New-York tribune., 1919-03-30
F. ID. Roosevelt
Lauds Columbia
Naval Gas School
Acting Secretary of Navy
Calls Institution One of
Greatest Achievements of
the War; Reviews Record

Zone Of the great achievements Of
the war" is the manner in which Act
ing Secretary of the Navy Franklin D.
Roosevelt characterizes the services of
the Columbia University navy gas en-
gine school.
Men from civil life, many of them
men who had abandoned lucrative po-
sitions and even prosperous business
enterprises, were trained silently and
efficiently to man Uncle Sans U-boat
chascrs, under the direction of Pro-
fessor Charles II. Lucke. In state
ment issued yesterday Mr.. Roosevelt
said:
Directly upon the declaration of
war against Germany the Columbia Uni
versity authorities recognized the
navy's needs for large numbers of tech
nlcally trained men and the fact that
1t would take time for the navy to pro-
vide adequate training facilities, and
instituted volunteer school for train
ing its undergraduates in naval work.
District.
"By the time the navy had succeeded
IN expanding its own elementary train
ing facilities on an adequate scale Co.
lumbia had trained and sent to service
considerable number of men, and,
what is perhaps equally important, had
perfected an organization which moved
bodily to the naval camp at Pelham as
soon as the barracks there were ready
for occupancy and formed the tried
and perfectly functioning nucleus
around which the very efficient train
ing. system Of that camp was rapidly
built up.
Before the aforementioned activ-
ity had been moved to Pelham the con-
struction of very large number of
submarine chasers was determined
upon. The machinery installation of
these craft was Of a nature requiring
the services Of experts for it's success
full operation. The navy had neither
the material facilities for training
them in the number required, nor avail
able officers to form training staff.
The Navy Department addressed Presi-
dent Nicholas Murray Butler in the
matter and DR.. Buffers response was
immediate. Practically the entire me-
chanical engineering department Of Co.
A"iAAD'n " oS WI hCO OVcI ~ ILc navy LHo
school was officially designated as the
u. S. Navy Gas Engine School, Profess
sor Charles E. Lucke was designated
director and the school was a going
concern in an incredibly short time. A
complete subchaser machinery unit was
installed in the laboratory and instruc-
tion had begun within ten days from
the time the matter was first broached
The number Of applications permit
ted selection, under a system devised
by DR.. Lucke, of only manifestly fit
men to take this intensive high grade
course, and a large proportion of those
who entered the school were men who
had already demonstrated in civil life
their ability IS members of some
branch of the engineering profession.
About the beginning of 1918 an in
tensive course in aviation engineering
was established at the school, which
was reorganized to permit carrying on
two lines of work concurrently, and
thereafter few if any men other than
graduates of this course were assigned
rs mechanical superntendents or fore.
men of the navy's air stations at home
and abroad.
"The manner in which the graduate
Of this aviation engineer course have
performed their active service has
brought the department many testi
monials of the excellence of tbs
course"