The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-14
United States Government Effort Increase Number of American
Born Officers &c Man Ships Has Provided fo Training Of
Boys in Marine Engineerng and Navigation

TINE European war has again
brought to the attention of the
Il American people the impor-
lance Of building up the mer-
chant marine. one Of the difficulties
in the way Of doing this is the fact
that there are not enough American
born officers 10 man and command the
ships. even II We possessed them.
Fortunately, Uncle Sam realizes this
and has taken some steps to remedy
the evil.
BY requiring all steamship COM
panies holding United States mail con-
tracts to carry a cadet for every
thousand tons displacement, the Gov
eminent has provided for the training
Of small number Of boys in marine
engineering and navigation. For in
stance, the Philadelphia of the Ameri-
can Line CARRIES mail between the
United States and England. She is of
II 900 tons and therefore carries
twelve cadets, six being engineer
cadets and six deck cadets They
rank as petty officers and as such mess
with the other petty officers of their
departments or else they have their
own mess. The same holds good in the
other lines which carry cadets.
The American Line, the New York
and Cuba Mail Steamship Company and
the Red ID Line all carry cadets Many
a high school boy has spent a vacation
in the service of one of these lines as a
cadet and has visited foreign coun-
tries without expense. The expert
ence gained does the boy much good
in the majority Of cases.
II is by no means difficult to become
a cadet The youngstcr who has
made up his mind 10 go 10 sea looks
up the shipping master of the line In
which he desires to go and applies for
a cadets berth, indicating his pref
erence for engineering or navigation.
Then If there is a vacancy the boy
is questioned by the shipping master
to see II he has the qualifications de-
manded by the Government
The lad must be American born, of
good character and provided with
recommendations between IS and 20
years of age and in good health. To
prevent lads from running away TO
sea the written consent of one or both
parents is required. Usually the ship
ping master gives the cadet some sug-
gestion as to the amount of clothing
to he taken along on the voyage and
tells him whene his uniform can be
obtained. with the preliminaries over
the lad begins the next stage in his
career as a cadet, which is the most
trying of all lie has to establish him
self among his messmates,
To a landsman a ship is a huge af-
fair, where everybody Is in a hurry
and everything has so unfamiliar a
name that IL takes time To master the
jargon peculiar to the sea. Aboard
ship he does not go downstairs, he
goes below; he does not go to bed, he
turns in nor does he go to work, he
turns to. In short, he has to learn an
entirely new language and acCustOm
himself to life completely at Varl-
anCc with the one he has been living.
But If one must one has TO- and so
the cadet gradually works into the life
on shipboard and becomes "A part Of II.
by the time sailing day comes very
likely he IS becoming used to the shin.
Just as long as men go down to the
sea In ships so long will that peculiar
fascination about sailing day exist,
Winches are whirring and rumbling,
stevedores' whistles shrill out now and
again. passengers are coming aboard,