The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-29
THE ADMIRAL.
NAVY REG ULATIONS ARE SILENT
CONCERNING HIS DUTIES.
VIII Rank Admiral Dewey-He May
Devise His own Uniform-Etiquettc
of the Nayv

VIII Rank Admiral Dewey-He May
Devise His Own Uniform Etiquettc
of the Navy.
The rank of admiral in our navy is too
exalted to have any duties prescribed
for it. Therefore the navy regulations
are silent on the subject. In fact, they
recognize the altitude of the position by
merely specifying the honors to be paid
to it and nothing else. When Admiral
Dewey arrives on board his flagship or
leaves it officially the marine guard IS
paraded and presents arms, the band in
attendance plays march, the captain
of the ship and other officers also at
hand salute, the drums sound -four ruff
f1es," the bugles the same number of
'fourishes," and the guns thunder sew
enteen times. Please note the ruffles,
the fourishes and the drums, which are
distinctive, for all the rest of the func-
ton is bestowed on other flag officers,
irrespective of grade. A vice-admiral
receives three ruff1es and flourishes and
fifteen guns, a rear-admiral two ruffies
and fourishes and thirteen guns, while a
mere commodore gets but one ruffle and
flourish and eleven guns. The only
Americans who get more guns than the
admiral are the president Cor all EXPIRES
ident), who is honored with the national
salute, which is twenty-one guns, and
the president or United States
ambassador, who receives nineteen.
Ex-vice-presidents don't count.
When the president is saluted his own
distinctive flag is hoisted at the MAIN
mast head. For the vice-president or an
ambassador or minister the national en-
sign IS hoisted to the fore. But for a
naval officer his particular flag is sent
aloft, at the proper place; and flags and
places differ. Thus, for commodore a
swalloWtail blue f1ag-the sbroad pen
nant '-bearing single star rises to the
mainmast head; for a rear-admiral
square blue flag with two stars goes up
at the nlizzen; for vice-a admiral a SIM
liar flag with three stars appears at the
fore and when the Manila fleet saluted
the new admiral the other day the guns
all spoke in chorus when blue banner
with four stars on it broke out at the
main.
liz uuAlIl al lAdS IO PlSsSlIpCo I'LL"
form. The navy department at last ac-
counts was connecting one for him and
raking up presidents. But in the end
he will fix it to suit himself, just as Far
ragut did, though probably not with
such artistically disastrous results for
Dewey is a man of great taste and dis
cernment in matters of personal apparel.
E never could understand why Admi-
raj Farragut did not bestow on himself
b uniform coat with gold sleeves and a
few blue stripes on them, and thus be
done with it. He had on each sleeve two
very broad bands of gold lace and
slightly narrower one between them, the
combination reaching about to the ell
bow and still above that huge gold
embroidered star with steam frigate
worked in silver in the middle of it. 1t
was quite imposing, if not slightly tropi
cal IN its splendor. Admiral Porter cut
1t down on his undress uniform to one
broad band and three much narrower
ones above it, but kept the star For
full dress he wore three embroidered
bands of oak leaves, and these, it is be-
Iieved, Admiral Dewey will adopt mas
much as the -admiral's uniform al
ready has single oak leaf band.
The general tendency throughout the
world is to make the uniforms of naval
officers as much alike in the different
navies as possible. This avoids confu-
sion, especially in matters of ceremony.
The sleeve marks of our navy closely
resemble those of corresponding grades
Ia the English navy the difference being
that our stripes are surmounted by a
small gold-embroidered star, while the
English stripe has curl or
oop in it, like the lions tail when |
twisted" as an irreverent midshipman
once remarked Dewey's ordinary
sleeve ornament will doubtless be closely |
to that of the British adj
is, broad band of gold |
ace about two inches wide, with three
lalf inch bands above it.
The shoulder-straps and epaulettes of |
in admiral are similar to those of a gen.
.ral--that u.s. they have four silver stars
IN them, but with an anchor under each
If the outer stars Of the row. In other
respects the uniform will probably not
materially differ from that of the rear
ldmirals
A reader of "The Independent" has re-
.ently honored me with the query
whether Admiral Dewey would lower
its flag to anybody" To which / reply
10, because admirals do not lower their
lags at all, as long as they are in COM
nand a1oat. They change the color of
heir flags sometimes, and if we had
more than one admiral this might hap
len even to the possessors Of that exal-
ed rank. In such case, If two admirals
houId meet, the flag at the masthead of
he flagship of the junior one would be-
Ome red-and If three of them should
ssemble the junior of all would hoist a
white flag with blue stars, while the next
h seniority would fly the red flag and
he senior would retain his blue flag I'M
disturbed. These changes in color to in
icate seniority are a "Reminiscences of
he old now obsolete English custom of
making three grades for each admiral
yhether rear, vice or full admiral
errned respectively admiral of the
yhite." admiral of the red'' and "admi-
al of the blue" Admirals who never
ct sea command during their career
re sometimes jocularly termed 'admi-
ais of the yellow" The Personnel bill
gently enacted is making us lot of
cen suddenly converted from engineers,
aymasters and doctors into rear-admi-
ais. Of course, as we have no full adj :
liral but Dewey, his blue fag always
,r,, "a ines and even if we e11Ollld create