The Washington herald., 1914-01-31
BIGDREADNOUGHT
ISNEARLY READY
New York, Mightiest Fighter
AAoat, Is Last Word
in War Craft.
InINI Nlll Illn A EIElIT
UNCLE SAM IMPATIENT
Bluejaekets Even Willing to Attend
Daniels School. if They Are
Assigned to Her.
School days. school days,


Rsadin' and writin' and 'rithmet,c.
II you play hockey. it's yours for the brig
Teachers nice. You so and 70,
Twould NIL Q book. what you don't know.
.snd We write on states. We love you Joe;
We Of the navy we Of the navy school"
savyJ
Out upon the decks of the battleships
North Dakota and Arkansas. rubbing
noses together 1t their mooring in the
New York Navy Yard, tumbled 800
school boys" ranging in years from
eighteen TO forty, singing this old-time
refrain. The small army of workmen,
rutting the finishing touches on the huge
dreadnought New York, queen of the
United States Navy, which is moored on
the opposite side of the pier, her eight
great 14-inch turret guns pointed threat
eningly southeastward over Brooklyn's
housetops, took up the refrain.
The mighty battleship itself appeared
to vibrate with IL, and the gale. whistling
through the grill work of the towering
steel fighting tops. took il up and carried
II across the cove to the boys of the
Michigan. just in from Mexican waters.
Even the Filipino mess boys, who have
to great extent replaced the Japanese
in the navy, can be heard humming il.
They don't know all the words. but they
have caught the spirit of the verses and
the lit of the song has caught them.
This is the first semester-whatever
that is-of the school for enlisted men in
the navy. The idea was born in the
brain Of Josephus Daniels, Secretary of
the Navy, who has originated many ideas
since he took the oath of Office.
His proposition is that the tackles
should be taught the three Rs If nee
essary, and then trained for the special
kind of work for which they appear to
be best adapted.
School Every Day.
At present school, one hour each aft
ernoon, is held on board the four bat
tie ships now in the navy yard-the
North Dakota, the Arkansas, the Mich
igan and the Washington-the last
named having replaced as training
ship The old Hancock, which has been
made a transport
In few weeks, around April /, when
the New York, the biggest thing afioat
in the fighting line" as Commander
Day, who will probably be her execu-
tive officer, puts it, is placed in COM
mission, she will also have a school,
room for her complement of 1000 men
and the majority of her sixty-three Of
ficers will be impressed as teachers.
There is not a man in the navy yard.
who has seen this wonderful fighting
machine grow into her present formid-
able proportions but who is not only
willing but eager to take school medi- |
cine" provided it's aboard the New
York This, the greatest of all war |
ships of the Dreadnought type, was |
built, keel to mast band, at the navy |
yard under the eve of John Eliot Bal
ley. naval constructor
'Bailey's Beauty" they call her and |
she certainly looks the part to a |
friendly eye, but a foe would probably |
raII her "Baileys Beast" il her great |
guns should spout death and destruc- |
tion-getting into action by the mere
pressure of a button. |
Too Busy to Talk.
What Mr.. Bailey thinks about the
New York-well, Mr.. Bailey is a silent |
man and is too busy for words. Just |
now, having left the final details of her |
completion to others, he is immersed in |
the plans and specifications of battle |
ship No. 3e," as she is at present offi- |
cially designated, though 2 little snow !
bird over at the navy yard has whisp- |
cred that when her keel is laid a few |
months hence she will be christened |
the North Carolina, which is the place |
Josephus Daniels calls home. The
present vessel of that name will prob
ably be changed to some city in that
State.
That Is the scheme nowadays, the old |
PENNSYLVANIA now being known as the
Pittsburgh and the old New YORK as the
Saratoga "Battleship No. 49, is to be
bigger even than the New York. The lat
ter's displacement is 1900 tons, and the
former when put in commission, will ex-
ceed this by 1000 tons.
But pending the advent Of mo. 3s'' the
New York will be Uncle Sans one best
bet in the war line. He's proud of her
and he ought to be. She's the last word
up to the present time and cost sl2 500, 600
which makes her about as expensive as
a Federal League ball player.
She is the first Dreadnought to carry
14-inch guns. There are eight of
these, four for'ard and four aft. She has
a heavier battery than any warship now
af1oat
She could sink 200 Oregons," said an
expert. speaking of the old Oregon. which
gained undying fame by her race around
the continent to get into action with
Cervera's ill-starred feet in the Spanish
American war. Practically everything on
board the New York is done by cleo
tricity.
The telephone forms an important part
of her internal economy. In action each
officer Is connected by telephone with the
captain. The latter has an orderly at his