sent off to the training
station, others who have come from the
school ships, and are awaiting assignment
| to regular cruisers recruits, and enlisted
men who are in transit from one assignment
to another. The recruits made for the classes
of seamen, ordinary seamen and landsmen
are given a preliminary dressing down." If
time permits and are sent to active duty
at once. as requisition is made for them.
They are broken in" as much as possible
struction and drill only when assigned to
their respective vessels.
THE FIRST DUTY.
Their first duty, after successfully passing
the various examinations and being sworn
and signed by the commanding officer, is to
take a bath and submit to the good offices of
the ships barber. The latter's work is done
at government expense, but after the first
experience it is required that enlisted men
must settle their own bills of this nature.
The recruits are, in common with all en-
listed men and boys on board put through
the well-known ''setting-up'' drill. This
consists in performing certain movements
of the limbs and body designed to give the
full use of the muscles and feet and to de-
Velop the agility and endurance necessary to
the performance of ship duty. The exercise
is of daily occurrence while the men are in
the early stage of their enlistment, and is
practiced frequently during the entire period
of their service, being part of the drill of
every ships crew.
The men are given, at frequent intervals.
practice in what is known as the boat
drill which is done chiefly for hygienic
reasons. and consists, as its name implies,
in handling small boats on the water and
taking them out. manning them, etc. They
are also drilled in the manning and manip-
ulation of the guns. when chance offers,
but these preliminary instructions do little
more than familiariZe them with the posi-
tions to be assumed, and, to a less degree.
with the mechanism of the machines 1t is
impossible to do more than this. owing to
| the limited opportunities afforded by the