The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-09-14
MARINE ENGINEERS SCARCE.
To Meet the Needs Government Provided
System of Instruction.

Washington, D. c., Sept. l4.-IWhen
the United States shipping board decided
that bridge of ships was necessary to
keep the men "over there" supplied with
the things they needed for winning the
war and determined to build and equip
! 900 merchant ships for the purpose, a
further problem faced them than that Of
getting the yards, materials and men for
such construction. This was the man
ming Of the ships with seamen, officers
and engineers especially marine engi-
neers.
1t has long been general knowledge Of
the public that even in peace times
there were not enough native engineers
to outfit the ships registered under our
flag, few as these vessels were. So it was
hard TO foresee where these multitudes OF
engineers were to come from. But the
shipping board found an answer to this
problem.
The board, at the outset, proceeded on
the cheory that there was plenty of ma
terial in the country for an adequate
supply of marine engineers. 1t believed
that all that was lacking was bit Of
training, after such men had been made
TO see the necessity for their adopting
such work, at least for the period of the
war II estimated that there were sew
eral thousands of such men in the engine
rooms and firerooms of existing merchant
ships-oilers, water tenders and firemen
who could be made into capable engi-
neers by a little encouragement and in
struction. II estimated further that
there were many hundreds of marine en-
gineers following other callings ashore,
who could be interested in returning to
sea Finally, ii was estimated that there
were thousands OF stationary engineers,
locomotive drivers and machinists who
had worked on marine engine eonstruc-
tion or repairs ashore, who could be
quickly trained to become marine engi-
neers. The big necessity was making
them see that their services were needed
In the emergency, to give them some
pointers about saltwater practice in en-
gineering and 70 give them their sea
legs" before starting them of on voyages
across the Atlantic.
Here the college came in, and plan,
originated with Henry Howard OF Bos-
ton, the boards director of recruiting,
was adopted. under which men Of these
three classes are sent to various colleges
for a brief, intensive training in marine
engineering before being sent to sea.
The idea Of college education was a
novel one for marine men. Heretofore
marine engineers were graduates of their
own engine rooms, beginning as oilers
or water henderson even coal passers-
and learning how TO handle ships vi
tails by watching their chief do it, and
structions. The idea was so novel that
structions. The idea was so navel that
the grimy handed mechanic who had fol-
lowed the sea was, at first, inclined TO
shy at IT, college stuff seemed bit
too much for him, and he generally be-
lieyed that 1t was no1 worth much to a
man at sea. But the plan was carried
on, nevertheless; and it had not been in
operation long before the mechanics be-
gan to see something in it. The fremen
and oilers took to it; and they came out
Of the courses with second or third as
sistant engineers licenses in such sur
prisingly short space of time that the
method of their advancement command
ed respect Now the board Is able to
train plenty OF engineers TO handle its
ships; even men who are equipped to
care for the delicate turbines and Diesel
oil burners that are part of the equip
ment of the most modern type of con-
structiOn