Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-30
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of the National Guard of the
IL District of Columbia had holt
day on Thanksgiving day, their
regular drill day, the week was a busy
one for the members of this branch of
the militia service. Court-martial pro-
ceedings were instituted in a number of
cases of absenteeism. preparations were
made at the armory for holding indoor
base ball games. practice trips were made
down the river on several small boats,
and on Monday night the students in the
officers school listened to lecture on
the making of navigation charts.
Early last Sunday morning the new
| steam launch of the Naval Battalion
made its maiden trip down the river
under the command of Ensign Paul v
Thompson. commanding the fourth divi-
sion of the battalion. 1t was essentially
| trial trip TO ascertain the condition
of the engine and other working parts
| of the vessel Her crew was made UP OF
Coxswain T. b. Miller, Engineer +. Blade
and Fireman Felix Nolte Commander
Joseph A. Dernpf. commanding the bat
TALON also made the trip In order 10
!! look into the workings of the little craft
! The launch went down to Fort Foote,
] where the party went ashore to view the
! old ruins. and then proceeded on down
the river. The vessel returned to Wash
inSton shortly after O'Clock. Ensign
Thompson discovered several minor de-
fects in the engine and these will be
remedied by the members of the bat
! TALON. as Commander Dempf plans to
have the vessel make regular trips down
! the river in ortier to train the men in
! the handling of vessels in the rules of
the road. As well as TO teach the engi-
neering force how TO handle marin
( engines. Commander Dempf declared that
If the men learn to handle the small
I boats better IN
perform their duties aboard larger yes
sells of the navy when the time comes.
Practically all of the small boats of
the battalion were taken out last Sun
| day for practice trips. While the steam
launch was making it's way down the
river Ensign Harold w. Crawford took
/ the speed boat D. c. NJ. out for a prac
tice trip while Chief Boatswain's Mate
/ Chauncey G. Rooney and party of
sailors took out the Boy Scouts who
/. usually come down to the Naval Bat
! talon on Sundays TO learn all about sea
scouting.
| Commander Dempf expects to have his
men get much practice work out of the
small vessels during the winter months,
and in this way he hopes to harden them
! for all kinds OF service. He does not
| want to confine his work in boats tC sum
Iner time. he declares because if the men
are called into service at any time during
the winter, they will not be prepared to
/ stand the hardships. When the L. s. S.
/ Sylvia, the naval militia Yacht now be-
| ing repaired at the Washington navy
yard. is returned to her dock at the foot
| OF Water and streets southwest Com
mander Dempf declares that II the river
Is still open he will start making weekly
| trips. and will continue to make them
! so long as the vessel can travel without
| having to cut its way through ice in the
river
| Work on the Sylvia is progressing rap
| idly and it is expected that she will be
ready to leave the navy yard within the
next two weeks or so. The carpentering
work is practically completed the en-
| cheering work is nearly finished and it
Is believed that the calking of the vessels
decks will be completed shortly after the
other work is finished. This latter work
has taken the longest time.
< :: ).
Commander Dempf is now beginning to
make preparations for homecoming for
the members of the local Naval Battalion
who made the European cruise with the
Atlantic fleet. The fleet Is due to return
to the states December r. The Vessels
Will separate somewhere of the United
States coast and each vessel will go To
its home yard. The flagship Wyoming
and the battlsships Florida and Arkansas
viii put in at New York, their home sta
ton All or the naval militiamen are
berthed on these three ships MiIitiamen
from the District OF Columbia and the
state Of Pennsylvania We're the only ones
TO take advantage of the Navy Depart
No information has been received AT
the Navy Department as to which of the
three ships the individual militiamen have
been assigned Private communications
however. which have just been received
at as.-.neton, show that Chief HOSPITAL
Steward Martin \. Dempf son of Com
rnander Dempf of the battalion, is aboard
the ARKANSAS, and that Ensign Frederick
l. Nudge, " b. ID. G, is aboard the
flagship.
That the naval militiamen are having
the, hime of their lives on this trip is
indicated BY private letters which have
been received in the city. Chief Hos
pital Steward Dempf has written that
he has had enough shore leave to see
many OF the important cities of Europe
He reports that the regular sailors are
good entertainers. and that they have
been showing him around. The Arkansas
spent long period in each port allow
ing the men enough shore leave TO per-
nit them to take long trips inland Mr.
Denp. wrote that he had taken advan-
tage OF all of them.
Ensign Nudge, writing 10 officers of the
battalion. declared that he was having
all kinds OF good times while abroad.
Commander Dempf plans TO go TO New
York in time to meet the returning
militiame1 and 10 escort them TO Wash
lngton If ii can be arranged to have
the militiamen arrive in the city in the
evening commander Dempf will issue or
ders for the whole command TO turn out
and go 10 the Union station to escort them
! to the battalion quarters. where they
will be entertained. The orders for the
battalion to turn out depend entirely
Upon the Iniiitiamen who are now on
the battleships. Before he leaves for
New \ ork Commander Dempf will make
all arrangements, and, ii he finds that
the men will return in the evening he
Will telegraph TO HIS officers here TO have
the command turn out.
I: y *
Ensign Frank W. Sigourney plans to
| try number of men for absenteeism
next Thursday night. The papers or
dering the men before a summary court
have been made out. and will be served
| by Chief Master-at-arms Connors and
| his assistants during the week. Every
effort will be made to have all of the
men who were absent the night on
which the commissioners of the District
! OF Columbia visited the battalion
brought before the summary court for
trial. The papers in all of the cases
/ have been sworn To by the officers pre-
| ferring the charges. and whether they
are tried next Thursday night depends
1