Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-06

the school and the advancement. after
graduating, is so rapid that none OF the
lucky ones care 10 risk their chances OF
being dismissed and returned 10 the
service under their old rank Then. as
many written problems are required. and
several oral Rotations occur each week,
they burn great deal or midnight oil.
\ visitor 10 the navy yard any night
except Saturday Will find forty or fifty
clean-cut young men working out
ordnance problems. studying from
dozen text books, and quizzine each
other on the questions that the officer-
instructor is sure TO ask them the next
day.
Josephus Daniels Secretary OF tho
Navy. is particularly fond OF the sea
man gunners class. To his mind. the
rushing dreadnought and the crash or
mighty guns are not all that go to
make up a perfect naval service. He
believes that a four-year course in !.
the navy should be equal to a four
year course in the best vocational
school in the country. As far as the
seaman gunners' class Is concerned.
they get an excellent vocational train
ing in just six months.
A graduate of this wonderful school can
take raw metal and turn out the most
complicated steel mechanism: turn sheet
copper into symmetrical pipe and ducts:
make and charge a storage battery: wire
a turret for electricity; make set OF
plans for about ANYTHING. and make ami
use smokeless powder.
n
II must depend upon itself for existence.
Coal and food may be taken aboard In
port. but from the time the anchor
leaves the bottom until In 10 dropped
again, perhaps 1000 miles distant. thcre
is no outside clip. There must be cooks
bakers carpenters. blacksmiths. mach'n-
lists. and a bove all, men who know guns
There are today about 10000 men in
the service. ANY one or these Is cN-
pected to lay down his life for the nag.
IN necessary Twelve thousand enlist
a01l
are re-enlisted. This means that the
navy must be recruited BY 5000 men
every year. Out OF these $4,000 men out
900 chosen each wear 10 attend the
seaman gunners' class in Washington.
The ten honor men OF the class n
Washington are sent to Newport. r Y.
for six months training in mines and
torpedoes Here they learn TO make and
operate tie watchlike mechanism and
the deadly gun cotton with which the
torpedo is equipped They study mines
from mechanical and strategic view
point They don divers suits. go under
the harbor and plant and locate these
deadly defensive weapons.
This done, the honor men go 10 sea,
very often on torpedo boats and mine
planters. The other graduates OF the
Washington school are sent TO the bat
tleships The pay of a student MAJ
range anywhere from S33 10 $50 while
he Is in school. but as soon as he has his
Diploma he Is assured Of substantial
increase and rapid advancement.
The seaman gunners' school IS not rep
resented by athletic teams. They have no
time for base ball or foot ball Their
DAYS are filled with good. hard work ana
the classroom exercises require visiian.
nreparation at night All year around
they have Saturday afternoon and sun
day to themselves. but usually the whole
class may be found studying SUNDAY
afternoon Saturday afternoon viii mo
every one OF them In town at the theater
or visiting friends.
Without doubt Uncle Sam has the r1gnt
idea in picking his students, Tor there IS
not a more clean-cdt set of men In the
service To a man they are aostemious
70 the last degree, for their career Is put
in the making and they realize how ois.
astrous one step from the straight ana
narrow path would be. Most OF them
smoke but this Is only natural; VINO on
a battleship does not smoke? Whetner
guiding a seventy-fve-ton cylinder OF
white-hot steel. handling explosive gun
cotton or under water in a diving snt
with mines, the men are the same-coois
eflcient and always ready for anything
They are the iron men Of the navy In the
making.