South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-05-22


il might be necessary 10 call on the
foreign officers. 20 have a reserve
force on hand TO meet any emer-
gency that may arise
Have Training ship.
we have started training ships
FOR training sailors. hremen. cooks
and stewards. oilers and water ten
Dingley at Galveston and the GOV.
ingley at Galveston and the Gov.
cobb is at sea. our program calls
for giving these ships five days out
OF the seven each week at sea. so as
20 give the men their sea legs The
old army transport Meade is being
used as a receiving ship.
we divide the men into squads Of
ten each. under an able seaman as
instructor one OF the principal
things is 10 teach them lifeboat
work With training every day for
30 days we feel that those men are
probably as good in handling a life
boat as the average sailor on board
a steamer
"One rather interesting incident
demonstrated that fact. A train
ing ship was being towed. boilers
and engines out Of commission. 10
Boston by a navy tug in a heavy
gale. The tug ran short OF coal and
was obliged 20 put 20 port. They
felt that there was danger Of the
ship going ashore during the night.
so the captain ordered the men 20
abondOn the ship. II was getting
along towards dark, but they launch
ed their lifeboat with the wind blow
ing so miles an hour. took nearly so
men off and transferred them TO the
navy tug. All of this work was done
by our recruits, who had only had
about five weeks training. without
any casualty Of any kind. which was
a pretty good demonstration as TO
what that training means.
Train 5000 Each Month.
THE fleet that l have outlined will
hold 5000 men. We plan 10 put that
number through each month. We
have a receiving ship now in New
York harbor. the Dorothy Bradford.
TO keep a reserve number Of men
there all the time 10 meet any emer-
gency. We also hope TO have sim
liar ship at Newport News a similar
receiving station ship at San Fran
cisco and "A similar station at Seat
tie. The demand for men would
appear TO be about 5000 men on
the west coast in the next eighteen
months. We also have under consid-
GRAFTON a receiving ship at New or
leans.
For getting men, we have made
use of a chain Of drug stores
throughout the country The drug
store, especially in a country town,
is sort OF a social center, open ev-
cry day. and every evening. which
makes them an ideal enrolling sta
tions. These stores have given us
nearly 1000 enrolling stations. The
cost to the shipping board has been
almost nothing.
AS 10 the special training Of fire |
men. in the district around Chicago. |
including Wisconsin. Illinois. Indi- |
ana. Ohio and Michigan, we are
making a special drive TO get men
who have at least six months exper- |
fence In firing stationary boilers, /
feeling that men with that exper-
fence would make exceedingly good |
material from which 10 develop fire. |
men at sea. We will, of course. put |
those men on board our training |
shils and give them actual firing ex-
perience there.
we have established an advisory
committee to the recruiting service. /
maze up of the president of every /
association or union that has any /
thing 10 do with the manning of the ]
merchant marine. We have had the (
hearitiest cooperation from them. |
so that the men that we have been /
putting on board ships have been |
vel received by their fellow work /
we'll received by their fellow work |
for the fact that they will continue |
TO be we'll received.