New-York tribune., 1907-11-08
u. S. WIRELESS SCHOOL.
ELECTRICIANS FOR NAVY.
Brooklyn Yard TarnS Ont 800 a
Year for Battleships.

1t may surprise the average citizen to learn that
over in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in building No
! p. there Is electrical school that is open the
year round. and that turns each year five hun
dred young men fully qualified electricians ready
TO go on board ship and take charge of any part
or all parts of her electrical equipment. from the
| splicing Of cable or the running Of dynamo
sending and receiving wireless message by any
! one of half dozen different systems.
| There are at present 135 men in the class which
| is in charge of Lieutenant Commander Richard H.
Leigh, assisted by eight instructors, all of whom
are chief petty officers with excellent naval records
Applicants for the school, who must be electricians
by trade. come from recruiting stations principally
| in the West and South. They are examined in the
clements of electricity in the parts and uses of
| dynamos and the dynamo engine and they are ex-
| pected to solve problems in arithmetic, including
| fractions and deCiDlas.
! After entry into the school the men are assigned
70 four weeks study in the theory section This
| Is followed by three weeks in the mechanical
section then six weeks in the practical electricity
section. After week or two in the ships watch
section. they transferred six weeks
! in the wireless telegraphy" section.
! The entire course covers twenty-one weeks, and
the young man who has ensted-as all have to do
as '1andsman for electrician a salary of SIS a
month. may soon be advanced TO the grade OF
| electrician. third class" with a salary of $50
month. After of five months. If found
proficient he may be advanced to electrician
ond class" at $40 month. and. in case Of unusual
| proficiency, TO electrician. first class at $50
month
! After leaving the school electricians are sent
either to warships to wireless telegraph stations
| on shore part Of their enlistment being usually
| spent In both places
| At the end OF year a seagoing ship. where
| he has had the opportunity Of visiting foreign
countries the young electrician may be promoted
10 the next higher grade until he is made a chief
| electrician. at SEQ a month After year at in
that grade. ne then passes successful exarnina-
] on
a month All electricians are petty officers. and
! chief electricians chief petty officers.
At the expiration Of four years service-the limit
| of enlistment-f he re-enists within four
months he gets four months pay. whether he has
been out one day or four months He also receives
in addition TO the pay Of his grade. IS SO month
| for his first re-enlstment and 81 36 month for
each re-enstment thereafter, that besides being
able rise rapidly In his profession. the increase
Of pay with no expense for board lodging and
clothing. is an inducement that many bright young
men constantly taking advantage of.
J Lieutenant Commander Leigh and his assistants
are just preparing seventy-fve young
| fill places electricians of various grades
board the batteships and auxiliary vessels Of Rear
Admiral Evans's squadron. bound around Cape
Horn for the Pacific Coast The classroorns. on
the second floor OF the equipment building at the
navy yard, present interesting scene during the
/ daily sessions of instruction.
The students, in their regulation uniform OF blue
shirt and trousers aring at the bottom. seated
| at tables specially fitted with electrical switch
! boards. from which dozen men. with receivers at
their ears, may receive wireless messages sent by
| one Of their number from a point hundred yards
away. IN the room. Textbooks and nstru-
furnished. and to aid the students in the
| theory and practice of wireless telegrephy there
object lessons in the shape Of pictures of the
Instruments used in the Telefunken. Slaby-Arco
Shoemaker. Masse. Stone. De Forrest and other
| systems
In an adjoining room is a complete working wire
,FId FTfor5
themselves with actual conditions aboard ship. By
| tuning" the instrument messages being sent from
ships down the bay of shore be intercepted
and read. This is done by means Of a complete
! apparatus erected on top of the building
After the third week at this work the students
are taken to the mechanical department, on the
ground floor, where they are taught TO make
things" In the machine shop. under competent
| instructors, they make from their own drawings
In some cases the various parts of engines They
learn the running and care OF the oil engine. from
which they get their light and power in isolated
wireless stations They also run lathes, shapers
and drill presses, and they take apart assemble
and adjust generator engines.
The installing OF all the interior wiring for IL
Illuminating a ship is next mastered The wardroon
lights the cargo and bunker lights. the Ardois
| signal system. the lights and their manufact-
ure and the different sizes and shapes of mean
descent lights from the 15lcandlepower diving
| light the tiny 1candlepOwer lamp shown
| This department also includes instruction in the
running OF the modern rotation boat motor
and the deck whiphoistS OF the system Of
| natcally closing watertight doors and battle
hatches full size models OF these being installed
| In the
The storage batteries used board ughtships and
| in submarine boats explained. and all the in
| terror means of communication. such the tee-
phone and fire control systems used board ship,
| are analyzed and used. well the thermOsta4
! the automatic whistle and siren and the he-1
angle Indicator besides any number Of test devtnAs
| in daily
| When the class has gone through this course, it
| is sent board the receiving ship Hancock and
placed in charge of all her electrical equipment.
The members assigned to stations AMI they
run the plant for week in regular watches. At
the end OF this they ready 10 go 10
sea some shore station as full hedged electri-
| clans
POSTAL QUESTION THREATENING