Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-19

lHSll USUAL VI ilNSu pielS'o vi duouSi slHI
not to attempt to transfer them tC
more convenient visiting points. Off
GERS disregarding this injunction vii
be liable to be relieved from duty.
This reused the navy "widows,' a:
they are called, to the highest pitch oi
resentment, and they revOlted. The
wife of an officer serving in Alaska
took up her residence at Sitka, wher,
her husbands vessel often stopped. Il
was a plain violation of the secretary:
regulation, and the department asked
the officer for an explanation. His re-
ply was substantially as follows:
My wife will not go home. l have
asked her to do so, and she refused.
ordered her home and she would not go
take to comply with the wishes Of the
department"
The archives of the department un.
fortunately do not tell the sequel OF
this interesting incident.
Similar instances were reported from
various parts of the world. Secretary
Chandler made an effort to enforce his
usual order by suspending from duty
three officers on the Asiatic station
Finally, however. William c. Whitney
who succeeded Mr.. Chandler as sec
retary of the navy, realized the hope
lessness of enforcing the order. The
navy women were victorious and the
obnoxious order was revoked on June
80, 1885.
In recent years, however. there hasn't
been much friction of this sort. When
the battleship fleet made its world
cruise many navy widows" followed
it and participated with their husbands
in the festivities at the various ports
Practically all of them were at Old
Point Comfort on December 16. 1907, to
watch with unconcealed regret the big
war vessels disappearing in the dis
tant haze. A few days later when ru-
mors came from the fleet by wireless
that It would return to the Atlantic
ocean by way of the Orient and the
SueZ canal there was more tugging at
the heartstrings. The navy women
were well represented on the Pacific
coast when the fleet mad completed its
cruise around South America. When
the battleships stopped on their cruise
across the Pacific the navy women
were there too. At Toxic they donned
the native costume and greeted their
husbands even more cordially than the
japanese. At Gibraltar. where the fleet
made it's last stop before crossing the
Atlantic small crowd Of navy women
waved farewell to the departing YES
sells.
Several years ago the wife Of n
prominent naval officer thought she
would like to spend some time abroad.
Without her husbands knowledge she
used her influence to have him assign
ed the duty as naval attache at one Of
the American embassies in Europe.
Finally the orders were issued and she
told her husband how hard she had
worked 20 obtain such a desirable as
signment for him. Unlike most naval
officers, he had been able to save
small competence out of his salary, but
he was by no means wealthy enough
for social campaign required Of naval
attaches at foreign capitals. He re-
with her. but she was too
enamored with the social side of navy
life to give up her ambition. After
one winter abroad the financial phase
Of the question began to appeal to her
more strongly as their savings grad
ually dwindled. She realized the tre
mendous cost of attaining her hobby
Her resOurcefulness, however, was
equal to the occasion. and after con-
siderable cabling to friends in Wash
ington her husband was transferred to
q less expensive post Of duty.
There is a large colony Of navy
widows" in Washington. whose hus-
bands are serving in different parts of
their household duties they seem to
have plenty Of time for recreation.
Many own automobiles and are expert
chauffeurs. Others go in for tennis and
golf There are others who prefer
bridge whist and euchre. With all
their amusements and forms of recrca-
ton. however, they all hope for the day
when their husbands will have shore
duty in some habitable part of the
globe.