Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-15
THE NAVAL MILITIA
Good Work That Has Been Done in
Training Amateur Sailors.
REALIZE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES
Will Form the Nucleus of the Great
Naval Reserve.
AN EDUCATIONAL COURs

| Written for The Evening Star.
| That capable officers and men may be Sc
cured for service in the United States navy
| in time of need 5000 American citizens are
receiving this summer instruction in the
| duties of man-o'-warsmen all the way up
| and down from the humble coal passer to
| the commanding officer and back again.
These young men form the Naval Militia
of the United States and will be the nu-
| cleus of the great naval reserve which the
| Navy Department proposes organizing i'm
| mediately after the passage of the bill
| which will be resubmitted to Congress
early in the coming session. Although
| pecting the adoption of the proposed meas
| ure, by which a larger draft can be had in
case of war, the department is still doing
| its best with the material now at hand and
| is molding into fine shape the present or
i CARNATIONS of the states bordering on the
| Atlantic and gulf coasts, the great lakes
| and the Pacific seaboard. Three vessels of
| the navy have been assigned to training
| duty during the present summer-the aux
| iliary cruiser Prairie, which is taking
the Atlantic coast militia on their annual
| cruise; the U. S. s. Michigan which is
cruising with the organizations of the
| great lakes and the auxiliary cruis-
er Badger. now on her way to San Fran
cisco fer similar duty training ship for
Organized for Business.
| Those that regard the cruises of the naval
| militiamen as vacation will certainly find
themselves at fault If they talk with any
member of the service that has been to sea
| in one of the three ships named. Contrary
to general belief which prevails,
| the organizations are not clubs, though
many number among their members young
men of wealth and social position. The
| department has endeavored and has sue
| ceeded in impressing upon the several mi
| litias the fact that they are organized to
| perfect themselves in seamanship and gun
| merry that they may be sufficiently trained
| to serve on board regular nran-of-war
in time of hostilities. So satisfactory was
| the result obtained from following this
| method prior to the Spanish war that when
| the moment came the department was able
| to secure the services of large number of
officers and men of the naval militia to fill
| up vacancies which existed on board the
| service ships. Much to the regret of many
| of the militiamen the department did not
| do as they desired and place vessels at the
| individual disposal of the various organiza-
lions, although in several instances state
| formations as body were placed on board
of ships under the command of officers of
| the regular navy. According to the depart
ment officials the most satisfactory results
were obtained from the enlistment of such
men as desired to go and the appointment
| of such of the officers as were able to pass
/ the rainier e4dCtlnR examination. COM
| mander ]. M Hawley, who had charge of
recruiting, points to the enlistment of a
| number of men from the Illinois militia,
who were assigned to duty on the battle
ship Oregon, and who earned by their good
work the generous commentator of their
commanding and executive officers.
Marked Improvement.
Naturally the training received during
| the war with Spain has benefited the mill
| tiamen, and their improvement is shown
| by the reports which have thus far reach
| ed the Navy Department from the captains
of the Prairie and the Michigan. The Prai-
| rie has up to the present time taken out
| five organizations, and is now on cruise
with the Pennsylvania militia.
1t originally intended that she should
proceed to New Orleans in April to take
out the Louisiana militia on a practice
cruise, but delay in the completion of her
repairs caused the department. after con-
sultation with the Louisiana organization
| to dispatch her first to Brunswick, Ca,
to take that militia out first. She was
eight days at sea with that body and also
that of South Carolina. and the 22d of
May took on board the North Carolina mill
| tia for a similar period From North Caro-
lima the Prairie proceeded to Norfolk
thence to Baltimore, Washington and Phil
adalphia. She will return from her cruise
| with the Pennsylvanians on the 10th and
then sail for Jersey City, taking on board
the Jersey militia July 10 and return
ing with them on the 9th. The two bat
talions of the New York and the Brooklyn
miitias will be taken out separately, the
first from July % to August and the
second from August Z to August Is. Upon
the completion of this cruise the Prairie
will go to New Haven and receive the
Connecticut militia, whose cruise will oc-
cur between August 16 and August "a. The
Rhode Island organizations, of Newport
and Providence, will be at sea between
August % and September 3, and the ship
will then proceed to Boston to take out
a Ma see n mill yI-hi n6 rx-;n
absent from September to H. Having
completed the cruises with the Atlantic
coast organizations, the Prairie will sail
for New Orleans for the Louisiana militia
Having put the Louisianians through their
PAGES, she will proceed to Pensacola to
give the Florida militamen their sea turn.
This will finish her work for the summer.
Michigan and BADGER.
The Michigan has just returned from her
outing with the Ohio militia and will start
off with the Detroit organization about the
Goth instant. From Detroit she will go
to Chicago to receive the Illinois naval bat
talon.
The Badger will receive the San Fran
cisco division on the 23d Of July, will pick
| up the Eureka division on the 18th and will
respectively. The Santa Cruz division will
be embarked on August and the Santa
| Barbara on the 9Th, and the San Diego
also on the 9th, each being landed eight
days after its respective embarkation.
The Portland Ore, battalion will be taken
to sea the 21st of August.
The department has been particularly
careful in its selection of officers and men
on these training ships. and has secured
valuable instructors in every branch of the
| work. The results are now speaking for
themselves, and the naval militiamen ap-
preciate what has been done for them in
! this direction and are much the richer for
their painstaking teachings.
Practice In Gun Drill.
Approaching that the naval miitiamen
are especially deficient in gun drill on ac-
count of lack of weapons and ammunition,
the department has endeavored to have
most Of their cruise devoted to target prac-
tiee. To each organization the department
has allotted 10 f0Ilnxui 'c,,np1fau