The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-03-14
RETIRES TODAY FROM ACT
I'VE SERVICE IN NAVY.
Rear Admiral George A. Converse Be-
comes Chief of Equipment
Bureau.

WASHINGTON, D. c., March 10
Two important naval bureau changes
retirement for age of Rear Admiral
Charles O'Neil, who has for seven
years been chief of the naval bureau
Of ordnance Admiral O'NeiTs sue
cessor as chief of the bureau of ordi
nance is Rear Admiral George A. Con-
verse who in turn is succeeded as chief
Of the bureau of equipment by Captain
Henry n. Manney, until now on duty
At the naval war college.
Rear Admiral O'Nel retires from ac-
tive service with a notable record as
4 sailor and a sea fighter He is prac-
tically the last of the men who rose
from the lower grade i'll the navy to
the highest and became international
practical knowledge gained by hard
knocks before the mast" He went
to sea first as a mere bay, his father
being one of the oldest sea captains of
Boston. On young O'NeiTs second
cruise he was shipWrecked in the East
Indies and was adrift five days in a
small boat with a few companions.
When the civil war broke out Rear
Admiral O'Neil was one of the first to
volunteer in the navy. He was APP
pointed a masters second mate and
was in this rank on the famous Cum
berland when she was sunk by the
Merrimac. For his action in this Incl
dent and his rescue of Lieutenant Nor
ris he was promoted to be an active
master in the navy and saw active SER
vice in many ships and fights during
the war.
His subsequent career as a junior Of
ficer took him all over the world in va
riOus duties, and in 1870 he was sta
toned III Boston as aide to Rear Ad-
miral Paulding, the last port captain
of that harbor. After that his duties
ashore were confined entirely to ordi-
nance studies of that harbor. After
this his duties ashore were confined en-
tirely to ordnance studies and work
He was ordnance officer at New York
and Charleston and twice Superntend-
ent of the naval ordnance factory in
Washington. In 1897 he was elevated
to the rank of captain. and a short time
after he was appointed to succeed Rear
Admiral Sampson as chief of the ord
nance bureau. He commanded the
American ships at Bluefields, Nicara-
qua, during the troubles there just pre-
Vious to his appointment as ordnance
chief. He also commanded the cruiser
Marblehead at the exercises marking
the opening of the kiel canal.
Rear Admiral O'Neil like Admiral
Melville, who for years was chief of the
bureau of steam engineering and ac-
quired a worldwide reputation in that
position, never spent a day at a
technical school. He studied theory
during his spare time and with the aid
of his practical knowledge he has pro-
duced the most powerful naval guns
in the world. Because of his wide
knowledge of ordnance, the department
is lOath to part with him and thouoh
he has reached the limit for active ser
vice, it has been decided to send him
abroad in the near future to study for
eign armor plate and the manner of it's
production in order to see whether
there is anything for the American
navy to learn in that line.
Rear Admiral George A. Converse
who succeeds Rear Admiral O'Neil as
chief of the bureau of ordnance. is al
officers III the service. He is a ma
tive of Vermont and graduated from
the naval academy. He commanded
the cruiser Montgomery in the Span
ishish war, and was until recently in
command of the battleship Illinois. He
is considered one of the best authori-
ties on naval torpedoes.
The appointment OF Captain Henry
\. Nancy to succeed Rear Admiral
Converse as chief of the bureau of
equipment has a particularly interest
ing feature. Among officers here tho
appointment is credited to the presi-
dents admiration for his courage in
taking the battleship Massachusetts
OF which he was in command, through
Hell Gate about two years ago, feat
which called forth much admiration
at the time. The battleship was bound
Tor Boston. Captain Nancy might
nave gone the long way round. but he
declared that if il was NOV ho ,,,