Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-10-05
SINGULAR NAVAL FACTS.
Retired Officers Pay Their Own Elk.
penSes When Under Orders.
One Delayed d, Storm and Unable TO
Recover for Travelling Expenses beyond
the Point Whrrr His Natal Anniver-
-ary overlook Him.

a singular rulinr by the treasury de-
partmcnt j, t. the effect that 4 navy
officer on the retired list cannot re-
ccivc mileage for travel under orders
Thus an officer nearing the retired age
IF siXtv-two must hasten tn his Off
.al home while still on the active list,
lest the fa.rful birthday occurring
while far away his travelling expenses
must come ont Of his own pocket.
Under this state of affairs. says the
Chicago Times. an officer serving on
the Pacific coast had reached the age
IF sixty-two years lacking month.
His home was in an eastern state, and
he was naturally anxious for orders
home 50 as To in urc mileage across the
continent. I;ri:,- strictly prohibited
from leaving his station before being
regularly relieved by orders from the
navy department, this officer waited
patiently for detachment and orders
home as the days flew past and his
siXty-Sccond birthday drew on apace.
Through some inadvcrtence at the
navy department this case was over
looked until but few days remained
of active list duty for the officer, when
a hurried telegram was sped across
the country detaching him and order
ing him home. Being in daily eXpec-
tation OF such orders the recipient
hastily left san Francisco on the re-
ceipt of the telegram, and on his way
across the Rocky mountains was caught
in a heavy snowstorm which delayed
the train two days.
Arriving in Chicago on his birthday
he, without the loss of an hour. set
out for his home, and when he came to
collect his mileage found that he must
pay his own way from some distance
west of Chicago, because by law he
was on the retired list from that point,
and no officer on the retired list can
receive mileage. Appeals to the fourth
auditor were in vain, and to this day
that officer has failed to collect mile
age from San Francisco to baltimore,
although travelling under orders.
To those familiar with the subject IL
is well known that a man-of-war in
commission is an expensive luxury.
But it is not generally understood that
large part of ships expenses 60 on
whether the vessel is in commission or
not. 1t comes about in this way: The
men and officers which make a ship
their home during a cruise, if not serv-
ing on a particular craft. are on board
some other, and their pay. which is
the major part of naval expense, is al
ways going on, and the only items es-
pecially chargeable to ship are wear
and tear, and this is usually less while
in commission than when laid up at
navy yard in ordinary; the expense Of
fuel, which while lying in port is q
small quantity, and the various arti-
cles used in the engine department.
So it can be shown that once ship
is built it is cheaper to keep her in
commission than to lay her up in ordi-
nary. In former days, during the
reign of wooden ships, the expenses Of
. cruise practically equaled the ex-
pense Of building the vessel, but the
advent of the modern cruiser has
changed all that, and the fleet of to-
day, costing millions per ship, requires
no more money to run it a cruise than
was needed for the old style of ship
common before the war.
! OF course this leaves out Of the count
the increased value of ammunition and
some other items, accidents of the stu
alton, which were not thought of in
the Olden times.