Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-12-04
GRADUATING M|DD|ES.
Naval Academy ExercisesTo Be
Held In February-Prom-
nent Members of
The Class.

The attention of those interested in
the Naval Academy has been so thor
oughly fixed upon football of late that
il is just beginning to be realized that
another class will leave the institution
within two months. The same state
of affairs exists now that has been the
case for several years past and the
country is in such urgent need of
naval officers that the graduation of
the first class must take place in Feb
ruary instead of June.
The authorities of the Naval Acad.
emy are doing their best to fit the
members of the class to receive their
commissions, though great regret is
felt that the whole course cannot be
completed. The last term of the first
class year is devoted to practical ex-
ercises applying the knowledge gained
during the whole course, and the
omission of this part of the prepara-
tion for holding the commission is a
great loss to the Midshipmen and the
service. However, some of the instruc-
tion in ordnance, gunnery, seaman
ship, and navigation, which usually
takes place in. the spring, has been
accomplished this fall.
Semi-annual examinations, which
will be final in the case of the first
class, will begin about the goth of
January and will be over so as to per-
NIT graduation during the first week
in February, at a date which has not
yet been fixed exactly. The board of
visitors appointed by the President
will not visit the Academy until the
first week in June, so that this year
there will not be the gala week gener-
ally furnished by the visit of the
board, eliminating in the eclat of the
graduating ceremonies and the fare.
we'll ballad. AT the time of the grad
uation the weather will, of course, be
too cold for out of door exercises, and
the only function will be the farewell
ball given by the class of 1905 to 1904
in the armory. The occasion of the
sojourn of the board of visitors will
| also be less interesting because of the
absence of graduation, although all the
usual drills and practical exercises will
be held and they will be on greater
scale than usual, owing to the increas-
ed number of Midshipmen.
The graduating class contains an
unusually large number of good stu.
dents, of fine athletes and other prom,
inent youths, who will be missed from
| the different phases of academic life.
The honors in scholarship are expect
ed to go to Midshipmen Carl Alberl
| Richeter, of Wisconsin, but he i.
pressed closely by Midshipman Davic
Med. LeBreton, of Washington, ID.
O., and Fred. q. Coburn, of Mime.
sofa. Other leading students in the
| class are Midshipmen Arthur q. Chat.
| fee, of Missouri, Andrew @. Pickens,
of Alabama, Robert B. Hilliard, OF
New York, John +. Otterson, of New
York, Prentiss p. Bassett, of Connec.
ticut, Charles b. Soule, of Massachu.
setts and Charles A. Harrington, OF
Massachusetts.
Among the prominent athletes that
will leave the institution by the grad.
uation of the class are Captain Soule,
of the footall team; Captain Bassett,
of the baseball team, Captain Riggs,
of the fencers Other members of the
football team who will graduate are
William #. Halsey, of New Jersey
and Edison @. Oak, of Miane. The
members of the fencing team who
will graduate are Robert +. Hilliard,
of New York, and Cleon w. Mauldin,
of South Carolina. 1t will be noticed
that many of the leading athletes stand
high in their studies. Edwin o. Fitch,
of Massachusetts,, is president of the
class, and also holds an honor never
before achieved by Midshipman. He
is the 'five-striper, " that is, the cadet
| lieutenant commander of the Midship.
men brigade. This rank was only Gre
ated this year on account of the
change of the organization of Midship
men from battalion to a brigade and
Midshipman Fitch is the first to hold
| the rank, which carries with it the
right to wear ole more stripe on his
arm than any other Midshipman ha:
ever done. There are sixty-two mem
bers of the class.