The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-06-30

Boston, June 29.-The U. S. ship
ping boards recruiting service, ma
tional headquarters for which are at
the Boston custom house, issued today
a statement giving the minimum eX-
perience required of seafaring men
who wish to enter any of the various
grades for deck officers or engineers
in the new merchant marine.
This information is based on the re-
vised rules of the steamboat inspec-
ton service, recently issued at Wash
ington. These rules have been con-
siderably modified TO make adnis'
sion to the merchant marine service
easier for real sailors who hitherto
may not have had opportunity to Sc
cure licenses as officers.
While intended primarily for the
information of applicants for admls-
sion to the free schools in navigation
and engineering which the shipping
board IS establishing in the coast and
Great Lakes states, the summary OF
the new rules is of general interest
to American sailors everywhre.
Under them, for example, master
of a fishing or coasting schooner OF
two years standing, now is qualified
to become a chief mate on one OF
the new cargo steamers being built
for the shipping board. The modi-
fled rules also qualify the master on
a sound, bay or lake steamer, with
a proper knowledge of navigation, as
a chief mate on an ocean steamer.
The rules thus let down the bars
to many men who previously could
not easily get into the merchant ma
rine service, while guaranteeing that
the men thus admitted shall be eX-
perienced in thir business.
The shipping board will take in
hand any applicant with proper sea
experience and give him the neces-
sary free training navigation to quail
| fy him for his new position, at any
one of its schools.
! There are seven of these schools in
New England, at Harvard and Tech
nology, New Bedford, Rockland
Machias and Boothbay Harbor. A sec
ond chain of schools embraces Green
! port, l.. l., Atlantic City, Cape May
! and Crisfield, Md, Philadelphia, Bal
timore and Norfolk. A third viii en-
| brace Charleston, Jacksonville, Mo
! bile, New Orleans and Galveston, ano
a fourth Los Angeles, San Francisco
| and Portland, Ore. Schools will be es-
tablished later at points on the Great
Lakes.
The engineering schools which open
July 2, are to be at Institute OF
| Technology, Cambridge, where 15C
men a month can be handled in a
class; Stevens Institute, Hoboken, n
! j., Johns Hopkins University, Baltl-
more, the Case School of Applied
Science, Cleveland, the Armour lnsti-
tute, Chicago, Washington University
at Seattle, and Tulane University, at
New Orleans.
The minimum qualifications, un
der the new rules, for entering the
school for navigating officers are as
follows:
/. At least two years experience ir
the deck department of ocean OF
coastwise steam vessels.
2. At least three years experience
in the deck department of ocean oil
coastwise sailing vessels.
8. At least three years experience
in deck department of sailing vessels
engaged in the ocean or coastwlse
fisheries.
4. At least one years experience
as mate of steam vessels engaged II
ocean or coastwise fisheries.
5. Two years experience as master
or chief mate of ocean or Coastwise
sailing vessels of 200 gross tons OIL
over.
6. Two years experience as master
or pilot of lake, bay, or sound steam
vessels.
7. A graduate from the seamanshiT
class of a nautical school ship.
The minimum qualifications for en-
tering the engineering schools are:
l. At least two years experience
as oiler or water tender or combined
| experience of two years in these posi-
tions on ocean or coastwise steam
vessels.
2. A graduate from the engineer
ing class of nautical schoel ship.
3. A graduate in mechanical en-
| cheering from a duly recognized
school of technology, with thre'
months sea experience.
4. A stationary engineer in full
charge of a 1,000-horse power plant
5. A locomotive engineer who ha'
had six months experience in the en-
CINE department of ocean or coast
wise steam vessels.
6. A iourneyman machinist Wit
has been engaged in the construction
or repairing of marine steam engines
7. An apprentice to the machinlsts
trade who has been six months on
steam vessels.
s. Engineers of lake, bay, sound O
river steamers.
9. At least three years as fireman
on an ocean or coastwise steam YES
sci.