Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-05-19
Crews of Merchant Ships Taught
How to Handle
Lifcboats.
DRUG STORES GET RECRUITS
Henry Howard Describes Sys-
tenn of Teaching Men to
Man Vessels.
IBy Arsocia.ed Pre.s.7


marine glide down the ways the need
Tor men grows more pressing. Album
can't opportunity TO aid IN winning the
war Is offered the crews of the new
vessels. with the certainty that when
peace comes there will be further ad-
venture and good pay in carrying
American commerce throughout the
world.
Recruiting OF the boys and men who
must go down to the sea IL America is
TO regain her old place among the
maritime nations Is In the hands of
the Shipping Boards enlistment ser
vice, headed by Henry Howard. with
headquarters at Boston. who has out
lined to union men and steamship COM
panies what already has been accom-
piished.
About a year ago we realized the
shortage that was going to arise when
the new fleet was finished" Mr.. How
ard said. land we started the training
OF officers. both deck and engineer.
We established train OF schools
tending along the Atlantic coast. the
Gulf OF Mexico. the Pacific Coast and
the Great Lakes, to enable to get
hold OF the men who had experience
at sea. We then got the cooperation
OF the Steamboat Inspection Service.
No man was admitted to our schools
for officers unless he could frs, qualify
for experience required by the rules
Of the Steamboat Inspection Service.
That obviates the training OF any dead
material. After men get their licenses.
we place them. as far possible. on
board steamships as Junior officers. TO
get actual bridge experience. for thirty
TO sixty days. During that period they
get SIS a month. with no bonus. paid
1.
so that the on!y expense to the steam
ship companies taking these men Is
the food they eat.
We have turned out officers SO fast
tina, a great many have not been find
ing positions In the merchant marine.
and have gone into the navy. 1t has
been. to certain extent, short cut
to a commission in the navy. going
through our schools, owing to lack OF
cooperation in many of the steamship
lines in taking these men on. We be-
lieve. however. in view OF the action
that was taken BY the American Steam
ship Association some weeks ago. tina,
this will now Strengthened out. and
that We Will get the places.
There have been licensed since the
LIST Of June something over 5000 Of
icers. both deck and engineer.
ENGINEERS have been giving train
Ing in various technical institutions
the Massachusetts, Institute OF Tech
nology. in Boston: the Johns Hopkins.
In Baltimore: Case School OF Applied
Science. in Cleveland; the Tulane Uni
versity in New Orleans and the Uni
versity OF Washington in Seattle.
Then outside OF those institutions. We
have been giving special engineering
courses In Philadelphia. In connection
p.}th he N
, Governor Weaver. loaned to us by the
city OF Philadelphia for that purpose.
We are also giving some courses at
the Seamens Institute in New York.
We are starting an additional school
i'm Berkeley. Cal.
J IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO CALL
UPON ENGLISH OFFICERS
We have been in touch with the
Officers Association in England. and
IL any shortage develops here. we will
bring officers over to Ill the places
We have an offer of cooperation from
the English Officers Association. We
have felt from the very beginning
that we ought to develop our own ma
terial here to the utmost before we
call on any foreign officers. but II looks
now If II might be necessary to
call on the foreign officers. to have a
emergency that may arise.
We have started training ships for
training sailors. f1remen. cooks and
stewards. oilers and water tenders
We have In operation the Governor
Dingley at Galveston and the Gov
ernor Cobb Is at sea. Our program
calls for giving these ships FIVE days
out OF the seven each week at sea, SO
as to give the men their sea legs
The old army transport Meade is being
used as receiving ship.
I'VE divide the men into squads OF
ten each. under an able seaman as in
structor. One OF the principal things
is to teach them lifeboat work. With
training every day for thirty days. we
|, feel that those men are probably as
good in handling a lifeboat as the
average sailor on board steamer
"One rather interesting incident
demonstrated that fact. training
shin was being towed. boilers and en-
| Eines out OF commission. to Boston by
"a navy tug in a heavy gale. The tug
/ ran short OF coal and was obliged to
put TO port. They felt that there was
danger of the ship going ashore during
! the night SO the captain ordered the
men to abandon the ship. 1t was get
ting along towards dark. but they
launched their lifeboat with the wind
/ blowing sixty miles an hour. took near
ly sixty 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. with
out any casualty Of any kind, which
was a pretty good demonstration as
to what that training means.
OUTLINES FLEET THAT WILL
| H0In nm MEN
1.-THE fleet that have outlined will
hold 5000 men. we plan to 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