The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-06
RAISED FROM THE RANKS,
Announcements Made in the
United States Revenue Cut
ter Service.
RETIREMENTs ON HALF PAY.
Work of the Alexander Hamilton
Club-Effect on the Rush
and Bear.

The revenue cutters Bear and Richard
Rush are now in port preparing for cruise
to Bering Sea- and the officers on both YES
sells will speed away on the northern trip
with light hearts and joyous expectati ons
For the first time in many years has the
chance for promotion in the service been
opened, and advances will occur all along
the line. In the closing hours OF the last
session of Congress the following amend
ment was tackled on to the sundry civil
bill and passed after bitter fight:
That the President of the United States is
hereby authorized to convene board to be
composed of three surgeons of Marine Hospital
service, to examine and report upon all officers
now in the revenue cutter service who, through
no vicious habits of their own, are now inca
pacitated by reason of the infirmities of age or
physical or mental disability to efficiently per-
form the duties of their respective offices. And
such officers as, under the terms OF this act,
may be reported by said board to be so perma-
nently iRcapacitated shall be placed on wait
ing orders out of the line of promotion, with
one-half actual duty pay, and the vacancies
shall be filled by promotion in the order OF
seniority, now provided by law; provided,
however, that no such promotion shall be
made until the professional qualities OF the
candidates shall be determined by written
examination before board of officers of the
revenue cutter service, convened by the Secre-
further, that the number OF officers upon the
actual list now authorized by law shall not be
increased by this act
There is history in connection with the
passage of the foregoing clause in the sun
dry civil bill. The legislation was effected
by the Alexander Hamilton Club repre-
scented by Engineer-in-Chi j. w. Collins.
The club is composed of officers in the ser
vice, and was organized six years ago for
the purpose of effecting the transfer of the
service to the naval establishment. The
effort was abandoned at the end OF the
Fifty-second Congress, but the club still
continued in existence, with the better
ment and improvement of the same III
view. In circular addressed to those
concerned Engineer Collins tells of the
troubles which had to be surmounted in
getting Congress to act on the retirement
and promotion proposition. The bill was
defeated in July, 1894, by filibustering on
the part of Champ" Clark of Missouri,
and in February the only hope for the
measure appeared to lie in incorporating it
in one of the appropriation bills, the naval
and sundry civil bills being the only ones
to which it was germane. A fight was
made to get it tackled to the former, but 1t
was finally put on the latter, and Senator
FRYE remained on guard until O'Clock IN
the morning of the last day of Congress to
see that it was not knocked out.
The fight was gallant one, but now
that the point has been carried the mem
bers of the service are asking each other
what has been accomplished. The younger
officers answer the question by saying,
eve have been promoted" Those who
have been on waiting orders are inclined to
growl on the proposition that their pay
has been reduced from three-quarters to a
half. The fact of the matter is that this
much has been gained for the service: The
officers who were on waiting orders are
assured of a pension for life, and are put
on the same plane as army and navy Off
GERS. But for those who may be retired in
the future the outlook is dark. No pro-
vision is made for them.
The officers on this coast who will profit
by the new law are:
William Z. Reynolds of the Wolcott and
Francis NJ. Dunwoody of the Rush, pro-
NOTED from the rank of second to first
lieutenant; George NJ. Daniels of the Bear
will get a second lieutenancy; Third Lieu
tenant d'Otte of the Corwin will be adj
vanced peg, and Won Boskerck of the
Rush is now a second lieutenant. In the
engineering department Edward G.
! Schwartz, first assistant on the Bear will
be raised to chief engineer, as will First
Assistant A. L. Broadbent on the Rush.
| First Lieutenant Tuttle of the Grant and
| First Lieutenant Mcconnell of the Hartley
are raised five numbers in the line toward
| a captaincy. Junior officers will be adj
| vanced from five to fourteen numbers
| along the line of promotion. On the re-
tired list on this coast the only one to be
affected is Captain Charles NJ. Scammon,
who has been on waiting orders since 1888
| Second Lieutenant Benham, who some
years ago was In command of the Custom
| house tug Hartley, also goes on the retired
list. He is now in Toledo, Ohio, and is
! blind