Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-06-13

AMI III iile air And yet because Il
worked III the bowels O. the earth and
in The lowest decks 81 the ship and IN
tplsrea away from the crowd. the re-
cognifion il deserves has not hitherto
besa given ID these creators 0f wealth
Wnsn one takes 4 voyage across
tlls ocean ana more Americana have
erOssed this year than iii the preced+
ing hundred years. bic understands ais
never before what I,e owes 70 the men
I'D tile FIRE rooms. far below he water
e.lge whu III temperature thar com
t)e! return to Adam style Of gar
meilt. make passible sale transporta
lion iii eulnlort visit from tho
bridge III the engine roOias III an edA
cation III the achievement of fte en-
gEneer. for III our modern use of the
Term d naval constructor as, well as
the men who design and build and
operate the great engines In modern
ship ii an engineer The captain
presses d button. ami ID. The ship re-.
5dnces Or increases It's speed, and All
yoti nee this modern miracle you All
most imagine Ii ls automatic but
Won leaye The bridge and 10 below IL
yoli ran squeeze into narrow compart
nleats where men spend their lives
and climb down marrow iron steps
The temperature rises and by the
time you reach the fire. room yoli wish
you had left your coat and vest and
sllirt on deck. for yoii find The men
working III Il heat they cannot endure
longer than four hours IS YOU stand
tiera. streaming with perspiratioT.
yan rake Oh your hats IN honor 10 tlie
men who III Crime and heat are carry
Ing yoli 10 your destination When
sou are again on deck. cnioyiIg The
Kctiol breeze or partakiiig 0f q good
meal. son cannot forget that below
decks ioillng III the grim nnlighted.
places are the engineering force Of the
ship. Nn man in the world lives with
th, comforts Of life without oDliga
tion ia other men who sweat and
strive 10 give him the comforts which
hc seldom stops To ask 70 whom he II
Indebted
II never felt so fully the obligation
to these men who keep the engines
going ~ unon d recent trip across on
tic I4evlathan and back on the Mt
Vernon 1Ieaving coal into the FUR
mace Is not my long suit. but ! tried a
turn at Ii along with the boys. and
was glad ii was only minutes instead
of hours that held me 70 tilc hard task
with lie thermometer at I:s5 degrees
Thanks to American engineering skill,
we run both these former German
shIps on less coal than when the much
.vannted German efFicienss operated
them. and we give better aceommodn-
sions and are arranging for otherwise
Improving conditions aboard ship for
vhese essential men There IL no
more inspiring story of the war than.
the heroisn of the men on the MT
Vernon when she was tOrpeioed This
characterized ali the men Of every
railing from Capt Dlsmukes. q skilled
engineer officer, to the youngest re
cruit IT was collective heroism. But
Ill was conspicuously true IN the flre-
raom where the torpedo struck and
where III men we're killed at the post
Isl duty Ii the darkness without q
moments warning Immediately after
the torpedo struck there was not only
4 mlaelstrom OF inrushing water, but
the air vas filed with scot and Gin
Siers and the shoyels in the fire-rooIn
we're thrown III various directions.
The lights were put out and the fire-s
rooms were in darkness. but every
man stuck to his Job. the reserve crew
hastened to lend assistance, climb
ing into what appeared 20 be regu
v-
en..4in,,nd ~, pnnn Ernllrl