The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-27
MEN OF THE NAVY.
Highest officers and Their Positions
In Case of War.

- NV VI w al
+, Boston Journal: I'VE have only one
officer commanding the army and the
nav. and he is the president of the
United States" said naval authority
yesterday, when asked by d journal re-
porter 10 give information regarding the
American naval commanders.
The fact Is that the navy mas no officer
/ corresponding IN authOutT TO General
Nelson A Miles,. Tor the reason thar while
in the army the senior major general Is
in active command because he is always
I on duty. II Is not 50 IN the navy. wherein
the senior admiral NAV nave no active
service. and. in fact may be paced upon
waiting orders while a junior takes mis-
place afiOat.
In the event of war who would COM
mand our navy, is an interesting ques tiyn.
tne post OF admiral died with David
Porter The post OF vice admiral died
with Vice Admiral Rowan.
Since their time We nave had no higher
commanding Otncer than rear admiral
At present Wiuam y. Kirkland is the
senior rear admiral He mas been com
mandant at Mare Island yard. he retlres
July 1898.
I.ear Admiral Joseph Nelson Miller who
was last at this station before promotion,
comes next by the recent retirement of
Rear Animals BeardSlee and Seifridge-
Acniral Miller = now at Honolulu in
command OF the Pacific squadron, and he
viii not retire at present. II is known by
friends here His retirement comes in
due course in November. 1885. Should pro-
motion 10 fun command come to hlm his
Boston friends would heartily cOngratu-
late him.
Rear Admiral Montgomery Sicard is now
in command of the north atlantic squad
ron at TOrtugas and Key West Ile re-
tires in September. 1898. and therefore it
is considered that he is likely 10 hold on
where he is. but were he TO be relieved
station, would simply be commanding the
north Atlantic squadron.
Rear Admiral Edmund .. Mathews
comes next TO SicarG IN point Of seniority.
bit he 5 70 retire this summer. He IS
chief of the bureau OF yards and docks.
20 which position he was appointed March
Pear Admiral Charles S. Norton. pro-
NOTED on the first OF February TO fill the
.vacanc-- Occasioned by the retirement of
Rear Admiral Beardslee, was in command
of the navy yard at Washington from
May %. 1886. He retires this year.
The junior of the six aGmirals on the
active list is Rear Admiral Bunce. whose
nag was just saluted the other day at the
Brooklyn yard. Admiral Bunce retires in
December. 1888. a month after Miller.
In the natural sequence OF events. there
fore, Commodore AIcNair may find him
self the senior rear admiral OF the navy
some time in 1859, but. under existing reg
ulations. thet does not place him in the
active command OF the entire fleet. be
cause the government may designate some
other officer. and without any OF that fric-
ton which might occur under the situa-
NlU-- rs II eNlSLS IN the .lILAl- as Tor m
stance. il Major General Merritt were
suddenly ordered to supeTcede General
Niles. because Il has been the unWritten
law in the navy for many years that the
government snail 60 this thing and Of
tcers shall obey.
IN the event of war everyone of the re-
tired admirals is available to the president
and secretary of the navy. They become
2 once subject TO orders and win report
for duty.
pear Admiral John G. Walker now re-
tired. would in the judgment of a brother
retired naval officer of highest rank who
expressed himself the other day. be the
one selected TO take the active command
Admiral Walker has had a most cOmpre-
hcnsive experience since his appointment
to the navy in 1850. His service covers
both the -ev and the old cruisers and
battleships and very considerable period
with the new squadron Admiral Walker
was not placed upon the retired list until
5Iorch %. 1897 He is at present residing
in Washington.
Commodore Frederick V McNair is now
the senior commodore He has but Just
returned from the As;atsc station. where
he was relieved by Commodore George
D2we.-. He served with Farragut in the
and the opening of the Mississippi. and
was in both attacks on Fort Fisher The
commodore wcs Gre of the past com
nanders of the old Ksarsargc. For six
.-ears he was in charge o. the naval OBJ
scrvatOr-- from whence he went to the
Asiatic SQUADRON. The commodore Will
not retire until 1901. that ne may wear
his admiTais flag somewhat longer than
have most Of his predecessors.