Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-02-28

1
to which he had been an officer Of the
Central Trust Company of America at
New York and secretary Of the Central
Trust Company Of Illinois. He was
born at Addison, N. Y. in 1864 and adj
mitted to the bar in New York in 1893.
Breaks Cruiser Record.
The new armored cruiser North Caro-
lima has completed her trial speed test,
1 having maintained an average speed
of 22.48 knots, which is in excess of
the contract speed required and is said
| to be the best record ever made by q
vessel OF the armored cruiser class.
| 1903 New Army Officers.
At the graduating exercises Of the
West Point Military academy, Feb. IA,
108 cadets were given diplomas and
are now in line for commissions in the
regular army, where they are said to
be greatly needed. Secretary Of War
Taft made the principal address and
delivered the diplomas. He reminded
the young men that an army man lost
a good part of his freedom Of initia-
tive and speech and reminded them
that their plain duty was to "obey or
ders and keep your mouth Shut
Troops For Alaskan Strike.
By direction of the president the act
ing secretary of war has ordered a
company Of Infantry to proceed from
Fort Gibbon, Alaska, to Fairbanks, in
the same territory, to preserve order
during the mining strike in that Sec
ton. This action was taken upon rep
resentation of the federal court in
Alaska. The distance to be Travelled
is 1855 miles, and the troops will be
carried by sleds. The journey can be
accomplished in four or five days.
Converse Defends Our Navy.
Rear Admiral George A. Converse,
retired, president Of the board of con-
struction Of the navy, has made the
special report which he prepared at the
request of President Roosevelt on the
methods Of designing and the structur-
al efficiency Of the American battle-
ships While this report is intended as
an answer to all the recent attacks
upon the efficiency Of our naval YES
sells, it is primarily reply to Henry
Reuterdahl's article In recent number
of popular magazine. Admiral Con-
verse does not assert that no mistakes
have been made or that the battleships
are without their faults. He does con-
tend, however, that these are few and
that the navy Of the United States will
compare fayorably in this respect with
thet Of any other power.
| On the subject of freeboard the ad-
miral says that with a few exceptions
our vessels have more freebroad than
the British and Japanese vessels which
| have given good service and pronounces
| Mr.. Reuterdahls statement that all
modern foreign battleships have for
ward decks from twenty-five to TWEEN
ty-eight feet above the water very
far from the truth" The height Of
the gun positions In American vessels,
he says, is equal to that Of similar
ships Of the British or Japanese navy,
though Inferior to the French. In re-
ply to the charge that in some of the
battleships the main armor belt shows
but six inches above the water when
fully equipped and ready for sea the,
admiral's statement is not very specific.
he says 1t is unfortunately fact that
| the actual draft of men-of-war at
completion is frequently greater than
that for which they We're designed ow-
hg to changes of military character"
The report gives list Of battle drills.
beginning in the summer of 1860, and
| shows that up to last summer the YES
sels of the navy In all parts OF the
world participated In seventeen sets Of