New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-05
NAVAL AND ARMY NOTES.
Washington, February I.

sderation certain suggestions, when. II carried
out, will in the popular mind represent no more
than justice for the conspicuous services OF that
excellent officer The fact that he simply did his
duty as any officer would have done In promptly
obeylng his orders to visit Havana naturally occurs
TO the ordinary layman who has only an abstract
notion of naval discipline, but brother oficers-
many Of whom characterize Captain Slgsoee as
simply lucky to secure such an opportunity, anu
proclaim their regret that they were not so iottu-
nat as to be seected-nevertheless recognize INC
slight chance he would have had OF escaping from
Havana II the crisis had come, and cannot resist
according him great credit for volunteering Tor
hazardous undertaking OF this nature Ihey reco'-
lect his notable devotion to his family OF S"uns
children IN Washington, with whom MS chieI
pastime for several years has been IN Ifo'oS ""'
associations more as an elder brother than as
parent. and, to crown his domestic price ne ma"
been a few days ago Informed by cable that ne
was a grandfather at nfty-three Although cap
tain Sgsbee had always impressed MS superio's IN
an officer Of rare discretion and possessing IN re-
markable degree trose qualities which are i"ieu
upon in great enterprises his most notable services
10 the Government had been OF a scientific nature
For twenty years he was the deep-sea au'ho'iy
OF this country his apparatus for studying ocean
depths being used exclusively by all Governmeh's
and individual Investigators His long term as
hydrographer OF the Navy was marked by the I'M
provement Of that branch OF the service beyond
lakes his creation as well as the war upon
dangerous derellcts drifting about the Atlantic.
His last achievement before going TO sea year
ago was the practical Standardization OF CLOUDS
which has been enthusiastically received py
meteorologists the world over and has aFeauy
demonstrated It's lncalcuable benefit to mariners
His highly cultivated ingenuity IN mechanical
matters has left It's lasting impression on every
thing he ever undertook. and the Government Is
Indebted to him In hundred ways for devices
which have been adopted In the Navy ana other
executive departments. These are few OF the
matters thar the Administration appreciates ~
Captain Sigsbee, and they carried CONVICTION a. "
the desirability OF bringing MIN BACK 10 Mas IT,
ton wnete ms uhoSuqs h ~ Permitted to re-
main at sea While the heads or The Navy re
partment recognize that he quickly becomes CON
spcuous In any capacity. whetaeI ~ oe 10y down
ming his ship into dock TO avoid running no"n
a crowded ferry Dat and an excursion steamer, as
he did last summer under INC broonlyn i i royro
firing unexpected salute to the mos a.
he did at Havana the other day. tnsy leeI
he Is not man to BE KEEP ,b atof bc snail
succeed RearAdmira Matthews as Shie5 I, OF b tne
Bureau OF Yards and Docks on october ~ WE" wen
This Bureau. which is one OF the most important
in the Navy has been In state or decay LOT
ward having been single incident OF us admins
iration. and the Department chiefs are agreed mar
Hablitation. That he would whip all the navy
yards into effective shape Is not douoted ana 'n1I
eafcient navy goes almost without saying. In the
Intervening nine months 9e1o tSa he nav be or.
dered TO take the Maine out to the Asiatic slatoii
where it is deemed advisable TO send an armore3d
American vessels in Chinese waters up nv, ~
this time having been OF the s bapn n nnt
Pn rG5GSdf' the cr Asc. With as for
this Government as has been shown TO European
nations which maintain some Of their he, heaVteSt
hSrs ThS SSfse who has s Just t
from comman nd OF that squadron, and the Maine
was at suggested for the mission WIN , Ssgs
win The idea is to have s The Me e p4o sars OF
H bnf tme and proceed to IN. East by way Of The
edlterranean Captain sigs9ee W be cbnf Chinese
and Japanese ports. when he could then return to
tom In time TO assume charge Of the Bureau Of
Yards and Docks, with the relative RANK Oh Soin
AFTER ba ihf viii pu be
nltely determined upon in a few days.
FAILS TO BECOME COMMODORE-The senior
CAPTAIN Of the Navy Henry b. Robson. comman-
dant OF tho Portsmouth Navy Yard for the last
three years has failed to qualify for promotion 10
the grade OF commodore before the Naval Exam
lining Board and will therefore be forced on the
the Navy from Connecticut when he was fourteen
wears OF age and would not have been eligible ior
field S. schley, chairman Of the Lighthouse Board.
viii secure the first vacancy in the commodores
mSnding the battle-shlp Iowa. will tomorrow be-
como the ranking captain.
ATTACKING MILEAGE.-Army and Navy OFF,
Ger, will be alarmed to learn that determined ef-
fort IS being made 20 have Congress abolish the
mileage allowances paid 10 officers of the TWO ser
vices travelling under orders and to secure an
amendment TO the statutes egalzing accounts tor
tho actual necessary expenses incurred on duty
Journeys each item 10 be passed upon by the au-
ting ofiC als Of
a secret one and appears to be devised solely TO
give those behind II wider discretion In pruning
accounts the most rigid economical basis.
Tho suggestion has attracted the hearty
suppor, OF several Congressman who have
regulations as Treasury watchdogs" although
they do not hesitate to utilize their entire Con-
gressonal mileage allowance nor to commute their
full stationery and public document quota The IN
sidious attack is particularly aimed at the naval
saSs nch Of to h Ma Navy rae0
under orders I'm the United States shall be allowed
their actual expenses" 1t is well Known that this
amount seldom balances the expense OF shore jour
neys involving hotel accommodations, such as are
most common in naval orders and as Naval officers
practically never have occasion to patronlze the
to furnish free transportation the existing mileage
allowance is altogether insufficient sufficient
demonstration OF this fact IS shown by the rate OF
Congressional mileage, which is twenty cents Con
gress has carefully determined for Itself that It's
travel. Notwithstanding the readiness OF railway OF
cials provide passes to every possible deStlna-
ton. Naval and Army officers are conspicuously
ignored by the pass distributors The Army mile |
allowance, according to Regul2 ton 1921. is !
four cents mile for expenses and reimbursement
of the cost of transportation actually paid. exclusive
OF baggage transfer sleeping cars which not
allowed The only objection found by the Treasury
officials to this allowance Is that the minute de- |
tails Of spending the four cents are noi subject to
their investigation. The crusade the mileage |
system while ostensbly pursued on high moral and |
economical grounds II successful viii result, In !
the first place in large increase OF the force en-
ployed in the Treasury TO audit accounts, thereby
charging the civil patronage roll. 1t is also apt
TO call attention more especially to the disparity |
between the Congressional rate of 20 cents on tho |
one hand with the Naval rate of eight cents and |
the Army system of the actual ticket price and |
four cents on the other. In addition, the move |
ment may develop interesting informa tlOn
ing the travelling allowances made to high civilian
officials who find 1t convenient 10 make official in
spectiOns in various distant localities I'm which by
peculiar condolences. their presence is desirable for
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