The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-01
ONE GUN FOR JOE FYFFE.
Naval Yarns Brought to Mind the Rio de
Janeiro Prcsident.-Fyffe who Complains
that He Commands Farm.

Janeiro President.-Fyffe who Complains
that He Commands a Farm.
The action of ACTING Rear Admiral
Stanton in saluting the Brazilian insur-
gent Admiral Mello before Rio de Janeirc
mas been much discussed in naval circles
and has called out several stories of old
time naval officers who have dis
tingufshud themselves in similar ways.
Among a number of the older officers OF
the navy there are some who do not
hesitate to say that had there been no
cable communication with Rio de Janeiro
Stanton would never have heard from
his saluting of Mello. AS one office,
said: "Stanton belongs to the old school
of the navy. The men of the old school,
when they became flag officers were
pretty much law unto themselves.
an the days when cables were I'M
known an American flag officer scarcely
knew any authority but his own. This,
though, was after he had sailed from the
coast of America.
1There is no end of curious happenings"
said this officer, (which could be cited,
and many of them within comparatively
recent years, which, had they been known
generally at the time of their occurrence,
might have caused some officers serious
trouble.
Take the saluting affair of Commo-
dore Joseph Fyffe, commonly known as
Joe" Fyffe, in Hongkong. This hap
pened a few years ago. Fyffe was then
in command of United States war ship,
with the rank of Captain. Itwas the oc-
Fyffe's ship, in common with all the
others in the port, was galily dressed.
At noon the various foreign war ships
in port fired national salute of tive MY
one guns. Fyffe's vessel fred salute of
twenty-five guns. The smoke from
Fyffe's guns had hardly cleared away
when barge ranged alongside bearing
the aide-de-camp of the British Port Ad-
miral.
"The aide.de-camp conveyed the COM
pliments of the British Admiral to the
commanders of. the American war ship and
requested that the American captain be
SO gracious as to explain the meaning of
the twenty-five guns fired while the
British flag was flying from the MAIN
masthead of the American ship. The
aide-de-camp intimated that as twenty
one guns was the usually accepted
national salute, the British Admiral
greatly desired to know if some unusual
testimony of esteem had been intended
by the salute to the British. flag of
twenty-five guns.
capt. Fyffe, clad in long linen dus-
ter, which reached.to his heels, and with
an old sea-green cap pulled half over his
face, heard the young aide de-camp
through without venturing word.
Then, when the young Britisher had
finished he said, with considerable en-
phasis: Young man, go tell your Ad-
miral that twenty-one of those guns were
fired in honor of Queen Victoria and one
Comomdore Joseph Fyffe is one of the
characters of thess.navy. He stands one
number above Stanton. Fyffe and STAN
ton were midshipmen together way back
in 1S49. Fyfe is now in command of the
New London naval station. 1t is I'M
erstood that he requested friend recent
ly to inquire of the Secretary of the Navy
If 46 years of service in the United States
Navy did not entitle him to something
better than the command of farm.
Fyffe has a splendid war record to his
credit
It was only few years ago that Com
modore Jonathan Young, another.one of
acknowledgement Of Stanton's time, was
coming home from China on a United
otd0es Wafsnip: iounS espieu one uay
merchant craft passing him without
showing his.colors Tor clipping. Young
Immediately put his ship about and fol-
lowed the merchantmen for over five
miles, firing in the meantime a couple of
blank shots and finally solid shot across
the latter's bows. When the merchant
man showed his colors he few the cross
of St. George.
Nothing was ever heard from this
affair.
In the opinion of the older naval officers
it will be hard work for those Commo-
dores and Admirals of the old school
now in the service not to forget that they
are in touch ,at nearly every port with
the government at Washington, and in
cidents which in times gone by would
have caused little.talk because of the long
time elapsing prior to the receipt of the
news in America are now, they say, by
reason of the cable, smade as important
as if they happened in a home port.