Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-05-18
MERCHANT SHIP CADETS.
The Training OF boys ON the SUBJ
sidixed Ocean Liners for
Sea Service.

Sea Service.
Those who have crossed the Atlantic
on the vessels of the American line
have probably noticed a class of young
men on board whose duties seem to
place them somewhere between the
officers and the crew. They are known
as cadets, and their position is some
what similar to that of midshipmen
or cadets in the United States navy.
They are in training to become officers
CT the line, and any one of them, after
two years experience as cadet, may,
If he is able to pass the necessary eN-
animation, receive certificate en-
titling him to serve as fourth mate.
From this position he expects to work
up gradually higher in the service, and
perhaps aspires to be one day the cap
tain of a big liner.
All these cadets are graduates of one
of the three training ships established
by the government to educate boys for
the American merchant marine serv-
ice-the ST. Mary's, stationed at New
York city; the Enterprise, at Boston,
or the Saratoga, at Philadelphia. The
places which the cadets hold on the
ocean steamers were created for them
by the postal subsidy bill passed few
years ago. This requires all vessels
which are subsidized by the United
States government for carrying the
mails to be Differed by Americans, and
to carry a cadet for each 1000 tons
burden. Among the subsidized COM
panies included under this are the
American, Clyde. Ward and Pacific
Mail lines. Although some of the boys
who are graduated each year from the
training ships enter the army trans
port service as quartermasters, while
a few others join sailing vessels for
long cruises, wishing to become reg
ular deep sea sailors, a large proper
ton of those who leave the senior class
each year take service as cadets on
some of the subsidized vessels.
AS class, says the New York Trib-
une, the graduates from the school
ships are very desirable assistants to
the various lines. They are never less
than IS years old, and they range from
that up to %, for they must be between
the ages of 16 and 20 when they begin
the two years course on the training
ship. This course, during which they
have studied all the common school
branches, as well as special nautical
subjects, and have made two summer
cruises with practical work, has fitted
them well for the profession they in
tend to enter.
With few exceptions, they are COM
potent navigators when they leave the
schoolship and enter upon their cadet
duties. They have thorough under
standing of dead reckoning and how
to find the latiEude and longitude by
the sun, moon, planets and stars. Be
sides this, they have been taught the
duties of seamen. and have learned how
to manage a sailing vessel, to steer, to
heave the lead, to handle boats both
under oars and sails, the S'rule of the
road" and all the other minor duties
Of q thoroughgoing sailor. The class
which was graduated from the ST.
Mary's last October included A young
men, all but four of whom Immediately
took places on vessels. On their last
summers cruise the members of this
class navigated the ship almost all the
time, having been provided with sex
tants and the other necessary instru-
ments by the commander.
Upon assuming duty as a cadet, the
young man engages to do whatever
is required of him-to take the lee
wheel, carry messages for the cap
tain, look after the embarking or dis
embarking of passengers or freight.
and any other of the many duties on
shipboard. He may not have as much
practice in actual navigation as he
would like, but he will have oppor-
tunity to keep up his studies on that
subject and to learn much from OBJ
servation, so that when his two years
service as cadet is ended he ought to
be and usually is able to pass his eX-
animation qualifying him for the new
position of mate.