New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-19
NEWS OF ARMY AND VA l.
FIVE VESSELS SOON TO co INTO CUM
MISSION.

! ADMIRAL. WALKERS SUGGESTIONS FOR IN
pRoyEMENT IN THE STATUS
oy LINE OFFICERS
fBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRiBuSsl
y,-,soi,rton. March lS--Admirdl Walker yes'er,
| do,. ,rose,ted the Joint commission on the naVai
nersonnel an important proposition IooN'is ~ a
imnrovement Of the status OF line oI'ct'S' IL ',
rosnocts the measure is the most sitisidcto'! VI "
! suggestions yet submitted looking TO the a''a'"
ment bv officers of command rank at reason
h,, aarlv age The proposition has. untor'uhate'S'
the un-Amorican principle Of selection IN H. anu =.
is therefore likely TO incur hostil'y' no' o"' ~
| Congress- but among raval officers VINO oppoae a'''
nrncip,c OF advancement except iha' oi Se'''O''''
THO sia,crson has the distinctive merit OF crea'
ING Young commanders in the Navy, however anu
{, his rcsuect II is according to the opinion OF
officers who believe taat much must De saci!'ieeu
n roach this necessary end. an ahmfdDie scneirV
n rho author Of the measure has obtained the hlgh-
oct possi,!e rank in the Navy. his Suggestions c"''
! no regarded as free from any selfish motive
Admiral Walker proposes that the active ESl oi
tho Navy shall consist OF twenty ro1r-ad-
mirals sixty captains eighty commanders 90 "eu
tenants geventy-hve lleutenants. junior grade' !"
ensigns and the number of naval cadets no" au-
thorlzed BIZ law. This suggestion aDollshes t'e
grades OF commodore and lieutenant-cofnfhdnuerS
chiefs Of bureau Of the Navy Department having
4
however 10 have their status changed. tomno-
dorcs now on the active list are to be promoted
IN, seniority 10 the grade OF rear-admra. In tire
future promotions TO the grade OF rear-admrAi
are to 10 made from the list OF captains
Vacancies In the grade Of lieutenant-commander
are 10 Ice considered as vacancies In the grace OF
lieutenant and are to be filed by promotion TO
,hat rank Lieutenans after ten years service are
10 he entitled TO the rank and uniform now pre-
scrbed FOR NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and an increase
in IA, Of 500 year. After fifteen years service
,loutenans are to receive further increase in pay
Of 200 As long as the grade Of lcutenant-'om
mandcr exists it is to be regarded ~ forminS with
that OF Weutonants one grade for purposes Of pro-
motion ami retirement.
staff officers OF the grade OF acknowledgements
or are 10 be placed under The same restrictions as
Uertcnants who have served ten in that grade
The age Of admission Of cadets to the Naval Acad-
envy 's placed at fifteen years cadet who. at
the end u his six years' course. obtains at his
final examination g. per cent OF the maximum
marks in s.ananship guanery. navigation ai1
practical knowledge Of seacoast prk ard is marked
excellent In ofiicer-ikc bearing. aptitude ana ca
Iacity shall he advanced upon the onsgns ist
ton numbers beyond the position in his class due
- his graduating averages Promotion from the
several GRADES - No line to b. as follows. ac-
corilug t. ADMIRAL Walkers proposition:
From the grade Of ensign to that Of lieutenant
Junior grade. six officers are u be promoted by
seniority AMI one by selection; from the grade OF
Lieutenant: Junior grade. 10 tina. OF lieu,encnt five
hy seniority and ono BY selection from the grades
Of lirn,c.aat and Lieutenant commander TO that Of
commrnder three by seniority and ono by seloc-
ton: from the grade ~ commander 70 that Of
captain tro by seniority and on" by selection;
from tho g~ade u captain 70 that - rcar-adnira,
wholly by selection.
Tho ra,!ls ~ promotion from the several grades
are % be- continuous. in time Of peace no officer
s. 1, Doe elsJ!e FOR promotion ~ selection unless
be- has pc~sorm.I. in the grade from which So
loc'cI a prcr-r.bel service in seasoing men-o,-
war The selection q officers IL - be determined
by bolrl OF Ave officers senior in rank to those
{, be- examined Members II the board are 10 be
sworn 10 q faithful performance Of this du;y. and
o. secrecy as Ia their deliberations. To reach just
c'nclusons AZ To officers character and ah'l-
lty th- board ls - b" furnished with such official
records 81 the Navy Department a. may be neccs-
9ay.
April ls the date fixed hy the authorities for five
al lil1ul! yssvls of th" Nav - b. placed IN COM
mission The .hirs are the Atlanta. The Clncin-
natl the Raleigh. thc Bancroft AMI IN" Alert. The
Atlanta is practically ready f'r sea. There is little
doubt hat shr viii remain on the home station with
captain ilgs!nspn IN command. While the Cincin-
natl and the Raleigh are not ready In all respects
for sea- u IL thought advisable that they should
haze their officers and men on board pending com
pction Thr Cincinnati Is at New York and the
Raleigh AZ Norfolk They were constructed AZ Cow
eminent plants under the supervision ~ naval Off
GERS Captain Henry Glass will command the en-
clnnau and Captain Merrill Miller the Kireigh.
For thc present the two shi9s viii remain on the
home station. Later the VIII be sent on foreign
cruise.
The Bancroft is now undergoing renairs AZ Nor
folk. At last accounts she WAS In drydock being
scrApc ANA painted preparatory 20 sea service. she
viii tax" a number u the naval cadets on the
"%er 'c! ~ The naval Academy are over Captain
Chcs.er win command the vessel TIE Alert will
lr &c. "a
1sani Navy ltrl whcr" she has undergone n
thorough ovcrhauling. Commander Morgan will be
her commenting officer
Reports made to the Naval Bureau Of ordancc
show that highly satisfactory results were developed
In The recent experiments AZ the torpedo station
arms FOR the Navy and Marine Corps Accordingly
nxita'iont to me nycntors OF me country To sun,
weapon have been prepared by Commodore Sam!-
rhc NcWRor; rxpcrimenis dryeopcG someTa hat re-
markabc results in the matter OF velocity and
went through single iron plates one.Quarter Of an
inch thick Fifty inches OF pine and twcn,y-sryen
plates. each thrcc-siNteenths of an inch thick and
pine backing OF six inches lid not keep the shots
ter 81 an inch thick and three three-sixtcenth-nch
steel plates were almost penetrated the cartridge
in each huginy the plates 10 the rear nearly
the thickness Of each plate and causing a crack AK
he centre OF tnc nuseI pnrt i ms Snowhg "f ht
ncnrir'ted bv the new Saw rne The yeocltics
variety Of the smokcless type Nth thirty-six
rate OF $50 feet per second. With thirty seven
and with thirty eight grains the very high velocity
Of $50 feet per second WAS attained At hlty feet
the highest mean velocity obtained with the new
.3O-calibrr army rifle 20i1 foot seconds. Shots
fired from the navy rifle Will under favorable atmos
seconds. ~ such highly satstactory results have
been reached before. either In this country or
abroad. with small arms.
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