The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-10-17
ADMIRAL EVANS
| IN WASHINGTON
COMES ASHORE TO PREPARE FOR
VOYAGE OF HIS FLEET.
IS IN BEST OF HEALTH
Veteran Laughs at Rumors of His Re.
tirerent-Hundreds Of Charts
Supplied for the Long
Cruise.

Washington, Oct. 16.-Rear Admiral
Robley Evans, commander-in-chief of
the Atlantic feet, arrived in Washing
ton Tuesday and went directly to the
navy department. Secretary Metcalf,
being temporarily confined to his
nome by slight ailment the admiral
spent some time in consultation with
Acting Secretary Newberry.
Admiral Evans is very popular
among his brother naval officers and
as soon as the word passed around
that he had come to Washington a
number Of them dropped in to the
navigation bureau to greet him. He
was looking in excellent physical con-
drion, in fact single glance at his
weather-tanned face and his keen eye
was sufficient to dismiss at once any
idea that he might be obliged to ap-
ply for retirement on account of fail
ing health before the beginning of
the Pacific cruise. The admiral him
self was disposed to look upon the re-
tirement rumor as joke. s.-
To Prepare for Cruise.
The purpose of his visit to Washing
ton, he said. was to spend about a
week or ten days in consultation with
the officials of the navy department
in relation to the approaching voyage
of his great fleet. 1t is true that the
itinerary has been worked out; that
arrangements have been made to
have all the coal nseded delivered to
the ships at specific ports on tAe
route; that all of the necessary charts
have been ordered and that arrange
ments have been made for relieving
and replacing all the short-term sail
ors on the fieet-men whose enlist
ments will expire before the vessels
arrive at their destination on the Pa
cific coast.
With all this, much remains to be
done to prepare the ships for the
cruise, not the least of which is the
change in the personnel of some of
the officers of the fleet below the
grade of captain, in conformity with
the decision Of the navigation, bureau,
to limit TO year and half the tour
OF duty OF such onlcers.
Will Advise with Bureaus.
In the course of the progress of the
work now going on upon the ships
in the various navy yards, 1t is also
necessary for the commander of the
fleet to advise with the bureaus on
construction and steam engineering,
and as 1t is possible to facilitate the
work very much by personal confer
ences instead of by correspondence,
Admiral Evans has decided to spend
some time at the department during
the coming week.
Admiral Evans had some interest
ing stories to tell his sailor friends
about that remarkable white squall
that struck the feet of Provincetown
a fortnight ago, and he also made
some statements relative to the re-
suits obtained at target practice that
caused his hearers to glow with pride
at the ability of their bluejackets, but
details OF this remarkable practice
are withheld from publication for po-
litic reasons. 1t is sufficient to say
that in this field the American navy
now stands without peer
Hundreds Of Charts Needed.
An enormous amount of work has
been imposed upon the naval hydro
graphic Office by the decision of the
president to send Admiral Evans
battleship feet around the western
hemisphere. Every one of the ships
must be supplied with more than 700
different charts relating to the ocean
ic route to be traversed and to the
coast and harbors which line the con-
tin@htal borders of this route.
Naval officers are congratulating
themselves upon the fact that it has
been possible to prepare this great
mass OF chartography without drawing
upon any foreign source.