Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-02-12
WORKING ON GYMNASIUM.
THE NOEL COMPANY STARTS
ALTERATIONS.
When Completed The Gym VIII Be One
of The Largest. Most cOmmO-
diouS In Country.

The Noel Construction Company of
Baltimore has begun the work of
making the changes necessary fer the
construction of the Naval Academy
gymnasium ont OF the larger part of
the building erected as the Seaman
ship Building. The gymnasium will
be one of the largest and most COM
modious in the country. A number
of concrete piles have been driven in
the door upon which the partitions
which will separate the different
parts of the building viii be placed.
The entrance To The gymnasium
will be at The northwest end of the
building. Next the entrances is a
section 6s fest long and having its
width the same as the width of the
building 100 feet. The section occu-
pies two floors, the main and gal
lery, and lockers for the midshipmen
are placed on each. on the first
iloor there is a dressing room for the
midshipmen of the different athletic
teams, dressing room for visiting
teams and special dressing room
for the crew.
on the gallery floor of this section
there are offices for the physical direc-
tor, physical examination room,
steam, hot and massage rooms besides
the larger part of the midshipmen'
lockers. The swimming tank occu-
pies the next section and is about 20
feet square, with passageways between
both of its sides and the wall of the
building. The pool has a depth OF
from five TO niue feet. 1t rests upon
the main floor and il is entered from
the gallery floor.
The main gymnasium room is 200
by 100 feet and occupies both doors.
n the gallery floor and around the
whole of the gymnasium proper is n
running track about 600 feet in length,
a little less than nine laps to mile.
It is thought that the gymnasium will
be completed by the opening of the
next scholastic term, September of the
present year.
The new gymnasium is very much
needed to accommodate the work of
the department of physical training at
the Naval Academy, taxed as ii is by
the greatly increased number of mid
shipmen. The same gymnasium--o orig
inally old Fort Severn which has
been in use for many years, is still
the only accommodations which ths
department has. 1t is not nearly large
enough to do the full work of which
the department is capable. Every day
many of the midshipmen ale COM
PEELED to forego work which they
would do voluntarily because there lis
not sufficient room and apparatus to
Accommodate them.
The department of physical training
is splendidly organized and in posi-
tion to do the best sort of work. Sur
geon +. @. Cook, ". $. N, is head of
the department and has general
charge of all matters connected with
the general physical work of the mid
shipmen and the special training of
the candidates for ths different attn
letic teams.
Boxing Master Matthew Strohm, for
many years in direct charge of gym
nastics at the Naval Academy, has the
general supervision of the gymnastic
work. His assistants are Otto Steffens,
l.. III. Mang and j. Schultz. The posi-
tons of the two latter were created
this year. All of these instructors are
capable all round gymnasts. This
year Mr.. Stefens had been deyoting
pecial attention 10 wrestling, Mr..
Schultz to boxing and Mr.. Mang to
general gymnastics. Each of the force,
however, is capable of giving instruc-
tion along any line of work.