Elkins endeavored to arrange through the “usual channels” to have a motor-boat assigned to the Bureau of Engineering for this important training duty. But in this he met obstacles. Those who had control of the available motor-boats were not interested, and did not see the need of it; furthermore, Commander Rich told him Admiral Bishop felt that any training of operators beyond what was already provided would be quite unnecessary. Elkins told Evans the discouraging result of his effort.
“What damn nonsense!” said Evans, frowning. “There needs to be a demand for efficient operators that will make itself felt enough to shake loose some of the stiff joints of this organization.” Then, after a pause, “Maybe the demand will come.”
That evening Mortimer heard the whole story.
“I guess it will be a simple matter for me to arrange to have a motor-boat set aside for this work,” he said to Evans.
“Wouldn’t it be better not to have them get the idea that I have a ‘drag’?” said Evans. “Then, too, sequelæ embarrassing to Elkins might result if such an order came through just after his request had been turned down. There’s a better way than that. Isn’t it about time for you to decide that you want to determine whether the radio-compass machinery—material and personnel—is up to the important task required of it? You could order a practical test—a board appointed to make it—and for samples of the goods, eight or ten operators just through the compass course, selected at random, aboard a destroyer with the gear just installed. Let ’em show what they can do with signals sent from various bearings. Make them come across quick with the test so that there won’t be time for any one to cheat it by giving the operators special training. I am confident this test will show that something is lacking. Then let us have some men along who know a radio compass when they see it, to show what the gear can do if you understand it, lest perchance the apparatus be condemned instead of the poor boobs that are miscalled experts.”
It seemed altogether natural when a few days later the Secretary of the Navy appointed a board to conduct a test of the radio compass and the men assigned to operate it, under the nearest possible approach to service conditions. Ten operators just from their special course were to report on board a destroyer whose radio compass had recently been installed. Three patrol boats were to maneuver about her and each one in turn was to send signals for one minute. Thus the radio signals would come from unexpected angles. The operator was to be shut into the radio-compass shack, so that he couldn’t see the patrol boats, and was to report the bearing by voice-tube to the bridge as soon as he had determined it. Then the Bureau of Engineering was to select for comparison four operators known to be really familiar with the radio compass, to take bearings on the same patrol boats after the new operators had completed their test, in order that a fair basis might be established for judging the operators as prepared by the special course.
When this order became known, Elkins was delighted. “Now is our chance,” he said to Evans, “to have this thing properly tested, and we’ll know whether those boys need some practical drilling or not.”
Together they picked the four best men among the radio chiefs who had been helping with the radio compasses, and made sure that when it came to their part of the test they would not be found wanting.
On the appointed day the destroyer steamed out into Chesapeake Bay accompanied by the three patrol boats. Secretary Mortimer was on board, for he deemed the experiment important enough to warrant his personal observation. Admiral Bishop, Commander Rich, and Elkins had come to represent the Bureau of Engineering, and Elkins had obtained permission to bring Evans to be sure that the gear was in working order.
Commander Rich was almost constantly at Mortimer’s side, talking with him pleasantly or earnestly as seemed most fitting at the moment. He spoke of the value of a broad sense of proportion in naval matters.