Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-03
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS
Board Appointed to Consider
Needs of Naval Staff Corps.

The Secretary of the Navy has organized
a naval board to consider the special needs
of the staff departments Of the navy. It Is
composed of Professor Of Mathematics p.
r. Alger, Naval Constructor D. w. Taylor,
Chaplain c. Q. Wright, Pay Inspector ]. 8.
Carpenter, Surgeon w. 8. Braisted and
Civil Engineer F. T. Chambers. Prof. Alger
will be president of the board and Civil
Engineer Chambers will be its recorder.
The board will begin its sessions Tuesday
and will consider the changes required In
the way of legislation, including titles for
the improvement Of the efficiency Of the
port made by the main personnel board in
carrying out any plan of relief which may
be suggested.
The President is in favor Of change Of
1t would be wise to adopt such titles as
surgeon admiral, paymaster commander
and similar combinations Of present staff
designations and line titles. His views on
the subject are expected to have weight
with the board.
Retirement Of Rear Admiral Mead.
1t was announced at the Navy Depart
ment today that Rear Admiral William w.
Mead, commandant of the navy yard,
Portsmouth, N. H, will be placed on the
retired list of the navy on the Sth instant
by operation of law on account of age. His
retirement will result in the promotion of
Capt. George A. Bicknell commandant Of
the Pensacola navy yard, and Capt Seth
NJ Ackley, now in this city on waiting or
ders, to the grade of rear admiral. Capt
Ackley is an additional number In his
grade.
Rear Admiral Mead is a native Of Ken
lucky and entered the navy In December.
1861. He has had about nineteen years
sea service and about twenty-five years
shore duty. He has been stationed at
Portsmouth since July, 1904. and has held
the rank Of rear admiral since July, 1905.
Investigating Death Of Bluejacket.
Henry ]. Wickles, carpenters mate, Sec
ond class, and Albert Janusch. coxswain,
both attached to the naval tug Potomac,
will be tried at the League Island navy
yard tomorrow by court-martial to deter
mine their responsibility, If any, for the
death of James Mabry, oiler, who fell or
was thrown overheard from the naval tug
Potomac December q last at Birchy Cove,
will be defended by George M. Mann of
Brooklyn, who was at the Navy Depart
ment yesterday making an investigation Of
the record Of the accused men.
Naval Attache to China and Japan.
Commander ]. A. Dougherty, U. 8. NJ,
has been assigned to duty as naval attache
at Picking, China, and Toxic, Japan. reliev-
ing Lieut. Commander F. Marble who is as
signed to duty on the Asiatic station.
Graduation Of Midshipmen.
The exercises in connection with the grad
uation Of section of the first class of mid
shipmen at the United States Naval Acad-
envy will be held in the arrnory at Annap-
oils on the 18th instant, beginning at II
o'clock. Secretary MetcaIf win present the
diplomas In person and will deliver an ad-
dress. He will be received In front Of the
armory at 10:46 am. by battalion of ma
rines and the Naval Academy Band and
honors due his station will be accorded him.
Replacing the Old With the New.
1t is proposed to replace the old Constel-
lation at Newport with the new training
ship Cumberland and the old Pensacola at
Yerba Buene training station, California,
with the new training ship Intrepid. It is
held that the older vessels have served their
purpose and that it is decidedly to the ad-
vantage of the training service to have the
newer ships at the Boston and Mare Island
navy yards.
To Purchase in Open Market.
In response to an official inquiry on the
subject, Capt H. L. Pettus, quartermaster,
U. s. A, has made the following statement
in regard to the purchase of military sup
plies in the open market:
Purchases of supplies which do not ex-
coed $500 may be made without advertising
where 1t would be disadvantage to the
government to advertise, where 1t is imprac-
ticable to secure competition, whenever
services compel such purchases to be made
before there Is time to advertise. or when
for some reason 1T is impracticabIe or i'm
possible to advertise but every such pur-
chase greater than 500 must be reported on
form for approval of the Secretary of
War"
Transfer of Fort McHenry.
In compliance with instructions from the
War Department, a board of officers, to
consist of the commanding officer, artillery
district of Baltimore, the artillery district
quartermaster and Capt. William NJ. Cruik-
shank, Artillery Corps, constructing quar-
termaster, has been appointed to meet at
Fort McHenry. Nd, in connection with
the lease Of the Fort McHenry military
reservation to the state of Maryland. The
board will meet at the earliest practicable
date. and will examine into and submit
a report upon the details covering the
selection of buildings on the reservation
to be retained by the United States, and
will determine the proper wording of cor
rections to the lease necessary to attain
that object. The proceedings Of the board
will be forwarded to headquarters, Atlantic
division.
Prizes for Naval Militiamen.
The Navy Department is in favor of ex-
tending to the naval militia the system of
prizes, badges and trophies for excellence
in gunnery exercises and target practice,
and 1t is proposed to have legislation so
as to include provision for those emblems
in the item for arming and equipping the
naval militia contained in the pending ma
val appropriation bill. 1t Is not believed
that the additional expense that would re-
suit from the proposed amendment would
be sufficient to require any enlargement of
the appropriation.
Completing Issue Of New Rifle.
Gen. Crozier. chief of ordnance. has given
instructions for the issue of the new maya
CINE rifles, caliber 80. model of 1903, with
knife bayonets and model of 1895 sights, to
the remainder of the troops stationed in
the United States, including the seacoast
artillery and the Signal Corps. The issue
of these arms to the troops stationed in the
departments of the. east and the gulf win
be made from the armory at Springfield,
Mass, and to troops stationed in all other
departments of the United States from