Connecticut western news., 1891-02-18


 irects that the national flag be ..l:,layed at half mast upon all public buildings ;throughout the United States until after his funeral shall have taken place, and that on the day of the funeral public busi- ness in the departments at Washington: be suspended. :. -.. .s :. ..-.,. Secretary Tracy's Tribute.
 The following order has been issued by Secretary Tracy:
 The secretary of the navy has the painful duty of announcing to the navy and to the country the death of the highest officer of the service. < David Dixon Porter, admiral of the navy, died at Washington. D. C., Feb. 13, in the 18th year of his age. Sixty years of Admiral Porter's life were actively devoted to the serv ice of his country. The record of his deeds forms one of the brightest pages of it's history. His achievements while in command of the mortar fotilla at the attack of the New Or leans forts, of the Mississippi squadron at the fall of Vicksburg, and of the North Atlantic squadron at the capture of Fort Fisher, have given him place among the foremost of the worlds naval commanders. He died lamented by the whole country and his memory will for ever be cherished and held in honor by tho service. On the day of the funeral the navy department will be closed, the flag will be dis played at half mast at all navy yards and stations, and on board all ships in commission, and seventeen minute guns will be fired at noon from each navy yard. The navy depart ment will be draped, and all officers of the navy and marine corps will wear the badge of mourning for thirty days. i:
 The Dead AdmiraIs Career.
 In the death of Admiral Porter the coun. try loses the last of 8 trio of naval com- manders who sustained in the civil war the finest traditions of the old navy Though far from being alone in this record of gallantry, names of Farragut, Foote and Porter have pre-eminence of their own In every man his ancestors live over again, and the biography of David b. Porter begins in the person of that David Porter born in Boston 17SO Five genera tions of this family have served iE the navy. Alexander, the grandfather of Com modore David, commanded a Boston merchantmen, giving his aid to the col onies, and his son, Capt. David, the com | modore's father, commanded vessels com l missioned by Gen. Washington in the Con- | tinental service. Commodore David Por- l ter's career was distinguished throughout, eliminating perhaps in his gallant fight of l the Essex in the harbor of Valparaiso. | David Dixon Porter was born in Chester, Pa, June g. 1913, and thus lacks a few months of completing his 18th year. David l D. had his first experience in the Mexican service in 1927, being then 14 years of age. In 1899 he was appointed midshipman in the United States navy, and attained his lieutenaney in 1841. He served during the entire Mexican war, had charge of the naval rendezvous at New Orleans, and was engaged in every action on the coast. l. The War of the Rebellion.
 Afterward he commanded for some years steamships in the Pacific Mail service be tween New York and the Isthmus of Pana ma. At the beginning of the civil war he was appointed to the command of the frigate Powhatan, on service in the Gulf 1 In Farragut's attack on New Orleans Porter, now promoted to commander, com manded the mortar fleet. Farragut, hay. ing destroyed the enemy's fleet of fifteen vessels, left the reduction of Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip to Porter while he pro ceeded to the city.
 The forts surrendered in April, 1862 Porter then assisted Farragut in all the latters operations between New Orleans and Vicksburg, where he effectively bonn barded the forts and enabled the fleet te pass in safety.
 Admiral Porter's Turreted Monster.
 An interesting incident in his operations was this: The Confederates were repairing the Indianola, which they had captured when Porter fitted a scow to look like on< of his turtle gunboats, with two canoe. 1 for quarter boats, a smokestack of porl barrels and mud furnaces in which firt was kindled. This was called the TurreteG Monster and set adrift with no one or board A tremendous cannonade from thu Confederate batteries failed to stop her and the authorities at Vicksburg hastily destroyed the Indianola, while the sup posed monitor drifted for an hour amid { rain of shot before the enemy discovered the trick.
 The Thanks of Congress.
 l For his services at Vicksburg, Porter re ceived the thanks of congress and tn, commission of rear admiral, dated July 1863, the date of the fail of that town. H' ran past the batteries of Vicksburg ant captured the Confederate forts at Grant Gulf, which put him into communication with Gen. Grant. In the spring of 186 Porter co-operated with Banks in the Rex river fiasco, and later in the same year wa transferred to the North Atlantic squad ron, and reduced Fort Fisher, the gallan T Gen. Terry commanding the land forces Rear Admiral Porter received vote o thanks from congress, which was tn fourth that he received during the war
 In 1885 Admiral Porter published "Inci dents and Anecdotes of the Civil War, and in 1887 History of the Navy in tn War of the Rebellion" a work of nor 1 substantial merit. The death of Admira Porter creates no vacancy that can be fillet by promotion, the run&. of admiral, lik that of general of the army, having beel I s,y1~