Evening capital., 1907-07-05
FORC|BLY Retired
PERSONNEL BOARD "WEEDS
OUT NAVY"
Fifteen Oflicefs Cut 0ff-Fiye Captains
IN the Iisl-unanimous Action Of
lhe Board
THOSE WHO ARE VIRTUALLY
DISQUALIFIED FOR SERVICE

DISQUALIFIED FOR SERVICE
Nv the direction Of the President,
orders have been Issued f0Tcibiy refif-
| ing fifteen officers from active sersiee.
The list ~ made up ~ eve captains,
four commanders, fOgT lleafenaDt
commanders and two iicutcnapfs, All
| 10 De advanced one grade 90 the -
| tired list. The action WAS taken %
/ the Endorsement by tbe President 81
| the report ~ the Naval Beiirfment
Board. Of which Hear Admiral hobley
u. Evans is president.
The officers upon whom the 'aN'
| fell sfe ~ follows Captains Albion
", Wadhams. james ~. Bull, iiiebard
Ia, Davenport, Rogers ~, Dall and
| rrauk n. sawyer, Commanders John
q. colwell. William ., Cutler, John
| ~. Parker, lieutenant Commanders
| Lewis =. Clark, GEORGE II, Madison,
| william A. MeGfapn and Charles -
@tauwofth and Lieuteuanis Charles
| websleT and New ton Mansfield,
This Hweeding ont the dead wood
| ln the navy occurs annually under Tie
proy lsl0ns ~ tie naval Personnel
law ~ March 3. 1899. There were
twenty -four vacancies ~ be created
when ibs hoard held IS fret session
early In June, Fifteen Was the mast
mum number that could be fDfeibly
retired, a. be- divided into grades ~
mentioned above. Pour eapfaips were
retired June ~ by their own appliea
tlou, because ~ forty years and FttJ
| War service, and 6te applications
for retirement were 6led with tie
board,
Tbe retirement hoard held - 6uai
al HaFaH
week Interest 10 The result has been
al fever beat, Officers iu the grades
affected either fearing for their own
safety ~ hoping that 80 many taean.
eles might result ~ lbeir own promo
| lion feW numbers. This interest
was most manifest on the part ~ th0se
who we're near the top ~ ibeif re-
speetite grades when a few vacancies
| would result 10 their promotion - o.
| higher rank.
I'bis years list makes IL plain
| That fbe bOar1 went further Than ~
consider physical qualifications. ~
| the list ~ captains and commanders
| tho understanding IL general tIiat ae-
lion WIS taken almost wholly upon
| the question ~ efficiency. in the
lower grades. where the list - selee g
,o,n was 80 much larger, u ~ appar.
ent that sseieeii0ns were confined -
those whose physical condition has
| virtually disqualified them for service.
Captain Davenport WAS formerly
stationed IN a bureau in the Nayy De
Dartmenf, but owing - misnndsfstaDd-
ings between himself and fellow on
GERS be WAS transferred ~ Otberr duty.
Officers admit that iB many ways
| Captain Davenport - most efficient
| officer. but naval officers generally did
not approve his action in the great
hurricane that swept Samoa more than
a decade ago. when nearly every ship
| in those waters was destroyed. Cap
| tain Davenport WAS then lieutenant
commander and the skipper Of his
| vessel. Though he Was saved, but few
Of the crew survived. The ship went
down with those who remained
aboard. The Captain was noted after
ward for his efficiency and gradually
worked his way up the scale. When
the new battlesbip Georgia was placed
| in commission few months ago
| Davenport was assigned 10 her COM
fnand.
Captain Wadbams, who il captain Of
the NOrfoIk navy-yard, has delivered
| many religious lectures and talks
on the navy before the Young Mems
| Christian Association and other organ
| izatfons. This had caused some crit
| feism, as the navy generally frOwns
| upon the ''lecture habit"
| Captain Gait is on cOurt-martiaI
duty At the Norfolk navy yard.
| Captain Bull, who is c0mmardant
Of the naval training station at San
4 Francisco and IN command ~ the Pen
sacoIa, is understood 10 have been
barred from promotion on physical
| examination. This is due mostly to
an injury he received during the
| Buffalo Exposition, when be fell from
the dome Of "A building there and was
At the point Of death FOR several
months. The board also ~ understood
10 have found personal reasons for
| including the name of Captain Saw
yer, who is IN command Of The train
| ing ship Constellation At the naval
training station At Newport, X. ].
In the list Of commanders Mr.. Col
we'll j. nj the Naval War College at
| Newport for instruction. Commander
Wiuder is on courf-msrtial duty at
the Boston navy yard. Commander
Cutler, who is equipment officer Mt the
Boston navy yard, Is generally recog-
nized as the ablest officer on the list,
and his name was received with gener-
nj surprise. It is believed that the on
lly mark that could have been pa
down against him was unpOpularity
| In the list Of iieutenant-eommaBd
ers Clark is I'm command of the An
Inapolis, a special-service ship, At
ITutuiIa. Samoa; Stanwortb was re
Gently assigned 10 the new cruiser
California at the Mare Island navy
layrd. while McGrann Is in charge Of
the naval recruiting station At Mem
phis, Tenn. Madison, is assistant to
the inspector Of equipment at the
Newport News Shipbuilding and
| Drydock Company's works, IS recog-
nizcd as good officer, but be Is
handicapped by the fact that several
years ago he lost a leg.
Lieutenants Webster and Mansfield
were retired because Of III healt b.
Mr.. Webster is executive officer Of the
Prairie. while Mr.. Mansfield is under
going treatment at the Army General
Hospital, or open-air sanitarium Al
Fort Bayard, y. NJ.
The report Of the board was unani-
Il