The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-05-04

UNITED srafs FLAGS.
,iaay banner. nm. 1ryp,y ]. pIun..

~. NarIkyn.ta ar -A NaUDR ~
Many Banners 2ihl ,rypiry Distinct
Branch Q fsth, strvies.
After the national colors. which Of,
course take precedence OF alfother fagt.
comes the Jack, or, more commonly. the.
Union jack. This hag Is simply the.
Union" taken out OF the main colors.
and Il Is exclusively the distinguishing
flag OF the navy.
The President OF the United States,
who Is the head OF the army and navy,
Is entitled to the first ranking, flag In
the country. The Presidents Jflng is q
spread Fengle-the8 national coat.ot.
nrms-mountcd on n blue Held, sur.
mounted by n curved row OF thirteen
stars. IT ia. five feet six inches long by
four feet four Inches wide, is made OF.
the finest qualltysof seamless silk, and
Is trimmed with yellow fringe.
NextSt o the Presidents colors come
the flags Of the secretaries OF war and
navy, That for The secretary OF war
was adopted as recently as March s,
1897. 1t ID made Of scarlet silk, and Is
otherwise Identical with the Presidents
lag. with the exception that the thlr-
teen stars are replaced by four white
stars In the corners. The special flag
for the secretary OF the navy has a blue
field, and instead OF the national coat
of-arns. IL Embroidered with n white
anchor In the center.
Following In tho order OF rank, the
most Important flag In the army, next
to that Of the secretary OF. war. is the
United States army headquarters stand
ard. 1t has a blue fold gorgeously en-
~broldered with the national arms In
brown and gold. Wherever It appcars
in active service, It denotes tho pres
ence of the general commanding the
army or his nearest ranking general.
In regular limo OF march, every resi-
ment composing an army carries at It's
front the national colors, bearing on the
fourth red stripe from the toptt nuns
Der Of the regiment and It's character.
whether infantry, cavalry or artillery.
sBcsldess this, It carries n rcgimental
flag on which Is embroidered a national
coat-of-arms similar to that on The
Presidents special flag. Tho regimcnta1
flag OF the Infantry is blue: the cavalry.
Is yellow. The artillery and battalion
colors for engineers are both scarlet.
but the flag for engineers bearn a athrer-
turreted castle Instead of the spread
eagle.
The regulation colors for the army,
whether national or regimental. meas
urc five and one-half feet long by four
feet four inches wide. All Service"
flags are made Of bunting; colors for
ceremony are of silk. The trimmings,
fringe and cord and tassels of all flags
must conform to the regulation colors
OF the division to which they belong.
Flag pixies are nine feet long and an'inch
and q half In diameter In the center,
taperinS slightly toward the ends. The
pike Is tipped with n nickel-plated
spearhead In the shape of a heart.
In the navy there are seven flags des-
ignatlng rank. aside from the special
flag of the secretary OF the navy. Next
to his Is the assistant secrctary's, an ex-
net counterpart OF the former. only thai
the colors are reversed. All.the remain
ing flags have n blue field and white
stars; the order being. for admlrals,
four stars: for vice admirals, three
stars; for ear admirals, two stars; for
commodore. one star In center OF blue
pennant. The captains :pennant Is a
strip of bunting fifteen feet long. with
thirteen stars in q blue field and O rcd
and white stripe. Last of all Is a small
triangular pennant with a dead blue
field deTotinE the senior officers pres-
cnce. in the absence of the captain OF a
ship.
The special flag OF the officer highest
in rank invariably floats from the
main" Of the vessel he is on. When
the secretary of the navy visits a ship
of war, the commanding officers colors
are Immediately lowered from tie mast
head and the secretary's flag takes Its
place. During a squadron cruise the
captain OF The flagship never flies his
special flag, the admiral being the high
est ranking officer.
There are seven sizes OF, flags used In
the navy, ranging all the way from
thirty-six to three feet In length. The
first five sizes are designated officially |
as ship" flags. and the remaining two
are boat flags. Sizes Nos. l and 9 are
now almost obsolete. They were In
tended for the old wooden ~frigates.
whose sterns stood high above the wa