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 AdmiraIs and ten Commodores
The present Rear Admirals in order OF
seniority are:
William A. Kirkland, commandant
of the Mare Island Navy Yard, San
Francisco, retires July 8, 1898.
Joseph N. Miller, commanding Pa
ciic station, retires November %, 1898.
Montgomery Slcard, on duty in the
office of the Secretary of the Navy,
retlres September 80, 1898.
Edmund 0. Matthews, president OF
the Naval Examining Board, retires
October "a, 1898.
Charles s. Norton, commanding
Washington Navy Yard, retires this
year.
Francis M. Bunce, commanding the
Brooklyn Navy Yard, rctres this year
Officers of the navy may be retired
on their own application after 40 years
service, and those above the rank Of
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 year; on shore duty, $4,000
and on leave, or waiting orders, 81 ,O0(
Commodores are paid 81 900 less in al
three lines Of employment.
Retired officers of the navy can no.
be assigned to active duty except il
time of war, and the purpose of thu
administration 80 far has been not t.
assign retired officers in the army anc
navy to field or sea duty, but to le
these posts Of danger be held by those
still on the active list. Of course, sucl
work as the command of the mosquito
feet along the coast is excepted. Thi
has been given to Admiral Erben, wilt
was retired four or five years ago,
Until the second year of the Civil
War the highest naval rank was tina
of Captain, though generally the it'll
of Commodore was given to flag off
Ger who commanded squadron. Ii
| 1862 the rank of Rear Admiral wa
created by Congress, and to this grad
were appointed Farragut and three
other active Captains, and about dozer
retired Captains, In 1864, fer his cap
ture of Mobile and subsequent successes
Farragut was appointed to the newly
created rank of Vice Admiral. ane
later, D. D. Porter and Stephen G
Rowan were given the same rank. Afte
the war ended, Congress went stel
further, and made the glade of Admi
raj, and to this grade promoted Farra
gut and Porter. There was o specia
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 thu
only holder of the second place, ant
upon his death in 1890 the Office lapsed
Farragut died in 1879, leaving Porte
sole posessor of the commission of fnl
Admiral, and upon his death in lS9.
both grades were vacated until Congress
shall revive them, perhaps, for heroe