Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1900-12-20

The buildings now In process of con.
struction are an armory, boathouse and
power house. These are the first of the
group Of magnificent structures con-
templated in the general scheme for
the reconstruction of the training
school of our navy. The other build
ings as appropriations are made there
for will be erected in sequence of i'm
portance. When the proposed plan is
carried out, the buildings will be in
three main groups, one on each side of
the three sides of the campus, the wa
ter front forming the fourth side. The
cadets quarters will be on the right
entering from the town, the academic
buildings on the left and the officers
quarters, as at present, on line paral
lei with and just inside the wall which
incloses the grounds on the side toward
the town. The cadets quarters, stand
ing between the campus and the great
parade ground, will be fianked on one
side by the boathouse, on the other by
the armory and will be connected by
covered colonnades.
One of the notable structures con-
templated in the plan Of Improvements
is the erection Of a handsome new
chapel, which is to be known as the
Maine Memorial chapel, plans for
which, drawn by Ernest Flagg Of New
York, were some time ago accepted by
the government. The chapel will occu-
py the highest point on the grounds
and will be a noble monument to the
brave sailors who perished on the bat
tleship Maine in Havana harbor.
1t will of course take some years to
accomplish all this, but every friend of
the navy will rejoice that fair start
has been made. There are certainly
have been begun and why it should he
carried forward to completion without
delay. For years the dilapidated con-
dition of the Naval academy has been
a discredit to the nation, and altogether
the plant is out of keeping with the
nations growth and greatness.
lhe establishment Of an institution
for the training of the men who should
uphold the stars and stripes on the seas
was suggested to President Madison by
his secretary of the navy, William
Jones, but the recommendation took no
tangible form until 1915, when it was
established under President Polk.
The location of the Naval academy is
ideal. The Severn, upon whose banks
1t is situated, is indeed a beautiful
academy, IL enters the Chesapeake bay
about three miles below, gradually
widening to its mouth. Above Annapo-
lis the river extends 10 or y miles, but
remains of noble proportions, while the
high banks on either side are Of cult
waited fields alternated by stretches OF
woodland, giving the surroundings pic
turesqueness and beauty TO tempt the
pencil and brush OF the artist Even
West Point, located as 1t Is on one OF
the imposing sites OF the historic Hud-
son, does not outrival Annapolis in the
charm of It's surroundings.
With the completion of the contcm
plated improvements and enlargementS
Annapolis Naval academy will indeed
be an institution of which every Amer
lean may well be proud. We certainly
have reason to be proud of the men,
living and dead, whom it has given to
the nation. SonF oF the latter are rest
Ing in the little cemetery just across an
arm of the Severn from the academy,
from the grassy slopes Of which the
graves Of Gushing and other naval he
roes can plainly be seen by the young
cadet whose ambition 1t Is to win glory
on the sea. On the campus there are
many inspiring reminders of the gal
liant and patriotic achievements of tho
nations heroic dead. Eear the bar
racks stand simple but imposing
granite shaft erected to the memory Of
Captain HerndOn and an elaborate me-
mortal tablet raised to the officers who
fell Gin attacks Oh The city OF Tripoli in
1904" 1t is inscribed, '"ro the memory
of Somers, Caldwell, Decatur, Wads
worth, Israel, Dorsey"
ARTHUR KELLOG.