Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-28
Beneficiaries to Be Specified.

Beneiciaries to Be Specified.
The War and Navy departments are
sending out blank forms to commanding
officers, with instructions that every man
of the military and naval service shall in
dictate the names of two or three persons
to whom in succession, in the event of
death of the enlisted man, shall be paid
his benefit. consisting of six months pay.
provided the man dies in service from
causes attributable to his duty. The same
benefit goes to the widow or other bene-
ficiary of officer. The law is so word
ed. however. that the widow receives the
benefit in the first instance, unless some
other beneficiary is named. If there is no
widow and no beneficiary is named 1t has
been decided that the payment cannot be
made to the estate. 1t happened that an
enlisted man who died recently left no
widow. and as there had been no reason to
designate a beneficiary previous to the
recent legislation. his six months pay
must remain in the Treasury. Every If
fort is being made by the War and Navy
departments to have every person In the
service whether enlisted or commissioned,
designate benefciaries.
Interference With Wireless Com
munications.
The coast artilleriSts responsible for
maintaining communication in the coast
defense districts have decided that the
wireless telephone system which has been
| under experiment is unsuted for general
adoption. The sample sets were installed
at Fort Monroe, one instrument being on
shore and the other on one of the coast
artillery tugs. There was no difficulty
| in ntaining communication for dis
tance of five or six miles. One of the
problems however, which impressed the
expert observers was the extent to which
wireless communication, both by tele-
graph and telephone. might be interrupted
| or impaired by interference by an enemy.
The experts have been giving attention to
| this matter. but no one has been able to
suggest any means of preventing interfer-
| ence when it is applied with the intention
| of destroying wireless communication.
An Interesting Military Decision.
| An important decision has been reached
by the War Department respecting the
right of appointment of cadets at large at
the Military Academy and those from the
states credited to senators and represent
| atives. A law was enacted some time ago
| changing the beginning of the academic
year from June l to March l, and under
the statutes those who make nominations
for cadets at West Point may designate
| the appointee one var in advance of the
date of admission to the Military Acad-
| envy. That is with the idea that the young
men may be able to prepare themselves
for the entrance examination. The
change in the date of entrance from July
I to March 1 has a peculiar effect this
fiscal year. as March next the Presi-
dent and some of the senators and repre-
sentatives will go out of office. If the en-
trance date remained June 1 their sue
cessors in office would have the privilege
of filling the vacancies in the corps OF
cadets at West Point. 1t has been de-
cided that since the law is specific on the
subject and the appointing power.
whether the President. a senator or a rep
resentative may nominate a cadet one
year in advance of the date of entrance,
there is no question that this designation
may be made March 1, 1909, even by those
whose terms of Office expire three days
later.
New Bullet Not Yet Ready.
Gen. Bell, chief of staff, U.S.A., has
ordered that the new special bullet, being
in an experimental state, shall not be
used in the national match this year. An
other reason for that action is the fact
that the trajectory of the new bullet gives
it greater accuracy, and to utilize that
bullet the rear sight leaf would have TO
be regauged, which could not be done ac-
curately before the time for holding the
matches.
Asked to Use Water.
Inc freSlOenC mas received d pcllt1Ou
from women of North Dakota asking that
water be used in christening the new bat
tleship North Dakota, now building at
the yards of the Fore River Shipbuilding
Company. Quincy. Mass. The petition
has been referred to the. Navy Depart
ment. The North Dakota will probably
be launched next fall. The only battle
ship that has been chrlstened with water
up to date is the Kentucky.
New Pacific Torpedo Fleet.
The torpedo vessels on the Pacific coast
have been organized into a Pacific torpedo
fleet under the command Of Commander
William A. Gill. C.S.N., commanding OFF,
Ger of the Solace, the torpedo supply ship
of the fleet.
The Pacific torpedo fleet Is divided into
the following flOtillas:
First fiotilla. Whipple, Truxtun. Hopkins
and Hull
Second flotilla. Paul Jones. Perry. Pre-
BILE and Stewart
Third flotilla, Lawrence. Farragut,
Goldsborough. Rowan, Fox and Davis.
The Farragut is temporarily assigned to
the second flotila until the Paul Jones
is commissioned.
The following auxiliaries of the Atlantic
fleet will leave San Francisco prior to the
departure of the main body of the fleet
July 7:
Ajax, June %; CulgOa. July /: Glacier,
June %; Panther, June 80; Relief July /,
and YanktOn, June so.
Army Orders.
Veterinarian Richard H. Power, 4th
Field Artillery upon his relief from treat
ment at the general hospital. San Fran
cisco, will report at the Preside Of San
Francisco Cor duty pending the arrival
in the United States of Batteries G and D
of his regiment from the Philippines divi-
sion. when he will join those batteries.
Contract Surgeon George B. Jones. at
San Francisco, Cal, will proceed to Fort
George Wright, Washington. for duty.
BY direction of the President, and upon
the application of Post Commissary Sergt
Charles Sanders, that soldier will be
placed upon the retired list.
Marines on the Isthmus.
1t has been decided to place a bat
TALON of 400 United States marines at
Corosel, two and q half miles from Pan
anna and within the Canal Zone; another
HI