The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-10-18
Recruits in the Nayu.
How They Are Enlisted and How Trained
For Their Duties.

N N HOUR almost any day spent
nm the naval recruiting rendez-
Vous on lower Market street,
near the water front, in San
francisco, will be interesting.
WIN the great expansion OF the United
states navy there Is am increasing de-
uaahd for sailor boys S$lt 80 ~
san Francisco's recruiting rendezvous
IS Typical of many stations along our At
1anttc and Pacific coats. While the
academy at Annapolis and the war col
aege at Newport train American youths
for naval order givers, the recruiting sta
tions procure the Drawn, heart and cour-
age that are the nations reliance in days
of struggle. The man behind the gun in
these days Of scientific warfare is q per-
son to be reckoned with, s ~ e.
While there is endless red tape about
entering the offices Of the higher author1-
ties of the navy department, the door Of
the recruiting office swings wide open.
One goes up unkempt stairs, past paper
signs on the walls: WANTED, Men for
the Navy Of the United States" ETC., into
a room in which there are few chairs,
and writing material. Very likely there
may be half-dozen men in the ocffie
sitting about. and always an officer of
the navy, dressed scrupulously in bright
uniform. There are little rooms leading
off from those for use in examining appli-
cantS Tor Uncle Sans service. y
Oh, it Is a very easy thing to get into
the navy, providing you have good con-
situation, hard muscles and average char
actar. .-.~ .... : ,r s.
However, if one has any thinking to do
concerning enlistment in the navy, he
should do it ali before he goes into the
recruiting officers Office, and signs his
name in any Of the blank books. The
moment the recruit puts his signature
there Uncle Samuel does all the thinking
for him. You will do well to think as
siduously, my patriotic friend, before you
apply at a naval rendezvous-that is,
while you walk the streets penniIesS,
while you dig in the ground, work at the
forge, carry brick and mortar or idle at
home on the farm-but when you have
signed Uncle Sans naval rolls, that EN-
blernatic old gentleman starts your pay
at few cents a day, will feed and house
you and will do all your bordering for
you. r.. :, e
Among the sturdy young men who came
chap whom we shall call Job ~Budd-a
happy bright-eyed, short but wel1-built
man of twenty-three years. There were
several applicants for enlistment in the
Offices when Joe arrived. He was told to
be- seated. Three OF the applicants had
not come up to the physical requirements
OF the service, and with a curt, You're
raan snatched his hat and went out and
.fo-n the stairs still a free man. ~
At length the lieutenant approached Joe
Budd. What do you want to enlist for?'
said the officer. r: r..
ITO be seaman; I've served some at
sea-" ~ ~ae> "
Where were you born?"
I'm New York. but I've lived most Of
my life in Los Angeles"
Can you prove it?'' said the officer,
while he looked the lad over and over. :
Very easily" --..-s .'..
"Go in there and take your examina-
ton" said the lieutenant, after a mo-
ment's elaboration.
Then Joe went into an adjoining depart
ment, where he stripped to the skin, was
weighed, measured, thumped, made to
show his teeth, read letters across the
room, name colors and let the surgeon
record every identifying mark and certify
ard of almost perfect physical manhood
that measures every last man that rides
the sea in a man-of-war. :"
When Joe came out another man asked
him rapidly lot of questions to test his
knowledge of primary things aboard ship.
Whats topgallant M t?" whats the
,opposite of east by south?'A minute Of
such questioning and Joe sat down and
,reeved purchase and tied strange knots
that bind where the salt spray flies and
then he picked up marlin spike and
;spliced two cable ends with a mastery
that backed up his account Of his sea
Experiences.
! A clerk came in from another room with
a bundle Of papers. They were the en-
!listment papers of the eight men who had
applied for admission to the navy that
morning. Joe Budd's was among them.
come to the table, and the eight men
on the bench went n1eekly forward, hat
In hand. In a monotone the clerk per-
tfunctorily read aloud the long detailed ar
fticles of agreement between the United
states and the enlisted man in the naval
service. Each NAH listened as seriously
as If to his death sentence. When the
-aaT,nr finished. tie clerk said: 'tJoseph
Budd VIII sign first Put your name there
The lad signed laboriously. $%t
Now sign here in this book, and also
In this book a.-ItH.-1 - .. ''
IT didn't get that quite on the line,"
says Budd, apofogetically, as the job end
ed in the register 50 full of ruled coll
umns. tE+
That's all right, Budd. You belong to
Uncle Sam now, and you've got days
pay coming to you," says the clerk. BE
mere at 3 o'clock to go to Mare island
And so bunch Of eight defenders were
added to our naval force and 80 rapid. de-
c1siVe routine Of acceptances and reject
ment OF men went on throughout the day
Seamen and coal passers a-e quickly
examined and accepted or rejected at the
Dor these day., II wants ,aaah,n+.ta
boilcsmakers. blacksniths e+n fnr ~.
lighting machine of to.flay is a Ms Nc
chine shop, supnlies WITH eyer,+ i've, Nc he
Zig shop machinery And - 1:.,,ts IT'S udt
neers and fireman as VEL os sao,,,a 81 g. s.,
coal beavers. @2ssNt
Il An engineer is at the renda,yon, - =,
anime skilled laborars and uha,, ~,
pass this and the rigid matlic,, as1a
lions they are sent In .na shons ~ 49,
Island for another exam;nattny, ~, san,