Milford chronicle., 1914-07-10
WARSHIP BUNTING
# 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 Ensigns Of Various
Kinds and sizes-severe Tests 10
which the Material Is Subjected.

Something like $4,000 a year is re
ouired to keep Uncle Sans many naval
vessels properly equipped with hags'
In addition most every other depart
mont of the government appropriates
vorious sums for flags for buildings
and ships under its control IN AL
if is safe to say the United States
spends $4,000 a year for hags.
The largest factory belongs to the
navy. In a large room, called the nag
loft" at Brooklyn navy yard nan Il
hundred skilled needlewomen ana quite
! few men are kept constantly at work.
Officially it is the naval flag making es-
adjustment
thousands OF flags are required TO
srpnlv the hundreds Of vessels. from
bottleships to launches. On entering
the flag loft the visitors first impress
sion Is n blaze Of color Rolls Of bright
hunting are heaped everywhere. Long
limos OF electrically driven sewing ma
chimes. with women operators are reel
ing off and putting the finishing touches
TO American and foreign ensigns OF
many different hues and sizes. In auul-
tion TO our own flag. the navy has TO
keen a supply Of every other nation IN
tho world which has a coast line.
Each battleship. cruiser, gunboat OF
scout IN the navy requires about 0OO
flags TO outfit its flag locker properly
Heaped up. they make n pile shoulder
bicb 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
has and numbered at the end. Each
flag has its separate place in the nag
locker. A quartermaster would be re
linked severely if one became mis-
nlaced. Each ship follows the same or
der in this. so that any one familiar
with the flag locker on one ship knows
the location Of every flag on any snip.
Uncle Sam pays about $500 to outiit
aach shin in the service. This multi
piled by the number OF ships viii snow
that flags are not an inconsequenuaI
item Of naval expense. The foreign
ensigns are all made twenty-five feet
long and thirteen feet wide They are
used whenever an American warshiI
enters a port Of another nation. INT
flag OF the visited nation is hoisted a
the top Of the foremost While TN
American ship salutes. 1t is also hoist
ed when returning salutes Of foreigi
vessels in American ports.
The most SNOWY and expensive nag
, In the lot are those Of foreign nations
although the United States has tw
IS flags that are close rivals, the flags Q
the president and vice president The
require the longest time to make O
s any flags. 1t takes one woman mont
" IN finish each one. The president
flag is a blue ground with the coat
arms Of the United States in the Ger
ter. The life sized eagle with on
stretched wings and other emblems al
I'd all hand embroidered in silk. The sil
used costs 50 a pound. The vice pres
dents flag is the coat of arms on
field Of white. Both flags are made
two sizes. 10 by IA feet and 3 by fee
The larger is used on ships and Il
smaller on launches and similar craft
The largest flag made is the Unite
States ensign No. l, which Is 80 by
feet. 1t costs $40.
The bunting used in flag making
nut TO severe tests before the flag ma
ers use it. One day a sample bundle
washed in soap and water. The ne
dav the same process is followed wi
Y. salt water 1t is then exposed to t
IS weather for ten days, thirty hours
which must be in the bright sun. II
RE doesn't fade in that test the Cover
- ment experts pass It. Then two inch
nv wide Of the warp is subject to a pu
ing strain Of sixty-five pounds. Ev
n with all those precautions a ship is
d lowed a new set Of flags every thu
years, while the signal flags and 81
y and boat ensigns in frequent use mi
.-' be replaced every few weeks.
One flag or pennant. rather m
!, used by the navy and least known
n the public is the commission penna
1t is hoisted to the masthead Of ev'
naval vessel when it goes into comm
sion ana IS never KeinoNeu' II Is
,e's long. narrow streamer, blue at
staff. with thirteen stars in the ii
arranged in one line, and the flag
vided into two stripes, red and VIII
= the red at the top. When ships Il
on foreign stations leave for hom
and new commission pennant is alw
able boisted. Usually it is one made
hose paid for by the crew. In some CO
noes those "homeward Founders" sire
out 800 feet and. made Of silk, COS
II pretty penny.
N The thousands Of white stars use'
III our own and many other ensigns
Il made by an electrically driven
III chine which cuts them in fifty Q
8 hundred lots Eight different size'
stars are used.-Kansas City Star.