New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-07
NAVY MEN ARE ALARMED
Number of Suicides and DlSap-
pearances Stirs Officials.
MAY APPOINT PROBING BOARD
Said That in Year 20 Holding
Commissions Have Killed
Selves or Are Missing.


GERS who have committed suicide. suffered
mental bros kdovns or disappeared sun
denl, within the last year and half has
baco,,e so large that the Navy Department
and officers or commanding rank are con-
-idering the advisablity Of appointing
board 10 inquire into possible causes
An officer in the BROOKLYN navy ysrd
sid Yesterday that within the last twelve
months at least twenty commissioned OF
ncers doing active duty had either COM
United suicide or had disappeared
| For the last eight or ten years ne
said such cases have been on the III
crease. and within the last tvo years there
has been an alarming increase, especially
among Younger officers Ten years AK
cases Of officers disappearing were almost
lunheard Of and when they occurred theN
would invariably be traced 10 foul play
and the majority Of them happened while
ships Of the navy were visiting forelen
ports.
Now suicide or disappearance case II
not ar all infrequent. and YOU viii mo OF
;he navy rolls to-day number OF oHcers
who. though still carried such. have
not been seen or heard from in times vary
ing from six months 10 several years.
Hold Meeting in Washington.
II is well known i'm navy circles tna'
there was meeting OF officers ~ high
rank AZ the Army and Navy 'lun III
Washington a few DAYS ago TO discuss
the advisabiity OF appointing committee
10 look into the subject. II was generally
conceded AZ this meeting that drlnhins
was not OF the increase among naVal OH
Gers on the CONTRARY. all the aVal'ap'@
statistics show that there has been DE-
c.dsd decrease Some Of the officers he'o
th4 opinion that the junior offcers nad 10"
little 70 do hut II was shown tns' "nhe
A. sea. under the present rules and res9
Ilatiors and because Of the complicated
machinery nov i'm use on American ships
thev we're kept buster than formerly
The consensus Of opinion seemed 20 ~
that most OF the trouble occurred Vnile
ships we've IN port and while the officers
we're ashore on short leaves or absence
Some we're strongly In favor ~ restrict
ing shore leave almost entirely. WINE
others held that II would De worse IN keep
the men on board ship 800 port with niue
or nothing 20 do than 20 let them TAKE
their chances Of getting IN trouble ashore.
/ n was a general discussion lasting sew
eral hours and AT tho end OF II those tax
ING mar, were about As near reaching any
definite conclusion as they were al the
start.
Tho questions Of insanity and mental
bres kdowns among naval officers Is con-
sidered by the department and oy officers
themselves as OF much more Importance
than those OF Disappearance and SUICIDE
II was stated by one officer that II the
Navy DEPARTMENTS records were avails-
bic they would show that az one or an
cthar time great number OF the com
rlissioned officers OF the navy. including
the retired list had been treated for men
tai disease and that the number OF cases Oh
INSANITY was alarmingiy large
/ Naval officers themselves 90 not ques-
ton that many u these are caused by the
unfortunate manners and methods OF en-
forcing discipline by commanding officers
while AT sea. on board ship 1t Is OF course
ir,nossibIe for one officer 10 get far away
from another. and all Of them are in close
and constant association. nagsiug,
fault dnding commanding officer can make
if as close to perdition possible 20
anv conscientious officer under his COM
-naud II ne chooses 10. and insanity sris-
ing from such cause IS a well recog-
nized fact In the service. especially on long
cruises
/ II used 10 be that when A mdsnpman
had once got through the Naval Academy
safely his naval career was practically as
sured. such is not the case now. In the
last three or. possibly. four years a gradu-
ating class has lost in proportion from IN
| fereut causes fully as many men after
| graduation as before.
Harder Examinations One Cause.
one reason Is. OF course. the vastly hard
o. examinations for promotion and another
cause is resignation. But the losses
through court-martial and other causes
have been steadily increasing. II is hard
70 get figures from the Navy Department.
which. except in court martial cases. re-
tains it's policy Of silence regarding affairs
concerning H. it's officers and men. But
these statements cannot be disputed.
The disappearance" plan was most re-
Gently started By passed Midshpman
Jackson. Jackson was graduated from the
academy In the class OF 90 and was at
rached 70 = battleship OF the North Allan
rio feet lie left his ship one DAY while
she WAS in port. and after two weeks had
! n C.pF without his Dtili- itoiN Dii4f
DOC" Court. the president Of his class
and probably the most popular man VINO
has been graduated from the academy
nitbin twenty years, requested and got
Il.ave 10 20 In search OF him.
/ Court traced him 70 New York and from
Neu York N Boston, whore he lost the
trail completely. He picked IT UP again in
Montreal. and after weeks OF searching
onalIv found Jackson working with an en-
| cheering party IN Western Canada tie
\ took him back n his ship. A court-mar-
,ial followed and Jackson lost heavily In
numbers. but was allowed 10 stay IN the
navy
Not many months later Midshipmsn
Tackson again disappeared and has never
SINCE been heard from. directly. by any Of
his friends There was report that he
held high rank In a South American navy,
tut this was never verified.
since that time the number Of young Of
acers who have followed in his footsteps
has been alarmingly large and IL on the
increase.
Navy people believe the department VIII
attempt some action In the near future