The Sunday globe., 1901-07-14
PAMPERED UP
Is This Naval Lieutenant Who In
suits a Citizen.
APPLYING FOR REIMBURSEMENT.
You Look as If You Didn't Have a Square
Meal for Six Weeks, Says Lieutenant Colt
man Bureau Of Navigation, 10 eS-SaIIOr
PauIson Hahor Who Wanted 10 be Ship
Keeper Of The Fern.

Keeper OF the feTn.
Lieutenant Commander Cottman, of
the Bureau of Navigation, is certainly
an officer, and, no doubt, a gentleman,
inasmuch as the public paid for his
education at the Naval Academy at An
napolis, and are now paying him tile
salary provided for his rank in the
Navy, but Lieut.. Com. Cottman ought
to remember that all citizens Of the
United States were not as fortunate
as himself in having a paternal Gov.
ernment to raise, educate and commits.
sion him. We are moved to these re.
marks by the case Of a young Nor.
wegian named Paulson Halyor, who
applied TO him recently for enlistment
as ship Caretaker on the Fern. Hal.
yor, it appears, first enlisted September
IL, 1891, and served three years as a
mariner He subsequently reenlisted
October IS, 1894 for three years, Of
wuIcn he served two years and ten
months, when, by a fall from his ham
mock, he became inCapacitated for
further duty in the Navy His dis
charges show proficiency; in rating,
very good; seamanship, very good;
gunnery, very good; sObriety, excel
lent; obedience, very good to excellent;
average during term of enlistment,
very coed.
Owing to the injury referred to, Hal
vor endeavored to secure the position
Of ship caretaker which is equivalent
/ to watchman, there being no manual
labor attached thereto, or other sea.
menship duties, which would require
the services of an able.bodied man.
| Halvor thought that his country,
which he served so loyalty and so
| faithfully, owed him this position.
| The officers Of the Fern informed Hal.
vor very kindly that they would be
| pleased to have him. 9TH Captain
| Haines and Lieutenant Hopkins, Of the
/ Fern, informed Halvor that if he en-.
| listed he would receive the appoint
ment. With this intention, he called
al the Navy Department to see Admiral
| Crowninshield, but the admiral being
absent at the time, he was received by
/ Lieut.. Com. Cottman. Making known
| his business to the lieutenant com.
mander, that officer superciiously eyed
/ him, and altered in contemptuous
tones, you look as il you hadn't had
a square meal for six weeks" to which
| Mr.. Halvor replied, mot quite as bad
| as that, Lieutenant"
It should be remembered that Mr..
/ Halvor was neatly dressed; wore a
watch and chain. and looked as re-
/ spectacle as any average American
citizen. At the time that the lieuten-
ant made this remark he did not know
that Halvor was physically incapaci-
tated by reason of his fall from the
! hammock for duty as an able seaman,
but he responded, 1T looks as If you
had to lift a barrel Of -four you would
drop dead the next moment; | will not
enust you"
Mr. Halvor retired, and subsequent
ly saw Admiral CrOwninshield, who
referred him back to Lieut.. Com. Cott-
man. The lieutenant again informed
Halvor that he would not enlist him,
and, having ascertained that he had
been subjected to a medical eXamina-
tion at the Navy Yard, he secured the
same, and showing it to Admiral
Crewninshield, had that official to con-
firm his decision in the rejection Of
Halvsr. Now, Halvor was not apply
ing for a position as able seaman, Be
cause Of the wounds he received in the
service Of his country, he knew he
was incapable Of performing the du-
ties Of such a position, but, knowing of
the position on the Fern, and being
fully able to do that job. he thought
that his services entitled him to the
same Lieut. Com. COttman gave him
a rude awakening and this young
sailor, with almost six years service
and who was manned on board the
ship by falling from his hammock, in
juring his eyesight on account Of a
DIood vessel bursting in his head, on
which he fell can neither enlist in the
Navy nor secure a pension for the
/; injury he received i'm the line Of his
/, duty. The Pension Department has
twice rejected his claim on the grounds
that he had epilepsy previous to his
D enlistment I'm the Navy. This charge
is absurd on its face, and is without
81 foundation and fact, as evidenced by
! the fact that HalvOr not only served
his first enlistment, bat reenlisted each
time, passing a medical examination,
and never had any Of the symptoms OF
epuepsy on board any vessel on which
, he served, unless the fall from his
hammock could cause such an attack,
! because he was two or three days In
sensible after the fall and for time
under medical treatment for his eyes
and wound in the head The surgeon
+ who charges epilepsy has had his
, charge refuted by those who knew Hal
vor from his birth in his native coun-
try. as well as by all the officers and
physicians OF the ships in which he
, served.
The unfortunate man is still under
35 years Of age. is TO be sympathiZed
with. inasmuch as he can neither fol
/, low his profession as a seaman or Sc
= cure a pension for his injuries. These
4, should be sufficient inhiction Of them
selves without the additional humilia-
tlon Of being subjected to gratuitous
! insult and sneering remarks by Lieut.
e Com. Cottman or any other officer OF
T. the Navy. IN which Halvor served so
. faithfully and so we'll.
d RALEIGH