Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-09-03
The Two Admirals at Bar Harbor.

| with no evidence of ANYTHING but the
| greatest of harmony on the part of their
officers But it has been whispered for a
! long time that the best of feeling does not
| exist between Rear Admiral Gherardi and
Acting Rear Admiral Walker Rear Ad
miral Bancroft Gberardi is Massachn
setts man. who entered the navy as a mid
| shipman in 1876. He was promoted to be
| commodore in 1854, and rear admiral in
| 1887 He has seen a total sea service OF
nearly quarter of century. and only
about Is years of shore duty IN his lprg
| career OF over 40 years In his country :
| service. He is fine gentleman As Well As
meritorious officer. Admiral J ,hn q
| Walker is not full hedged admiral His
rank Is that Of commodore aud has been
| raised temporarily 10 bis rank of admiral
| while he Is in command of the squadron
| Of Evolution. Whlie Admiral Gherardi
stands second on the list OF six rear adm
rails Commodore Walker is seventh on the
list of 10 commodores. His selection
| from so many officers who were his
seniors 70 command the fine Squad.
ron of Evolution naturally made con
siderable talk. II has been said that
he has political pull. that he Is fav-
orte socially in Washington Official cir
cle>, and that he achieves by favuritism a
glittcrine command while gallant old sea
dogs like Gherardi have to ply about with
the old wooden tubs. 1t is also noticed
that of Walkers 80 years of service about
~ have been on shore, on duty presuma-
! hly more or less pleasant Perhaps all
these things said about Commodore Walk
er are vain slandcrs Of his enemies No
one seems to know authoritatively but
there seems Ia he general understanding
y /, nor N7slL l.. b..
ecTupulousIy courteous, do not like each
other vcry well and That each would be
Just as well satisfied % have the other at
some other place with BIZ. feet
New loRK, August ~ The Times We.
terday morning printed An interesting story
relative - the conference between Rear
/ Admiral Gherardi Commanding the North
Atlantic fleet, aud Acting Rear Admiral
John & walker commanding the Squad
ron of Evolution N Port au Prince.
The SqUadr n OF Evolution, it will be
remembered. was >nileuiy ordered, during
H. rectE, maumnsrrs IN the Gulf IL pro-
ceed ~ Port au Tr,Hc- For political
reasons II was considered at the time al
sisahie "a concentrate a lArZc naval force
on the llaytian capital. On reaching Port
Al Prince, Rear Admiral Gberardi, with
the flagship Philadelphia ana some Of her
C"n>orl- ~ the North Atlantic Squadron
Wa found anchored before the city The
,nirer. it should be known, j. the second
ranking admiral in the navy. while the
der!n-chlcf ot the Squadron of
Evolution i only commodore. with the
rank of acting rear sdmira. Furthermore.
Rear Admiral Ghrrardi i an old officer
He has spent his whole lifc In the govern
men, service. and his date OF retirement is
not far ahead Acting Rear Admiral
Walker. on the other hand. is compare
lively young in years. His promotion has
been rapid. Running his iue fleet of white
cruisers into Port au Prince Admiral
Walker. without a. much A. noticing the
presence of the North Atlantic fleet. flew
from the masthead of his flagship the or
der to anchor. In magnificent STYLE the
hig war ships rounded TO The tide let 20
their haw>crS, aud a few seconds later
We're tagging at their anchors not more
than 500 yards distant from the flagship Of
Admiral Gherardi. From all outward ap-
Prarancc~ the two >quatron~ were more
Than strangers. judging from the fact that
The accustomed Interchange of visits was
here wholly lacking. An ominous silence
peryadei the two fleets Occasionally the
~hrlll pipe Of a bOat>wain's whistle rang out
clear among the ships but il was only for
a moment, when All wa soon quiet again.
The whole ~ one day this continued, ana
all one night, and then lib the morning fol-
loving, when color evolutions are manda-
tory throughout the navy the signal was
Seen flying few minutes before from
the Philadelphia tn loose ~ai to bow
line" Al On the Hot the execution signal
wa run % the peak and In All instant the
clean, white canvas could BE- seen Outer
f..
North Atlantic feet But in the squadron
Of Evolution there was not sign OF life
Every ship, with the exception Of one,
wa- dead and that one was the cruiser
Atlanta. There. hanging from her yards.
tiu'tered unmisiakapiy the nIxen canvas.
Here, at least. was ship loyal to the or
derS Of the senior admiral
Hello" exclaimed q group of officer.
gathered on the poop OF the Philadelphia
what does that mean" The cause OF
their exclamation was 3 sudden display OF
signals from the masthead Of the Chicago.
There it is " said one officer. Command
in4 officer Of Atlanta repair on board the
Chicago"
There was no mistaking the signal, aud
there was no mistaking the long. swift
gig strokes Of the smart boat that ~uG.Irn-
ly shot into View from under the Atlanta-
stern. There goes Phillips said one NJ
fcer IN n" group, Who, while speaking.
Kept his binoculars pressed close d Iii,
eye. In the stern uf the Atlantas yig
ruult ~ seen. erect ami di-nlhed, an DIN
Ger ln smart uniform IAc swift strokes
~ bis -tLs crew wcrr sending the boat
living oyer the water. ami minute later ii
had reached the eangway Of Admiral
Walkers vessel What 1ranspired from
Il
the Chicago- side no one In the group
aboard the Philadelphia could say Of his
own knowledge, but when few min
utes later the same officer descended rapid
ly into his boat, pulled alongside Of his
ship, and caused an order to be issued
which IN A tTice sent the seamen OF the At
lanta scamperng alott aud to furling the
I futterlng sails, there could be bnt one
conjecture. The fact has since been es-
tahlished that, in obedience to his orders
to repair aboard the thica.o, Captain Phil
lips was told that no attention was to be
paid to the orders which Rear Admiral
Gherardi might fly; that the only orders
| he should be expected to obey were those
{ which should emanate from the command
er-in-chef of the Squadron of Evolution,
Acting Rear Admiral John G.. Walker.
! Up to this period there had been abso-
! luteiy no communication between the two
Admirals, and this despite the fact that
/ they were then engaged in furthering, bv
/ the presence of their fleets the national
| interests of the United States But the
| affair of the Atlanta had not escaped the
| notice of Rear Admiral Gherardi Neither
| had the fact that his order to loose sail
| had been unnoticed by the vessels Of the
| White Squadron. Nor had the fact es-
| capped him of Admiral Walkers arriving
and anchoring without asking permission,
| or later falling to report aboard the SEN
| ior officers ship. Not one of these facts
| had escaped him. and it was evident to the
| officers on the Philadelphia, as they OBJ
served the gray haired Admiral, pacing
| back and forth on the quarterback Of his
vessel. his hands crossed behind his back
and his head slightly bent in thought, that
something was coming Calling his Flag
Lieutenant, he spoke few words to him,
and then with stately mien walked into his
cabin The next moment there flew from
the Philadelphia an order which no man in
| the navy dare disobey. 1t was the order
of the second ranking Admiral in the navy
commanding in mandatory language Act
ing Rear Admiral John G. Walker to re-
pair aboard the Philadelphia in person, and
| at once.
Salutations were exchanged by cool and
| dignified bows on the part of the two Ad-
mirals, both remaining standing through
out the visit
Il have come aboard, Admiral, in re-
sponse to your signal" said the junior Of
ticer of the two. For moment there was
painful pause, the two looking straight