East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-05-25
(By Card d. Groat. United Press
Correspondent)

score.
Boys from every corner of the land.
many of whom never saw a gun big
ger tina a Fourth of July pistol, are
getting cured of "gun shyness," are
learning to point. sight and fire big
/ guns. upon which merchant craft re-
" for defense against Germany's sub
marines.
Boys by the thousands are learn
ing these and many other lessons
which shall make them better men
men with the stuff hat enters into
heroism and naional vigor. For three
days I have seer Uncle Sans grim
dreadnoughts with their men at work
and at play. 1t is hard work and
good discipline. it Is also good
wholesome pIay-a well balanced
program that turns striplings into
men. and men into giants.
Most of those aboard are boys. but
not all. There's a grandfather en-
sign. There's a Wall street broker.
| ~scrubbing decks and polishing brass.
There's a Buffalo businessman. There
are college lads. boys out of grammar
school-folks out of every walk of
life, to whom the lure OF the sea and
call of patriotism sound louder h
aught else.
Three Days With the Fleet
This is the story of three days with
the fleet.
Later we shall see those great hunks
by day and BY night. a sight to thrill
the most blase. We shall go with the
men into their daily % and play
their waking and their sleeping, but
s-tHrfn9 NTH the lads.
shooting up imaginary German
I boats with a gusto and an accuracy
that augurs i'll for any they may run
across in later days.
We start at 5 a. m. The gray
dreadnoughts roll a bit, with their
yawning gun turrets sharp against the
Frightening sky. The ships seem
straining TO be "up n at en-"
Hundreds-yes,. thousands-of men
are astir at the call of reveille. They
pile out of hammocks from every
nook and corner of the great crafts.
They must attend to their usual early
morning labors, down
decks, shining brass, peelinG potatoes
getting everything ready for an es-
adjustment which is a floating town
in itself.
The great anchor chains rattle and
smash. as they heave the anchor out
Of the deep The engines puff. as men
below ships down in the sub-cellat
five floors below" shoot in greai
! chunks of coal or turn on gallons oi
oil. Bells and buzzers sound The
navigator gives his order and the
| ships are off, a line of ugly warriors
streaking the sky with black smoke
clouds.
FLAGS bearing strange devices sig
nal out to the patrol ships when
| scurry forth to open the way for the
| dreadnoughts.
The ships plough into the rolling
waters. while the task of cleaning
| shin proceeds. and other drills in
! GLIDING a snappy setting up physical
exercise are under way.
once as far as the secret orders
call for the war vessels called TOT
spread out. targets are put overheard
and the eunnerN proceeds.
In squads. the lads take their place
reside the guns practice at filling
| sighting and firing the bigger can
non. while the pop pop. of one
Founders at the distant target gives
a touch of realism to 1t all.
Train With Dummy Guns.
After on all other ships crews are
| training with dummy guns, one
FOUNDERS and five Founders, The
shell and the powder bag &c in like
clockwork and with a smash tina;
makes it seem as though these lads
were in deadly combat with a really
enemy.
Up in the turrets with the tremen-
duous 14-inch guns other drills pro-
coed.
Ensirns. fine. clean-cut chaps. di-
rect these tasks.
Their gun crews from magazine to
turret run up close to 100 men. The
crews work like the great machines
they man. The shell. the powder.
the ramming. all go ahead like ma
gle.
Elsewhere. men are working out on
charts lust the range. elevation and
So on of the target. The ensign wells
his direction down a multitude OF
tubes. pushes buttons. flashes lights,
and then up in the secret fire con-
trol" tower. a man pushes some more
buttons and the whole thing shoots
all the big guns at once.
NtN NAN 81 q -
RET with a. chap named Erickson.
fresh from Annapolis only a short
time ago. Clean-cut and m
ing OF appearance, he had that gun
crew working like the captain of
| football or "a baseball club would
have his men
Load he'd shout. and the crew
| from the below ships men to the
leaders and hammers in his turret
would he off like fiends.
Good. That took - seconds
he'd veil back after a paTticularly
good performance.
over ia the other turret they heard
that call " So many seconds and 1t
was the call To battle The second
mrrct crew was "a little greener than
the others,
A hig husky sailorman with great
splutches OF frcckics sang u
RIundcr~ Not Tolerated.
Come on. there. That gang
did a. In - seconds lets peuNit mp