Evening star., 1909-03-07
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS
Opposition to New Plan.

A determined effort will be made TO
have Secretary Newberry's order trans
ferring the duty of purchasing coal from
the bureau of equipment to the bureau OF
supplies and accounts revoked. 1t IS un-
derstood that this order was issued not
wthstanding the remonStrance or the
officers of the bureau of equipment. IL
is already in evidence that the opponents
of the plan will make an effort TO have
the situation changed. In the mean
time, however, some important amend
ments have been made to the naval reg
ulations' which would require the action
of President Taft to change.
Beneficiaries of Senate Amendment.
Nine naval officers of the rank of rear
admiral are benetic:aries of Senate
amendment to the naval bill. being those
officers who have served In the civil war.
Six who are on the retired list and Will
shortly gain their advance in grade are
Rear Admirals Albert Ross. on duty as
commandant of the naval training sta
tion at north Chicago: Richardson Glover,
l.. c. Logan. w. s. Cowles, chief of the
bureau of equipment: j. f. Pillsbury:
w J. Barnette. superintendent of the
Naval Observatory.
Last Alien Soldier Enlisted.
Joseph Joseph, a former Roumanian
soldier, sworn in at a recruiting office in
New York last week as a member of
the United States Army, is the last
alien who will be allowed to enlist. ac-
cording to the authorities. A recent law
provides that when all existing vacancies
in the army have been filled only citi-
zens shall be eligible. Joseph fills the last
of those vacancies
Joseph does not intend to remain an
alien long. A few minutes after the en-
listment forma ..ties had been completed
he appeared at the federal naturalization
bureau and took out his first papers.
Fire-Control Towers for Battleships.
Important action in regard to the At
lantic feet was an order signed by Sec
retary Newberry for all the battleships
of the fleet to be equipped with one fire.
control tower before the summer cruise
is made. 1t was decided on recon-
mendation Of the constructors who have
made the cruise on the fleet that each
ship should eventually carry two masts,
as had already been decided for the
North Dakota and Delaware.
Naval School Graduating Exercises.
The seventh session of the Naval Medi-
cal School in this city will end with
the examination of the thirty-nine stu
dents at that institution to be held be-
tween March 10 and 90. The graduating
exercises will occur March %. OF the
thirty-nine student officers seven are act
ing assistant surgeons. the examination
of whom will determine their relative
positions in the junior grade of the reg
ular medical corps. The principal ad-
dress at the graduation exercises will be
delivered by DR. William S. Thayer, dean
of Johns Hopkins University. The regu-
lar spring postgraduate course at the
Naval Medical School for officers of the
corps will probably begin the 1st of May.
Earl w. Phillips of Lyon. N. Y. has
passed his examination for appointment
as acting assistant surgeon In the navy.
He will report for duty at the Naval
Medical School at the next course.
Sentence Modified Against Wish.
Gen. Wood. commencing the Depart
ment of the East. recently disapproved
the sentence of cOurt-martial involv-
ing the dishonorable discharge of a SOL
dier named Private George Smith of Com
pany c. 10th Infantry. convicted of alb
sence without leave. LAS the accused"
said Gen. Wood has shown a desire to
separate himself from the service. the
reviewing authority believes 1t is not for
the best interests of the service to award
sentence which will directly accom-
plish the desires of the accused. For
the above reasons the sentence is modi-
fled to confinement at hard labor for
period of four months and forfeiture of
his pay for the same period"
Extensive Test of Ammunition.
The War Department has entered on
the proposed test of ammunition by
authorizing the purchase OF rife car
tridges. caliber thirty, to the number of
I Of ho
large manufacturers. That action was
taken in pursuance of the recommenda-
tions of the national board for the pro
motion of rifle practice at It's latest
meeting. The bids for this ammunition
were opened at the office Of the chief Of
ordnance. The Winchester Repeating
Firearms Company bid $3.50 per thou
sand for the rifle ammunition; the United
States Cartridge Company, $26.85. and
the Union Metallic Cartridge Company,
$3.50. On the revolver ammunition the
Winchester company bid S1O.25 per
thousand: the Union Cartridge Company,
$40. and the Western Cartridge Com
pany. $l1.
Virginia Horses Not Suitable.
Capt Kirby Walker of the cavalry
arm. detailed for duty in the quarter
masters department, has returned to
Kansas City after an investigation of
the possibilities of obtaining horses for
military service in certain sections of
Virginia. The quest in that direction
was without result, 1T being found that
the horses were of type which was not
suitable for the army,
To Guard Against Wood Alcohol.
Gen. Wood. commanding the Depart
ment of the East at New York. has di-
rected commanding officers of posts in
that department to see that every con-
tainer of wood alcohol or denatured al
cohol Is plainly marked Poison; that
all persons handling these alcohols be
required to mark Poisonous any
containing vessels into which these al
cohols are transferred. These alcohols
are deadly poisonous. says Gen. Wood,
and their issue should be confined to
responsible persons The knowledge of
the danger of their consumption should
he published to every person under mill
tary Jurisdiction.
A Girls Singular Desire.
Fired with patriotism and a desire to
serve under the Stars and Stripes. Miss
Americus Independence Bell Of Phila-
delphia, seventeen years Of age, has writ
ten to the Secretary of the Navy In
uuiring if she may enlist in the navy.
Secretary Newberry answered thus:
MY Dear Miss Bell: ! have your
letter Of the 21st instant. In reference
to your desire to enlist IN the navy.
regret to say that 1t will be Impossible
for YOU to enlist I inclose. however
pamphle, containing information in ref
erence TO the female nurse corps OF the
navy which might be of interest to you