The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-29

eight men in the navy who fly the flag OF
there shall be but six officers of this rank.
Sampson is not rear admiral He is merely
acting Dewey gained the honor by his
victory in the Bay of Manila when the presi-
dent took advantage of the provision of law
allowing him to promote officers for meritori-
Gus conduct. when they have received the
thanks of congress. Secretary Long cabled to
Dewey upon receipt of news Of the victory
that 1.-The president has appointed you acting
admiral" He didn't really mean that, for he
must have known that the American navy
has neither vice admirals nor admirals The
highest officer is rear admiral, and Dewey
made an acting admiral before con-
gress action permitted the president to be-
stow the full rank of rear admiral upon him.
The rank of rear admiral corresponds with
that of major general in the army. Until
the second year of the Civil war the highest
naval rank was that of captain, though gen.
orally the title of commodore was given to
any flag officer who commanded squadron.
The rank of rear admiral was created in 1862
by act OF congress, and to this grade were
appointed Farragut and three other active
captains. The rank of vice admiral was Gre
ated in 1864 for Farragut for his capture
of Mobile and subsequent successes, and later
D. d. Porter and Stephen c. Rowan were
given the same rank. Congress went a step
further after the close of the war and created
the rank of admiral and to this Farragut was
appcint and later Porter. Congress provided
vice admiral should lapse and with the death
of Porter that of admiral should expire Upon
Porter's death, in 1891, both grades had ex-
pired.
rear admiral receives Sc 900 year while
at sea. on shore duty $1,000 and on leave or
waiting orders $4,000. AS a commodore
Dewey was paid 81 900 less in all lines of en-
ployment.
There is very coed chance that Dewey will
be the senior rear admiral of the navy before
year, and all of the other rear admrals re-
tire at various times during the present year.
These are at present admirals:
William A. Kirkland, commandant Of the
Mare Island navy yard, San Francisco, re-
tires July 9, 1898.
Joseph N, Miller, commanding Pacific sta
ton, retires Nov. %, 1898.
Montgomery Sicard chairman Of the board
of strategy, retires Sept. &c. 1898.
Edmund o. Matthews, president of the naval
examining board retires Oct. a. 1898.
Charles S. Norton, commandant Washington
navy yard, retires Aug. 10, 1898.
Francis M. Bunce, commandant Brooklyn
navy yard, retires Nov. 25, 1898.
George Dewey, commanding Asiatic station
retires Dec. 26, 1899.
p 1t will be seen from this list that Dewey
is the only rear admiral who has charge Of
squadron. During time of peace the most i'm
portant work of the naval department Is done
on shore. The executive department at Wash
1ngton and the various navy yards are the
ficers Of the highest rank are assigned. These
stations are also preferred because when
man gets to be about 60 years of age he be-
comes tired of rowing around the world and
likes to be stationed where he may see his
family every day.
William A. Kirkland, the senior rear ad-
miral, has been in the navy forty-eight years
at least one year longer service than has been
seen by any other man on the active list He
is Southerner, having been appointed from
North Carolina. Entering the navy in 1850,
Kirkland served in the Pacific squadron.
During the early part of the war then
lieutenant commander he was in Chinese wa
tiers. and he remained off the Asiatic coast
until 1854, when he was recalled to America
and assumed command of the ironclad Win
nebago, of the Western gulf bockading
squadron, and served under Rear Admiral
Thatcher in the combined movements of the
military and naval forces against the defenses
of Mobile. which resulted in the capture of
that place and the surrender of the Confed-
crate fleet. Since the war he has risen
through the various grades, becoming rear
admiral March 1, 1895.
The incident in Admiral Kirklands life that
attracted most attention occurred in October.
1885, when he was recalled by President Cleve-
land from the European station which he
commanded: The cause assigned for the re-
call was alleged indiscretion, first in having
written private letter to his old friend. M