The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-03-08

EHE, recent appointment by Presi-
dent Mckinley of grandson of
= cur oldes: retired rear admiral TO
cadetship at tile Naval Academy has
called attention to the fact that there
will soon be four members of the Sell
fridge family represented in the navy,
extending their record back nearly 100
years. There has been a great deal
said of late about the Sc. called Vic
torian era" which has been made to
: comprehend almost everything notable
in the century past, but it is far excel
led by the Selfridgian era, which began
the year before Victoria was born,
when Midshipman Thomas Oliver Sell
fridge entered our navy at the age OF
IA. Born in 1901, during JefTersons
first administration, he carries us back
almost to the beginning of our presi-t
Dental era and, had he been SO favored.
might have seen all our presidents but
one, Washington having died five years
before his birth, but John Adams sur
viving it more than 20 years.
He lived during the times of Decatur,
Perry, cambridge, Preble, Napoleon.
Nelson, Lord Pitt and a host of others
whose names have been but memory
the past half century and more. He
was in service while Napoleon was a
prisoner at st. Helena, having entered
13 years after the battle of Trafalgar
and SO on,shaving lived through all the
greatest events of the nineteenth CEN
fury. 1t happened that during all the
long period of the first Selfridges serv-
ice there We're no great naval battles,
and his only particir alton in active OPP
erations was On the west coast of Mex
leo, where he received wound that
incapacitated him from sea duty in the
year 1S4S.
Soon after the outbreak of our civil!
war he was assigned to the Charles
town and Mare Island navy yards. was
promoted to a captaincy in 1850, to
commodore in 1862 and retired in April
1866, being promoted to rear admiral in
July of that year. He is now the SEN
Tor rear admiral on the retired list and
like all his brother heroes ION the
shelf" draws an annual salary of $1,000
and emoluments, as he has been doing
for the past So years.
1t would seem, in fact, that il one de-
sires to live a life of comparative ease
see something of the world in his cary
manhood and attain to green old age
perhaps within hail of the century
mark, he has only to secure a position
in our army or navy in line for promo
ton, behave decently and trust tt
(. Providence-and time.
Presidential favor may count fol
something in the original appointment
but, barring accidents. The age limit
at 60 does the rest. for on the retired
lists of our army and navy register
may be found a vast excess of officer
over the number actually in activ
service. AT the beginning of this cen
< fury there We're, for example, 43 rea
ad1nirals retired and only is in activ
service. while eight commodores wer
enjoying the itnmunities of this verita
BILE sailors snug ,harbor' long afte
their grade had been abolished.
Rear Admiral T, O. Selfridge, Sr.. j
now 81 years old, for he and the centu
ryi We're in their teens together. But ,
numbers below him in the list cf retia15
rear admirals is his son. Thong "a
Selfridge, Jr., who was born in 1887 an
retired for age" three Years ago. I'm
like his father, t. O. Self.idse, Jr., ha