Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-25

conferences of the officers. Every drill
night now the battalion seems to take
on more and more the aspects of
regular naval training station Dis
cipline is maintained now as it never
has been before; each officer and man
has a station with its duties, and he is
expected to be at his post at the proper
time.
The enlisted mems schools. long ago
promised, at last have become a reality
at the Naval Battalion. The school of
engineering was formally established
| last Thursday night with lecture on
theoretical engineering for the new
men in the engineering division The
older men were taken aboard the u S.
5. Sylvia, the naval militia yacht
where, in the engine room, they were
given practical training in the methods
OF handling naval machinery. The in
struction was given by the chief ma
chinist's mates of the battalion along
| lines mapped out by the engineer Off
| GERS.
| The deck divisions were divided up
between the chief boatswains mates,
| the chief quartermasters and the chief
summers mates, and were given train
| ing in various lines. Following the roll
| calls in the division rooms the men
were assembled in the drill hall where
! Chief Quartermaster Davis took them
| through the semaphore signaling al
Dempf that all of the members of the
! battalion shall become proficient in
| signaling. regardless of what branch
OF t,+t the battalion battalion they are CONNECTED
! every officer and enlisted man should
| become familiar with he declared. and
he is going to do his part in training
| the members of the local battalion.
Following the signaling practice the
men were turned over to the chief
| petty officers for instructions.
| The recently organized Sd Division of
the naval militia is growing rapidly,
! three recruits, who enlisted last
| Thursday night, having been added to
| it's personnel. This is the recruiting
division in the battalion to which ali
recruits are turned for smoothing off
| the ragged edges" before they are
| turned over to the other divisions for
| instruction. Last Thursday night their
! instructions covered care of clothing
| and honors to officers.
| All of the officers of the Naval Bat
| talon feel encouraged over the way the
enlistments have picked up during the
| last three weeks, eighteen names hav-
ing been added to the rolls Of the Sd
| Division since its organizat ton a little
; more than a fortnight ago. Every at
tempt is being made by the battalion's
| officers to recruit the battalion up to
its full strength by the time the or
| ganization goes on it's annual cruise
| on a battleship next summer. At the
| present rate the 400 mark, the number
of men to which the battalion is limit
ed by law. will be approached very
closely by the time the organization
leaves, it is declared
| Since the Inauguration of the policy of
holding periodical conferences where the
| ideas of the various officers concerning
the welfare of the organization are thor
oughly thrashed out before they are put
into effect, all of the officers are pulling
| hard together in effort to make the
local naval militia one of the most eff
cient of it's kind in the country. The
! officers, more than any one else, realize
that in order to increase the number of
enlstments they must make the service
in the battalion attractive in every way
i They propose to make 1t easy for the
| young men, consistent with the MAIN
tenance of good discipline. and there is a
disposition to encourage the men to get
all of the pleasure and sport possible out
of the organization. There will be a
| chance as soon as the ice breaks in the
for both sailing and rowing races; base
ball teams also will be organized Com
mander Dempf, as well his officers. ii is
declared, will do everything possible to
foster the clean. healthy sports. While
getting In their sports in the boats be-
longing to the battalion. the men at the
same time. it is pointed out, will be
training themselves for active service
when 1t becomes necessary to man small
boats for various duties while in actual
service.
i There will be various social functions
at the battalion to make it attractive for
the young men. and these, it is asserted,
will have the purpose of encouraging the
members to bring their fathers mothers,
relatives and friends down to the armory