Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1913-09-26

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 se-
we're, for he requires every man who
enlists for service under the Stars
and Stripes on sea to become 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 1t is considered a 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
1t 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
and small guns. They learn by prac-
tical 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
to the ordnance course they are re-
quired to become proficient in the sci.
ence OF metallography 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 grooy.
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 for 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
chanism and the firing devices. Pro
} jectiles and smokeless powder also
: get great deal Of attention. this last
} phase of the work taking the school
J to Indian Head. Nd, for several
, weeks work
When these men graduate and leave
Washington for the various ships O,
the Atlantic feet to them falls the
: duty OF keeping in repair every DOR
ton Of the ships armament. II dur
Ing battle practice spring or bit oi
! mechanism breaks, these seaman gun
ners must enter the ships machine
shop and forge or turn out a new
piece.
, The gunner is In absolute command
OF his gun. He has under him an as
sistant. In the big dreadnaughts o.
today. there are six turrets, with two
guns to each turret. Each turret 1,
supplied with ammunition for two
magazines. Also there is a gunne,
In charge Of the magazines. Beside.
: these. there are smaller fve-inch rifles
six and one-pounders located on yari