Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-08-11
new NAVAL REGISTER.
Many Changes That Have Been
Made In the Service.
RATE OF ELECTRICIANS CREATED.


New Grades of Warrant Omcers.
What They Mean TO Men Who Cam
not become High Grade officers.
Way the New Places Are Secured.
Gun Captains.
4 perusal of the semiannual Naval
Register gives a comprehensive idea of
the many changes in the navy and the
progress of improvement In the service
in the past few months. 1t is one OF
the most interesting publications is
sued by the navy department. 1t shows
the rank and names of all officers of
the United States navy, their stations
and duties; also list of all the ships
In commission and their stations and
the vessels being built and the rates
and pay of all enlisted men. A new
book has just been issued and distrib-
uted, and the whole navy is busy study
ing It. The interest In 1t is double that
that has awaited the publication of al
most any previous pamphlet of the
sort, on account Of the great changes
made by the personnel bill and the en-
largement of the navy owing to the
war and the present troubles in the
Philippines, says the New York Sun.
The officers list is longer and differ
emily arranged, partly on account Of
the uniting of the line and engineer
force. There is now no department
headed engineer corps" as former
ly, for all the engineer officers who
were formerly known as chiefs, passed
assistants, assistants of engineer ca
diets are now captains, commanders,
lieutenant commanders, lieutenants,
greatly heightened list Of line officers,
and for the first time an engineer Off
Ger appears under the head Of cap
tains. there being IL such changes.
The navy now includes l admiral, 1S
rear admirals, 70 captains, 112 COM
manders, 10 lieutenant commanders,
800 lieutenants, 132 lieutenants, junior
grade; lot ensgns and 80 cadets at
sea. In the marine corps there are /
brigadier general commandant, colo
nels, 5 lieutenant colonies. 10 majors,
Al captains. 45 first lieutenants and 8
second lieutenants.
There is now new grade of warrant
officers, the highest place to which an
enlisted man can attain without pass
ing through the naval academy. The
new grade has the old designations
with the word "chief'' preceding, as.
for instance, chief boatswain, chief
gunner or chief carpenter. Provision
has recently been made for new and
higher grade of machinists by provid-
| ing for warrant machinists, and the
names of the first lot of these officers
appointed appear in the new register.
| There are only few of them at pres
ent, but the number Is being added to
all the time and will continue until 100
have been appointed. Most Of these
men come from chief machinists, who
are petty officers in the service, after
an examination as to their ability and
professional knowledge. 1t gives new
chance to rise and is welcomed as an
opportunity for many capable men in
the service to gain rise which might
never come otherwise.
| The list of warrant officers in the old
grades is much longer than in former
issues of the register, for the number
is being constantly added to owing to
the steady growth of the navy. Most of
the new men-in fact, practically every
one Of those who have secured acting
appointments recently as warrant Off
cers-are men who have served in the
navy as petty officers for from one to
ten years. If capable man who passes
all the examinations and can fill the re-
| quirementS has been In the service only
three months. he may be promoted just
the same. There is the case of man
who enlisted in the navy just before
the war, right after the blowing up of
the Maine In Havana harbor. He had a
trade AS blacksmith's helper. He was
of good habits and attended to bust
ness, while at the same time he had his
share Of the enjoyments and troubles
of the naval service. Finally he Sc
cured the rate of blacksmith, which
gave him first class petty officers ap-
pointment. He served in that rate un-
til an order was issued few months
| nrp,f1tnn fny, ,,,ot
such men in the navy as desired to be-
come carpenters. He made application
through the proper official channels for
permission to take the examination
and a few weeks later was ordered be-
fore an examining board at the New
York navy yard. This was the last Of
| May. The 1st of June this man receiv-
ed an appointment as acting carpenter
In the navy and was entitled to shift
his blue jackets clothes to the uniform
of an officer and draw $1,000 a year
pay from the government. This case
Is somewhat exceptional. but only Illus
trates the possibilities Of the navy for
one man who does his duty. has pur-
pose in mind and who uses the oppor-
tunities that arise. This man whose
case has been used as an illustration is
now on duty at the Boston navy yard.
a carpenter in the United States
navy Is not man who handles ham
mer n saw and roll of chalked twine,
as does carpenter ashore. In the
service he does scarcely any manual
labor; his is mostly head work. He
looks after the care. preservation and
repair Of the ship to which he may be
attached, under the construction officer
Of the ship He has charge Of the deck
mechanical force. which includes. in
battlcships of the Indiana type or in
large cruisers of the New York class,
plumbers. carpenters mates ship
wrights. blacksmiths, painters and
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