The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-12-27
Rear Admiral Kirkland Now
the Ranking Officer Of Uncle
Sans Ocean Force.
PROMOTIONS IN SIGHT.
During the TweIve-Month Death Has
Claimed Six Retired Rear
Adrairals
Special Dispatch to The Call.
Call ONCE, Riggs House,

Washington, Dec. Is.
Many important changes Of stations,
promotions and retirement are shown
In the Naval Register of 1888, which is
TO be issued soon after January l.
Forty-eight officers resigned their
commissions during the year, forty
three of whom were naval cadets. The
+ others include Lieutenant c. A. Stone,
retired; Ensign S. r. Hurlbut, AS
sistant Paymaster William P. Braw-
ley, Passed Assistant Surgeon f. G.
Brathwaite and Chaplain NJ NJ. Good
win. 1t is understood Secretary Long
has determined to appoint the Rev.
B. o. Skies, a Methodist Episcopal
clergyman of Pennsylvania, to fill the
vacancy caused by Mr.. Goodwin
resignation.
Forty-two officers OF the navy and
four officers of the marine corps were
placed on the retired list during the
year. Among them were Rear Ad-
mirals J. G.. Walker, F. NJ. Ramsay
and George Brown, and Commodores
r. L. Pythian and r. r. Wallace
Thirty nine officers of the navy and
two In the marine corps died, among
them being Rear Admirals J. L. Wor-
den, S. P. Lee, E. r. CoIhoun, J. H.
Russell, ]. S. Skerrett and R. w.
Meade, ell on the retired list.
There were two dismissals-Pay-
master John Corwine and Naval Cadet
r. +. Turner.
The ranking officer OF the navy, &C
cording to the forthcoming register is
Rear Admiral w. A. Kirkland, who
commands the Mare Island Navy
Yard. Commodore c. S. Norton heads
the active list of commodores and will
receive his promotion in February
next, on the retirement Of Rear Ad-
miral T. 0. Selfridge. Captain H. B.
Robson, captain Of the navy yard at
Portsmouth, n. H, is senior captain.
Nine commanders will be promoted
to captains during the coming year.
Commander T. F. Jewell is senior COM
mander. Fifteen officers who hold the
rank of lieutenant in January will be
placed on the acknowledgements 8
list in the new register. There were
twenty-five officers promoted from
lieutenant, Junior grade, to lieutenant,
and twenty-four ensigns promoted to
the next higher rank.
Medical Director c. K. Kleburne is
senior medical officer of the navy and
W. K. Van Reypen surgeon general.
G.. F. Winslow is senior medical in
spector, o. D. Norton ranking past as
sistant surgeon and r. K. Smith
ranking assistant surgeon. G. H. Ell
dredge heads the list of pay directors.
]. e. Tollfres is ranking pay inspector,
A. w. Bacon ranking paymaster, H.
r. Sullivan ranking past assistant
paymaster and II. E. Biscoe ranking
assistant paymaster. In the engineer
corps Chief Engineer Philip Inch is
the senior officer, r. T. Hall ranking
past assistant engineer and W. II. Nc
Cram ranking assistant engineer.
w. o. Holway is still senior chaplain,
Professor William Hardness senior pro-
fessor of mathematics. Chief Naval
Constructor Philip Hichborn the rank
ing naval constructor and P. G. Aser-
son ranking officer of the civil engineer
corps.
The new register will show that there
are fourteen vacancies in the line,
fourteen in the engineer corps, seven
teen in the medical corps and one
among the professors of mathematics.
It is considered likely that there will
be enough vacancies on June 80 next
for the graduates Of the naval acade-
my. Secretary Long is making an ear
nest effort to secure more physicians
for the medical corps, and has recon-
mended to Congress that the age limit
Of admission be raised.