Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-30


Kettle dare do all these things without
consulting him. Captain Kettle from
somewhere had procured cigar,
which he carried cooked high in the
starboard angle Of his mouth, and
from which he was smoking COM
placentIy. He was feeling that pleas
ant satisfaction which comes to a man
after a good mornings work.
The Gruda, as it turned out. descend
ed to the sea floor much more quickly
than any one expected. 'The forward
bulkhead will keep her up" said every
body, but either she was holed aft of
that. or the forward bulkhead gave
which. l do not know, and am not going
to dive to the Atlantic floor to discover.
Anyway, she started to sink with alarm
ing suddenness, and the port quarter
lifeboats falls proved to be rotten, and
emptied out her people just before she
reached the water. The starboard
lifeboat was lowered successfully. but
would take neither Kettle nor earn
forth. though why they objected to
Carnforth l fail to see. However, the
wireless man. who said he was a
tand who showed it to them them
declined to allow their coming on
board. and that starboard boat rowed
off in sulky silence.
WED better haul up the other boat
and provision her" said Carnforth,
he was invariably ignorant of sea-
faring matters.
I'm afraid there's no time. sir
said Capt. Kettle politely. IF you
will follow me down the falls Wen
try and unlock and then swim away
before this steamboat founders and
sucks US down with her Incidentally.
when the cold water gets to the
boilers they will collapse, and may
blow her up any minute"
"Oh. Lord. man, don't wait to talk"
said Carnforth, and slid down one fall
other. And promptly they both swan
at the full of their speed away from
the danger spot, though when the
man with two legs found he was dis
tancing the man with one, he pre-
tended tiredness and eased his pace.
But the tanker was not long in her
agony. She blew out her decks quite
decorously, reared to the vertical. and
sank with hardly a bubble.
And now" said Capt Kettle, about
ship, sir. please; and Wen try and
So back they swan, heavily and
YEARLY (being more than middle
aged men), and reached the boat some
five minutes after each had decided
he could swim no longer, but would
hang on just to encourage the other
standard in rating the new officers.
He selects from this table OF stand
ards the officer closest in one of the
five qualities in the list of standards
and gives to the officer to be rated the
mark that he has allotted to the Off
Ger in the standard list. Having fol-
lowed this course in each of the five
qualifications. the result gives the rel
ative rating of the officer whose card
is under Endorsement.
This scheme of rating has caused a
good deal of discussion among officers
with Varying opinions as to its value.
The regular officers, as might be ex-
pected. think that the old way should
be followed in the Regular Army,
which. although greatly expanded, has
not grown out OF bounds. But all
seem to be of opinion that it is about
as fair method os can be devised for
the National Army, where nearly ey-
cry one is new. But the same conclu-
sion does not apply to the National
Guard. for officers who have examined
the ratings from that organization
have not hesitated to say that poll
tics have played a part and that rat
ing officers had allowed their preju-
dices to affect the ratings given to
their subordiAates. In fact. some of
these cases are under review with a
view to correction of some OF these
Endorsements. However. until bet
ter way can be invented--one in which
the human judgment and human ma
ture are not factors-it is probable
that the present rating rule will
stand.
II
IN connection with guarding plants
where munitions or other products
for the government are under manu-
facture it is noted that nearly all at
tempts to do damage occure at night,
when. under cover of darkness, the
spy or German sympathizer attempts
to do the job. The most effective way
of thwarting these plans. it has been
found, is to illuminate the factories
both without and within so thorough
~ that no spy can hope to get init
the building or do harm within it I'M
less he is seen and shot.
The militia bureau of the War De-
partment has much of the RESPONSE
b1ity for this guard duty. and it ac-
cordingly has called upon the sew
eral organizations interested in good
lighting for assistance. They have
prepared pamphlet, which will soon
be distributed, describing the best
way to light factories as a means of
defense against maurauders.. 1t is un-
derstood that copies of these PAM
phlets viii be sent to al factories en-
gagged in work that makes them liable
to harm from spies and German SYM
pathizers.
X
YrrY