The Parker post., 1917-12-08
POWER OF NAVY"
Lies in Men Who Feed Hungry
Mouths in Engine Room.
Deep in Cavernous Eecesses of Great
hulls Flremen Bend Backs That
Traditions OF Nation May
Be Upheld.
"Ths power of the navy Is In me. I"

"Ths power of the navy Is in me-"
Big Jack Dempsey, fireman recruit,
thus nnburdened himself as he sat
with legs dangling on the turret of q
big United States battleship.
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 Inn
portant part in upholding the honor Of
our nation. On the parade ground ad-
jacent, a couple of hundred bluejack-
cts were running a quarter mile oval,
hardening up for their work ahead,
writes a New York correspondent.
Something Of the inspiration Of this
vltally energetic scene glistened In his
eyes, as he swept his pipe stem in q
short semi-circle before him to elm
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 sailortn or sOlderin'.
told 'em at the recruiting office, it's the
same to me SO long as I can serve me
country. Anyways, that a man can
serve and do his duty In a time like
this Is the best way
"So I enlisted as a fireman, the
greatest branch of the service Of the
United States navy.
"Whsn man has put in few years
on the job, there Is somethin' about
the f1rebox Of engine that pulls you
to 1t. once you have fed the big, hun
cry mouths that are always open and
roarin'.
Every man in his task, says I, and
I'm d 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 a tramp steamer,
and 1t was there I learned the power
Of me calm.
"We wuz down where the heathens
and the fever wuz thick as mud, and
when the sickness took hold Of the Off
GERS and crew until they wuz only
handful of US left to navigate the craft.
What with the fever raging we had a
powerful time. One afther another the
boys below down with sickness, and II
was then the real trouble began.
ut wuz the captain himself who
came down to talk to US. Boys he
said, T kin get along without me Off
GERS but for the love Of heaven, me
ship will perish II me f1remen desert
me In this, me hour Of need
THAT is why say the power of the
navy Is In me. When the coal stops
the battleships stop, and the enemy
can take yer at his own time"
Across the slip between the big ship
and the next door the sailor drill had
spread out into an open door exercise.
They were the "men behind the guns"
an integral part of the great fighting
mechanism which Is soon to spread It's
influence worldwide In the mighty
conflict facing this nation. I looked
sideways at the man beside me, who
represented the silent working force
Of the American battleships, but his
gaze was lifted above the immediate
animation Of moving units. 1t rested
in the smoke-clouds coming from the
huge stack Of an adjoining vessel.
"The boys hev started work fer
Uncle SRm," he observed, with touch
Of pride. And I knew that down IN
the cavernous recesses Of that gray
steel hull, other representatives of the
power Of the navy" were bending
their backs to the end that the tradi-
tions Of the American navy might be
upheld and the honor Of the flag main.
tanned upon the seas.