The evening times., 1898-10-10
DISTRICT NAVAL BATTALION
The U. 8. S. Fern Placed at It's Dis
pOsal for Practice.

The U. $. S. Fern Placed at It's Dis
pOsal for Practice.
The naval battalion of the District of
Columbia National Guard is TO have
war vessel stationed on the Potomac Riv
er front for it's exclusive usA
Secretary Long has formally turned
over to the District Naval Militia through
Lieut.. Sherburne c. Hopkins, the u s.
S. Fern, now lying off the Norfolk navy
yard. In few days Lieut.. Hopkins will
proceed to Norfolk with detail of volun-
teer sailors from the District naval bat
talon and bring the Fern to Washing
ton.
The President Saturday afternoon
signed the commissions of the officers
of the District naval battalion, who were
nominated several days ago by Gen. Har-
active duties of placing the citizen sailors
in good trim The list of officers just
commissioned is as follows:
r. p. Haines, commander
w. A. Megrath, lieutenant commander
A. E. Smith, chief engineer
Sydney Beaver. paymaster.
First Observation-Disclosures Joseph Van
Fleet; junior lieutenant, G.. Lewis; en-
signs, l.. Claude Covell. Charles E. Ru-
gers and Robert Bradbury.
Nearly all of these officers have had
previous experience and instruction in
naval service. Commander Haines and
Lieut. Comdr. Megrath both graduated
from the United States Naval Academy
al Annapolis, and they are also both
principal examiners in the Patent Office
Chief Engineer Smith &c
iner: Lieut.. Van Fleet served in the ma
Wy; Lieut.. Lewis is a graduate of the
Maryland Agricultural College Ensign
Covell was a major in the High School
cadet regiment and Ensigns Rugers and
Bradbury have seen service In the navy
The second division is already fully or
sanized and equipped and has men,
bership of 76 enlisted men It's officers
are Lieut. Sherburne G. Hopkins COM
manding: Harry A. Shepley. lieutenant
junior grade. and Robert F. Bradbury,
ensign.
| This division was organized on July |.
| 1898, for service during the war with
| Spain. Its services We're rendered TO the
! Navy Department. and the men expected
that they would see active duty on
i board the cruiser Buffalo. formerly the
| Brazilian cruiser Nictheroy The Buff 10.
| however. did not go into commission un-
! Ill recently, and the Washington sailors
were keenly disappointed The officers
of the second division We're commi ssioned
! by the President in July, in order that
| their services would be available if re-
quired.
This division is fully uniformed. and
holds its meetings in the National Guard
Armory over Center Market.
The steamer Fern. which has just been
acquired by the District naval militia
has been used i'll the navy principally as
a dispatch boat between Washington,
New York. Boston and Key West Dur
ing the war she also made several voy-
ages to Cuba.
The Fern became historic owing TO the
fact that she conveyed to Havana harbor
the naval commission which investigated
the blowing up of the battleship. Maine
1t was in the spacious cabins of the
Fern that most of the sessions of the
commission We're held.
During the Winter the District naval
bettalion will have practice drills on the
steamer, and next Spring and Summer
she will make several cruises down the
Potomac in the Chesapeake and probably
go to sea The Fern is armed with
rapid-fire guns, and the District sailors
will utilize them for gunnery practice
during the ensuing Fall and Winter
months.
The records of the Navy Department
show that the Fern was built at New
York in 1871 She is 160 feet in length; 2s
feet beam; II feet 91-2 inches draught;
$40 tons displacement, and propeller.
She can steam at rapid rate, but her
speed is not given. The fact that she has
been employed as a dispatch boat indi-
Gates that the Fern is a fast sailer.
II is proposed by some of the officers
to have the name of the vessel changed
from Fern. which they say is not sug-
gestive enough for warship, to either
Washington" or Potomac"