South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-09-11
By Frederick II. Fisher.

one OF the South Bend boys on
board the L. s Illinois. writes:
These three weeks Of the civilian
naval training cruise have been
crowded as full of drills and watches
and other naval activities as il was
humanity possible 10 crowd them.
The first night out some OF US
were initiated into the mysteries Of
night watches. For four hours we
stood in one spot and watched
There are various things We watched
and one is just as undesirable as
another There are speedhghts and
speed cones. life buoys. annuncia-
tors and indicators
The speed lights indicate to the
other ships in the fleet whether this
particular boat is going one-third
two-thirds or stand and speed. TIE
life buoys are large copper affairs
which when dropped into the water
burst into flame through the action
OF the water on some calcium car
BIZ e which is in a container on the
side OF the buoy. The light indi-
Gates 10 the luckless sailor who has
fallen overheard the position OF the
buoy.
The indicators show the speed of
the engine. and the annunciators tel
egraph 20 the engine room the speed
which the officer in charge wants
the engine 20 run. Iney are very
simple TO operate but it is most
awfully tedious to stand up there on
the bridge for four hours and at
intervals go through the following
dialogue with the officer in charge:
some Dialogue.
officer in charge-POrt engine
twO-thirds speed.
Man running annunciator-Port
engine two-thirds speed, sir.
Man moves the annunciatOr so
that il flashes two-thirds speed in
the engine room and as soon as the
engine room returns the signal. re-
ports Port engine is running two
thirds speed. sir"
If the officer is not doing any
thing else he rewards the mans eff
forts with a grunt that means al
right
Every morning the whole crew
turns out (they never get up in the
navy and cleans up the ship. II is
then the decks are sanded and scrub
bed. the paint work and bright work
polished for the day Black coffee
is served in large quantities TO keep
the crew going until breakfast.
At $50 all work is supposed to
be done and every one grabs a pail
and lines up to get fresh water. Each
member is allowed one pailful a day
with which TO wash his teeth, body
and clothes. All these operations
are done in the same pail. After a
little practice il is comparatively
easy 10 take a bath in a pail. But
10 does take practice.
Washing il simple.
Washing clothes is a simple mat
ter. you merely get your clothes
wet. spread them out on the deck;
rub them cOpiOuSly with soap and go
after them with a small brush
known as a "ki-yi They are rinsed
out in salt water and hung on a line
to dry. Ii is quite necessary that
they be turned wrong side out. as
the SCOT from the tunnels is likely
/ 10 get on them and produce large
I and Unlovely smudges.
The meals are all YOU could ask
I for. considering that they cost forty
cents per day per man. The only
/ objection is that they are composed
I largely of beans. Baked beans APP
pear most frequently. but navy. lima
and string, vary the mOnotOny some
what on Wednesdays beans appear
three times and on Sundays twice.
I Warm for breakfast. cold for sup
per. If they are not on the mess
table at least twice between times
We put into port for more. Incident
ally. / might remark that the dummy
powder bags used in gun drills are
( filled with beans.
/ soon after the cruise started. sta