Evening star., 1915-01-07
Capt. Williams Tells of Cruises
and Work of Capital
Organization.
SAYS MILITARY DUTIES
NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY
Disposition to Avoid Night Watches.
Lieut.. Pence Charges
Mediocrity.

flattering to the Naval Militia in gem
eral and the Naval Battalion of the
District National Guard In particular.
A complete report of the cruises OF
the U. S. S. Rhode Island is made by
Capt. C. S. Williams, commanding, and
refers in detail to the organization
and conduct of the militia of the Dis
trict of Columbia, Connecticut, Maine,
Missouri, New Jersey. North Carolina,
Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Two
cruises were made with these organi-
cations, the first with the District of
Columbia and North Carolina militia
on board being made from Hampton
roads to the Bermudas last July.
Refers to District Militia.
Summarizing his remarks in regard
| to that cruise. Capt. Williams refers
to the District Naval Militia as fol-
| lows:
1.-The organization, discipline, attention
to duty, attention to uniforms, and gen
eral knowledge of naval work in this or
ganization was. in general, fair. This
organization reported prior to the cruise
| that 120 enlisted men were expected to
participate, whereas ia came on board
| This fact, in connection with incidents
| which came to notice during the cruise,
| created the impression that this organiza-
| ton did not take it's military duties as
seriously as some of the others, and that
| many of its members looked upon the
| cruise in the nature of an outing.
\ There appeared to be large number
| of men who held ratings for which they
were not qualified. and there was an alb
| normal number of rated men, For in
stance, in an organization numbering 174
men and twelve officers, there were nine
! teen yeomen. The hospital corps con-
| tained two hospital stewards and seven
hospital apprentices. first class, besides
four hospital apprentices. The organiza-
tion contains good material, but, to judge
from the showing made on the cruise, 1
| do not consider it is ready, as a whole,
| to go on board a man-of-war and render
efficient service
Night Watches Dodged.
Referring more in detail to the
cruises, Capt. Williams says that the
officers of the District of Columbia and
North Carolina militia requested per-
mission to be relieved from all watch
standing during the stay in Bermuda
in order that they might take full ad-
vantage OF the opportunity for going
taSnore.
| During the first cruise" says Capt
Williams, great difhcuIty was expert
enced in getting the watch on deck at
night, ana as lar as the North Caro-
Ina ana DlStrlct OIL columbia militia
were concerned the task was eventu-
ally practicalIy given up as hopeless
| 1t was apparent that on the parts of
| many OF the men OF the two organIza-
| tons mentioned there was deliberate
disposition to avoid night watches, anu
| the omcers OF the organizations tailed
| to correct it. This lack oId not mucn
| matter on deck, where there were suf-
| nclent men in the ships force to meet
| ordinary emergencies. In the engineer
I "a lnyNsa tpo IL
Ielt ootn day and night when the snip
| was unoer way, as considerable num-
Der OF the ship nremen and coal pas
| sers had been transferred prior to the
| cruise to make room for the militia
men.
| 'Pursuant to the departments orders,
| NUMBER of sentry posts were eStab-
| Iished during each cruise, ana here the
| same Indifference was manifested on
| the part OF the North CaroIlna anu
| District of Columbia men, and the diff
| terence between their conception of at
| tentlon to duty and that OF the men of
| the other organizations could be more
| readiiy marked, az tne posts were COM
| paratIVely IeW in numper and were
unuer observation continuously or
were visited at snort intervals"
| Not Qualified for Ratings.
| In another part of his report Capt
| Williams says:
| 1t is evident from the experience
with nearly all, if not all, the or
| CARNATIONS which made these cruises
| .nat men are given ratings for which
| lney have no qualifications. Also, IL
| the proportion OF petty olhcers to un-
| rated men on lnlS cruise is at all COM
parable to the proportion In the Or
! SdnIZallon as a Whole some organIZa-
| tions must be topheaVy with rated
| men. lnIs matter OF numbers and
qualifications OF petty oflcers appears
To De covered by the naval militia act,
| 10 become euectIVe later. but one mat
| ter apparently not provided Tor, anu
| Wnlcn was prominently brought out
on these cruises, is lne physical re-
iqulrements Tor coal passers. rev of
those rated or detailed as Sucn could
stand the work and the REMAINDER
| :. ouId De OF little value to a cruising
ship.
| mere is little doubt that the cruises
to Ioro.sn ports furnished fuller at
tendance OIL mllItiamen tnan would
nave been the case mad the cruises Of
| Tered fewer attractions. There are
considerable SrounuS tor suspicion that
they attracted men whose interest in
| militia affairs was confined TO the op-
portunIty Ior a pleasant vacation at
government expense.
Would Compare Rosters.
1T is suggested that it might be
practicable to determine roughly how
far these suspicious are justified by
comparing three rosters of the various
organizations concerned, viz:
The ideal conditions under which a
profitable cruise could be made would
be to have on board relatively so few
of the naval militia that at least a
large proportion of the unrated men
could be assigned to existing vacancies
in the ships complement, while petty
officers could, If competent. fill vacan.
cies. or otherwise be carried as petty
officers in excess of complement in
their respective ratings and detailed as
running mates to ships petty officers OF
similar ratings. In other words, the
miIitiamen would, as far as organiza ton
ships work and routine exercises are
concerned, lose their identity as militia
men, and be treated in most respects
precisely as would a draft of men from
the training station. In this way spe.
cific duties could be assigned and theil
performance exacted at all times, the
relatively few men being under the
direct supervision of petty officers ant
| surrounded by number of experienced
men who could by example or by direc
assistance show them how and wher
the details of these duties should bt
performed. AS it was on these cruises
the experienced men were surrounded