Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1898-06-02

Admiral (when the Office is created)
to General.
Vice Admiral (when the Office is ere.
ated) to Lieutenant General.
Rear Admiral to Major General.
Commodore to Brigadier General.
Captain to Colonel.
Commander to Lieutenant Colonel.
Lieutenant Commander to Major.
Lieutenant to Captain.
Lieutenant, junior grade, to First
Lieutenant.
Ensign to Second Lieutenant.
Considering only the two highest
grades now actually held, the number
of officers in each since 1882 has been
six Rear Admirals and ten Commodores
The present Rear Admirals in order Of
seniority are:
William A. Kirkland, commandani
of the Mare Island Navy Yard, San
Francisco, retires July 8, 1898.
Joseph N. Miller, commanding Pa
cific station, retires November %, 1898
Montgomery Slcard, on duty in the
office of the Secretary of the Navy
retlres September 80. 1898.
Edmund o. Matthews, president OF
the Naval Examining Board, retires
October "a, 1898.
Charles s. Norton, commanding
Washington Navy Yard, retires THU
year.
Francis M. Bunce, commanding the
Brooklyn Navy Yard, retires this year
Officers of the navy may be retired
on their own application after 40 years
service, and those above the rank o.
Lieutenant Commander must retire
upon their reaching the age Of 81
Those below that rank are retired fol
physical or mental disability. The
pay of retired naval officers Is three
quarters OF their sea pay of the rank
they held at the time of their retire
ment. At sea Rear Admiral receives
$4,000 a year; on shore duty, $4,000
and ON leave, or waiting orders, $4 ,0O(
Commodores are paid 81 900 less in al
three lines Of employment.
Retired officers of the navy can moi
be assigned to active duty except il
time of war, and the purpose of the
administration 80 far has been not tt
assign retired officers in the army and
navy to field or sea duty, but to lei
these posts of danger be held by those
still on the active list. Of course, such
work as the command of the mosquito
feet along the coast is excepted. Thii
has been given to Admiral Erben, wlc
was retired four or five years ago,
Until the second year of the Civil
War the highest naval rank was thai
of Captain, though generally the title
of Commodore was given to flag off
Ger who commanded a squadron. In
1862 the rank of Rear Admiral was
created by Congress, and to this grade
were appointed Farragut and three
other active Captains, and about dozen
retired Captains. In 1864, fer his cap
ture of Mobile and subsequent successes
Farragut was appointed to the newly
created rank of Vice Admiral, and
later, D. D. Porter and Stephen G.
Rowan were given the same rank. After
the war ended, Congress went a STEP
further, and made the glade of Admi.
raj, and to this grade promoted Farra.
gut and Porter. There was o special
provision Of the laws creating Admir-.
ais and Vice Admirals which caused
the grades to die with the men holding
them. When Farragut and Porter va
Gated their commissions as vice to &C
cept the higher Office, it left Rowan the
only holder of the second place, and
upon his death in 1890 the Office lapsed.
Farragut died in 1879, leaving Porter
sole posessor of the commission of full
Admiral, and upon his death in 1891
both grades were vacated until Congress
sholl reviva than mariana. for heroes