New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-10
NAVAL PROMOTIONS.
oo,,voDORE HOWELL MADE REAR
ADMIRAL BY THE RETIREMENT
or ADMIRAL NORTON
Inv TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE. !


.,reton Aug 9-The retirement at midnight
,gh, Of RearAdmiral Charles S. Norton. COM
ending the Washington Navy Yard ana ordnance
.,or,, causes the promotion TO rear-adm,rai OF
I-oodore John A. Howell, commanding the nrs'
"s-on Of the North Atlantic fleet. and of Cap
~, bartlett J. Cromwell. member OF the Examin-
'~ md Retiring Board. to the rank Of commodore.
49,. .ba understanding al the Navy Department
-, commodore Cromwell Will Immediately re'He
or his own application after forty years acuNe
,4ce and In this event Captain John W. fh'iip'
n,,v commanding the batte-ship Texas. and
- under orders TO command the Mare Island
49,. yard. will Immediately become commodore.
o,ding TO current gossip among naval of1cers.
H-oaore Cromwe's retirement will he due 10
-, ,.c, that ne can never hope for further pro-
ton before he will reach the age limit OF sixty
M rsars February O. 1902. unless by the death or
:. ,east three officers superior 10 him. as Commo-
80 Cromwers sequence number among nag
us becomes No ls tomorrow. while only
v,,oa, retirements above him are at all likely In
49, next three years. These circumstances have
..-ac,ed particular attention to the approaching
,,r.roents near the head Of the naval service.
18TH disclose several interesting facts. All the
Sao,ro,s above Dewey will retire this year on
,i,c the age limit Of siXty-two years. Admiral
cid goes out September 80 Admiral Mathews
r.oh.r .. Admiral Miller November %. and Ad-
- Runce December q. on Christmas Day.
,harofore Admiral Dewey will become the rank
A., oe,cer Of the Navy and. under ordinary cir
.,,ros,onces would retain that distinction exactly
O year as his birthday was December ". 1851.
II however as will probably be the case. Con-
s-nss should extend the provisions of Section l.4i6
- ,ba Revised Statutes to include the present war
n.vov.s famous victory Of May l at Cavite will
resnlt in an addition of ten years 10 his active
rsofulness in the Navy and he will be retained at
the bend Of the service until September g. 1879
when he will be nearly seventy-two years old The
n,ov,sIons Of this statute follows
officers on the active list not below the grade Of
commander who have. upon the recommendation
Of the President. received by name during the war
hanks Of Congress for distinguished service shall
not be retired except for cause until they nave
been hfty-hve years in the service OF the United
States
II is a peculiar coincidence that Commodore
Sampson and Captain Cromwell who entered the
service together. and who commissioned cap
ta,ns together on March 26. nine years ago. were
born on the same day. February 9. 1910
Admiral Norton has received orders continuing
him IN command Of the Washington Navy Yard.
He is a native of New-York and entered the Naval
Academy in 1855 After graduating he served
through the first part Of the Civil War as a lieu
tenant on the steamer Seminole. being in several
engagements on the Potomac River and at Hamp-
ton Roads He became lieutenant-commander in
1862 and al the early age OF thirty-two was In
command of the MaratanZa. He had the unusual
record Of serving constantly afoat through the en-
fined 10 hospital His promotions were as follows
Commander IN 1870 captain in ISL commodore IN
lsai and rear-admiral in 1897. His last sea cruise
was In command OF the South Atlantic station,
with the rank OF acting rear-admiral, from 1894 TO
1885,.
Rear-Admral John Adams Howell is also New
Yorker. who graduated from the Naval Academy
In 1855 and served with distinction through the
Civil War. participating in the Battle of Mobile
Bay. He a member OF the Advisory Board
which planned the new Navy. and was the first
commanding officer Of the Atlanta. retaining that
vessel until the disarmament OF the squadron OF
evolution in 1890 He was then president OF the
Steel Board for two years. commandment or the
Washington Ordnance Foundry for three years, and
after being commissioned as commodore com
manded the League Island Navy Yard for two
years and was commander-in-chiefo Of the Euro
pean station when declared with Spain.
Captain Cromwell is a native 81 Georgia, and was
appointed 10 the Naval Academy from Nebraska.
He fought through the Civil War. and in recent
years has been considered OF the leading ord
officers OF the service. his only duty in
the last eighteen years having been in the COM
mand Of the Atlanta IN 1876
Captain Philio is also New Yorker. who. after
graduating from the Naval Academy. had constant
duty In the Civil War. being one of the few living
naval officers who received wounds in active ser
vice. He succeeded captain Howell in command OF
the Atlanta and was the first captain OF the cruiser
New York