The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-07-24
WARSHIP BUNTING
II Takes a Lot OF Flags to Fit
Out Uncle Sans Navy.
USE COLORS OF ALL NATIONS.
Each Of the Big Vessels Carries About
Five Hundred Ensisns Of Various
Kinds and sizes-severe Tests to
Which the Material 10 Subjected.

Which the Material 10 Subjected.
Something like $4,000 a year Is re-
luired TO keep Uncle Sans many naval
vessels properly equipped with flags.
in addition most every other depart
ment of the government appropriates
various sums for hags for buildings
and ships under its control. In all.
II is safe to say the United States
spends Sl2j.Oc0 a year for flags.
The largest factory belongs to the
navy. In a large room. called the flag
loft" at Brooklyn navy yard half a
hundred skilled needlewomen and quite
n few men are kept constantly at work.
Officially it is the naval flag making es-
adjustment
Thousands Of flags are required to
supply the hundreds of vessels. from
battleships to launches. On entering
the flag 1T the visitors first impress
sion is a blaze OF color. Rolls Of bright
bunting are heaped everywhere. Long
lines of electrically driven sewing ma
chimes with women operators. are reel
ing of and putting the finishing touches
10 American and foreign ensigns Of
many different hues and sizes. In addi-
ton to our own flag. the navy has to
keep supply OF every other nation In
the world which has a coast line.
Each battleshlp. cruiser, gunboat or
scout in the navy requires about 800
flags to outfit its flag locker properly.
Heaped up. they make pile shoulder
high and twenty or twenty-five feet
long. The foreign flags. incased in can
vas bags. bear the name of the coun-
try stenciled on the end. The remain
der. including flags for ordinary use.
signaling. ETC.. are wrapped without
bags and numbered at the end Each
flag has its separate place in the flag
locker. A quartermaster would be re-
buked severely If one became mis-
placed Each ship follows the same or
der in this. 80 that any one familiar
with the flag locker on one ship knows
the location Of every flag on any ship.
Uncle Sam pays about $500 to outfit
each ship in the service. This multi
piled by the number of ships will show
that flags are not an inconsequential
item of naval expense. The foreign
ensigns are all made twenty feet
long and, thirteen feet wide. They are
nscc whenever an American warship
enters port of another nation. The
nag OF the visited nation is hoisted at
the top Of the foremost while the
American ship salutes. IL is also hoist
ell when returning salutes Of foreign
vessels in American ports.
The most snowy and expensive flags
III the lot are those of foreign nations. p
although the United States has two
flags that are close rivals. the flags of
the president and vice president. They
require the longest time to make of
any flags 1t takes one woman II month
to finish each one. The presidents
flag is blue ground with the coat Of
arms of the United States in the GEN. |
ter. The life sized eagle with out
wings and other embems are
all hand embroidered in silk The silk |
used costs 50 a pound. The vice presi- |
dents flag is the coat Of arms on a
held OF white. Both flags are made In /.
two sizes. 10 by IA feet and 3 by ) feet.
The larger is used on ships and the
smaller on launches and similar craft.
The largest flag made is the United
States ensign No. I, which Is SO by 10
feet. 1t costs $40.
The bunting used in flag making Is
put to severe tests before the flag max
Frs use 1t. One day a sample bundle is
washed in soap and water. The next
lay the same process Is followed with
salt water. II Is then exposed to the
weather for ten days. thirty hours Of
which must be In the bright sun. II it
DOESN'T fade In that test the govern
nent experts pass It. Then two inches
vide of the warp il subject to a pull
ne strain of sixty-five pounds. Even
win all those precautions a ship Is al
owed new set OF flags every three
ears, while the signal flags and ship
nd boat enSigns in frequent use must
" replaced every few weeks.
one nag or pennant. rather. most
sed ny the navy and least known to
be public is the commission pennant.
is hOisted 10 the masthead of every
avail vessel when II goes into commits
ion and is never removed. 1t is a
ing, narrow strcampr. blue ut the
tam, with thirteen stars in the field.
ranged in one line. and the flag d.
lied into two stripes. red and white,
ne red Mt the top. When ships long
n foreign stations leave for home
CIV commission pennant is always I
DiSted. Usually II Is one made and
aid for bv the crew. In some cases y
lose "homeward Founders" stretch p
~ 300 feet and. made Of silk. cost u u
'etty penny .
The thousands Of white stars used In q
lr own and many other ensigns are y
ade by an electrically driven ma D
line which cuts them in fifty or a
inbred lots Eight different sizes OF
mrs are used. Kansas City Star.