The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-15
POWER or navy.
Lies in Men Who Feed Hungry
Mouths in Engine Room.
Deep In Cavernous Recesses Of Great
hulIs Firennen Eend Backs That
Traditions Of Nation May
Be Upheld. ~
1.-THE power Of the navy is in me-"

Big Jack Dempsey, fireman recruit
thus unburdened himself as he sa,
with legs dangling on the turret of
big United States hattleship.
+ Around him seethed the preparation
for war. From the huge navy yard
/ shops arose the din and clamor of a
mighty force rushing the final work to
place in readiness the big steel fight
Ing machines which are TO play an i'm
rortant part in uphol,ling the honor of
our nation. On the parade ground adj
jacent, couple of hundred bluejack-
cts We're running a quarter mile oval,
hardening up for their work ahead,
writes a New York correspondent.
Something of the inspiration of this
vitality. energetic scene glistened in his
eyes, as he swept his pipe stem in a
short semi-circle before him to en-
phasize the night of which he was
master.
Huge of frame. horny Of hand is
Dempsey. 1t was only two days ago
that he drifted into the navy recruit
ing office to offer himself to his coun-
try.
whether it's sailorin' or soldierin'.
told 'em at the recruiting Office it's the
same to me SO long as l can serve me
country. Anyways, that a man can
serve and do his duty in time like
this is the best way
$50 l enlisted as fireman, the
greatest branch of the service Of the
United States navy.
when man has put in few years
on the job, there is somethin' about
the firebox of engine; that pulls you
to it. once you have fed the big, hum
CRY mouths that are always open and
rOarin'.
Every man in his task, says I, and
I'm fireman by inclination and force
Of habit. And it is me duty to play
fireman for Uncle Sam when he needs
me above all others.
"Once stocked on q tramp steamer,
and 1t was there l learned the power
Of me CALM.
I'VE wuz down where the heathens
and the fever wuz thick as mud, and
when the sickness took hold Of the od3-
GERS and crew until they wuz only Q
handful Of US left to navigate the craft.
What with the fever raging we had
powerful time. One afther another the
boys below down with sickness, and It |
was then the real trouble began.
1T wuz the captain himself who
came down to talk to us. Boys he |
said, I kin get along without me Off. !
GERS, but for the love of heaven, me |
ship will perish If me firemen desert J
me in this, me hour Of need
THAT Is why l say the power Of the
navy is in me. When the coal stops
he battleships stop, and the enemy
IAN take yer at his own time"
Across the slip between the big ship
md the next door the sailor drill had
pread out into an open door exercise.
They were the ''men behind the guns"
n integral part Of the great fighting
mechanism which is soon to spread its
influence worldwide in the mighty
onfict facing this nation. looked
idewdys at the man beside me, who
epresented the silent working force
t the American battleships, but his
axe was lifted above the immediate /,
nimation Of moving units. It rested
4 the smoke-clouds coming from the ,
uge stack of an adjoining vessel.
"The boys hev started work fer
'ncle SAM" he observed, with touch :,
pride. And l knew that down in
ne cavernous recesses Of that gray {
teel hull, other representatives of the /
power Of the navy" We're bending t
leir backs to the end that the tradi- h
ons Of the American navy might be Z
pheld and the honor of the flag main :
lined upon the seas.