Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1913-08-14

NCLE SAM is a schoolmaster
of the old type. He neither
spares the rod nor spells 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 els rather Sc
vere, 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 Uncse 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 n of
these men is picked, and in the serv-
Z II 10 COuS1u01 gu d great uOAOl ~
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 he immense guns are made.
Requires Much Study.
They learn the making of the large
and small guns. They learn by prac-
ticaI 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 nave 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 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 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 mar
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
j~ectiles and smokeless powder alst
get a great, deal of attention. this las
phase Of the work taking the schoo
to Indian Head. Md, for severa
weeks work.
When these men graduate and leav,
Washington for the various ships O
the Atlantic feet to them falls tn,
duty of keeping in repair every por
ton of the ships armament. If dur
ing battle practice a spring or bit o
mechanism breaks, these seaman gun
ners must enter the ships machin,
shop and forge OF turn out a ney
piece.
The gunner is in absolute comman,
Of his gun. He has under him an as
sistant. In the big dreadnaughts @
today, there are six t~urrets, with tw
guns to each turret. Each turret i
supplied with ammunition for tw
{. magazines Also there is a gunne
in charge of the magazines. Beside
these, there are smaller fve-inch rifle.
: six and one-pounders located on var
I GUS portions of the ship. To thes
smaller guns the recently graduate
class is always sent. In time the
are promoted and placed in charg
of a big gun or even a whole turre
Severe With Students.
: Uncle Sam is exceedingly sever
= with his students. They must tur
out promptly at 6 o'clock in the NOR
ing, roll. up their hammocks, swee
out their quarters and be washes
. shaved and Clearly clothed for breal
y, y fast at Z O'Clock. At s o'clock the
enter the shops Of the naval gun IA