The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1918-09-06

get a taste of the real sea aboard more than 100
coastwise steamships
Engineer officers are trained at the Stevens
Institute Of Technology In Hoboken where men
with NJ. f. degree or Its equivalent receive inten-
sive training In marine engineering
Thousands Of men are being trained for the
naval auxiliary reserve at the Great Lakes (nlo
station.
All men turned out by these schools are as
much a part Of the navy as II they had been grad
uated from Annapolis. All Of t,ese future off,
GERS are American citizens and will form the
natural nucleus of great merchant marine.
All navy crews merchant ships for the du-
ration of the war were advocated by the navy
early In the conflict. 1t was the belief that all
such ships should be placed under the strictest
discipline; that with permanent crews. efficiency
aboard ship would be increased; that the ehps
would be self-sustaining. In that the crew would
be able to maze all repairs: that the loading and
unloading could be more efficiently done. and that
several hundred thousand Americans would join
the service. where 1t believed they would
remain after the war.
II was the idea Of the service that by this
means the love Of the would be planted again
In the American heart. Men who once had a snin
Of the salt air would probably never be satisfied
to 60 back to the cities FARMS They would
form the nucleus Of a 100 per cent merchant
marine.
In the beginning nobody wanted a government
controlled cargo service. Steamship owners
feared 1t meant federal control. The navy had
only about 26OO officers and most Of these were
needed to aid the 10000 reserve force to break
in the 100000 new enlisted men. Gradually as
has been stated, the manning and operation Of the
merchant ships devolved upon the navy and the
overseas transportation service organized to
handle 1t.
In some quarters It is believed that the entire
work Of manning and operating cargo ships
should be turned over to the navy. Danger Of
strikes among civilian crews is feared Ships
carrying cargo In time Of war should not, 1t is
thought, be rated as private property Of any In
dvidual or company They must not be In the
hands of men who are working for money only
uliterate men. anarchists socialists and the dis
Ioyal may become members Of mercantile crews,
whereas only men who are intelligent and physic
ally At may become soldiers or seamen Of the
nation Soldiers work for $50 q month and the
sense Of duty alone Merchant seamen receive
today $50 a month or more and extra pay for
overtime and Sundays. and they are not under
any obligation to remain at sea-
At the outbreak Of the war there were 5000
Germans in the American merchant marine
sixty per cent Of the members Of the Seamen's
unon are said to be foreigners. As the service
was run under antewar conditions 1t was Inn
nossible to hire Americans and the class Of for
a,.rors Who would work these ships was large
ly undesirable.
Strikes are said to be likely at any time aboard
ships manned BY foreign laborers. An incident
70 Europe with . cargo Of essentials for our sol
d,ers refused to obey the commanders order to
assist In getting up ammunition when submarines
were reported ahead, ON the ground that 1t was
sunday. and the La Toilette law provided only
for watch duty on Sunday.
On another occasion a civilian crew demanded
overtime for performing Sunday q certain
duty provided by law. Civilian sailors Of cargo
sh,ps have been caught In the act Of sgnalins
to enemy submarines. and nreroom forces have
ho,ted for the deck upon the sounding Of an
alarm Of danger.
Ships manned with naval ofhcers and crews
are safe from strikes and mutiny. Eh'ciency and
comnetent operation are certain. On two or three
occas atoms civilian crews that have struck have
heen instantly supplanted BY navy men and the
sh,n carried through with its precious cargo for
tho American men At the front
some students Of naval strategy are Of the
opinion that q great part Of the United States
nav might be sunk without to any great extent
Affecting the result Of the war. but II the cargo
ships do not get across the war is lost to the
allies.