The Washington times., 1908-01-23
AMERICAN SEAMAN
IN TURKISH NAVY
Started as Common Sailor and Got to
Be Sultan's Trusted Rear
Admiral.

Commodore Rainsford d. Bucknam.
formerly Of Worcester. Mass. and a ma
tive OF Bucksport Me., who for the past
few years has been naval adviser Of the
Sultan. has been promoted to the rank
Of rear admiral in the Turkish navy
with the title OF Pasha, says the Bos-
ton Herald
Rear Admiral Bucknam Is about forty
years old, and his life has been replete
with adventure from the time he ran
.l.,dy from worcester TO follow the sea
at sixteen ill in 1914 he took a Cramp
built Turkish waTshiHstO ConstantinopIe.
and, having arrived at the Bosporus on
the Fourth Of July. calmly celebrated
,Ee American holiday with great gusto
aTd noise aboard the Turkish Sultan's
man-of-war.
His father was lost at sea, and as a
child he went 10 live with his uncle. G.
b Dunkcrt0nr Of Worcester, He began
his marine career on the great lakes,
80 not long after went Oh d Peabody
packet 20 Australia and was wrecked
on the north coast OF that continent.
His Worcester relatives next heard OF
him from the Philippine city Of Iloilo.
Coming back TO the great lakes carry
ing trade, he piled between Buffalo and
Duluth for a while. Then he met John
D. Rockefeller. The oil king owns a
big feet of whaleback petroleum.
steamers on the lakes, and Buckman
was put in command Of the fleet When
BuCknam was a boy, he was O. bin boy
with Captain Eliot, Of the Joseph l.
Colby, when she made the first trip
of whaleback from the lakes to tide
water. and BuCknam, as commodore Of
the oil feet, showed his training
In those days the Pacific Mail Steam
ship Company vas beginning TO pick up
the huge business il now controls, and
was on the lookout for capable men
They got BuCknam and made his CAP
tain OF the Island OF Panama He
finally became their superintendent at
Panama City, but left the company
in 1901. AS marine superintendent Of
the Cramp yards of Philadelphia he re-
gained h1s somewhat broken health
and was put IN charge of giving bi 4
battleships their first spins as builders
trial captain. On such an errand he
entered Boston with the battIeship
Maine.
The Cramps in 1904 finished the Turk
ish ship Medjida for the Sultan, and
Captain Bucknam was give- charge Of
her for the trip to the Bosporous. He
did not forget that he had arrived in
gunshOt sound Of Yildiz kiosk on the
Fourth Of July, and the Sultan on that
day heard the American celebrating bv
improper in that, however for CAPTAIN
Bucknam was charged with teaching
the Turks how to shoot with their up
tO-date armament
The Sultan commanded Buchanan to an
audience and after some reluctance on
the Americans $ part the latter consented
to remain. as an officer of the Turkish
navy as sort Of a foreign commanding
expert. At that time the Turkish raw
which in number totals some two
dozen vessels-was a joke. 1t had lain
at anchor in the BospOruS for years,
and its officers had doubtless forgotten
where fighting tops are located The
American hauled UP the anchors and
took the fleet on a lOng-delayed voyage
to the Island of Mitylene, where lust
at the moment it's presence did some po-
liTical good by way OF calming a popu-
lace. Since then he has steadily in
creased its efficiency
Rear Admiral Buchanan was married
in San Francisco to Miss Rose Thayer.
and she now resides with him on the
Bosporus. The title Of pasha is roughly
equivalent TO the English governor, d
pashalik being the largest district over
which the Sultan delegates authority to
a subordinate.