The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-06-10
AN ADMIRAL's DAILY WORK.
Routine Labor Which Sampson Performs
Aboard the Flagship New York.


ship New York is one of the strongest
men physically and mentally of the Navy.
Under his command are d dozen pattle-
ships, placed absolutely in his keeping
Thirty millions, of dollars in cruisers,
$1,000, 600 in gunboats, 81, 600, oOo 10 torpe-
90 boats and hundreds of sailors, ail Ell
trusted to one man!
The personnel of the man who is SO
highly honored by his country is interest
. ing, What sort of man is he? is he a
butcher. like Weyler? Is he bragga-
docio like Blanco? Is he wise man who
fears tirs like Sagasta or foolhardy fell
low like Montejo? None of these is Rear
Admiral Sampson, but man of brains
as well as dash, man of strength, cour-
age, common sense and executive ability
"a man of whom the navy board truly
says: "He issthe best we've got'
The duties of a rear admiral are more
multitudinous than those of the president
of life insurance company. He spends
billions of dollars every year. He orders
worth of coal, millions in food, millions
in oils, corn and ship supplies. He must
audit more accounts every month than
the comptroller of a city and must be
posted OIL everything he orders.
Ii Rear Admiral Sampson was not an
honest man he could retire from the navy
a multi-millionai re. The chances are
that he will have to live ON his pension
after he gets upon the retired list. He
makes nothing out of his government
purchases. Weyler went to Havana poor,
on trifing salary, and returned to Mad
rid in TWO years wealthy man, but
Sampson has nothing beyond his pay as
q rear admiral, which is not large, COM
pared with the income of prosperous
business man.
Rear Admiral SIMPSONS education is a
most delicate one. He knows the chemi-
cal ingredients of every drop of fresh wat
er given to his crew. When he visits a
strange water supply he chemically analy.
ses the drinking water He knows what
should be taken into the human system
and what rejected. If he were ignorant
of this he would have in his command
1900 sick men instead of 4 1000 we'll ones.
He is geographical expert and has
personally designated the degree of longi-
tude upon which the scout boats shall
sail to look for the wandering Spanish
fleet He understands the winds AID the
Gulf Stream, and he has the location of
the poisonous Sargossa Sea better out
lined in his mind than any other COM
fnander.
Rear Admiral Sampson rises at six
O'Clock every morning and INDUCES in
course of athletics in his stateroom.
Owing to his cramped facilities for exer-
else he must do this in order to keep in
good condition. He is an athlete and
takes prize in keeping in good physical
shape. His breakfast at 7.3O is hearty
one, for he has the appetite of strong
man of early middle age. He eats fruit,
cereals, meat and hot bread with relish.
His meal takes him half an hour, and he
has no friendly feminine face to beguile
the minutes nor morning mail to take
up the time. After breakfast the admiral
receives the. reports of his ieutenants
aboard ship. and then comes the most in
teresting hour of the day. His squadron
consists Of the New York, the Iowa, the
Indiana, the D5troit, the Puritan, Ter
ror, Amphitrite and three torpedo boats.
At noon the commanders of these. or such
of them as can do SO, V isit the New York
for daily consultation with the rear adj
miral Upon table in his big cabin is
chart and here the commanders study
the movements of the hostile fleet. This
board of strategy plans attacks, measures
its strength and advises together, aided
by the wise counsel of the rear admiral.
I One of the admirals most enjoyable
hours Of the day is spent in conducting
his school of marine signals. Ele believes
that his men should know their signal
code as other men know their multiplioa-
ton table. Every afternoon for an hour
iz,% ncf1x 10
that they are letter perfect, or, better
speaking, flag perfect. There are several
systems of signaling with flags, but all
of them are known to the men of Rear
Admiral SIMPSONS feet. On other ships
the seamen stand with their signal code
in hand, pulling out the messages that
are flashed aloft, but on the New York
they know the flags at sight. Admiral
Sampson has invented several new signals
and is the author of code OF marine sig
nails which is widely used. THIS Is one of
his hobbies, and were he to retire from
the navy he would become an expert on
signaling as widely known as the Ger
man Lieutenant Won Name, whose sig
nails are used throughout the Kaiser's
kingdom.
The men of the New York are devoted
ly attached to Admiral Sampson and long
to hear his voice. During the tedious
wait of the past month his words alone
CuUlu QuI6U lu6ID. al HIS llupaIleQC6 TO
attack Havana he comforted himself and
his men by little talk daily in which
he reviewed the situation and encouraged
them with thoughts of future victory.
On land, in time of peace, orators spout
Of contentment and good rule. But on
the high seas in war time the talk is all
OF victory, bloodshed and prowess. The
pleasantest hour of the day for his men is
the hour OF the admiral's talk to them.
AT sea an admiral can eat what he
pleases. The mems rations include pork,
bacon, coffee, tea, -four, beans, salmon,
canned peas, canned beef, sardines and ali
green vegetables, with such fresh meat as
can be obtained at different points, but
for the most part of salt meat, with
onions always, to keep away scurvy. The
admiral has a special cold storage room
10 which are kept game, wines, choice
fruits and table delioacies of ali kinds.
But Admiral Sampson has never taken
advantage of the privileges to supply
himself with better food than thu sailors
enjoy, and, except for certain refinement
in serving, you see nothing different on
his table from that in the crews mass