The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1917-03-31
600 CITY DEFENSE
VOLUNTEERS DRILL
ON ALTMAN'S ROOF
Employees Demonstrate Pre-
paredness While Twenty Fair
Nurses Do Their Part.

Six hundred men and twenty women
OF the Altman branch Of the Home
Defense League held their first bat
talon drill this morning. They
with skill surprising for re-
cruits who had been out only once or
twice before, and they did all their
exercises with the snap and precision
of good soldiers.
Police Commissioner Woods invited
h. Altman & Co. last Monday to form
band of volunteers to help defend
New York in case OF need. by after
noon more than hundred husky
youths from all parts OF the house
had enrolled. and bright and early
next morning they were drilling on
the roof under command OF Sergt
John j. Hines of the Second Police
Precinct. Recruits came In so fast
and worked so faithfully that Hines
was willing TO take a chance At bat
talon drill to-day. And this, as any
military expert will certify, is owl
dence of extraordinary progress.
The volunteers gathered at Sis A.
NJ. on the roof under a big American
flag that waved lazily at the top OF
a high pole. There were four more
big flags as company colors and four
little ones as guidons. on a platform
nearby were Michael Friedsam, presi-
dent OF y. Altman & Company, Ma
jor-Gon. Charles f.. Roe, Late COM
handing officer y. g. y. Y, and Mrs.
Roe; Il. ]. Hancy. Frederick Smyth,
Edward l.. Marsten, George r. Read
and many others.
At the northwest corner OF the roof
there was a simmer OF white cos
tunes above which cleaned the gold
Of shining tresses severely repressod
under white caps OF formal cut Here
were the twenty nurses, the Battalion
Hospital Corps. commanded by House
Physician Joseph Harris and drilled
by House Detective Larkin. They
could be seen only in distant flashes
until the battalion was formed and
stood at attention under Capts. John
Burke, A. FIGHTER, W. l.. Adams and
c. +. Holm.
Then the nurses, each one MS pretty
as any one ever saw, marched Tn col
umns OF four past the battalion
which kept eye1 front without the
least trouble, wheeled right at the
end OF the line and stood at ease IN
the southeast corner. Twenty spec
taturs hurried over TO DR.. Harris anc
lcomplaIned OF pains and aches tha'
needed tender nursing, but he shooet
them away.
Sergt. Hines barKed out. Battalion
ten -SHUN!" just like that. Ever!
eyo was focused on him, every chiI
| WAS held in, every chest swelled hlSh
every man showed the most earnes
concentration on tho job of drllllng
Hines nut them through the simpl'
things--eyeS right, eyes 'front.' mari
| time, right face, about race etc
ard they all obeyei instantly VIII
prec. sion that made tho spectator
stare and ask: Gould these be raw
recruits?" They were-- American raw
recruits, which are different from an,
other kind ever seen, They not onl,
have pep: they have intelligence.
Then the drillmaster led the bat
TALON in series OF bcwildcrin
marches all over the roof. In column
OF four. with no music but the thro
Of little Harry Dryers drum, the me
advanced, wheeled, returned an
marched again. The spectator
clappcd their hands, the camera me
clicked their shutters, the nurse
smiled their applause-hut the veter
ans of four days service held the
lines firm. their eyes front. Then III
nurses paraded, Hines gave the me
setting-up drill, into which they pu
tons OF energy. and the show wa
ended with three cheers for NJ
Fricdsam,
excellent; most eXcellent!" wa
the comment of Maj. Gen. Roe to tn
Evening World. "These men an
women take hold OF the business {
preparation In true American styl
: don't know where else in the who
world you will find six hundred work
ers who in few days can show 5
much progress. When they came
attention II really was attention
they were concentrated on the io
And they cid their drilling with VII
ana enthusiasm and intelligence thi
....-s,t.o 4bo haat raa1lltqh