Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-26
Navy Mechanics Hot
Complaint Of Labor in Excessive
Heat Is Made.

To the Editor OF The Star:
The navy yard mechanics are not
given due consideration. They are kept
at work doing hard manual labor in the
excessive heat while other Government
employees are dismissed in the middle
OF the day.
We read in the papers that the wheels
Of the Government were stopped. as viz
tually all departments were closed ct
o'clock on account of the insufferable
heat during the last hot spell. The
navy yard and possibly one or two
other Government Offices did not close.
Why? In the yard the offices regis
tered a temperature Of SO degrees In
the shade.
AS usual, the navy yard was forgot
ten when favors were passed around,
and as result general feeling OF UNI
business prevails there. However, 1t Is
noted that whenever men are needed to
do dangerous and laborious work the
mechanics of the navy yard are the
first to be called into action, and there
fore every consideration is due them.
In the War of 1912, when Washing
ton was visited and partially destroyed
by the British army the mechanics OF
the navy yard were with the Army at
the first alarm. History records that
the District troops. under Gen. Winder,
met the British, under Gen. Ross, at
Bladensburg. Md, and suffered COM
plete rout. The British continued on
to Washington unmolested and burned
the Capitol. the public buildings, and
completed the destruction OF the navy
yard after the cornmandant set fire to
the yard to prevent it falling into the
hands of the British.
| At the beginning of the Civil War, in
response to President Lincoln's call for
| troops, the Washington Light Guard,
according to The Star, held meeting
at its armory, in the navy yard. on
April 49, 1861, and were notified that
they would soon be called out for spe-
cial service. After the nature OF the
| oath had been stated. the question was
put to each man, will you take the
oath?" and, with an ardor that surprised
all, every member to the number OF IS
responded in the affirmative. The men
then gave hearty cheers for their offi-
GERS and the Union. This company
can boast that 1t is for the Union to the
core. Two days later a new company
was organized at the navy yard at the
first call. The officers elected were w.
P. Ferguson. captain; Joseph G. Car
roll first lieutenant; w. Nottingham.
second lieutenant, and James B. Davis,
third lieutenant This corps will join
the National Guard Battalion as Com
pany F.
On April 2, 1861, President Lincoln
visited the navy yard, and, with his
family, dropped in upon the officers
unexpectedly. The party was saluted
with Il guns and escorted through the
shops by the commandment, Buchanan,
for nearly two hours.
The prospects of war had given new
life and vigor to all departments of the
navy yard in April, 1861. Large guam
titles of guns. shells and fixed ammuni-
ton were sent to the New York Navy
Yard In the ordnance department all
hands were taxed to the utmost, work
ing 13 hours per day. The casting OF
shot and shell was carried on extern
sively for some time, and the Govern
ment had In store an insxhaustihle sup
ply of these preseryers of public peace,
but minnie balls, percussion caps. bomb
fuses and brass field and boat howitzers
were being finished with great dispatch.
In this department all the lathes were
boring guns, the floors strewn with
others just from the foundry or in the
hands of workmen, while number OF
bright barkers, lately mounted upon
their carriages. were drawn up in one
end of the building. These guns were
6, Il and "a Founders. OF the vessels,
the Snug-looking Pawnee, Pocahontas
and AnacoStia we're anchored in East
ern Branch and the Mount Vernon laid
at the wharf with q 32-pounder on her
bows.
In the World War the mechanics of
the navy yard, inspired by sense Of
duty, worked hard night and day in
completing a number of United States
naval railway batteries for use against
the Germans in France. The designs
we're started about January /, 1918, and
the first battery was manufactured and
shipped to France In June, 1918. This
14-inch, 50-caliber naval gun fired ass
shells, each weighing 400 pounds, at
maximum range Of "a miles,
At the time of the Knickerbocker
Theater disaster. in January. 1922, a
number of the mechanics and others OF
the navy yard were called out in the
night, and worked night and day in
near-zero weather, freeing the unfor-
Inmates from the great mass of iron
and concrete under which they were
buried. Within few hours after the
catastrophe these men furnished the
apparatus and were cutting up with
acetylene torches the immense steel
beams that had fallen with the roof
ARTEMUS G. HARMON.