The Washington herald., 1907-12-15
BY DEXTER MARSHALL.


erland. Murdoch. Hubbard, Bartlett, Har-
Der. Merr am, Veeder. Blockinger. Cowles.
Hutchins, captains-these are the big
men who will put 10 sea on the the NOR
row in command of the sixteen battle
ships that have been ordered by President
Roosevelt TO make that little practice
cruise of just 13.02 nautical miles to San
Francisco.
These are the battle ships: First squad
ron, first INSTRUMENTATION Kansas,
Louisiana. Vermont: second division
Georgia. Virginia. New Jersey Rhode
Island; second squadron, third division
Minnesota. Ohio, Maine, Missouri; fourth
Observation-Disclosures. IllionOis, Kentucky,
Kearsarge. Accompanying them will be
the supply ship Culgoa, the refrigerator
ship Glacier. the repair ship Panther, and
the cruiser yacht Yankton.
In command OF the tOrpedo-boat fiotilla,
which sailed December p is Lieut. II. J.
Cone, and under him are the destroyers
Whipple Truxtun. Lawrence, Hopkins,
Hull. and Stewart, and the tank ship Are
thusa the latter acting as convoy to
these six mosquitoes of the sea.
The combined feet. when it passes out
Of Hampton Roads after being reviewed
on the way out By the commander-in-
chief Of the army and navy. the President
OF the United States. win consist Of
twenty-one ships. In the Straits of Ma
gellan the collier Sterling will be picked
up by the flotilla. so that next April If
all goes well with the war dogs on their
trip around the Americas, twenty-eight
OF them viii steam. saluting. past the
forts guarding the Golden Gate. by that
act calling the worlds attention 10 the
fact that the United States is a Pacific
rs well as an Atlantic great power.
Only One In Civil War.
or all the 2O.0OO-odd men who officer
and man the fleet. only one saw service
in the civil war. and that one was the
fleets commander-in-chlef. none other
than Fighting Bob" Evans himself He
was bored by four bullets in the land at
tack on Fort Fisher in January Of 1855. In
getting into the civil war he was more
fortunate. or the reverse, as you care to
look at it, than Rear Admirals William
II. Emory and Charles S. Sperry. who
were also born in 1876. and Rear Admiral
Charles N. Thomas. who began his
earthly career a year later Evans. how
ever. was graduated from the Naval
Academy in 1862. in time to fight for the
Union. while Thomas was not graduated
until just after the close of the war. and
Emory and Sperry the following year
The four rear admirals are the only men
in gthe feet whose respective birthdays
antedate the year 1850. Comparatively
speaking, the cruise around the Horn
III be Il young mans journey" This IS
as the government has planned il. with
the idea of having the steadiest nerves
possible on the job, for it viii be wearing
work 20 pilot sixteen fighting leviathans
through strange seas week after week
and month on month.
Wounded mt Age Of Nineteen,
Rear Admiral Evans was just nineteen
when the bullets brought him down be-
fore Fort Fisher. Since then. according
to Kipling. Evans has lived more stories
than most men could invent. When Kip
ling vouched for this in verse he probably
had in mind, for one thing. the time when
Evans. I'm command Of the Yorktown. and
determined 10 take his ship safe into port
or perish with her, had himself dashed to
the bridge when g big storm was on and
1t was impossible TO keep ones feet other
wise. At any rate. Evans achievements
before Fort Fisher prove that he de-
served the nickname OF Fighting Bob
long years before he received H. II was
not until 1891, when Chile was carrying a
emp on her shoulder and daring Uncle
Sam 10 knock it off that he became
Fighting Bob" by picturesquely calling
the Southern Yankees bluff on several
occasions. Fighting Bob" he has re-
manned ever since TO the navy and the
country at large, 20 the constant delight
OF both.
1t was Evans. then captain OF the bat
ue snip Iowa, who received the surrender
OF capt Eulate. Of the Viscaya. after. the
battle OF Santiago In the Spanish-Annri-
can War. The Spaniard was brought
alongside Evans ship in q small boat
lie was covered with blood, having three
wounds, and a blood-stained handkerchief
WAS tied about his capless head. Half a
cozen wounded men were huddled niser-
aDly about him. and IN the bottom of the
boat lay the body OF a dead sailor. The
captain was put in chair and hois;ed
10 the deck of the Iowa. Unbuckling his
sword belt. he kissed the hilt of the
sword and. bowling low. presented II 70
Evans. Evans accepted Il. but retained
1t Tor only a moment, returning il amid
me cheers Of the assembled America
bluejackets
Assists Captive 10 Cabin.
minute later as Capt. Bob was as
slsting Eulate to his cabin. the latter
drew himself up to his full height and
with his right arm extended above his
head, exclaimed. .'Adlos. Viscavap, Jus,
then the forward magazine Of the Viscava
exploded with tremendous roar. Cant
Eulate was received on board the Iowa
with all the honors due his rank. Evans.
solicitude for the feelings OF his spanIard
calls 10 mind the formers terse descrin-
ton OF the conduct Of the Yankee lack
tars during and after the battle:
30 long as the enemy showed his fac
our men Fought like American searnen
Dur after the foe had surrendered our
men were as gentle as women"
Rear Admiral William II. Emory in
command Of the second division of the
oattle-ship fleet, with the Georgia as bie
nag ship. is as picturesque in his way rs
Bob Evans is in his, and three incidents
IN Emory's career which occurred whom
he was on the Asiatic station reveal the
iact that he can be bluffed no more than
his superior
The first incident occurred in the early
~ s. when Emory was a young lien
tenant he having attained that grade in
S'0 He had occasion one day to repri-
nand severely an enlisted man of great
physical strength and some reputation az
bully. Afterward this man went among
ms shipmates declaring that the lieu.
tenant had his uniform on for protection
or he would not Lave dared 10 be 50
severe Emory Glanced to overhear this