New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-10

ing Captain BlClneu, these captains are
about equally divided between the two
Naval Academy classes which graduated
respectively in 1907 and iS6S
Upon the admirals who command fleets
and squadrons and the captains who
command the battle-ships and armored
cruisers obviously rest the highest respOn-
sibilities. In their hands are the most
powerful fighting units and the aggrega-
lions of them, in a word, the battle-lIne-
And it IS automatic that upon the ships
of the battle-line and not upon those of
minor power depends the issue Of war at
sea.
Protected cruisers and vessels OF second
and third rate are intrusted to officers Of
command rank, but Of lower grade. deslg-
mated as commanders. Even among these
the age conditions are abnormal. All are
over fortv-six vears-fortv-three out OF
the total list of one hundred and ten have
passed age tiftv-three. Within the next two
wears twenty-five captains will be retired
for age, and maybe replaced by the like
number of senior commanders. But what
is gained None of these commanders
will then be less than tifty-fve Years old;
five will be fiftv-eight. An English COM
mander is retired at age fifty. The
average age of the Japanese commanders
IS about fortv-oue.
In the next grade, heutenant-con-
mander, there are men at the head OF
the list of over thirty years service,
nearly hundred OF them are forty years
of age and over. 1t IS in this list that
we first meet officers whose age approx
imatelv fits their. position, and this only
because of the unusual number OF volun-
tarv retireuents which occurred last July
3. The senior Eeutenant-commande has
been thirtv-one years II the service; the
Junior acknowledgements has served
for nineteen years. Officers are now be
ginning to reach this grade by the time
they are thIrtv-tiVe years old.
The net result of examination OF the
ages of the commanders and lieutenant
commanders comes then to this. Re
peating that the considered proper age
for attaining minor command IS forty,
for major or battle-shlp command forty
FIVE. and for flag rank fifty wears, all of the
present commanders are too old now;
and even were they all removed the
lrenant-COmmanders who would sue
coed them by seniority are also beyond
the initial command age of forty. This
condition IS steadily getting worse as
time goes by.
It is interesting, but owing to the
different circumstances then existing, not
so conclusive Us It otherwise might seem.
to note the ages OF some OF the naval
officers who gained great distinction IN
past wears. Thus, Nelson, who died at
fortv-seven. was only forty when the
Battle of the Nile was fought. Paul
Tones. who was forty-tve yeats old at
his death. was only thirty-two when the
Bon Homme Richard captured the
Scraps. At Trafalgar, the average age
of thirtv-one British captains was little
over forty. Decatur wore a comflo-
dore's broad pendant at twenty-elght'
and Perry gained the fight on Lake
Erie at twenty-nine. Hull, with the
Constitution, took the Guerrlcre at thirty
seven. cambridge and Stewart, the cap
tains Of that famous craft in her other
victories. were then each thirty-elght.
~, +ba other. hand FarTagut fought