Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1913-08-15

W YNCLE SAM is a schoolmaster
of the old type. He neither
spares the rod nor spoils the
child. He has many pupils,
those who enter his service
in the government departments and
the army and the navy. His course
of training in the navy is rather Sc
we're, for he requires every man who
enlists for service under the Stars
and Stripes on sea to become a skilled
artisan. Probably the most interest
ing of all of Uncle Sans trade schools
is the school for seaman gunners, at
the navy yard in Washington 1t is
here that the men who aim and fire
the great guns learn their principle
and mechanism so thoroughly that the
efficiency of the United States navy
is unequaled by any navy in the
world.
There are more than 125 men in the
seaman gunners' class at the present
time, enrolled for six months of the
hardest kind of study in the shops
and in the classroom. Every one of
these men is picked. and in the serv-
ice it Is considered great honor to
be chosen to join the class. Only
men who have been in the service
four years are eligible, and then only
when their conduct and service record
are exceptionally good. Graduates of
the school are the backbone of the
navy Here the men are taught the
only really distinctive naval trade, and
it is here that the men who load, train
and fire the immense guns are made.
Requires Much Study.
They learn the making of the large
md small guns. They learn by prac-
ticsi experience how to take them
down and assemble them again The
breech mechanism, everything to do
with the practical part of ordnance.
the manufacture of shells, fuses and
powder and torpedoes all require
thorough and extensive study. The
work Is equally divided between the
naval gun factory shops and the class
room, where they have instruction at
the hands of skilled ordnance experts
and special instructors. In addition
10 the ordnance course they are re-
CURED to become proficient in the sci.
ence of Autobiography and skilled in
the manufacture and principle of the
storage battery.
Work on the big guns start from the
raw casting. This huge, 75-ton cylin-
der of steel is bored out. trimmed and
grooved. The casing, another huge
cylinder Of steel, is bored out. heated
white hot and shrunk onto the groov-
ed lining. The manufacture of this
part of the monster 14-inch rifles takes
about four weeks.
Then the gunnery force enters the
forge and hammer shops, where they
remain Tor two weeks. After this the
class is divided into small squads,
some of them going into the black
smith shop. others to the machinists'
bench, the carpenter shop. the tin
smith. the coppersmith and the
plumber for instruction Each man
must hammer and turn out from raw
metal every piece of steel which goes
INTO the complicated breech block me-
cnanism and the firing devices. Pro-
Iectiles and smokeless powder also
get a great deal of attention. this last
Phase OF the work taking the school
70 indian Head, Md. for several
weeks work.
Wnen these men graduate and leave
washington for the various ships of
the Atlantic fleet to them falls the
uuty OF keeping in repair every Dor.
ton Of the ships armament, IF dur.
ing battle practice spring or bit of
mechanism breaks, these seaman gun
hers must enter the ships machine
shop and forge or turn out a new
piece.
Inc gunner is in absolute command
Oh MS gun He has under him an as
sistant In the big dreadnaughts of
loday' there are six turrets, with two
guns TO each turret. Each turret is
supplied with ammunition for two
magazines. Also there is a gunner
~ charge of the magazines. Besides
'uese' there are smaller five-inch rifles,
SIX and one-pounders located on vari-
GUS portions of the Ship. To these
smaller guns the recsatly graduated
class is always SEM In time they
are promoted and placed in charge
" Dig gun or even a whole turret.
Severe With Students.
Uncle Sam is exceedingly severe
Win his students They must turn
out promptly at o'clock in the morn
lug' ron up their hammocks, sweep
out their quarters and be washed,
ma yea and clearly clothed for break
as at Z o'clock. At o'clock they
enter the shops VI the naval gun fac