The Washington times., 1914-01-19
Uncle Sam Is
Running a Big
Trade School
NCLE SAN. in addition to his
multifarious duties of conduct
ing the government Of a great

republic, is running the largest
trade school in the Western Hem: sphere
In reality he is conducting seven OF
them, but all welded into a compact
working machine that turns out Amer
ioA's youth as competent trades workers
hY the thousands each year. Fifty
thousand young men are enrolled at all
times And it's an adjunct to one of the
two fighting arms of the United States
the navy.
It was not so many years ago, in 1.-THE
good old days." that the crews of United
States fighting ships were recruited al
most entirely from the seafaring class.
Il was essential only that a man-o-
warsman know how to reef, hand, and
steer. If he was agile. a ready worker.
and able to stand the "gaff' he soon
would know all that was to be known
about yardarms, canvas, and ropes. not
10 mention the incidental ''spare-time"
duties of swabbing deck. plying the
paint brush. and polishing brass.
Dreadnoughts Changed 1t All.
But times have changed. With the
coming of the great dreadnoughts, in
themselves representing an outlay of
millions of dollars each, carrying intri-
I6it llGCHluSIs anu ItCESSltSAl2Iss TIC
most able seamanship in their handling,
the Government foresaw the necessity
Of supplying it's navy with trained men.
So there sprang into being the trades
school, on small scale at first, but to-
day embracing courses that rival those
OF the great technical institutions of the
lard.
-Four years are required to turn out
- the finished product of one of Uncle
Sam's institutions.
In one feature alone the Government
offers sn iHducement that few other
tsEdes institutions do or can afford to
Go. 1t provides it's students with board
and clothes while they learn their
traces. in addition to paying them
wages.
At the New York and Mare Island,
Cal. navy yards the Government main
tains two large electrical schools for
the training Of expert engineers aboard
lis drea6noughts. On the battIeship of
tocay nearly every mechanical act is
done with the aid of electricity.
anchors are hoisted by electric wiRches.
the ship is steered by electrical devices,
food is cooked by electricity, and the
vessel is lighted by current generated
IN gigantic DYNAMO room.
Radio School Is Popular.
The trade of the electrical engineer.
therefore, has become an important one
and the student is grounded in the
rudimentary principles Of electricity,
carried on and upward through the
most scientific constructional problems
and leaves one Of these electrical
schools a finished engineer-a man ca
pable of taking his pace in the great
electrical manufacturing establishments
Of the country
Since the adoption of wireless teIeg-
faphy on every seagoing vessel Of i'm
portance the subject has be ;Une one of
special attention in the navy. Three
hundred young men LEually can be
found in attendance at the radio serv-
ice school, where .hey devote five
months to acquiring the principles and
theories of the application Of wireless
telegraphy.
They are taught to buiid the most
powerful wireless apparatus from the
raw" material, coached in the assemb-
ling Of motors and dynamos and, in
fact, become thoroughly familiar with
every phase of construction. After the
completion Of the course the radio
operator goes to sea as an assistant,
and after a years service ne obtains
4 permanent berth.
Chance For Stenographers.
Down at Charleston, s. c., the Gov
ernment maintains a school for en-
g!neers where the construction Of
marine machinery is a feature. Where
Doiler-making is taught, and the entire
practical and theoretical features of ma
Iine engines and boilers are followed
Dut These students are thus equipped
% prepare themselves for petty officers
md warrant officers in the artifcers'
branch of the service-the engine room
force of the navy.
At Norfolk, Va, is to be found the
5chool for carpenters, plumbers, black
,Iniths, coppersmiths, painters and
,ooks. There, also, are schools for the
instruction of men in the clerical duties
Of the navy-bookkeeping and st5hog-
raphy-2nd a music+Sos' school for the
:. aiming of members Of the ships bands
Naval hospitals are maintained at
Zach of the yards, and the students are
pUt through as hospital apprentices. the
5ractical side Of ward work, chemistry
md pharmacy.
Chief among the schools, in the opin-
on of the Navy Department. are those
n operation at Washington and New
BORT. Tney teach the science OF gun
cry, for upon the great rifles Of the
readnoughts depends the execution
nat makes for laval supremacy.
But the course I'm one Of these schools
gunneTy consists Of more than the
lere training and firing Of huge rifles
nc class in Washington meets in Feb
uary and August and the course CON
.HueS for six months. The instruction
. equally appOTtiOned between the the
Orctical and the practical-between the
la ssroom and the naval gun factory.
The students are taught how TO as
semble guns. the mechanism OF their
JgFeches and carriages and the manu-
actLre of ammunition. distraction is
Siven in the use of the various firing
ievices, the range finders, etc.
What Electricians Earn.
The larger vessels carry thirty elec-
''fcians each. They are divided into
four Classes-cAief. first class, second
lass and third class. The chief cleo
-TiCiaE draws s65 and s. a month: first
lass. s5j; second class, 81: third class
g.. But the chief electrician may rise
20 the warrant rank Of gunner al 4
s'ary Of from $500 to s. 400 year.
Machinists are divided into three
classes. The chief naCniEist's mate
draws 81 a month. and q firs' class
warrant rank at $3.50 q $50 yea-,
and the chief machinists mate is in line
for promotion to that station.
Income After Thirty Years.
Something of the final benefits to be
obtained from a virtual life spent in
any of these respective trades Of the
naval service are shown b the dec'ara-