The Portland daily press., 1895-05-16

Read Admiral Meade. now standing
number four Oh the list, is the youngest
Q ficer of the grade in the navy. He
was born in New York city October 9,
1887, and appointed a midshipman from
California October 2, 1850, so that he
has been over A years in the naval SER
vice. His record is remarkable for the
mum Der of events and hard service it en-
compasses. He VAS present at tbs oele-
DRAFTED /" K osta" affair in Smyrna, in 1858
as midshipman. He received his war
rant as master in 1858, and received
his commission as lieutenant later in the
same year. In 1862 he joined the North
Atlantic blockading squadron, thus be-
ginning his war service. In the same
tenant commander. His first command
was the ironclad Louisville of the West
ern fotilla, employed in breaking up
guerilla warfare on the upper Mississippi
for which he was commended byAdmiral
Porter. He commanded the naval bat
talon during the celebrated July riots
in New York. being stationed in the
lower part of the city from Monday to
Saturday.
command of the Marblehead Stone river,
SC, he was not only commended by his
immediate superior, but was officially
thanked in official orders by Admiral
Dahlgren. and recommended for promo
tion by the board of admirals for "gal-
liant conduct In the face of the enemy"
In this case with the seventy men of the
Marblehead's crew he repulsed an attack
by vastly superior forces of infantry and
artillery, the purpose of which was to
drive Gen. Gilmore's forces out of Stone
inlet. Although the Marblehead was
struck thirty times in the hull be drove
off the. enemy and subsequently led a
landing party which destroyed their
batteries. Commanding the Chocura in
the West Gulf he captured and destroyed
seven blockade runners in the fall OF '64,
and few months later again earned
official thanks by cutting out of the
Calcasieu river and destroying in the
face of greatly superior force the
blockade runner Delpinah. AS COM
mander in 1870 he made a comprehensive
report on the gun factories of the coun-
try, and then in the same year COM
manded the schooner yacht America in
the famous race with the British yacht
Cambria. From 1871 to 1873 he COM
manded the Narragansett and made one
of the most remarkable cruises on record
sailing under canvas about 10000 miles,
visiting all parts of the Pacific ocean.
surveying harboIs and islands, collecting
indemnities from the Polynesian sayages,
and last, but not least, negotiating the
celebrated Samoan treaty, for which he
was officially commended by the Secre-
tary of the Navy. He received his COM
mission as captain in 1880, and on relin-
gushing the command to the Vandalia,
his admiral reported to the department
"that as a commanding officer he had
no superior" After service on number
boards he took command of the Wash
ingtn navy yard in 1887 and transformed
that yard into the great naval ordnance
shop it now is. He was mem ber of the
government board at the Worlds Fair
and that novel craft, the brick ship
was his own design. He became COM
modore in 1892, and his present conn mis-
Sion as rear admiral bears date of Sep
tember last. His principal service since
that date has been in command of The
North Atlantic squadron in its cruise of
evolution through the West Indies.