The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-04-19
MERCHANT SHIP CADETS.

Training Boys on the Subsidized Liners
for 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
I place them somewhere between the Of
| ticers and the crew. They are known as
cadets, and their position is somewhat
| similar to that of midshipmen or ca
| diets in the United States navy. They
are in training to become officers of the
line, and any one Of them, after two
years experience as cadet, may, if he
is able to pass necessary examination,
receive a certificate emitting him to
serve as fourth mate. From this posi-
ton he expects to work up gradually
, higher in the service, and perhaps as
pires to be one day the captain 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 service
the ST. Marys, 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 a few years
ago. This requires all vessels which
are subsidized by the United States
government for carrying the mails to
he nf31rnra6 hu mo ND 10
a cadet for each one thousand 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 transport
service as quartermasters, while few
others join sailing vessels for long
cruises wishing to become regular deep
sea sailors, large proportion of those
who leave the senior class each year
take service as cadets on some of the
subsidized vessels
AS class the graduates from the
school ships are very desirable assist
ants to the various lines. They are
never less than eighteen years old, and
they range from that up to twenty-five,
for they must be between the ages Of
sixteen and twenty 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 intend
to enter.
With few exceptions they are COM
petent navigators when they leave the
schooship and enter upon their cadet |
duties. They have thorough under |
standing of dead reckoning and how to
find the latitude and longiture by the !
sum- moon, planets, or stars. Besides |
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 rule of the |
rod and all the other minor duties |
of a thoroughgoing sailor. The class |
which was graduated from the st.
Mary's last October included forty-four
young men, all but four of whom i'm
took places on vessels On
their last summers cruise the members
of this class navigated the ship almost |
al1 the time having been provided with
seXtants and the other necessary in
struments by the commander
Upon assuming duty as q cadet the |
young man engages to do whatever is
required Of hinl-to take the lee wheel
carry messages for the captain, look |
after the embarking or dlsembarking
Of passengers or freight, and any other
Of the many duties on shipboard. He Il
may not have as much practice in act
ual navigation as he would like, but
he will have opportunity to keep up
his duties on that subject and to learn
much from observation, so that when Il
his two years service as a cadet is end
ed he ought to be and usually is able
to passhis examination qualifying him
70 rthe new position OF mate.-New
York Tribune,