The Washington herald., 1907-03-24
Adventures of World Heroes
Fighting Bob" Evans and Hoch der Kaiser Joe" COghan


the grotesque figure. Then, suddenly
stopping, he seized a huge blubber fish
from the deck, soft and pasty, and hurl-
ed IL into the shippers face. The blow
knocked the Canadian overheard. Blowing
the water from his mouth, he came to
the surface and was rescued, the last ves~
tige of defiance and also his British coll
ors gone.
Evans really got his title of Fighting
Bob IN Valparaiso Harbor. Chile, sixteen
years ago. He had been sent there al
most direct from Bering Sea because
Of some diplomatic difficulty The Chill
cans were rather nasty, but Evans quiet
ed them in short order-not diplomatical-
~ but by threatening 10 make ''hell
smell Of garlic unless Chile "came down. ="
He once practically duplicated his Val
paraiso experience at Tunis. The Amer
lean consul reported some difficulty, and
Evans was sent with his ship 10 straight
en- out the trouble. He told the Bey that
unless he apologized Tunis should be
blown away back into the inland noun
tains BY the Yankee guns. but agreed =
settle the trouble for an apology and q
salute of a hundred guns in America S
honor The African potentate couldn {
do this because he hadn't enough powder
In his magazines. Evans finally accept.
ed a gala banquet instead, and survived
II with unimpaired digestion.
Evans was a captain when the SUan-
ish war broke out, and this gave him a
chance 70 help destroy Cervera's s feet at
Santiago, and so rouad cut an active ma
val life which had already contained
its share of sea fighting most satisfae-
tory to him. When ne came to cell his
life story in a book. he got into trouble
with the den7rtment by speaking Of a
former Secretary of Tie %avy as an in
sect"
He is almost as famous for his report
ed desire to make Spanish the most pOpu-
lar tongue in Gehenna. just before the
battle of Santiago. and for his entertain
ment on board his ship Of the German
Emperor at ktel, when the North German
ship canal was opened. as for any OF
his stunts as d fighter
"HOch Der kaiser joe"
Rear Admiral Coghlan has been called
Fighting Joe" bat his nickname was
never so adhesive as Evans Coghlan
Is better known as "Hoch der Kaiser. "
because he sang a few verses of doggerel
bearing that title one night in New York
that referred somewhat lightly to the
German Emperor. and had been current
In the Orient years before the trouble
in Manila Harbor, where Admiral Dewey
had a run in or two with the Kaiser's ad-
miral, Won Diederich.
Coghlans indiscretion was committed
late in April. eight years ago. at the In
ion League Club, in New York He had
only recently returned from Manila,
where his vessel, the Raleigh, fired the
first shot the night before the decisive ac-
ton OF May ,. 1855. In this the Raleigh
was third in the circling line of ships
which reduced the Spanish forts. and
awoke the Spanish dons 10 the fact that
the Yankee nation could produce fighters
as we'll as multimiHionaires.
he was the first of DeP.ey's captains 10
be sent home, he had been made mich of
at all the ports of call on the voyage
and his friends always have said that be
should have been excused, because he was
at a private club dinner when he told
the stories and sang the song having no
idea that what he said OF sang would get
into print The next night, however. he
repeated his performance at The Army
and Navy Club, and fun reports OF his
doings both nights We're printed.
Z
was some talk that the Kaiser was SO
to be reprimanded. He wasn't, though
but he was sent from New York TO Port
Orchard, State OF Washington, on Puget
Sound forthwith. Union League Club
men stiil shiver when by some evil
chance newspaper man passes through
the portals of their clubhouse. Yet there
could have been no publication of what
went on either night. had not some one
present told tales to the reporters.
COghlan was born in Kentucky. but was
brought up IN Illinois. where his parents
died before he was four. His uncle. Col
Philip FOuke, bound him out TO a farm
er. but on being elected to Congress ap-
pointed the hoy TO Annapolis He went
into active service on graduation, but
was not as lucky as Evans in winning
fame during the civil war.
He won the nickname Fighting Joe"
al the district Scho0l. The quarrel was
the outcome Of young Joes superiority In
the spelling class and running races. Be
ing challenged to show that he could
tight, as well as spell and run he whip
ped the other fellow. After the battle
of Manila Bay, where he did his trick
so well. the sch0Olhouse was almost car
ers.
Coghlans rise was slow for many years
In 1876 he wrote scorching letter to a
clerk in the Bureau Of Navigation who
had called him down about some trife
which set him back eleven numbers. II
1880 he wrote a letter to the Times OF
Vallejo, Cal, cTiticising the naval ad-
ministration. This led to a eourt-martial
The civilian witnesses would not testify
and could not be made to- Coghlan was
acquitted. but was punished. neverthe-
less. by being deprived of his command
for some time and set 10 inspecting light.
houses.
This spoiled his chance to distinguish
himself for the time being, and it was
not till 1896, twenty years after his first
indiscreet letter that he was put in com
,inand of the Raleigh and sent to the Ash
attic station. The chance TO retrieve him
self came when Dewey was sent 10 lOOl
after the Spaniards at Manila and the
Raleigh was added TO the feet
The battle of Manila was fought twen-
ty-two years after Coghlan's setback. and
he embraced his chance with full re.
alization that he might never have an
other. His work, both in the battle and
afterward, was so We'll done that Dewey
recommended an advance Of ten numbers
only one less than he had lost, but he
was allowed only FIVE. However, in 1902
four years after Manila and twenty-siA
after his setback, he was pardoned in ful
and restored 10 his original place in tho
line of promotion.
COghlan studied law two years In Den.
yer while he was lieutenant commander
and had shore leave, which he decided L
spend far inland. He entered Judge NJ. A
Rogers Office exactly as he would hav,
done had he been a civilian, proved Z
hard student and was admitted to prac
tice in the Supreme Court OF the Stat,
when the two years were up. He made Z
speciality of law relating 70 the sea anC
naval matters