Evening star., 1916-07-20
Enrolment Of Civilians for
Forthcoming Cruise Indicates
Experiment Is Popular.
MEN TO BOARD SHIPS
AT PORT NEAREST HOME
Object of Cruise Explained by Sec,
retary Daniels-Long Work
day Planned.

| Enrolment Of civilians for the forth
coming cruise on United States war
ships is proceeding. with indications
that the experiment Is popular. and
| there is no doubt that the full quota of
| 1000 citizen sailors, ranging all the
way from nineteen to forty-five years
| Of age, will be ready to carry their
dunnage bags aboard the practice fleet
August Is. The men will board the
| ships at tho ports nearest their home.
and in the months duration of the
cruise will be given experience in al
most every form of naval life from
swabbing decks to firing big guns. The
| enrolment thus far shows men OF all
trades and professions. many prominent
and wealthy. who are enthusiastic over
this new plan of naval preparedness.
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt of the
Navy Department expects to spend at
least some of the month as one of the
citizen bluejackets.
| Rear Admiral ]. NJ. Helm, who is at
| present in charge of the naval militia
| cruise, will be COMMUNICATIVE chief OF
the civilian cruise also and will use the
| same warshps. The vessels and the
| ports from which they will sail are:
The Virginia, from Portland. Me-; the
| Kearsarge, from Boston, Mass; the Illi-
! nois, from Newport, r. l.; the Kentucky
! Rhode Island and Alabama. from Phila-
delphia: the Louisiana, from Norfolk,
Va. and the New Jersey, from Charles
| ton. S. C.
The cruise will end September 12, and
during it's last week will be held a mob
| ilization and training cruise of yachts
| and motor boats. From August Is until
August 20 the citizen sailors will be
| proceeding to the training rendezvous
at Tangier sound. in Chesapeake bay,
the gunnery practice ground of the At
| lantic fleet. Target practice will be held
| by the training feet from August 81 to
| September 5.
Object Of the Cruise.
| The object of the cruise is officially
described by Secretary Daniels as fol-
lows:
| For training volunteers to afford to
civilians an opportunity to gain, by
close contact with naval life and naval
duties, some experience and UNDER
standing which will help them to per-
ceive the way they may best fit them
selves for service in the navy in time
of need"
| At the end of the cruise each volun-
| teer will be given a certificate by Rear
Admiral Helm specifying the duties he
performed, efficiency displayed and the
naval rating he Is best qualified to fill.
Volunteers also will announce their in
tention whether they will volunteer for
naval service In case of war within the
next four years.
| Each volunteer is depositing but $50
for the privilege of the months cruise.
| the navy supplying uniforms and other
naval clothing. The volunteers will be
given substantially the same training
as midshipmen from the Naval Acad-
emy during their training periods. They
will sleep in hammocks: canvas bags
will be their substitutes for the chif-
foniers at home; they will help clean
engine room and generally go through
the rigorous duties of any Jack Tar.
Mixed with the work. however. will
be much recreation and instruction.
When conditions permit the men will
be allowed to go swimming twice daily
and hold rowing and sailing races and
intership base ball games. Lectures
and private instruction will be given
daily by navy officers. in addition to the
practical experience afforded.
| The volunteers are to be organized
messed and berthed separate from the
Iregulars aboard ship and will not be re-
Iquired to pass coal, work in the mess
lroom, stoke boilers or do extremely
laborious work which might too Sc
Iverely strain men of sedentary life, al
though all will be required to pass
physical examination before embarking.
Long Program of Duties.
| From daybreak until pm a regular
program OF duties awaits the civilians,
| with almbost every minute filled. Be-
| fore breakfast two and a half hours
| work will be the daily program Of the
citizen sailors. During the cruise they
| will be drilled and instructed in the
| three and Ave inch guns of the ships,
| in signaling, boating of all kinds, Are
control. torpedo defense, quartermas-
| ter's duties. marine and electrical
machinery, including radio work. Emer-
| gency drills. such as fire quarters, col
| lision, man overheard" and general
| quarters are also scheduled. The vol
unteers assigned to engineering duty
| will work in two-hour shifts from s
| am. to pm. All volunteers will be
| relieved from assignments to attend all
| drills and lectures
Three divisions of the civilians will
\ be formed, with subdivisions under
| navy and volunteer officers. During the
! last week of the cruise all volunteers
| will have deck duties exclusively
| Every volunteer will drill as a mem
| Der of a guns crew and all will partici-
pate in some capacity in the target
practice.
The mobility Of the practice fleet may
| )e somewhat limited while IN Tangier
| sound, as only their reserve crews will
confined to their reduced capacity
From September to IL the feet
will be proceeding to and at ports of
Iembarkation. participating in exer-
cises with the mobilized yachts and
motor boats in problems of defense of
naval districts.
In cooperation with the cruising
fleet, several hundred yachts and motor
boats will hold maneuvers at Norfolk
New York, Philadelphia, Newport. Bos-
ton and Portland. Me. They will. after
organizing, be given instruction in
scouting. patrolling. signaling. ma
neuvering by signals, plotting and chart
ing. The department plans the mobili-
cation as an initial step toward a VOL
unteer patrol service. The object of
the weeks work will be to organize, in
a general way. the yachts and motor
boats of the naval districts. and to give
,wners an idea of what would be rs
quired of them in time of war.
KENT PRAISED BY PRESIDENT.
Appreciation Shown for Independ.