The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-11-16

NEW YORK, November 15.-The
Times says: The naval general court
court martial which convened at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard yesterday Nfor the
purpose of trying Assistant Engineer
George w. Danforth, one of the junior
officers of the Philadelphia, for disobe-
dience of orders, promises to furnish
some interesting incidents before it is
concluded.
From landsman's point of view the
offence with which, the officer is charged
seems too trivial to require the assem-
bling of such ponderous body as a ma
val general court martial
The prisoners offence against 'sgood
order and discipline does not appear to
be a very heinous one, and private
reprimand from his commanding officer
would, in the opinion of several naval Of
ficers who were seen yesterday, have
more accurately fitted the crime than
the institution of a general court mar
tail, which fixes
Dismissal from the Service
as penalty for the offence alleged.
In this instance the offence consisted
merely in sending back word to line Of
ficer who had sent for him that his du-
ties in the engine room would not admit
of his absence at that particular mo-
ment, and repeating it when sent for q
second time. Stripped of it's enveloping
phraseology. that is the sum and SUBJ
stance of the charge.
The Danforth court-martial trial has
resolved itself into fight between the
line and staff officers of the navy. The
line officers are those who have charge
of the deck. The staff officers include
the members of the engineer corps,
medical corps, and the various arms
popularly referred to by the line Off
GERS as the non-combatants To such
an n1extent are the line officers determ
ined to win that last night and the night
previous the question was under con-
sideration by all the line officers in port
as to the advisability OF employing
counsel to win the case. among officers
stationed on the war 81 ps now at New
Y York the Danforth case tas assumed a
phase unseen heretofore in the navy.
The line and staff officers have decided
against one another in the most pro-
nounced manner, and the feeling, to put
it mildly, is intense
Danf orth' S counsel thus outlines his
defence: Danforth was recently ordered
to the Philadelphia, and couple of
days prior to his arrest, was directed by
Chief Engineer Whitaker of that vessel
to superintend, in addition to his other
duties. the repair of the steam connec-
tions leading TO the steam capstan. On
two occasions the
Bigh Steam Pipe Had Burst
and Whitaker was determined that this
time it should be repaired in thorough
ly satisfactory manner. His orders to
Danforth were: ''Do not under any
consideration leave your post while
looking out for that work, unless re-
lieved by an officer.' When young DAN
forth replied, every good, SIR" to his
chief, those who knew him best knew
how we'll he would obey that order.
On the morning of the day of his arrest
this officer was on duty in the engine
room as engineer officer of the watch.
The big steampipe had been repaired ssall
along its length, and now, for the first
time, Danforth was about to turn on the
steam, first slowly, then gradually in
creasing the pressure until he could be
sure that there was no flaw anywhere.
No one could tell where hidden defect
might exist, and the bursting of the. pipe
might mean the loss of human life. 1t
was then that the officer Of the deck sent
for one of the machinists. Danforth
sent word that the man was engaged in
important work, but would be sent as
soon as he could be spared. Thereupon
the officer of the deck demanded the at
tendance of Danforth himself with the
result above stated. The engineer, as
soon as possible, attempted to explain
that he meant no discourtesy, but was
told that charges had been preferred
against him.