Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-03-07
COMMANDER OF
T. PACIFIC FLEET



gafe Constitution as n midshipman.
T'hen came the Civil war. Bobs mother
was passionateiy devoted to the south
ern cause. Bobs brother put on tho
confederate gray and went TO the 'front.'
but Bob, though only fourteen, hau
mind of his own and rejected MS moth-
ers cntreaties. In desperation uls
mother wrote out his resignation ncr-
self and sent Il, without his knowledge
To- the secretary of the navy. II was
accepted. but Bob. when he heard OF ~
sent a telegram to Washington tudi
secured his reinstatement. and ne ana
his brother fought on opposing sldes 70
the end OF the war, and both sucueeucu
in being badly wounded.
HIT FOUR TIMES.
II was IN the attack on Fort t1sher
that Midshipman Evans was shot' ~
was hit three times before he 1eil'
Then he was shot a fourth time as ne
lay in the sand, and he saw the shaFp-
shooter getting ready for a ntth' re
addressed n few emphatic remarks 70
the sharpshooter and finding this had
no effect he tried sharpshootins NM
self. This ended matters.
SAVED LEGS WITH A GUN,
In the hospital at Norfolk he heard
the surgeon instruct an assistant 10
take off both his legs in tho morning.
Bob slipped a revolver under his pit
low. and waited with set teeth for the
morning. He was only eighteen and
felt he had use for those legs. When
the assistant came to prepare him Tor
the operation, he pulled his revolver
from under the pillow and told the doe
tor that 1t had six cartridges and That
If anybody entered the place with a
lf.s ~
killed before the operation began. The
legs were saved.
"FIGHTING" BOB.
Tho sobriquet OF Fighting Bob,
thus seems to have been meritcd early
in his career: but it did not come to
him until 1891. when us commander
Of tho gtmboat Yorktown. he was sont
TO Valparaiso to assist Captain Schley,
of the Baltimore, IN fracas which
The latter's men had got into with the
Chileans. Evans at one time, during
the absence Of the Baltimore. confront
cd with his single glinboat the ten forts
and the whole Chilean squadron and
twice cowed the Chilcans with the
threat to open fire without further
parley, thus saving his flag from fur
ther insult and preventing the forcthle
seizure OF the American refugees VINO
had taken shelter under his flag.
GIFTED VOCABULARY.
Bob" Evans Is gruff and abrupt and
gifted with a vocabulary in Billings
gate that would shrivel you up did
he make you the object of one OF nus
verbal castigdtions. But what OLD
seaiighter is worth his salt unless he
possesses some of these qualities? The
admiral is no parlor warrior. lie
would much rather lead n feet into
trouble than remain home and lead
a Cotillion. So, If there Is anything
in the character of men, Bob Evans
IS following the lines M is best adapt
ed to- And like n chip off the old
block, his son, Lieut., Frank Taylor
Evans, is following these very same
lines, and for aught we know there
may be another Admiral Evans one
OF these days.
Is A GRANDFATHER.
Robtey p. Evans--a gentle name
hence "Fighting Bob"--is frst, last
and always for the navy. He IS hap
PLY welded, the father of three chill
dren, and even 4 grandfather, but II
you could read his heart you probably
would find that the navy comes first
FATHER OF MODERN NAVY.
For years he has fought for q
larger navy, more men, increased pay
and every reform that could make TINS
arm of the government the first in
the world Never has he decried
this or that in the department; never
has he taken sides with the cliqueS
that make the navy nest OF poll
ticians; he has always stood by,
champion of what we had, fighting for
more. He may well be called the
4 fN.. Ia.
has done more to bring it to its pres
ent stage of high efficiency than any
other man. And when IL comes to
the practical work of sailing a yes
sell a squadron, a feet. or an entire
navy and putting II into action. there
is no one Bob Evans would take
lessons from.
HIS HOME LIFE.
To see the admiral in his modest
home on Indiana avenue. Washing
tom you would meet u man possessed
OF a rough iollity and "a sense of hui
NOR that would force every good yarn
from your mental storehouse. Hor
would fnd him trying to forget what
his next sailing orders would be and
acting as much like boy as any rear
admiral could His son, the lieuten-
ant, and his two married daughters.
MIS-. sNNNtiA anu 4bl1. AlttiHiif pih'AA
make up happy theater parties ana
sometimes go on jaunts into Virginia,
where all the Eyanses hail from.
SIMPLE GENTLEMAN.
Even in the cabin OF his flagship
Connecticut outside of certain re-
served dignity you would find q
simple, democratic, gentleman, with
some of the draw OF the southland
still on his tongue. who would place
you at your ease aud force his hos
pitality upon YOU against all protests.
If his rheumatism bothered him amy
lbs wouiG propably mako your visit
short ana pleasant, otherwise YOU
would md Yourself swapping tales
until the small hours
TYPICAL INTERVIEW.
My last conversation with the add
niral was on the day before the sail
ing of tho fleet. He was I'm the little
cabin that shelters ono ON the bridge.
on his head he had placed the car
piece and apparatus of "A wireless tcle-