Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-08-21

no outward signs of professional com
radeship, except perhaps in the lux
urious offices decorated with models Of
dead and gone ships dating from eras
of wooden and iron bulls, where the
directors entertain their friends In
peaceful times ard now by brief bu,
earnest after lunch speech gave I'M
needed assurances they were working
as hard as the men who wear gold
braid
Naval Yards Activity Differs.
The naval yards present an aspect
of their own. Their whole area and
their activities certainly are as diverse
as those Of the shipbuilding commu-
nifty, but all is under one manage
ment and one directing brain. There
is much more to naval organization
than meets the eye in the big fleet
p'-tting to sea, and the shore force
has it's all important work even If
ltss spectacular and less appreciated
| than that of the fighting men. The
naval captain in actual control of this
establishment invented the remark
| ably complex spotting system that
governs the fire of ships in action,
| and probably the and he officers Of his
staff draw pay which Is mere frac-
| ton Of the salaries commanded by the
superintendent Of ship founders
yard, If the financial recognition gov
ernments give their naval officers can
be called pay.
| naval base. according to reputation
but now its extent and the array of
docks and shops and barracks has
CO al ,V>lf
truly vast one.
The force of skilled and common
workmen is larger than can be kept
at constant employment, for they
must be able to grapple with constant
emergencies and with quick opera
| tions on a big SCALE Wireless is a
great aid. Every squadron coming into
port telegraphs its needs, even the
humble submarine does the same. The
materials and the men are ready on the
docks and in the supply ships when
the fighting craft appear. There was an
example on view. One Of the most
massive and swiftest warships in be-
ing was shored up inside a drydock,
and that necessarily enc Of the largest
docks constructed. t., have her hull
scraped. Incidenta'iy advantage was
taken of this time, as is customary,
for thorough overhauling of every
detail of the ships machinery from
keel to topmast Fifteen-inch guns
siX-inch guns, turret machinery, every
detachable or movable fragment of the
whole complex creation was being de-
tached, and inspected, scrutiniZed,
| tinkered, polished and oiled. Several
hundred workmen were engaged.
Miles of wires were strewn above
decks and between decks, apparently
in hopeless tangles, but the expert
workers handling them knew what
all the ordered confusion meant. The
plain citizen who wrangles to achieve
modest rectitication of the telephone
wire gone wrong would here find cause
for prayerful wonder.
Doubtless all navies do the same
thing, but one gathered the impress
sion that it is abuu: the ultimate il
lustration of efficiency in complicated
and conc .ntrated work. Through it
all the sailor man displayed his adap-
and positions under impossible cir
cumstances. s
The trip included view of Beattys
DdtlCsiLp 1ucIS tHSy were
and that is about all that can be
said. They were prepared to steam
for action a, five minutes notice, and
they did not care to steam for action
with cargo Of newspaper men and a
nationalist member Of parliament
These could not be dee emily thrown
overheard and obviously were not
worth a moments delay. One ship
carried into the Jutland battle an
army officer on leave from France
who was calling on brother on board.
He returned, fortunately, published it,
as his mature and well considered
Judgment, that he felt more at home
in the trenches. Two destroyers con-
veyed the visitors around the squad
ron. There was considerab bic fresh
paint visible in splashes, more on the
German officially sunk Warsprite
than elsewhere, but what that meant
in the way o. DAMAGE vas GrecI 20
the outstde-. Two facts impfessaa an
American. That ne Commanders u
the larger ships averaged abolt ten
years younger thar the commshisis
Of ships of the same class in the
American navy, and the number and
variety and adaptability of the supply
craft, the navy's commissary depart
ment.
The only thing approaching leisure
was discovered on some of the de-
stroyers. These sea scouts work in
shifts. Four days on active duty "a
very active duty four days in port
ready to start at the drop of the hat,
four days Quitting with more or less
shore leave, is their program.
| Some Battle Incidents.
| Some information and scraps of
gossip Of the battle came out in the
course of talk. One item was that
Admiral Beatty went through the fight
on the bridge and did not take the
protection of any of the armored
places which builders make for
shelter in battle, and he was under
heavy fire. Another, that when the
Marlborough was hit by torpedo, and
all believed that she had only a minute
or two to live, her commander issued
two orders. One was to close the
watertight doors that she might float
as long as possible, and the other to
fire all guns at utmost speed where
there was a reasonable target. He
wanted her to pu. IN as many blows
as she could at the last moment.
thinking with all others on board that
the last moment had struck. There
leaked out seeming consensus OF
opinion that a certain high officer is
considered Just, without bowels
of mercy for carelessness or slackers,
and yet men like to serve under him.
Then an incidental "reminiscences by
q surgeon on one OF the ships which
had the good luck to escape being hit
He was below, OF course, waiting for