The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-04
MUST. TAKE BACK SEAT.
Old Officers VIII Be Displaced by
Younger Men on Pacific Cruise.

New York, Sept. 4-The biggest shake
up in the history of the line of the Unit
ed States navy is now in process OF ar
rangement by the secretary of the navy
who has the appreciation OF president
Roosevelt in TIE plar outlined.
OF the officers now commanding the
eighteen battieships to make the long
voyage from the Atlantic to the Paclnc,
for a world beating cruise, only four
captains now commanding ships VIII
make the trip. The president and secre-
tary of the navy have agreed to forward
the long desired plan of advancing young
men to the fighting line and SEND tnelr
elders to the rear. and of the eighteen
captains who will command and be re-
sponsible for the $100,O00,OOO worth OF
armament and equipment to be sent
through the Strait of Magellan TO the
Pacific fourteen will be men younger
than the captains now in command.
Some Who Will Make the Trip.
The following captains will hold their
ships and make the trip: Potter of the
Vermont, Vreeland of the Kansas, Oster-
haus of the Connecticut and Wainwright
of the Louisiana. Wainwright was found
to be we'll on toward retirement time,
but his service during the Spanish war
advanced him in rank so rapidly that he
is one of the first in line for rear ad-
miralship, and will be saved the regret
of being put ashore during mis- latter
years of active service.
Among naval officers of high rank it
was said today that Captain McCrea,
commanding the Georgia, might also be
kept in his command, making five of the
present captains to stay aboard ship for
this cruise But his date of retirement
is in 1913, only six years hence, and it is
said that his case is in doubt.
The captains who will be sent ashore
to make room for younger officers of the
same rank are Seaton Schroeder of the
Virginia, William w. Kimball of the
New Jersey, J. B. Murdoch of the Rhode
Island Samuel P Comfy of the Ala
bama, Gotfried Blocklinger of the Illi-
nois, Herbert Winslow of the Kearsarge
Edward B. Barry of the Kentucky. Lewis
C. Hellner of the Ohio, Giles B. Harber
of the Maine, John Hubbard of the Min
nesota, G.. A. Merriam of the Missouri,
Berry and Theodore Porter Of the ar
mored cruisers Tennessee and Washing
ton.
Relieved From Sea Duty.
The intention of the navy depart
ment to relegate the older captains to
the rear and put the young ones in
command of the great new battleships
of the fleet became known through an
official communication to the first of
the captains to prepare for duty
ashore. This communication was
delicately, even with kindness, put,
and it informed the particular captain
that his relief from sea duty at this
time was in no way a criticism by the
department on his capacity as the
commander of a first class battleship
of the United States navy. 1t is said
to have also extended in explanation
SO far as to give comfort to the cap
tain by assuring him that the other
captains, save those given above, who
will retain their commands, would
also be put ashore.
An effort to secure the name of this
the first of the captains of the fleet to
be put aside was unsuccessful
The change in the commanders of
the ships at this time has so far ad- |
vanced and SO much of detail of the
plan has become known in the line
of the navy that there is no other
topic of conversation among the Of
f1cers of the fleet which Admiral
Evans will take from the Atlantic to
the Pacific. 1t is said by a naval Of |
ficer of high rank that the plan was
to put on shore duty all captains who |
had reached an age where they could |
not expect to be advanced to a rear |
and then serve two years
before retirement.
Edict to Follow Maneuvers.
The shakeuD will occur wholesale |
just after the finish of the target prac-
tice and maneuvers off Cape Cod this |
month The work of the battleships |
In these maneuvers will be the first of |
its kind ever ordered by the depart |
ment. Naval officers are waiting for |
this practice with the keenest inter- |
est New range finding apparatus has |
been invented of recent years and |
where only recently the target prac- |
tice of the United States battleships at
4 900 yards was considered almost |
without equal on the part of the ships |
of any other navy, Uncle Sans pres |
ent proposition is to make world rec
ords at 5000 yards under full speed |
and under conditions that promise to
test the limit of capacity of maneuv-
ering and gunnership of the Ameri- |
can man and officer.
The present captains of the big new
ships will engage in these maneuvers
and will then be relieved to make way |
for the younger ones. Just who will |
take the places of the captains to be |
sent ashore no one knows outside of |
the department. BY the time the |
feet is ready to start on its long |
voyage there will be plenty of men of |
the rank of captain. younger men |