The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-02
About Commodore Schley.

/ NOAA-~ NAAO IGCc ll4dt Id4Co tAO WIN 49,
is as much American as Nelson or Drake
was English, and he Is broad figure Of
man whose name, even while he lives,
| is mentioned in all the American books of
biography that deserve the title
Like Dewey, Schley was prankish. He
was up TO all kinds OF deviltry. and even
when he was a youthful officer on board
ship he had way of startling his supe-
riors. But he always escaped punishment
He had a way with him that was Win
ming.
The name Schley is OF German origin,
but the commodore has been American
for generations. The correct pronunc!a-
ton Of the commodore's patronymic IS
''Shlee'' OF SHAY" not "Sklay" or ski
or 'Shlee' or "ShH," as some have called
it. He was born at Frederick, Md, Oct.
3, 1888. He entered the naval academy IN
1855, and was graduated in 1859. He dis
tingHished himself by coming out OF the
academy as near the bottom of his class
as IT was possible for him deliberately
10 get He afterward proved that your
prankish boy can make fine man. and
he struck a red mark for himself high
UP in the war annals of his country. 1t
was i4O VIM COHH1dtldC0 thS
that saved Lieutenant Greedy and mis- six
survivors of the terrible expedition to the
pole. The boldness of the boy became
the bravery of the man. Commodore
5chley has all the elements that go to
make up the hero that men worship.
Commodore Schley's youth is very inter
esting, and Is recalled with sparkling
eyes by naval men who served with him
in 1861, when the Niagara, the crack
ship Of the United States, was sent to
Japan to carry the Japanese embassy
home. Schley had a small foot, of which
he was over-proud. To emphasize the
member he wore trousers that were wide
at the knee and very narrow at the bot
tom. This earned him the soubriquet of
Peggy" from the peg-top cut of his
pants. AS a midshipman he won the love
of the foksl, which approved his taste in
trousers and silently took his part when
his fellow officers laughed at him. This
midshipman was the personification of
terror for the grave "Japs" of the embas-
sy, and it is related of him that he en-
compassed the death by drowning of two
Japanese monkeys by greasing their tails
and sending them aloft by whoop.
When the Niagara returned and anchor
ed off Boston, Captain Mexican, the COM
mander, drew his men up on the deck and
asked them to take the oath of allegi-
ance. Three of the middies fatty refused.
They were E. c. Read of Virginia, who
meant what he did, and Thomas l.. Swami
and Winfield Scott Sehley, both of Mary
land, who refused just because the others
did. It is related that Mexican gave the
boys a lecture which brought them to
fbnra
be in the tale, there is no doubt that young
Schley made gallant officer and fought
for the flag as valisntly as any of the men
who were with him in the academy. That
he did not win as high return as others
in the civil war was perhaps due to the
short participation he had in the fighting.
He was not out of the naval academy two
years when he was commissioned a lieu
tenant
Schley's most signal performance was
his search for and discovery of Greedy
in the frozen Businesses of the north.
Lieutenant, now General, Adolphus W.
Greedy, went north with his expedition in
1881. Nothing had been heard from him
in two years, and late in 1888 talk was
made of sending an expedition to relieve
him. The then Commander Schley volun-
teered his services as head of the reliev-
ing expedition. The expedition consisted
of the Tnetis and the Bear, the Alert.
kindly lent by the government of Great
Britain. and the Loeb Larry, a supply
ship. This feet set sail April %, 1854.
On this historic trip Commodore Schley
was once in as great danger as he may
ever be from Spanish guns. According to
his own story, the incident happened
shortly after his leaving Disco. The at
mosphere was hazy." he says. from a
light fall of snow We were running at
a nine-knot rate. This was a right stiff
gait for the latitude and the weather.
l must admit. Suddenly we came in con-
tact with an iceberg dead ahead which no.
body had been able to see. l had never
had such a shock in my life. 1t seemed
for an instant that every mast in the
ship must go by the board, and felt sure
my teeth and hair had preceded them.
l was in the crows nest, a sort of observ-
atory made of a barrel fastened to the
top of the foremost, and / was nearly
thrown out and to the deck below. The
ship rebounded at least thirty feet and
| naturally expected soon to hear the an
that she had sprung a leak,
but as q matter of fact Eo1 a seam was
started"
The ships plowed north and found the
great explorer and the remnant OF his
expedition. The name of Schley must ever
be associated with THAT of Greedy in the
history of arctic exploration.
The commander OF the flying squadron
has many graces OF person. He has the
and the force of the southerner
and the GOODNESS and daring OF the
Yankee. He Is n man Of books and Ian
guages. His French and Italian and
Spanish are quite as good as his English.
II he was not overdose in application at
The academy he has been very diligsnt
since he left It, and there is no man in
he navy with better education. He Is
tall and fine figure OF a man. He has
an intelligent head and intellectual eye.
The man honors the uniform as the ua!- ,
form honors the man.
His career as It may be obtained from /
ne records has him serving on the Poto- I
mac after leaving the Niagara From 1
he Potomac he went to the Winona, then /
10 the Monongahela. then 10 the sloop /!
Richmond. He was often under heavy /
ire. From 1854 to 1866 he was executive 4
1ficer Of the Wateree. Pacific squadron,
md was used TO suppress the instruction /
Il the Chlnchz Islands IN 1854 He then (.
served IN the naval academy. In the Ben 4
"a and IN the As.atic station. He saw 4
Lieutenant Mckee shot 90 death al his I
tide In the attack or the batteries Of the 4
saler River Corea. in ISL From the 4
lust and smoke OF battle he was trans 4
erred TO Annapolis TO be head OF the 4
academic department OF modern Tan
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