Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-30
Nems of the Army and Navy

! risking their lives against an enemy
| that fires upon nurses and hospitals
| vandals who respect neither sex nor
| the Red Cross.
! For several years the surgeon gem
eral of the Navy has been asking Con-
gress to appropriate for a new hospi-
I tai ship to take the place of the old
Solace. but 1t was not until last spring
| that favorable action was taken upon
| the request. and the day after the
| President signed the bill authorizing
| it's construction the plans for It were
sent to the ward. where 1t Is now being
1 built. These plans were the result of
years of study. and the officer who had
them in charge was Naval Surgeon
Hoicomb. but, of course. the vessel is
not finished.
! About the time this country entered
| the war the Navy Department. using
its big shears upon red tape" took
over the two Ward liners. Saratoga and
Habana, plying between New York and
Havana. and the next two weeks Will
see them fully converted into hospital
ships. better than anything the Navy
has ever possessed, although not up to
the standard of the ship designed for
] the purpose. They will have large
wards. rest rooms. operating rooms and
| accommodations for something over
! 800 patients. There will be a full staff
| of surgeons and the regular quota of
medical orderlies in addition to the
nurses.
Comfort and the Saratoga as the
Mercy. the latter under the command of
Naval Surgeon Norman J. Blackwood
The commanding officer of the Habana
was Henry A. Dunn. but upon his sud
den death DIR. Holcomb, on account of
| his experience in hospital ship work
and his general fitness for such a de-
succeed
Home Protection.
| The bureau of militia affairs, charged
| by the Secretary of War with the
military protection of the federal
interests in the several states of the
: Union, is raising an army to enforce.
! IL necessary, good order, the observ-
! ance of the federal laws. and the pres
| ervation of property essential to the
needs of the federal government in the
prosecution of the war.
1t fnds that many persons confuse
this force in theis minds with the home
| guards, with whom the new force has
| nothing in common except the mainte-
| nance OF public order: The United
| States Guards is a paid force for i'm
| mediate duty, and not one subject to
an emergency call.
| Brig. Gen. Jesse Mel. Carter, chief of
| the militia bureau, recently announced
| [
| mediate use, and not for training; the
pay and allowances will be the same
! as for similar grades of infantry in the
| Regular Army: and the members, when
1t is feasible will be placed on duty
near their homes. They will be armed
with Krag rifles and Will wear dis
tinctive uniform.
Civilians within draft age, unless re-
1ected for physical defects at training
camps where they have otherwise quail
/ flied for commissions; civilians without
/ previous military training and candi-
dates from training camps who were
recommended by their company in
| strctors for commissions are barred
| from holding commissions in the United
| States Cards.
| Members of police and other essential
administrative departments had been
| seeking admission to this organization
| to such an extent that the municipal
authorities of more than one large CITY
mad entered protest before the Secre-
| tary or war. who has ordered that the
Army recruiting stations be instructed
not to accept men of this class for en-
| listment.
Bureau Chief, Steam Engineering.
The designation of Rear Admiral Rob-
| ert S. Griffin to succeed himself as en-
| gineer-in- chief of the naval bureau OF
steam engineering has settled a ques-
ton that WAS arousing quiet but pro-
found interest among many officers OF
| 1.-THE Navy. 1t had been the well know
practice of Secretary Daniels, before
eniciency became guiding factor, not
| to reappoint except under the most ex-
ceptional circumstances an officer hold
ing a departmental assignment to a
second term; and the question was
whether he would abandon that prac-
tice and risk possible confusion that
might arise through swapping the
horses while crossing the stream"
Every one knows that there are other
good men in the Navy quite capable
OF filling the position acceptably, and 1,
was known that Admiral Griffin felt
that he had earned the rifht to re-
tire from one OF the most onerous po-
sitions of the day, and no one would
ever have questioned the ability with
which he has carried the burden. But
the inference that may be fairly drawn
from the reappointment is that the Sec
rotary without regard to precedent in-
tends to follow the conservative course
and call upon the men to serve whom
he thinks fitted to fill the positions.
The decision sets a precedent that will
make easy the appointment of other
bureau chiefs to succeed themselves
always with the important proviso thai
they have made good up to the last
moment in the positions they are hold
Ing. In the near future the terms OF
Rear Admirals BREASTED Of the bureau
of medicine and surgery. of MCGOWAN
of supplies and accounts and Taylor oil
construction and repair will expire, ant
naturally enough these bureaus will
find a satisfaction in the present con-
clusion OF the Secretary of the Navy
that in times of war the practices oil
peace must give way to the need OF
, present results.
Machine Guns and Airp1anes.
In arming an airplane the problem is
} to Mt 1t up so that 1t may damage or
destroy its opponent without involving
it's own destruction, and experience
thus far has shown the machine gun
the one best weapon of the aviator
against an enemy airplane.
The automatic pistol is handy, but 1t
fires only seven shots, and the chances
Of hit are almost inconsiderable A
machine that is running at speed of
perhaps, seventy miles an hour. Is an
uncertain target at best: but when the
attacking machine is running at the
same rate. and both pilots are trying
to maneuver their planes in whirIs and
zigzags, the chance of a pistol shot
!! hit is hardly worth mentioning, unless
the distance has been cut to almost
nothing. A military rifle is hardly to
be thought of. because 1t 10 impossible
! for. the pilot Of q sinEle-seater TO ham
die 1t without losing control Of his ma.
chine. and IL n n vfe1varA spna nan -