New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-25
u.nv Volunteers Wait in
Vain to Enlist at Cort-
landt Street Office
One Doctor on Duty
s,oerts Expected 700 Would
BE Sworn In During Week
Only 11S on List

60. additional officers and large
.s,,j force were detailed by Rear
"a Usher. commandaut at the
r.ootlv1 navy yard, to the Naval Re
~. recruiting station at 26 Cortlandt
-, Yesterday following the report
commander John B. Patton. retired,
,..3of the Office, that only 1lS officers
"a men had been enrolled there dur
:. the week, although more than 1000
"a ,pplied. Recruiting experts had
..,imated that at least 700 men would
1. enrolled at this Office.
rvsr,v.one commissioned officers and
..,.,y.seyen men were enlisted in the
9..srye BY Commander Pattons force,
~.gs dav after day scores of other
20, patriotic young men came in,
It'd for hours to be examined and
Listed. and then went away dis
.-,,e5 without even having had their
s,res taken by the clerks.
aTm through with this Naval Re-
,.-reT NOR, than one man remarked
=. no left. 81 got my boss to let me
ave the morning off to enlist. I've
ssr waiting here from 9 TO l and all
I've told me was to let them alone,
~ were too busy 10 talk TO me.
ness IN serve Uncle Sam somewhere
else
That Wrong Viewpoint
When this was reported to Com
,,rser Patton. and he was asked what
tens he had taken 10 remedy the con-
r,..ed condition, he replied:
'sTbe newspapers and the public have
.- altogether wrong viewpoint. | shall
10, saw what am doing about it. Be-
sSss. am satisfied with the way things
,rs going here. Everything is very sat-
factory. Most of these men don't come
here 10 enlist, anyway. They Just come
/, 10 make inquiries, and get mad when
here is no che TO answer them. They
rave the wrong viewpoint
One lone surgeon, a volunteer,
struggled desperately to examine d
p,rt OF the crowd. lie had been alone
br f,e afternoons, while in New York
Cts are hundreds of other surgeons
rho would gladly have volunteered TO
sslp him. This. too, was pointed out
70 Commander Patton, and again he
Vas asked why no effort to obtain vol
mieers had been made.
That is my business" he replied,
md departed.
Another surgeon has been on duty
tsch morning. and both had worked
A. TOD speed, but the 11S were all they
we're able 10 examine and accept dur
NJ the week. Only few others were
rejected.
Navy Sends Relief
One civilian, indignant at the way
aags were being handled, went to
he navy yard and reported it to Com
lander F. B. Upham. aid to Admiral
Usher for the Naval Reserve.
You may say that additional sur
ssons Will be supplied the Cortlandt
Street Office on Monday" he said.
This may relieve the congestion, es-
rs;isly as Lieutenant Commander
John H. Barnard, Of the regular navy,
and Captain A. 3. Randall, of the
Naval Auxiliary Service, were also de-
tailed TO the Office to act as lnforma-
lion officers for all inquirers.
Recruiting for the regular army in
NCw York has been more successful
itsn for the navy. according to sta
is;ics. So far this month the army
las obtained 912 men and the navy
sbout 800, exclusive of the Naval Re-
srve, which is called on only in time
o. actual war
Several women again tried 70 en-
si as yeomen in the navy, but were
,iormed that 10 was a mistake, and
nat the enlistments of seven young
Eomsn II the Naval Reserve at Bridge
nri, Conn, had been rejected by the
Navy Department. The department
io,fsd the recruiting officers that no
sonen would be received in the Naval
gsseye.