The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-03-27
Type Of
Uncle Sans Old
SaIlormen


IiaHNin'' hui t'if hOhitA - i+f"'f"
viii haul down his rear admirars flag
and start FOR home to retire On Aug
ust is on the FIRST OF there dates. In
fitting blaze of lights. one Of the
most typically "sailofman' careers in
the history Of the United States navy
viii terminate.
For Evans is sailorman. There are
straiegists. professors commanders.
heroes. and everything else tha, IS
needful ia the American navy. and on
all these points Evens is oHtshone- But
there is nobody in the navy who is
sach typical sailurman. II the navy
still consisted Of the unwieldy old frig
ates and little briggs of Stephen De
catnrs day. when steam was unknown
aud iron merely thing that would
sink. Evans would be in his element
lie might have been one Of Capt
Marryats heroes. Thvre is something
incongruous about the steam and steel
of his ships. when one looks at their
commander flc lis thoroughly up 70
date TO the last inch OF him. and yer
he seems to belong back in the days 81
the first David Porter
Evans is not over popular in the
navy. About one-third of the officers
aevotedly admire him and about awo-
thirds hoot at the mention of his
name But the onc-third are sailor
men and the two-thirds men OF the
modern mathematical type
Srrrrised Emperor William.
An I'm all. there IL not an officer in
the navy who has such a grip or his
men ana his ships When he was at
Kiel in 1895. attending the opening Of
the Kiel canal The German emperor
came abonrd and put him through q
course OF sprouts. For instance, when
the emperor asked him how long II
would take him to close All water
tight doors and Evans said II could be
done ia two minutes, the emperor
atsonlshed Evans by asking him to 10
IL himself. Evans tried TO blow the
siren. but there was not steam enough
and it would not blow.
"Ahal' said the kaiser, grinning
with delight "You can't close your
bulkheadsi'
Evans touched a general alarm but
ion, and in an instant the men We're
swarming up. Ia one minute and
half by the cmperor's watch. for VIII
helm held the time on Evans himself
The doors were closed and the ship
ready for action This was at = o'clock
In the morning. and the emperor
hurled bouquets at Evans until the air
turned red.
captain Evans" eaid the kaiser rs
he quit the ship, after a thorough in
yestigation 81 cannot imagine that
ship could be IN better condition
asvens and the kaiser had both been
hitting up champagne and cigars
throughout the eyenlng-the kaiser
had been aboard all day and had din,s!
lthere-and when the emperor quit, at
! 2 "a. m, Evans thought he had seen
the last Of him. At 9 o'clock his order
Inv awoke him to say that the emperor
was Just passing steering his own
yacht
For heavens sake" growled Evans,
"don't stop him." But he got up AMI
Hooked out OF am air port where he
4 saw the Teddy OF Prussia In white
flannels steering the Meteor, "and
looking" as Evans afterward admiring-
Ily said, "as If he had never taken a
drink IN his life"
Doesn't Like Fighting Bob"
How about the Fighting Bob bus
iness? Evans scys he doesn't like the
term: Ire barks az it But such title
lis the inevitable penalty of the rough
landready clustering manner Of such
a sea dog. IT IS undeniable that
Evans does buster The time dishon-
ored theory that a brave man must be
exceptionally modest and retiring do
heroism by stealth and blush to find II
fame. never did have a leg TO stand on
aud meets It's final refutation IN Evans.
When he is going into action he lets
everybody know II. "ill make hell
smell OF garlic when get down
ltherelN he said when he was ordered
10 Chilli during the war scare OF 1891.
l'l'n make Spanish the only language
spoken in hell" he announced when
lhe was ordered 20 cuba at the begin
ming of the Spanish war.
In these lady-like days Of ours such
a sea captain may be out of date one
lof Marquis heroes would have talked
lust that way. Now we require our
sailors TO follow the example OF George
Washington and are "leery' of q hero
who brags. But IL IS totally wrong,
land Evans has proved il lie can hlus-
ter and bluster, and yet Ne the most
efficient seaman. the best commander
lthe most cautions and yet ready eon
mander ON the naval list; and he has
done a.
This reckless habit of speech was
horn IN him, though it has been mod
Grated somewhat of late years. large
lly AZ the result of the uumerelinl
scoring he got from lsidor Rayner
now senator from Maryland, in 1901
las result OF his boastful line OF tall
about his proves sat Santiago still
the time will never come when pie
mresQue and rough staggering hum
or will not proceed nom Evans on any
subject that comes uppermost.
The humorous side Of everSthine ap
meals To him. He used 10 keep a diar,
IN which he recorded in breezy fashion
Everything that he saw. Here IS at
extract from II. written m 1895. whel
ne was in London.
Called Prince a "Niaser."
After the party we drove 20 th'
Zoo. where the Aighanistan prince Wal
having an outing An the royal car
81 r1t