The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-04
NEW YORK CLOTHES The NAVY
SUPPLIES FOR ALL or UNCLE
SANS TARS MADE HERE.
Enough Clothing to Stock Store Carried
on . Battlesfip-o0O 900 Garments .
Year Turned Out at tho Navy Yard
-TailOFing by Sailors on shipbeard


on q Battlestip-S0O 900 Garmeuts .
Year Turned Out At tho Navy Yard
-TailoFing by Sailors on shipbeard.
Uncle Sans sailors, In whatever ship,
they sail and in whatever remote parts OK
the world they arc encountered, are always
found wearing New York made clothee:
for. excepting only knit goods and shoes,
all the clothing worn by the enlisted men
Of the United States Navy Is made at tho
naval clothing factory at the New York
Navy Yard, and everything worn Is supplied
from here. The naval clothing factory
was established here in 1870 by Secretary
Of the Navy r. w. Thompson because In
this city were to be found the greateat
facilities for manufacture and for distri-
button.
There are approximately $1,000 enlisted
men in the navy, and it takes lot OF cloth
ing to- supply them. The bigger ships
carry supplies OF clothing that would be
considered very respectable stocks for
clothing stores. big battleship, such for
example as the Illinois, carrying a ships
company numbering upward Of 100, would
take, starting on three years cruise. .
stock Of clothing valued at about $4,000.
The stock of clothing thus taken aboard
a ship would under ordinary circumstances
be sufficient to last the cruise. II more Ia
required, the paymaster Of the ship makes
a requisition, which is approved by the
commanding officer. This requisition finds
its way finally to the general storekeeper
Of the New York Navy Yard, whence the
required supplies are shipped.
The Government supplied to every naval
apprentice on joining the navy a complete
outfit Of clothing free, but thereafter the>
sailor pays for such clothing as be draws,
which is issued to him at cost.
In the naval clothing factory only the
best materials Of every sort are used, and
they are all submitted to test. All wooden
cloths, for example. must be Of pure wool,
without shoddy. and must stand chemi-
cal as we'll as other tests, and every yard
Of wooden cloth used is inspected for defects
and carefully shrunk. Uncle Sam seeks
to give his sailormen only the best Of every.
thing.
There is produced at the naval clothing
factory not only great variety Of garments
but clothing in q great variety OF sizes.
Trousers. for instance, they make In severn
They make them 80 that they can be sup
piled from stock to fit almost any man.
The great clothing manufacturers Of
New York city. who have reduced the manu-
featuring Of clothing to science. have
tabulated statistics Of the sizes Of clothing
worn BY the inhabitants Of every State and
Territory in the country, 90 that they ara
enabled readily to supply clothing for the
people Of any section, and not only Of the
particular kinds required but in 1ust the
required sizes; BY the courtesy OF manu-
faoturers who have gathered such statistics
information that would quite naturally
be denied to other people In the trade. and
it has now quarter OF century's expert
enoe Of it's own. It produces trousers IN
about as many variations as are found in
mems forms, and 30 is able TO ut out ships
readily, no matter where the members Of
the crews come from. "a
Overcoats and overshirts and other
articles Of clothing are not made In nearly
80 great variety, but they are made in
eizes enough TO M all normal Eeauirements.
clothing regularly made and carried In
stock the factory can supply s5 per cent.
of all demands
some clothing. OF extraordinary sises
o. q Of ysry saos hos
required after a vessel has started on her
cruise, IL can be made aboard, by the ship's
tailors, enlisted men who are permitted,
outside Of their regular duty hours, to do
such work. for which they reoeiye pay
their clothing stock. supplies Of all sorts
of cloths and materials. which can be issued
as required.
It used to be that many sailors made
their own clothes, and there are still some
sailors who do this. but the Department
sake Of securing uniformity. The sailor
making his own clothes may get the collar
of a Jacket little too narrow or too wide,
or In some other garment depart from the
standard measurements, and the Depart.
ment likes to have its sailors apparel
at the naval clothing factory.
Among the odd things turned out by the
factory are baseball suits and prison suits.
The Navy Department. gives an athletic
equipment to every ship. There are made
here also the rating badges. the various
insirnia OF rank worn on the sailors uni
forms.
its equipment. It has all the various ap-
pliances and apparatus required lor tns
and ssd q euns q ana al sss
meuts Is done with an electric knife. an Inn
Element that does its work with certainty
and despatch.
The electric knife has THU. slender blade,
set vertically IN the implement and working
I'D ana uOWu uA0 y GOV n6 AtA@C,'A'S 'tSoNAS'
but much faster, making 1900 strokes a
minute. There il O handle at the back.
which can he graspsd as easily us a pair Of
shears could be held, and by y the knife
blade can he guided In any direction.
They Law down on a cutting table large
number OF thiclnesses Of cloth, one upon
another, with the pattern In which they
are ali to be cut marked on the top layer
and then the cutter goes at them with the
electric cutting knife, cutting all at once
and exactly alike. They cut eighty thick
nesses of denim, from which working trou-
sers and jackets or jumpers; are made, or
eighty thicknesses Of white duck; and the
knife will cut all at once sixty thicknesses Of
oyershirt flannel forty thickneeses OF
trousers cloth, Or twenty thicknesses OF over
coat cloth.
When the garments have been cut out
thew are done up In bundles OF uniform
numbers, according to the kind OF garment
or the thickness OF the material, together
with the buttons and buckles and tape
and thread and silk and whatever other
trimmings may be required In the making
OF them, and then given out to he made;
for the garments are not made up In the
factory, but by operatives outside the de-
partment who come for the work and take
Il home and finish the garments there.
The factory does not seek to have the work
done at the cheapest possible rate but
to have it well done by good workers..