Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-02-09
PINS LARGEST TRADE SCHOOL.
r,,,n. Ont Thousands of
Competent Workmen from Army
and Navy Each Year.


17,oIa Sam. in addition to his multi
<or;o,S duties of conducting the Gov
eminent of a great republic, Is running
the largest trade school in the western
Hemisphere. In reality, he is collouo'-
ing seven of them, but all welded INTO
compact working machine that turns
out Americas youth as competent
tradesworkers by the thousands each
vear Fifty thousand young men are
enrolled at al, times. And it's an ad-
iunct to one of the two fighting arms
If the United States-the navy.
II was not so many years ago, In the
good old days. that the crews OF
United States fighting ships were re-
cr,Iited almost essential only that
man-o'-wars- know how to reef,
hand and steer If he was agile, a
ready worker and able to stand the
"gaff" he soon would know all that
was to be known about yardarms, can
vas and ropes, not to mention the Incl
dental spare time duties of swabbing
deck, plying the paint brush and pol
ishing brass.
But times have changed. With the
themselves representing an outlay of
millions of dollars each, carrying intri-
cate machinery and necessitating the
most able seamanship in their handi-
ing, the Government foresaw the ne
cessity of supplying its navy with
trained men. So there sprang into
being the trades school, on small
scale at first, but today embracing
courses that rival those of the great
technical institutions of the land.
Four years are required to turn out
the finished product of one of Uncle
Sans institutions.
In one feature alone the Government
offers an inducement that few other
trades institutions do or can afford to
do. 1t provides it's students with board
and clothes while they learn their
trades, in addition to paying them
wages.
At the New York and Mare Island
(Cal) navy yards the Government
maintains two large electrical schools
for the training of expert engineers
aboard its dreadnoughts. On the bat
tie ship of today nearly every mechani-
cal act is done with the aid of cleo
trio winches, the ship is steered by
electrical devices. food is cooked by
electricity and the vessel is lighted by
current generated in gigantic dyna-
mo room.
The trade of the electrical engineer,
therefore, has become an important
one and the student is grounded in
the rudimentary principles of electrici-
ty. carried on and upward through the
most scientific Constitutional problems
and leaves one of these electrical
schools finished engineer-a man
capable of taking his place in the
great electrical manufacturing estab-
lishments of the country.
Since the adoption of wireless teleg-
raphy on every seagoing vessel of inn
portance the subject has become one Of
especial attention in the navy. Three
hundred young men usually can be
found in attendance at the radio SER
vice school, where they devote five
| months to acquiring the principles and
theories Of the application of wireless
biography.
They are taught to build the most
powerful wireless apparatus from the
bling of motors and dynamos, and, in
fact. become thoroughly familiar with
every phase Of construction. After the
completion of the course the radio Oh
orator goes to sea as an assistant
| and after years service he obtains
| a permanent berth.
Down at Charleston, S. c., the gov
ernment maintains a school for engi-
neers where the construction of ma
rine machinery is a feature. Where
boiler-making is taught, and the en-
tire practical and theoretical features
of marine engines and boilers are fol-
lowed out. These students are thus
| equipped to prepare themselves for
petty officers and warrant officers in
| the artificers' branch OF the service
| the engine room force of the navy.
| At Norfolk, Va, Is to be found the
| school for carpenters. plumbers, black
smiths, coppersmiths. painters, and
| cooks. There, also, are schools for the
| instruction Of men in the clerical du-
ties of the navy-bookkeeping and
1 stenography-and musicians school
for the training of members Of the
ships bands.
Naval hospitals are maintained at
each of the yards, and the students
are put through, as hospital appren-
tees, the practical side Of ward work,
chemistry and pharmacy.
~ Chief among the school In the opin-