The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1917-05-24
IT WORK WITH
AMERICAN FLEET
GREAT HUMAN FACTORY Is NOW
GRINDING: OUT GIN CREWS
~ THE SCORES.
Boss ~ the Thousands Are Learn
Ing tlar Lessons THAT Win Make
Them Men With stun That
Enters Into National yigor.
By Cart. d. GRoAT.

factory grinding out gun crews py
the score.
Boys from every corner OF the
land. many Of whom never saw a
gnn bigger than Fourth Of July
pistol. are getting cured OF gun
si1yness. are learning to point. sighf
and fire big guns. upon which mer-
chant craft rely for defense against
Germanyss submarines.
Bows BY the thousands are learn
Ing these and many other lessons
which shall make them better men,
men with the stuff that enters into
heroism and national yigor. For
three DAYS have seen Uncle Sam s
dreadnaughts with their men at work
and at pIav 1t is hard work and
coed discipline. II is also good
wholesome playa well balanced
program THAT turns stripIings into
men. and men into giants.
Most OF those aboard are boys. but
not all There's a grandfather en-
sign. There's Wall Street broker.
srrubbing decks and polishing brass.
There's a Buffalo business man.
There are college boys ont of gram
mar sehool-foiks out OF every walk
lot life 10 whors the lure OF the sea
and the eali OF patriotism sound
louder than aught else.
This IS the story OF three days
With the fleet.
Later we shall see those great
hunks by day and by night. sight
TO thrill the most bfase. We shall
go with the men into their daily
work and play, their waking and
their sleeping. but today we are
cunning with the lads. shooting up
imaginary German T-boats with q
gusto and an accuracy that angurs
III for any they may run across in
later days.
We start at a. M. The grey
dreadnaughts roll BIT. with their
yawning gun turre:s sharp against
the Frightening sky. The ships seem
sraIning to be s.up and at EN- "
HGndreds-yes. Thousands Of
men are astir at the call OF reseille
They pile ont of hammocks from
every nook and corner Of the great
crafts. They must attend to their
usual early morning Iabors, scrub
bing down decks, shining brass. peel
ing potatoes, getting everything
ready fer an establishment which Is
a floating town itself
The great anchor chains rattle
and smash, as they heaye the anchor
out OF the deep Then engines puff,
as men below ships down in the
subeeilar five floors below, shoot in
great chunks Of coal or turn on gal
Ions OF oil. Bells and buzzers sound
The navigator gives his orders and
the ships are off. line OF ugly war
riors, sfreaking the sky with black
smoke clouds.
Flags bearing strange devices sig
nal out to the patrol ships, which
seurry forth TO open the way for the
dreadnaughts.
The ships plough through the
rolling waters. while the task Of
cleaning ship proceeds, and other
drills including a snappy setting up|
physical exercise are under way.
Once AZ far as the secret orders
call for, the war vessels speed out Ia
2 giant circle. targets are put over
board and The gnnnery proceeds.
In squads. the lads take their
place beside the guns. practice al
filling. sighting. and firing the big
ger cannon. while the pop. pop Of
the one-pounders at the target gives
q touch Of realism TO IT all
Aft. on all the ships. other crews
are training With dummy guns-one-
FOUNDERS and five Founders. The
sheil and the powder bag so in like
eloekwork. and with smash that
makes i seem as though these lads
were in deadly combat with real
enemy.
Up in the turrets with the tre-
mendous la-inch guns. other drills
Ensigns fine clean cut chaps. di- |
rect these tasks,
Their gun crews from magazine
10 turret run Mp close 10 100 men.
The crews work like The great MAJ
chimes they man The shell. the
powder, the ramming, all 20 ahead |
ike magic.
Elsewhere, men are working out
On charts just the range. elevation |
md so on OF the target The en-
ign yells his directions down mul-I
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