Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-29


signiffed his intention of taking ad-
| vantage of this cruise. The third di-
vision is the one to which all recruits
| are sent to have the rough edges
| smoothed down.
| Each man will be allowed To take
one passenger. Every attempt is being
| made to make the local Naval Battalion
| as popular possible in order to get
! in the enlisted personnel young men
| of good character. These Sunday trips,
| it is said. will be one of the means
| taken to draw men into the battalion.
| Commander Joseph A Dempf. com
| manding the naval militia declared
| that he could get more than enough
| men to recruit his organization up to
| its full strength, but they are not the
| kind of men he wants. and every
| Thursday night he finds occasion to
refuse to enlist men whom he believes
/ to be of doubtful character. He has
pointed out to all of the men that it
is character as we'll as efficiency which
he wants in the organization.
/ 1t is proposed to make a trip on the
sylvia every Sunday. each division be-
ing allowed one sunday to take down
its men The boat is small for the
local organization. and it IS necessary
to assign il one sunday to each di-
vision However, when the L. :. ;.
| Wasp arrives here from New York. it
will be possible to take the entire
battalion out every Sunday.
Commander Dempf has picked the
third division to inauEurate these
cruises This division. besides being
the largest in the battalion. is taking
an interest in everything for the sue
cess of the battalion Under the di-
rection of Ensign Frank W. Sigourney.
it's commanding officer. the division has
formed base ball team and is plan
ming to challenge teams ian various
parts of the city. Its home grounds
will be in Potomac Park. and when
games are scheduled there, the small
vesse.s of the Naval Battalion will make
regular runs from its cock to the ball
grounds, just opposite.
Master-at-ArIns Roberts is making an
effort to be transferred to the third divi-
sion. because of its activities along va
rious lines. particularly base ball. and it
is reported in third division quarters that
if Roberts succeeds in getting his transfer
he will be made captain of the team. En-
sign Sigourney has ruled that no man not
member of the third division can play
on the third division team. He says it
is divisional team and not a battalion
team.
The thirty-foot whaleboat Nebraska has
been assigned to this division, and num-
be-. of men We're detailed last Thursday
night to be present today to clean and
scrape it. and then repaint it. 1t probably
Will be launched next sunday. and will
be the first of the small boats of the bat
TALON which have been in dock all winter
to take to the water. Plans are being
made by the members of this command
to make short sailing trips in this vessel.
and possibly form a racing crew to par
ucipate in races with the other divisions
of the battalion. Everything will be done.
according to Ensign Sigourney, TO encour-
age clean athletic sports among the mem
bers of his division.
Everything is being done by the COM
manding officer of this division to keep
up the interest of these men in the or
sanizaton, and his idea is to keep it con-
stantly before them by letter and other
wise. The men who aspire to higher rat
ings are helped along in every way pos
sible. and if they can show that they are
capable Of holding a higher rating it is
given to them Immediately instead of
making them wait weeks and possibly
months, for it. The main idea is efficiency
first, and to have efficiency, according to
Ensign Si2ourney there must be interest
taken by the men. The following notice
signed by Ensign Sigourney, was sent to
the third division men last week:
This notice is for the purpose of in
forming you of the importance of regu-
lar attendance from now until the an
nual inspection, which takes place
Thursday evening. April o
This IS the most important assembly
of the year and is made by the inspector
general.
The division is to be congratulated
upon its excellent appearance on the 18th
instant at the inspection by the Vice
President of the United States when
every man was present.
"One of the whaleboats has been as
signed to this division and the boat needs
overhauling before putting overheard for
which L viii need volunteers next sun
day.
| The cruise this summer will be most
| interesting. II will be on battleship of
the first rate. The plan as now outlined
is about the middle of July we will pro
| coed TO Bar Harbor. where shore liberty
VIII be granted for two days upon com
pletlon of which the fleet will proceed to
| sea, when the first division will attempt
| to communicate with the shore w!thou;
| being intercepted by the second division
| After this problem the fleet will again
! proceed to sea and cruise during the re
mainder of the tine allotted. AS this divi-
| sion is a there is a vast amount
| of work to be done before the cruise and
i to accomplish this work attendance must
| be regular
| The chief petty officers who have been
| assigned to this division to instruct the
men are taking hold of the work and are
| doing their part to stir up interest. Chief
| Boatswain's Mate Ward is planning to
| inaugurate a training school. formed
something after the fashion of regular
naval traiHing stations. with such modi-
! fications as is necessary to suit the pIlr-
pose of a naval militia.
! :. :.
Commander Dempf has directed the
| officers of his organization to make a
! thorough survey of all property of the
/ battalion TO ascertain just what ad-
/ dttionai property is needed. rs soon as
! the officers make their reports, which
! are expected in the near future. IL re-
| quest will be made on the Navy De-
| partment for the property needed.
/ Ensign Harold Crawford. navigator
! L. :. :. Sylvia, is taking great
! interest in his assignment to this posi-
| ton, and is pursuing a further course
| Of study. Commander Dempf has as
| signed him an Office the first floor
! of the battalion, in which was formerly
/ the canteen. The new navigating Off
| Ger has had these quarters thoroughly
| cleaned and is having the walls deco
rated in real naval style. This gives
| him place where he can work out his
| problems in navigation prepare courses
! of study for the other men of the bat
| TALON and where he can give individual
/ instruction the fine points of naviga-
! ton TO the officers.
| In another week Ensign Crawford will
! make preparations to put overheard all
| of the small boats which have been
! locked at the battalion since the first
| part of the winter. Several of the
| boats will have TO be overhauled, and