The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-11-30
IBREWERY HAS CLAIM CAPT POND TO LEAETO BUILD APPROACH
ORDERED HOME TO AWAIT
ORDERS.
Has Been in Active Service Since 1872,
Where he Entered the Annapolis
Academy-His Career.


Orders were received by the mail yes
terday for Commander Charles f. Pond
of the Iroquois to proceed home and
Syait for orders. He will be relieved
| from his present command, by Lieute-
| hant Hugh Rodman who will arrive on
! the Sierra from San Francisco Decem-
| Der IL. While the retirement of Com
! mander Pond from this station, will be
in the nature of a promotion, his de-
parture will be greatly regretted, for,
during his service here, he has made
many friends, both in a social as well
as business way.
Commander Pond has led an unusual
ly active life in the navy, for he has
been in the service almost constantly
since June of 1872, when he was appoint
ed to Annapolis. He graduated from
there in 1876 and made his first cruise
in the flagship Pensacola which was on
the Pacific station. He then went to
the u. S. S. Lackawana and then to
the training ship jamestown, in which
he paid his first visit to Honolulu in
1878. Commander Henry Glass was
then in command of that vessel, and he
is now in Honolulu as rear admiral, af-
ter having just served on the Tilley
court martial at Pago Pago.
| Cadet Pond then went to Annapolis
and passed his examination in 1879, as
ensign and returned Immediately to the
| Pacific coast where, for three years and
half, he was engaged in coast survey
! work on the survey steamer Hassler,
| the entire coast from Salvador in Cen
| trail America to Sitka in Alaska being
surveyed Ensign Pond was next sta
/ toned in Washington d. c., at the hy-
geographic office, where he remained
| for. eight months.
| l;e.a 1tttx fgA hi To
when he Joined the flagship Hartford
I in April 1884, from where he went to the
| u S. 8. Wachusett From 1885 until 1887
he was on duty at the observatory at
Mare Island although a few months
were passed during that period on the
Hassler. In 1887. he was ordered TO the
u. S. S. Ranger, which surveyed the
coast of Lower California. He remain
ed on this vessel for three years, and,
in the early part of 1891 was ordered
to Mare Island in charge of the Obser-
Vatory and Time service on the Pacific
States. When he first took charge of
this department. there were about 600
clocks in operation but the service was
brought to such an efficient degree that
| it was extended to over 1000 clocks.
| In April 1894, he was detached and or
! dared to the Y. S, s. Alert and went
| north on the S3ehring sea patrol. The
| principal part of the cruise was passed
on the Coast of Central and South
| America however, where active service
was seen in landing marines at Catinto,
Nicaragua during one of the numerous
revolutions there. The last three
months of the service in the Alert were
passed during 1S96-97 in Honolulu.
Commander Pond was ordered to the
navy yard at New York, as assistant
inspector of ordinance, after a three
months leave of absence which was
practically the first leave he had had
since he entered Annapolis. In April,
1898, just prior to the outbreak of the
Spanish war, he was detached and or
! dered as executive officer of the collier
Lebanon, which was being fitted out
at Boston. After attending to putting
that boat into commission, he was or
! dered to the auxiliary cruiser Panther
which was formerly the steamship We
| nezuela and was being fitted out at New
| York. This vessel which was in COM
| mand of Captain George G. Reiter, now
the commander of the battleship Wis
consin and made a splendid record for
| quick dispatch. The vessel was ordered
| to join Admiral SIMPSONS fleet in the
| Bahama channel. The Panther took
the monitor Amphrite in tow and did
| duty with the fleet as scout vessel for
| about eight days.
After Admiral Cervera's fleet had
been positively located at Santiago,
SIMPSONS fleet sailed and arrived off
| port June 10. Orders were sent to the
| Panther to proceed Immediately to
| Guantanimo and take possession of that
place as a naval base The marines
| augmented by a few sailors from the
vessels took the block house and for
| three days and nights had to Withstand
! attacks by the Spanish. This engage
ment was the most costly in which the
naval forces of America were ever en-
| gagged during that war, as 25 men were
| killed or wounded.
The Panther was ordered to New
York and missed the Santiago fight,
! when the Spanish fleet was destroyed
! The Panther went out of commission at
| Philadelphia October 1898, and Pond
who had been the navigating officer
| was promoted to be Lieutenant COM
| mander and given command of the Iro-
| quois. He brought the vessel to Homo
| lulu in January 1899, where he has since
| resided
| During his career in the navy Com
! mander Pond has served II years and
! one month on active sea dutv 10 years
and 7 months shore duty and l year
| and months unemployed. He is 40
/ years of age and a native of Connec-
| ticut. While here he made a long
| cruise TO the Midway Islands to survey
a site for a cable station and chart that
| dangerous section of the Pacific. He
| returned last year.
! 1t was Commander Pond who inau-
! gurated the Pearl Harbor naval station
! work. as he located the various sites
and attended to the preliminary work,
! His three years service here was up
! last April but at his own request, his
! stay was extended until December /.
| Captain Merry the local commandant
! may decide to keep Commander Pond
hDp On Al ItttN rrft !,
! the court proceedings of the Pearl Har-
| Dor cases. Unless such orders are
given by Captain Merry, however, Cap
| tain Pond expects to leave for San
| Francisco, December %.
i IL