The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-05-26

side OF the net. NOW submarines don
move around like that at night. 1t wa,
dangerous business.
Before the fleet is darkened, the ships
lying in every direction present an in,
Ispiring spectacle. Lights, as of city
show everywhere. Blinker signals flash
on and off-signalling in the dots and
dashes of the Morse code. Long fingers
of white from searchlights shoot up into
the sky--on and off-on and of--signal-
ling also with dots and dashes.
Other searchlight beams pick up boats
that approach them, some illuminate a
landing wharf Away in the distance
every now and then; sweep the waters
to discover that what might have been
a periscope is only white cap. Then
they flicker out again. From the shore
at night boats passing anywhere in the
neighborhood suddenly find themselves in
the glare OF searchlights.
While the guns crews are being trained
on some OF the ships, aboard Others are
| being trained men to run the hundred
or more German vessels the United States
will operate as soon as repairs are made
to their engines, and the fleet of mer-
ehantmen being built TO carry food and
supplies to the allies. The fleet is train
| ing engineers, electricians-m to fill
every position. The Atlantic fleet is con-
fident that it will be able to supply a
full complement for every ship, for the
navy is getting men now faster than ever
before, and ii the officers are proud OF
their ships, the guns on the decks and
the power OF the engines in their hulls,
they are doubly proud of the spirit OF
the new men who are coming into the
navy. A ranking officer said:
"These new men have come into the
navy to fight and they want To get into
the thick of it. We are turning out guns
crews every day and every day we get
orders for more. In three months from
now many hundreds OF guns crews will
have left the fleet for places where they
may sink German submarines or cheer
fully give up their lives trying And
these boys-for most OF them are no
more than that--ean shoot"
A large majority OF the new men in
the feet, their officers said, have come
from farms, especially in the Middle
West. On any ship may be found youths
WHO uhJn bHc wal OtEaH were iulIohiHS
plows.
"In this fleet" said one of the officers,
more than 80 per cent of the men are
native born An orleans. There are few
foreign. born men here"
On any ship may be heard the drawl
of South Carolinian or a Georgian, the
New Yorkese OF the East side; the twang
that is New England's, the rising intona-
ton of western Pennsylvania and the
tone that only comes from west of Chi.
cago. So fast is the enlisted personnel
of the navy growing that there is no
room for the new men at the training
stations ashore. A man enlists one day
in Kentucky and three days later finds
himself at a loading machine on the deck
OF dreadnaught.
Many ships have aboard them the ma
val militia from the various states. Some |
of the militia are pronounced good sail |
ors.
On nearly every ship are men who
used to be in the navy and who have |
gone back to their old, and usually low,
ranks because their country needs them. |
They are regular officers.
On one of the ships is Wall street |
broker. He graduated from Annapolis
many years ago, resigned and later came
back into the service during the Spanish
American war. He commanded the Hist
in several fights in Cuban waters and
knows how il feels to be under fire.
"'The Navy Needs You was the sign
that got me back this time" said he.
When | read that sign knew it meant
ne and ] fixed it right off so | could
.ome back. left the navy at the close
If the Spanish-American war and have
,een in the brokerage business in New
York ever since"
On another ship is little man with
ray hair-a grandfather-who wears the
inform of an ensign.
81 resigned from the navy many years
lgo," he said. Il have grandchildren
low. When we went to war with Ger
many l knew the navy needed trained
men and offered myself. They accepted
ne and here am with the junior officers.
suppose am the only grandfather en-
ign in the navy"
The grandfather ensign" is Just as
nxious to fight as the newest recruit at
he loading machines, and he is capable.
90.
They've got a slight attack of spy
care in the navy. Officers said that il
Tas quite possible there were Germans
n the ships. The spy who is caught is
cry likely to find himself looking into
he business ends of the rifles of a fir
ne squad. Every now and then sus-
icions of the officers and men are
reused and quiet investigation is con
ucted. Blueiaekets are suspicious OF
nything unusual. One new recruit
rought suspicion against himself be-
luse he carried aboard ship with him a
geometry book.
magazine writer enlisted to gain
rst- hand information about the life OF
n enlisted man. He had an agreement
18th the navy department through which
e was to get out Of the navy in a couple
/ weeks and enlisted a. a woman. His
,cond day on the ship he started to look
round and finally appeared in the boiler
ION. The firemen chased him out and
ne Of the coal passers informed the
latswain. adding. a yeoman has 10
lsiness in the boiler room. II he oomes
,wn there again-the sneaking spy I
n brain him with a shovel. That ought
save a firing squad 1t of trouble
The presidents Yacht Mayfiower has
st visited the feet Aboard il were I