The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1911-03-16

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this work will be little more i'm
portant, particularly as he has had
the great advantage of thorough
mechanical training. Perhaps he will
have charge Of the boiler room and
most Of the ordinary repairing on his
own initiative.
At the end of that year he is quail
fled to be examined for first assistant,
who draws $50 to $125 month. This,
of course, is the most important job
in the engineering department, next to
the chief himself; for the first assist
ant is really the acting chief when the
latter is away, and has the handling of
the men and the overhauling Of ma
chinery.
After year as first assistant, your
boy will be qualified to take the final
examination for chief engineer, and,
as far as regulations are concerned,
will be eligible to take entire charge
of the engine department Of any
American steam vessel in the mer-
chant marine. The pay of chief is
generally from $135 to $175 a month
and board.
However, it would be almost I'm.
heard of for SO young chief to be
given one of the large Atlantic liners.
! even though he might be competent;
for there must first be vacancy, and
the seniority rule obtains pretty gen.
orally. There are chiefs on liners in
their early 30s, and one of the large
companies has as experimenting en-
gineer on shore man of only IS.
The next step is to this position of
experimenting engineer, who is chief
of the engine departments of all YES
sells on the line. He is consulted by
the vessel chiefs as to all important
repairs and alteratiorn in machinery,
the installation of new equipment, and
is the company's highest authority on
all matters in this branch of the bust
ness. His pay when first appointed is
usually about SO per cent. more than
he received as chief; but he has to
pay his own living expenses ashore,
which lessons the difference to that
extent.
Advancement beyond that point
rests entirely upon your boys capa-
bility. In many instances, almost in
Vulnerable ones, these marine engi-
neers have gone into special work as
consulting engineers and have receiv-
ed high positions in shipbuilding
plants, some of them earning very
large salaries. The writer knows one
who was taken from a liner On the
Pacific ocean and made head of the
engineering department of the largest
iron works and shipbuilding plant on
the Pacific coast.
This particular young man Che was
under IS when he received this ad.
vancement) was not exceptionally bril-
liant naturally; but he was a hard
worker and didn't neglect a single op-
portunity during all the. Is or 20 years
of his work to learn anything and
everything he could about all phases
Of engineering. He studied at odd
hours and evenings, took up several
special courses of study that he could
work at nights and when off duty, and,
in short, made his work his pleasure
and had real Joy in accomplishment.
Generally about the time one takes
his first examination before the gov.
eminent he becomes a member of the
Marine Engineers Beneficial Associa-
ton, composed entirely of marine en-.
gineers, which gives him test and
certifies as to his capability when he
applies to Uncle Sam. The advantage
of this is that he is thus endorsed by
men of experience and standing, who
able he is, and this Endorsement
counts for great deal.c
copyright, 1910, by the Associated Lit
erary Press.)