The San Francisco call., 1909-10-09
BY ARTHUR H. DuTToN
Late U. S. N

N these days of squadron maneuvers.
battle tactics with huge armor clads
and the policy of concentration of
the bulk of our navy on our home
coasts. it is rarely that an American
naval officer spends more than a lew
weeks at time on that famous cruis-
ing ground which for generations was
the goal of every man-of-war's mans
ambition, namely, the European sta
ton. which takes in all of Europe,
Asia Minor and the coast of Africa
from the Red sea, along the Barbary
coast and as far south as the Congo
river on the west
1t was my extremely good fortune to
make my midshipmans two years
cruise. after graduation from Annap-
oils, in June, 1885, on this coveted sta
ton, in the old days when the navy was
being rehabilitated, when the old steam
frigates of the civil war period were
giving way to the steel warships of the
present day.
1t was equally good fortune that this
cruise should have been made upon
three such well known vessels as the
old Pensacola, now the guardship at
the Yerba Buena naval training station
at San Francisco, the sloop of war
Omaha, now the quarantine ship at
San Quentin, and the old corvette
Kearsarge, which sank the confederate
cruiser Alabama and was later lost on
Roncador reef in the West Indies Ny
commanding officers were Captain. now
Rear Admiral, Thomas o. Selfridge one
of the ablest and best known of the
surviving officers OF the old school;
Captain, now Admiral, George Dewey,
and Commander. now Rear Admiral,
Charles d. Sigsbee, who was in COM
mand of the battleship Maine when
that vessel was blown up in Havana
harbor on February Is, 1898.
While this cruise was one of extra
ordinary interest and pleasure let it
not for moment be imagined that it
was all pleasure Delightful as were
the visits to strange and beautiful E,u-
ropean ports, enjoyable as were the
runs ashore, the banquets, the opera
parties. the amusements only to be
found in Mediterranean countries, they
We're in strong contrast to the arduoIss
boat duty in all weathers the long
night watches, in port and at sea, often
in tempest and driving rain, and the
tedious drills of every kind. On the
whole, though, the cruise was one that
all of the eight representatives of my
class at Annapolis who were with ME
will always remember. One of the
eight was Naval Constructor John G..
Tawresy, for several years representa-
tive of the navy department at the
Union iron works in San Francisco; an
other was Commander W. G. Miller, the
present local lighthouse inspector.
Leaving Annapolis warm June
day. right after graduation, with or
ders to report on board the Omaha.
then lying in New York harbor under
the command of Captain Selfridge, l
arrived on board of her in all tae
spicll and spanness of Hedgling mid
shipman, in brand new uniform, bright
with gold lace, all Of which, alas, was
soon to become green and tar
nisbed with exposure TO the salt
spray that was met in the very
near future. She was smart it,
tie craft, that Omaha. just out
of navy yard. with a Jealous lot of
officers and an active crew. 1t was
drill, ye tarriers, drill" all day and
never was there quicker ship at all
eyolutions. Captain s5eifridge was a
stickler for form and ceremony, and
even at spreading S-Jnings all hands