The times., 1899-09-05
SQUADRON COMMANDERS.
SchIey's Friends Feel That He should
Have Succeeded Sampson.


The unofficial announcement of the Navy
Department that Rear Admiral George c.
Remey, Commandant of the navy yard at
Portsmouth. N. H.. would be assigned to
| succeed Rear Admiral W. T. Sampson as
commander chief of the North Atlantic
station and naval force, will be followed,
naval officers believe, by revival OF what
has come to be known as the Sampson
Sehiey controversy. Admiral Sampson Will,
at his own request. be relieved from COM
mand of the home station next month.
II his wishes had been consulted, he would
probably have given up active sea duty
| Immediately on the conclusion of the pro-
gramme of summer maneuvres, but the
Navy Department desired that he should
be in command of the feet to assemble In
New York Harbor to greet Admiral Dewey
on his return from Manila. He will, there
fore not be succeeded in command of the
| station and fleet until after the Dewey
ceremonies are over His successor Is
one of the most capable officers OF the
i service, who did excellent work ID the war
with Spain as commandant of the naval
station or base at Key West This was the
supply depot for the American fleet operat-
ing in the West Indies, and Remey con-
Quoted the business of the Government
through that trying period in such way
that the department has been looking for
an opportunity for showing its appreciation
of his Judgment, ability, and devotion to
duty. But it is the opinion in naval cir
cles that, despite the fact OF Remey nj
ness for the command of Sampson squad
ron, and that he is the senior flag oft1cer
] of the Navy without a sea command or
who has not recently been in charge or a
| squadron, Schley's friends will believe that
! the selection of Remey to succeed Sampson
was intended as a slight to Schley When
| it was reported recently that Admiral
| Schley would be given command OF the
| South Atlantic naval station on the re-
! tirement of Rear Admiral Howison, IN DC
/ tober his friends let it be known that
| Schley would not be satisfied with any
I ether assignment than the command OF
| the North Atlantic or the Europeon sta
! ton with preferences for the latter. The
/ Navy Department has no intention OF as
signing Schley to- the South Atlantic sta
| tion The officer who will get that detail
! has already been selected. He is Rear Ad-
/ miraI Norman II. Farquhar, the COM
mandant of the Norfolk navy yard, Who
like Remey, is Schley's senior.
Schley is number eight on the list OF
! rear admirals. His seven seniors or tnat
| grade are Frederick v McNair, John A
| Howell. Henry l.. Howison, Albert kautz
| George C. Remey, Norman H. Farquhar,
| and John c. Watson. McNair commanded
| the Asiatic station up to the time of Dew
| ey's arrival in January, 1893. and he is
| new serving the usual term OF short duty
! as the Superintendent OF the Naval Acad-
envy. Howell commanded the European
| station Just before the war with Spain, and
after his return to the United States was
assigned to the command OF the North IA
| troll squadron and later TO the command
| of the bIockading force off the north coast
/ of Cuba He is now the President OF the
/ Naval Examining Board. Howison is re-
| turning to New York in the Chicago after
| having flown his flag for six months as
| commander r-in-chief of the South Atlantic
naval station. The Chicago is due at New
York on October 5, and five days later Ad-
| miraI Howison will be placed on the re-
tired list for age. Kautz is the command
| er-in-chief of the Pacific naval station.
and as such recently saw important service
| in Samoa Remey, who is next on the list,
and Farquhar, his immediate junior, have
not had sea duty for some time, and neither
| of them has ever been in command OF a
| squadron. During the war with Spain
| Watson commanded the north Cuban
I blockading division for short time and
was later placed in command OF the East
| ern squadron which would have gone to
make reprisals on the Spanish coast if
Camara's feet had not been recalled. After
brief tour of duty as commandant OF the
Mare Island navy yard he was sent to Ma
Mia to take command of the Asiatte naval
station, the duty which he is now perform
ing Remey and Farquhar are the only
| two flag officers standing near the top of
the list of rear admirals who have not had
an opportunity of flying their flags at sea.
There is no immediate prospect of the
formation of a European squadron, to com
mand which Admiral Schey might hope to
be selected No occasion exists, in the
opinion of the Navy Department, for send
ing any vessels to Europe, but the depart
| ment would re-establish the European sta
tion if it had the vessels available to do so.
The necessity of keeping large force of
| ships in the Philippines is the reason that
no vessels have been sent to Europe. 1t
is the policy of the department to maintain
a fair sized squadron of armored vessels
on the home or North Atlantic station for
the purpose of squadron practice.