Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-10
BAVYS ROWS WITH WOMEN
Petticoat Influence Leads to Con.
slant Trouble.
WOMEN REFUSE TO BE BARRED
once the Navy Department Ordered
wives to stay at Home when
Went to Sea,
but In Vain.

WASHINGTON, April S--John Hay had
q saying that the ideal diplomatic service
n any government ever succeeds in having
one-wil be composed exclusively Of un-
married men. Mr.. Hay had had no ex-
perience in naval matters or he might
have included the navy in his maxim.
There probably is no branch of the gov
eminent service where petticoat influence
IS 50 strong as in the navy. Ask any ex-
, secretary of the navy about II and he will
B tell you how the navy women IN a thou
sand different ways, sometimes uncon-
sciously and occasionally deliberately, an
noy the Navy department. He will tell you
how they scheme to obtain desirable posts
OF duty for their husbands or sons and
how they annoy the department with re-
quests for change of orders when their
husbands are transferred from an easy
Job in Washington to sea duty on the
Asiatio station or some other far-away
tropical post. The recent row at the Bos-
ton navy yard, which eliminated in the
OF two officers, illustrates
the prominent part women often play in
navy circles.
Row il Traditional,
Almost everybody knows Of the mutual
I'll feeling existing between the navy
women and the department. Every once
in a while something happens to widen
this breach. Only a few days ago Ensign
Charles NJ. Austin, son Of Representative
Richard w. Austin Of Tennessee, was de-
prived OF an especially desirable berth by
the Navy department merely because he
got married. He had been detached from
the dispatch boat Dolphin at the Washing
a., 49, yard and nrdcrad TO Janan for
duty as a student attache at the Amer
lean embassy at Toxic for the purpose of
studying the Japanese language. on the
way 60 his new post of duty he stopped at
his former home in Tennessee and was
married to girl he had known for many
years.
This was too much for the unromantiC
departmental authorities, who suddenly
decided that a married ensign would not
make as good a student Of the japanese
: language as a bachelor Accordingly his
orders were revoked and instead of spend
ing his honeymoon in Toxic he will have
less interesting service at the naval train
ing station on the Pacific coast. He will,
however, have his wife.
wife Rules the ship.
Before the days of steel and steam in
the navy the wives and families of com
manQln Officers OIL cruising NeSSSlS Sh
joyed the privilege of living on board
There was a vessel years ago cruising II
the West Indies that was commanded By
a mild-mannered and quiet officer. Hi
wife, who was on board, was of a d%ifferen
disposition. She was overbearing and haC
a bad temper. The officers on board re
garded her as the real commander of tn
ship and obeyed her commands with ever
greater alacFity than those issued by tn
nominal captain. one day she decided tina
the ship needed painting and the sailors
were ordered TO begin work with thei
pots and brushes. She gave free rein e
her artistic ideas. The captains gig, which
she used in going ashore, was redecoratet
under her personal supervision. At her be
hest It was painted green outside and pinl
inside.
Il thought it would be pretty" she e x
planned to her husband, Ito have it pini
inside and green outside-just like a sea
she'll"
Sometimes n Tragedy.
But sometimes in the old days there wa
an element of tragedy in the incidents
Such a one occurred on the sloop Tennes
see years ago. 1t was a hot and sultr,
summer night while the Tennessee wa
cruising in midocean off Hampton Roads
The captain and his wife had gone to thei
cabin, but the heat was SO oppressive the
could not sleep. Finally in the hope G
coaxing sleep they exchanged bunk
Shortly afterward a light breeze sprang u
and both went to sleep. In the middle {
the night the rapid falling of the baron
eter gave warning that a storm was al
preaching. The navigator sent a midshtE
man below decks to awaken the captain
He spent several minutes rapping on III
captains cabin without avail. The middI
knew that the captain must be wake
promptly at all hazards and he had bee
directed to enter the cabin II rapping woul
not suffice. The young midshipman er
tered the cabin and stood In the middle
the room a minute or two yelling. "Cal
tain but without avail. Finally the mi,
die realized that he had to shake the cal
tain to rouse him. He figured out that n
captain always slept in the berth on u
port side, while his wife occupied u
other! After convincing himself on III
point the middle approached the captain
berth and g~rasping him by the should
shook him with more energy than judi
ment. There was a feminine shrek. II
captain jumped out Of the opposite beri
and made a few emphatic remarks upC
the impropriety Of invading the captain
cabin without knocking. The bewilder'
middle had visions OF CouIl-Hlhl We az
dismissal from the service in disgrace, b
the captain was good hearted and d
not make a complaint.
For Her Comfort.
Often the itinerary of a cruise W
regulated by the wishes Of the Captain
wife. This occurred some years ago on
naval vessel enroute from Naples
Hampton Roads. The captains wife was
poor sailor and had had bad spells of Sc
sickness II 1t was rough going. The vess
made a long detour TO the South Atlant
so as to avoid the storm area. The vessG
we're many days overdue at No.foik and I
officers of the department became anxioI
Finally. however, it sailed into Hampt
Roads and reported its arrival to Washin
ton. When the department asked I
cause OF the unusual delay the captain !
ported that he had to steer an unusual
long and roundabout course TO save I
wife from seasickness.
Efforts to Break IL Up,
In 1881 William II. Hunt, then secreta
OF the navy, issued an order forbiddl
: naval women from living aboard or tray,
ing upon cruising vessels, But this ord