Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-05-03
Rear Admiral Klmball.

.. Rear Admiral Klmball.
, NOTABLE SERVICES OF AN oxFoR
II COUNTY NAVAL OFFICER.
? The New York World Of April 24tl
. contains the following sketch Of Rea
| Admiral William w. Kimball, who |
the son of the late Gen. William K. Kim
ball and native of Paris Hill. Admira
Kimball is about closing his naval caree
and will at once come to Paris Hill
where he Is to make his future home q
the old Gen. Kimbsll mansion at tn,
north end of Main Street:
| When Rear Admiral William Wir
Kimball hauls down bis flag from th'
cruiser Albany as Commander-in.C Chic
of the Nicaragua Expeditionary Force b
will have ended five months tour Of
duty which has been of exceptional 10
te.est and importance. The assignment
moreover, has been extremely compli
mentary to him, inasmuch as he Is the
only officer of the navy who has beet
assigned to the command of squadron
after having been transferred from the
list of active service to the roster OF the
retired.
The Admiral had almost rounded on;
the stipulated period of active service
when the Nicaraguan troubles broke out
When in the first of last December the
government deemed 1t necessary tn
send q strong body of marines and q
numerous force of warships to the
scene, it was announced that Admiral
Kimball, then on duty in Washington,
had been assigned to command the ex-
petition. The Admiral was then almost
on the verge of retirement and it was
practically certain that this duty would
considerably overlap into the retired
period But as explained by the Navy
Department, "Kimball is the very man
for the work"
Those intimately acquainted with the
Admiral and who had a foreknowledge
of what the work was likely to be, did
not need that official Endorsement to
know that he was the very man to han
die it. Eminently competent in his
profession, the Admiral possessed other
qualifications which peculiarly fitted
him for this task, one Of these being a
thorough knowledge Of international
law. The result has shown that it was
to Admiral Kimball, more than to any
other man, that is due the credit of our
having emerged from the Nicaragua i'm
broglio with so few blunders when the
possibility of creating numerous ones
and accentuating those already made
were 80 numerous and prolific.
But the Admiral showed himself to be
diplomat of high order He won the
confidence and esteem of the whole OF
Nicaragua, irrespective Of party. He
was cheered wherever he went, by the
Madriz Government party, by the Es-
tradists, by the Interventionists.
"What we need" one of the Inter
ventionists enthusiastically said to the
Admiral at the time when Intervention
talk was running high, "is American
occupation and the strong arm of your
country compelling order in Nicaragua.
"What you really most need, !" the
Admiral with his customary good sense
replied, sis less talk of revolution, less
i'm portation of firearms and more of
farm Implements"
The Nicaraguan newspapers have had
columns of complimentary references to
Admiral Kimball. Considering that he
was in Nicaraguan waters and in com.
mand Of military force which might
any day have been called into use against
Nicaragua, this praise from these Sir
Huberts is praise indeed. With three
parties struggling for supremacy, with
the one in power being distinctly hostile
to everything American, the situation
fror. any point of view was an extreme
ly delicate one and required infinite tact
to handle. The Admiral is possessed of
that tact in high degree and brought 1t
into play. Not only did he prevent any
conflict between the forces of the United
States and those of the contending par.
ties, but in so doing fully maintained
the dignity of the flag and met every
situation with strict observance of the
requirements of international law and OF
naval usage.
FOUR WEEKS IN WHICH TO FLY TWO
STARS.
1t is q commentary on our system OF
promotion that this distinguished officer
had almost rounded out his active serv-
ice before he had obtained flag COM
mand. Cali things come to him who
waits-too late," he one day paraphras-
ed to the writer, who had accompanied
his expedition. "Four weeks from re-
tirement," he continued, "and my flag
hoisted for the first time, and hoisted on
transport"
The Admiral was born in Paris, Me-,
on Jan. o, 1S4s. He entered the Naval
Academy on July 81, 1866, graduating
four years later. In 1870 he was pro-
NOTED to the rank of ensign and in the
following year to that of master, a rank
which was abolished many years ago.
He was one of the first of bis profession
on this side OF the Atlantic to recognize
the potential value of the submarine,
and it was largely through his efforts
that John P. Holland was eventually
enabled to construct the pioneer OF that
type of vessel. One naval board after
another sat on the device, and sat on 1t
in more senses than one. And you
know the dictionary definition OF
board: A thing, "long, narrow and
wooden" Holland and Kimball know
it, too.
1t was because of Kimbal's knowl-
edge of torpedoes and torpedo boats that
he was assigned to the command OF the
First Torpedo Flotilla at the outbreak
of the war with Spain. 1t was before
the Havana blockade, "The Peaceful
Endeavor Blockade" as large part OF
the navy and of the war correspondents
came to know that string of ships which
lowered off the harbor entrance with
orders not to fire unless they were hrst
fred upon, that Kimball originated an
idea and urged that 1t be put In practice.
His faith In Hollands invention was 80
great that be asked the department to
allow him to take the submarine and in
stall an aerial torpedo. In this vessel.
properly manned of course, he would
dive with the submarine to come to the
surface when within short range OF the
Notifications, let fly the missile, and
then dive out of sight before the batter
les could be trained on the boat. II
struck many as a very excellent plan,
but for some reason the department
withheld its sanction.
In still earlier day, the Admiral, then
a lieutenant, rendered conspicuous serv-
ice. When the United States Of Colon
bia broke into revolution in the early
eighties, this nation, acting under an
International agreement, sent its fleet to