The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-30
Commentator OF THE
PRESIDENT EXTENDED TO
THE M|SSOURrS HEROES
The Dead Died for Their Country
and Are Mourned as Having
Nobly Done Their Duty.
TRIBUTE TO THE LIVING
Officers and Men of the Stricken
Ship and of tie Fleet Are
Warmly Praised.

WASHINGTON. May % - Secretary
Moody has issued "A general order contain
ing certain extracts from the reports Of
the Missouri cours of inquiry regarding
the conduct of the officers and men at the
time of the accident on board that vessel on
April 10; letters from the President TO
the Navy Department regarding the 'brav-
cry of the officers and men of the Missouri;
the extraordinary leroism shown by Chief
Gunner's date NJ. Monssen, Gunner's Mate
SchepEe and Acting Gunner r. e. Cox. and
also a letter from the President to the de-
'partment expressing his satisfaction with
the behavior of the chaplain of the Mis-
souri,, Father Gleason, at the time of the
accident
After reading the memorandum of the
commander-in-chief, the President sent a
letter to the department, in which he first
quoted from Rear Admiral Barker's report
the admiral's commentator of those men
toned. to which the President appended
the following:
although we must all of us be sad
dened at so lamentable catastrophe. and
though every effort must be made and
every energy bent to minimize the chance
OF its recurrence, yet it is a matter of
profound qualification to all who are proud
of the American navy that the officers
and men concerned should have behaved
so we'll under such trying circumstances.
The weapons with which men now make
war on the ocean are SO terrible, the mech
anism of our warships is so delicate and so
formidable as TO make thorough training
and practice in their use both indispensable
and dangerous. Such war machines would
in battle be utterly useless unless those
handling them knew by actual experience
their capabilities and power TO utilize to
the highest degree of those capabilities, and
this power can only be acquired by practice,
from which a certain amount of risk is
inseparable. AS have already said, every
effort must be made to minimize this risk.
But after all such effort Is made certain
amount of risk will still remain, and this
risk must be faced in the same spirit in
which the risk of actual battle is faced.
This is expressly the spirit which was
shown in the fleet under Admiral Barker S
command, markedly on the Missouri, but
also on the other vessels. For many min
utes after the accident occurred on the Mis-
souri, every one aboard, her knew that at
any minute she might go to the bottom,
| yet there was no fiinching and no disorder
among her crew. Although the veterans
aboard her were less numerous than the re-
cruits every man performed his duty with
a cool self-possession and courage which
4
confidence as to the way in which any
emergency in battle or otherwise would be
met
Similarly we have a right to be proud
of the fact that on the instant resumption
! of the target practice the craftsmanship.
| II anything, showed a slight improvement
after the accident. 1t was a good thing TO
! have the Texas, for instance, as soon as
/ she had rendered assistance to the Missouri,
| steam out to resume practice at the great
! guns and to make one of the best records
| that had yet been made.
81 congratulate and thank Admiral Barker
ano, those under him fer the showing that
has been made. l have written separately
| concerning Captain Cowles's acting gun
! ner, r. T.. Cox, Chief Gunner's Mate Mons
sen and Gunner's Mate c. S. Schepke.'
! In the course of a letter to the secretary
| of the navy after reading the report of the
court of inquiry the President said regard
| ing the victims of the accident:
| These died for their country as hon
! orably as if they had died in battle against
| an enemy We mourn their fate, but we
| mourn ii only as We morun those who fall
! bravely at the post of duty. The accident
was due to no fault OF theirs or OF their
comrades. 1t was one of those accidents
| against which we must guard with cease
| less vigilance and which we must discover
means of averting, but the risk of which
cannot be entirely prevented under the con
ditions of preparation for modern warfare
/ and which therefore must to this extent
| be accepted as we accept the risk of battle
| itself. The lives OF those men were spent
/ in the service of their country and their
deaths were in her honor Living and dy.
| ing they showed that high fidelity to duty
! which can be rendered only by those ir
whom the determination to do duty vel
| has become part of their very being. Or
| behalf of the Nation l pay tribute of honor
] to the brave dead who died so nobly'
| To each one of the officers and men repre-
scented by the court as deserving and tC
! Chaplain Geeson, the Navy Department
has sent copy of the general order with
a commendatory letter. Especially com
mandatory letters have been written by
the secretary TO Cox, Monssen and Schep
! Ike, and to Monssen and Scheplxe medals OF
honor have been awarded. Because the
| law does not provide for the awarding OF
a medal of honor TO an officer OF the navy
| Acting Gunner Cox could not be awarded
| one.