Omaha daily bee., 1898-04-21

Interesting Facts About Noted Car
tnlns of the NnNN.

Interesting Facts About Noted Cap-
tains of the Navy.
Captain Silas Casey. at the head OF the
list OF captains OF tie navy. comes OF a nght-
ing family. He is a son Of General Slas
Casey end brother OF General r. J. Casey.
chief Of engineers OF the army. who have
worn or are now wearing the uniform OF
| the United States. He Is at present in charge
OF the League Island navy yard. Captain
Frederick Rogers is another who comes OF
| family OF fighters. Captain Albert S.
Barker was the first man on tht, continent
| to fire shells filled with dynamite from
twenty -four-poupi howitZers. The regard
| In which Captain Honry c. Taylor Is held
by the authorities at Washington Il, SHOWN
by his assignment TO the presidency OF the
| Naval War college to succeed Captain Albert
T. Mahso. He is one OF the most progressive
men in the navy, ard Is never afraid to ti Ike
| up coy new idea that is presented to hic
no.ice and give 1t searching and careful trial.
| Ills disposition to keep up with the advance
or naval AFFAIRS all over the world makes him
very valuable man In case of emergency.
| To Captain w. NJ. Floger, recently promoi ed
and formerly chief OF the Ordnance bureau,
| 10 due muth Of the credit for the Use Of the
effective Harveyized armor plate.
On Captain A. s. Crowninshield as chief
| Of the Navigation bureau comes. next to the
oecretary OF the navy. the heaviest RESPONSE
bility for the conduct OF the affairs OF the
| department. Crowninshield was put into
his present place after the most severe COM
parisons OF his qualifications with these OF
men who had, perhaps rather more political
| influence. That he was chocen over them
shows sufficiently well that he is amply
capable OF doing Justice to his duty.
| Captain Harrington Purneh has made him
self mcst valuable to the department by his
| study Of torpedoes. This hJ what AGmiral
Porter said about Captain Silas w. Terry
| In dispatch to the secretary of the navy,
| May 4, 1864:
~ endeavor to do Justice to all officers
under my command. but have failed to men
tlon the gallant conduct of Ensign s. w.
| Terry ogi the expedition up the Red river.
He was placed on board Of the transport Ben.
eft to take dlspa tches to me at Springfield
| Landing. l had a field piece and a 24-pound
| howitzer placed Oh this vessel and a part
OF the crew CT the flagship to go with her.
| About fifty miles from Grand Ecore Mr..
| Terry discovered battery of four guns facing
| down the river on which he opened fire with
! his howitZers and steamed on. The battery
opened quick fire on him, striking the lit
! tie vessel almost every time. The river cap
tab1 Of the Benefit was killed and several OF
| the men but the little transport fought her
way through and brought me the dispatches,
which were important Such cool and brave
| conluct gives promise CT a good officer; l
commend him to the notice OF the depart
1 ment."
| Captain Richard p. Leary. during the time
| when he was the, senior officer at Samoa in
| 1883. had one OF those opportunities which
| every naval officer covets. When the Ger
| man war ships threatened to lombard the
| town Leary quietly ran his ship in between
| the German guns and the shore and then
| sent over and asked the Germans what their
Intentions were. There were no lombard
| ment.
| Captain Nehemiah M. Dyer came into the
navy from the volunteer army. Before en-
| lIstl.g in the army he had served six years
| in the merchant service. He was kept on
| active duty all through the war and had
| three commands before the war was over.
| In 1870, while in command OF the Ossipee,
! he jumped overheard in a hurricane and res
cued one OF his seametll
Captain French E. Chadwick has a repu-
tation in the navy very much like that OF
Captain Taylor his colleague in the Boar!
| OF Inquiry on the Maine disaster He is
consta1tly studying and working over piers
| for the improvement of the navy, even when
| such work is outside the strict requirements
| OF his duty.
| Commander Francis W. Dickens, although
| a redho American citizen, is the most An
| ished Spanish scholar in the navy. Not very
far below Commander Dickens ON the list is
Commander Eiwin White, who while
in 1872. found the Spanish man-cf-
war Pizarro blocking the American
steamer Virglnus in the harbor OF
Colon. The Virginius was accused of run
ming the Spanish blockade of Cuban ports.
White did then very much what Leary did
at Samoa fifteen years later. He put his ship
between the foreigner and the American mer-
chantman, and told the captain of the Vir-
ginius to go where he pleased. The Virgin
| lus went out OF the harbor, the Kansas fol-
Ir~,,,o
When the Virginius was well out CT reach,
Commander White went about his business
at Colon.
Commander Willard H. Brownson, whose
appointment to special duty abroad in con-
nection with. the purchase of ships has made
familiar the story of his coolness in Tue
harbor Of Rio Janeiro, when he called the
bluff Of the insurgent admiral. He is another
OF the men who smile when they see trouble
| coming, aud he is respected accordingly. He
has been assigned to command one OF the
| emergency cruisers. Commander Charles
Herbert Stockton commanded the Thets on
her famous trip into the Arctic ocean, when
| ehe went nearer the North Pole than any
other war ship has ever been.
Captain William M. Foger, u s. NJ, who
Is to be placed in conmand OF Uncle Sans
new war ship, the New Orleans, formerly
the Amazonas, recently purchased from
Brazil. is now the inspector OF the Eleventh
New York light house district. The captain
during his term OF thirty-seven years service
In the navy has been shifted about from one
position to another. until 1t may be said that
| there Is no aspect Of naval work with which
he is unfamiliar. He has served in the Ash
attic station, in the European station, in the
academy at Annapolis. in the bureau or ord
nance and in many other posts, to say noth-
ing Of the ships which he has commanded a.
sea. For several years Captain Folger waa
chiefly busy with important work connected
with the new ordnance provided for the navy
and the establishment Of a plant for the man
ufacture OF the same. He has also been a
director OF the trials to which armor plate
has been subjected, and has consequently
wide reputation among engineers and army
and Gavy men in many countries. Besides
all that. Captain Folger is thorough and
practical sailor.
IIlysses 8 Neacx OF MLssoliri and Iyillia N,