New-York tribune., 1919-06-21
oppish Affairs, Where
People Said What They
Didn't Mean, Got His Goat
i'm 3 Months Out of Service
30, 900 Recruits Enrolled
Gen. March Urges Drive Be
Spurred; 90 Enlist Here
for Second $4,000 Batch

Vernon B. Wilson, who hates gritty
.avin' stones" and too polite people,
nd Donald Mccain, whose mother told
him to put floral wreath on his broth
er's grave in the st. Emile cemetery,
france, enlistered in the United States
army yesterday, signing up at the West
Side recruiting station, 461 Eighth
Avenue.
They, together with ninety-one other
young men who want to learn a trade
or who are distressed at the thought of
competing for jobs with women, COM
posed the city's first contribution to
the second instalment of $4,000 men
. for the nations new peace time army.
Announcement that the first batch of
made by Colonel WILDER E. Wilder, in
charge of recruiting in the metropoli-
tan district He received message to
this effect from General March, chief
of staff. General March asked that the
drive be sustained and intensified, rath-
er than slackened because of attaining
the objective.
Discharged Three Months Ago
Three months ago Vernon B. Wilson
was mustered cut of the service with
the 59th Coast Artillery, formerly the
18Th Coast Defence Command, N. Y.
N. G. At the time, Wilson said yester-
day, he agreed with the other members
OF the thrice cited regiment that he
was off the army for all time He
quickly found job as a stationary en-
gineer paying $3.50 month.
THAT was the trouble with it," he
said yesterday; "it was a stationary
engine. l didn't seem to be learning
throttle and after work going home
and maybe dressing up FOR some kind
of foppish affair, where everybody
said what they didn't mean and if you
wanted to swear you had to go out
in the yard.
at began getting my goat. I had
been in the service since May S, 1917,
ard had lived a life in which ali
said what they thought and fought
II they didn't like what was said to
them.
Joins Battery Mates
II remembered that it was some
kind of religion not to join The army
after once getting a discharge. but I
certainly wanted to. And then heard
that six Of the fellows in my battery
had reenlisted. They h dato get new
stationery engineer. l am going to
Fort Bangs, where the six other fell
lows are"
According to Major Cochran, COM
manding the West Side station, rs per
cent of the recruits are previous SER
vice men, whose reasons for enlisting
are similar to those given by Wilson.
Between 80 and 40 per cent of the
applicants first joined the army through
the action of their local draft boards.
Charles F. Schaefer, of 1850 Eighth
Avenue. pushed along in the van Of
the 77th Division with the rest of the
SO2d Engineers. He returned to his
trade of pipefitting, he said yesterday
as he signed up for three years, and
found that either he or it had changed
considerably Even the increased union
scale had been unattractive, especially
when he thought of the opportunity Of
looking over a subdued Germany.
"And besides," he said with a grain,
81 lost a pearl-handled knife in the
Argonne Forest, and I'd like to re-
cover it,"
Found Women in Best Jobs
Finding women in the best of the
"clerking" jobs, when he returned
from service with the 64th c. A. c..
aided William j. Collins, of 5s7
East 136th Street, in shaping the
next three years of his career. He
enlisted expressly to familiarize him
self with army paperwork, which will
fit him for an executive clerkship on
his discharge.
You've got the right Idea In get
ting away from women" said Patrick
Cotrell, next in line. Then he admit
ted to the sergeant that he sought a
career among men because his girl,
still wearing the ring he gave her, had
married shpyard worker in Newark Ark
That fellow had trade and l
haven't any," he said, $50 I guess he
won fairly. But when l come out of
the service | am going to be an expert
machinist and a living recruiting
poster"
Want to Learn Trade
VI slxty-three men examined at the
West Side station thirty gave the de-
SIRE to learn a trade as their reason
for enlisting. Most of them told Ser
geant 7. F. Bochard that they could
secure jobs paying between SIS and s25
week, but felt they had few prospects.
The average age of the recruits IS be-
tween eighteen and twenty-three years.
The succession Of younger men to the
recruiting Office was broken by Henry
Gibbons, forty-one years old, an able
seaman. Gibbons began trying to en-
list at 0 o'clock in the morning and
gave up at in the afternoon. Gibbons
gave his home as any tramp steamer
plying between any two places. He was
twice torpedoed, once on the Wilson
Lines Oswego and again on a collier
carrying coal to the British feet. He
was rejected because he lacked half an
inch OF the minimum stature, being 4
feet IL "a inches in height.
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