Page 39 - Historical Study of Yerba Buena Island, Treasure Island and Their Buildings

their hammocks. A west wing housed the offices, library, schoolroom, dispensary and brig; an
east wing contained the mess hall, kitchen, pantry, storehouse, and petty officer's quarters. The
grounds area in front of the Barracks had been excavated and leyeled during construction and the
extracted dirt used to build the drill and parade ground. The Commandant's house was the next
structure to be built with its construction completed on January 23, 1900, followed by the
building of two Officer's Quarters that were finished on March 23, 1900. See Figure 11.

Y erba Buena Island was one of four Naval Training Stations located in the United States.
The other three were located at Newport, RI; North Chicago, IL; and Norfolk, VA. When a
recruit enlisted in the Navy, he was provided with a Pullman train ticket, subsistence from the
place of enlistment to a predetermined Naval Training Station, and written orders. Upon arrival
at the Training Station, the recruit was subjected to a physical examination, issued clothing, and
assigned to his isolation quarters. There he would reside for 3 weeks to ensure that he wasn't
carrying a communicable disease into the Main Barracks.

Apprentices had to be between the ages of fifteen and seventeen years, healthy, have some
rudiments of education, and were not allowed to use any vulgarity or profanity. They were
furnished with a full outfit of clothing and assigned to a division as an "apprentice third class"
(during the first six months addressed as a "landsman"). Their pay was $9.00 per month. They
also received one food ration per day which was the equivalent of $9.30 per month for food.
After completing the tour of service on a training ship at cruise, usually about 1 year after
starting the apprenticeship, an "apprentice third class" could advance to "apprentice second
class" and receive $15.00 per month in pay alone. The next rate increase occurred after serving
one year on a cruising man-of-war, at which time the "apprentice second class" became an
"apprentice first class" and a pay increase to $21.00 per month. The March 1991 issue of Forbes
Magazine reported a monetary comparison as" ... $1.00 in the year 1909 is equal to $11.38 today
(1991) ... " (Ref. EE.)

In 1900, the Training Station commanded 392 apprentices with only one death and one desertion
reported. However, as the training evolved, these numbers increased, especially those relative to
desertions. A July 9, 1901, newspaper article reads in part, "The apprentice boys on Goat Island
and those on the training ship Pensacola have suddenly acquired a mania for deserting. Hardly a
day passes but a youngster is yanked ashore from the tug Vigilant, while dozens of them have
been caught trying to steal a launch or one of the ship's boats in order to reach Oakland or San
Francisco." It goes on to detail a somewhat humorous revelation that, "Yesterday the whole
sextet was satisfied that bread and water was better than paddling across to Oakland on a log on a
cold night and in ice-cold water". (Ref. V) Sickness presented another problem at the Training
Station. An outbreak of mild diphtheria resulted in the island being quarantined for a month.
(Ref. V, October 6, 1900). However, overall the general health of those on the island was
excellent and was even cited as a contributing factor to the success oftheTraining Station.

1-16 Historical Study ofYerba Buena Island, September 1, 1995
Treasure Island, and their Buildings