The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-27

ment of the United States, the
officers are retired from active
duty on their sixty-fourth birthday.
Captain French E. Chadwick, who
commanded the New York during the
Spanish War, and who is
now head of the Naval War College
at Newport, stands we'll along toward
the front of the list of captains, and 1t
is quite possible that he will be made
a Rear Admiral within a few years.
On February 70, 1896, he celebrated
his thirteenth birthday. On February
20, 1904. he will celebrate his four
teenth, and some time between the
last day of February, 1903, and the
first day of March of the same year
he will be retired from active duty in
the Navy.
If Captain Chadwick construes the
law, figuring by the number of birth
days he has had, he cannot be retired
till February %, 2Io8, for upon that
date his sixty-fourth birthday will be
celebrated, and by all the laws of the
department that should be the date OF
his retirement.
But Captain Chadwick must remem-
Der a mistake made by Rossini, the
famous composer, who, on February
20, 1864, sent out invitations to what
he called his eighteenth birthday party.
He was born on February 70, 1892.
In making out his invitations, how
ever, he had forgotten that the year
1900 was not a leap year, and that
the party, therefore, was the celebra
| ton Of his seventeenth birthday. This,
too, in the case of Captain Chadwick,
who, if he is retired on his sixty-fourth
birthday, must remember that the year
1000, being Invisible by 400, will be
leap year, while 2Ioo will not have that
| distinction.
The year 1904 is the first leap year
in eight years. This is accounted for
by the rules which were laid down
by Pope Gregory VIII, who reformed
the calendar III 1882. 1t was decreed
that the years whose numerical sign
was Invisible by 4 should be leap
years, except those years which were
not divisible by 400. Thus the year
1000 was a leap year, and the 1000
will be, but 1900, 1900 and 1900 were
not years in which the extra day was
added to the month of February
By this plan the makers of the
Gregorian calendar corrected the
errors between the true year and the
established division of the time as was
current IN that day. By the arrange
ment OF Pope Gregory, It was found
that there was a loss of a slight
amount of time, even when an extra
day was added every four years. Ii
was decided, therefore, that a day
must be dropped once in every 400
years, and the present calculation of
the calendar provides for this, in that
the years whose number is Invisible
by 400 shall be leap years, and the
loss of time made up.
Still. the scientists discovered that
there is a gain of 70 seconds in the
accepted calendar year over the true
or astronomical year. In 1929 years
this time, If it is allowed 10 accumu-
late, will amount to 365 days. Pope
Gregory and his advisors, therefore,
decided that while the year 1000 is di-
visible by 400, II shall still be consid-
cred as a common year, and that the
extra day shall not be added to the
month of February, as would ordi-
narily be the case
The scientists have proved, too.
that one in every 1900 births occurs
upon the 10Th of February. Not only
have several celebrities been account
ed among those whose birthdays come
every four years, but there are some
events in history which have happened
upon this day.
| Long before Paul Jones made the
beginnings of the United States Navy.
the first settlers in the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts,, who had made their
homes at Deerheld, were attacked by
the primitive navy of the Indians. On
February 20, 1904, they stole Up the
river in boats. The warriors attacked
the people, slew many of them, took
800 captives and burned the dwellings
On February 20, 1904, the United
States ship "Peacemaker" was blown
up. The Secretary Of the Navy, Ad-
miral Upshur, was killed, and a large
number of sailors died from the effects
Of the explosion.
On February 70, 1926, occurred the
battle of Wittlahoochee River, in
which the settlers Of Florida were at
tackled by the Indians, who came 10
the stream in boats.
Curiously, the date which has the
most to do with leap year has been
closely allied to the stories which
have had much TO do in the making
OF the history of the Navy-at least
It has had much to do with stories
concerning the use Of boats in warfare