troops,
their immediate repair was of vital necessity. Nothing daunted by the
magnitude of the task, our navy undertook the repair of these broken
cylinders by employing the system of electric welding, and so successful
was this work, in which scores of black men were utilized, that during
all the months of service in which these vessels have been engaged, not
a single defect has developed.

HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE.

All honor to the officers who risked their professional reputations and
carried forward to complete success and accomplishment, which expert
engine manufacturers considered impossible; and all honor to the
patience, zeal, industry and intelligence of the noble band of laborers
whose persistence and ceaseless endeavor made possible the
accomplishment of these world-renowned examples of constructive and
inventive American genius.

Let us not forget the mighty and tireless work of those in the
department whose efforts were as assiduous as their success was
complete. From the humblest yeowoman upward to the secretary of the
navy, through the bureaus and their chiefs, all were animated by the
same spirit of energy, of foresight, and determination to place the
fleet on the highest basis of efficiency and strength. In this generous
and sacrificing spirit, black men and black women, working side by side,
shared in proportion and never wavered or faltered in the task of
measuring up to the expectations of those whose confidence and regard
are so highly esteemed.

GENEROUS RECOGNITION OF SERVICE.

Another just and appreciated evidence of the generous recognition with
which the consistency and faithfulness of his service was awarded, may
be noted in the organization and development of the muster roll section
of the bureau of navigation of the navy department. Owing to a
widespread demand upon the part of the citizens of the country shortly
after we entered the war, for accurate and specific information
concerning the whereabouts of their kinsmen in the naval service, a
demand which it was practically impossible to comply with in view of the
ancient methods in vogue at the time in the file section of the bureau
of navigation, and in further view of the fact of the unprecedented
expansion of the enlisted personnel of the navy, the secretary of the
navy found it absolutely necessary to convene a conference of all the
officials who had any positive and direct knowledge as to the details
and operation of the