The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-05-18

trained and unmilitary-th despite tn
fact that the men belonged TO wha
was rightly considered one of the crae
crews of the whole American navy.
The disliked officer got the me-
ashore and started to drill them. The,
fell down in a body at the simplest or
ders. Half OF them came to a presen
arms when the other half came to al
order arms. The officer berated then
and tried again. The men did wors,
than before The officer began Il
march them. Apparently not ten mel
In that landing party knew the differ
ence between tours right and LEFT
oblique. The movements were a howl
Ing farce, and the foreign naval officers
ashore stood by laughing boisterously
The unpopular deck officer few into q
rage and began to drill the men one by
one. Every man went through the in
dividual drill. manual and movements
like a major and when the officer had
drilled about half of them In this way
he started again to give them orders in
a body. Again they were like a pack
Of recruits. The ineXtricable tumble
into which the men plunged themselves
warranted the glee of the foreign off,
GER The disliked officer decided to
p3nish the men, and he marched them
Eve miles into the country over a bad
road. The men struggled along like a
dock Of pursued sheep, with no order
whatever and an as solemn as owls
about 1t. The officer marched the men
back to the landing after the ten miles
had been covered and got them aboard
the ship. Then he reported to the com.
handing officer that it was the stupid.
est pack of bluejackets he had ever
commanded.
'Stupid| the commanding officer
said. You must be dreaming. Those
men you had ashore today make one
of the crack battalions of the whole
American navy. l shall take them
ashore myself tomorrow and find out
what's the matter. You shall accom-
pany me with the landing party"
The ''old man." an extremely popular
commander among the bluejackets, did
take the landing party ashore on the
following day. Every man appeared
on deck spick and span, alert, all
a-quiver with mettle. The commanding
officer got them ashore and put them
through their manual. The bluejackets
were as one man with their pieces.
The skipper then put them through the
movements, and the clean, practiced
fashion with which the bluejackets per-
formed the evolutions caused the for
eign officers who had laughed the day
before the greatest amazement. When
the party returned to the ship the dis
liked officer put in his application for a
transfer.
When chief engineer on a man-o'-
war Of today acquires the dislike of
bis men-the "black gang'-they are
capable of making heavy trouble for
him. Aside from the commanding off.
Ger, 1t might almost be said that of all
the officers attached to a modern war
vessel it is most necessary for the chief
engineer to possess not only the good
will but the actual devotion, of the
men under him. The chief engineer Is
leld strictly accountable for the pres
ervation in good condition of the ships I
boilers and machinery. A loose screw
nay very easily disable an engine, and
t is the simplest thing in life to loosen,
! screw without anybody being the !
wiser. One cut rivet is enough to make
! boiler useless, and crown plates may
)e let down easily enough. A crime OF
his sort has never been actually fas-
ened upon an enlisted man in the en-
,ineer's department of an American
hip Of war, but 1t is a matter Of com.
non knowledge In the navy that those
hlef engineers who are unpopular
With the men under them have far the
most trouble with the machinery and
'oilers In their charge, and some Of
hese disliked chiefs have to expend
,reat deal of ink and paper In explain
ng to the department just why there {
re so many breakdowns in the gear
yer which they have control. 1t Is |
Luite possible for SO low rated man /
IS even an aggrieved coal passer to I
et his chief engineer tangled up with |
court of inquiry.
Moreover, 1t often happens that an
Unpopular chief engineer cant get his q
nen to make steam. The 6femen ap. I
aFently work hard enoGgh, but they t
Ont get the revolutions out of the q
repeliers. News travels Just as fast {
rom the cabin to the fo'c'sle as it does r
rom the fo'c'sie To the cabin, and when q
he fireTneh hear that their unpopular a
hief engineer has been ordered to get Y
be ship TO such and such a port at
uch and such a time they just catch
ne 'another's eyes, and the ship doesn't e
1T there III that time or anything like V
J. 1t Would make no difference If the /
hief engineer himself were to stand "a
7atch in the fire rooms twenty-four
ours at stretch. The steam registers 2
take any upward leaps on ac- t
cunt of his presence. The assistant o
ngineers also stand I'm heed of the
God will of the black gang. On ships
ttached to which there have been two
ssistant engineers, one of them liked b