Evening star., 1915-12-26

~1ROuBLE is the middle name OF
the bureau Of steam engineer-
ing of the Navy Department.
q Its insignia might very well be
. boat rampant Practically all of the
trouble that arises aboard ship. save,
of course. trouble with the armament,
revolves about something which is
within the Jurisdiction of this bureau.
How would you like TO live in COM
munity where. whenever anything went
wrong with the water supply. or the
ice supply, or the transportation sys-
tenn. or the heating system. or the
lighting system. or the telephone sys-
TEN. or the telegraph system. you knew
precisely whom to cuss out. it being
the same Individual in each instance
Under these delightful conditions live
the people Of the navy. for the bureau
Of steam engineering IL the navy's pub
lie service corporation. II attends to
ali the mechanical appliances save one.
the plumbing When the pipes freeze
the navy cannot kick to this bureau.
Plumbing Is under the jurisdiction OF
the bureau of construction and repair.
And II just may be that when the
plumbing goes bad the bureau Of steam
engineering. having perfect alibi. ex-
bibits an air OF charming insouciance.
Steam engineering. after all. is some
what Of misnomer for this bureau.
The name liz a survival Of an older and
a simpler period. In this day. when
ships are coming to be driven by cleo
tr!c motors; when the gas engine is
becoming an aristocrat among engines:
when moderpity demands aboard ship
all Of the great variety OF machines
that add to the comfort-and complex
tties-of human existence. from ice
makers to electrically generated heat
insignificant and the word engineering &
takes on huge proportions. All kinds
Of mechanical engineering are within the
province OF the bureau.
Al the head of IL all, directing Its
varied affairs from an once just across
a narrow street from the Presidents
own Office. Is a white bea rded. gentle
hammered, studious gentleman. a rear
ADMIRAL of the navy. Robert stanislaus
Grffin. boss trouble man." The Sc
date air he wears sometimes is belied
by twinkle in his bright hazel eyes
that Indicates humorous, even mer-
~. outlook on life in spite Of all the
troubles that come to him.
about the work Of his bureau and hear
him speak of the erudite technologists
on Ills stan as high brows"-the
phrase being used in enthusiastic ad
miration for their abilities and merely
70 furnish an accurate description-you
forget all about that tiny white beard
and that thatch Of white hair and yo,i
see him az an ofiicer filled with the
spirit OF youthful energy and will to
serve.
"Highbrow'' he himself might very
ven Be called. As testified by his emil
nsncs In the engineering world and by
his Arominence In learned and scien-
ti1e societies. II has been written OF
hin-And the writing 10 on nis in the
sfYies OF the Secretary Of the Navy
thus: His duty In the bureau Of stear1
snginaering has included active parti-
eipation In the design and the construc-
tion Of the machinery Of vessels for the
navy. and It 10 said that no ofiicer OF
the navy has such an intimate knowi.
edge Of the motive equipment Of our
ships as has the present engineer-in
chief"
It 10 q broad outlook he gives you or
the ACTIVITIES Of his bureau. These &C.
tivtties have to do with four broad al.
visions. Of which steam engineering l,
merely one. Another is hydraulic en-