Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-12-30
NEW LONDON LETTER.
Belated Souvenirs for ex-Mayor Arm
strong-Sort Trumbui a School of
instruction for the Revenue Service.


Ex-Mayor Benjamin T.. Armstrong
who was very much in the municipal
f1oodlight while chief ma gistrate of the
city, and for some time before and fol
time thereafter. remembers his
/ friends and has the pleasing faculty OF
not letting them forget him. Mr.
Armstrong has earned the title OF
4 Prince of Entertainers for New Lon =
| don and the members of the city gov
eminent have been entertained by him
several times while he was mayor of
the city. Just prior to the expiration OF
his term of service he gave a swell re-
ception at his palatial home in quiet
Granite street, but that particular
+ night viii not be forgotten by the
guests and the Armstrong neighborS
as long they remain on earth. There
/ were over a hundred guests, all men,
and the house was given over TO their
pleasure. They were wined, dined and
smoked and encouraged to sing, which
they did to the limit until a couple of
hours past midnight and for once there
were lively doings in Granite street.
Mr.. Armstrong provided professional
entertainers from New York and fine
orchestra. He had a plan whereby all
his guests held tickets for drawing
, and the prizes were silver loving cups
and valuable vases and engravings.
The genial host had made provisions
to present to each of the guests a
souvenir OF the occasion but the order
was not flied in time for presentation.
Armstrong some time later and he
waited until Christmas to present them
to the members of the court OF COM
mon council and other city officers
who served during his administration
and to representatives of the news
papers and personal friends These
gifts were sent by mail with an eX-
planatory letter stating the cause of
the delay in presentation. The
souvenir is artistically made bronze
medallion on the diverse side of which
is a raised and correct representation
of the seal of the city of New London,
NJ. Caulbins in her history of
New London On the reverse side. in
raised letters and inside the circle that
reads: New London = Benjamin L.
historical reminder: Called the Faire
Harbour Town Since 1919" The
souvenirs are about the size of a silver
half dollar and the eX-mayor sug
historic than intrinsic value and as
correct representation OF the city seal.
1t has often been q matter of public
comment that the sails of the ship in
rectly, are not ship shape and sailor
fashion not as explained by Miss
CauIkins, historian.
The ship on the Armstrong souvenir,
bearing the pennant Mare Liberum,
is represented as sailing westward and
indicates that the vessel is returning
from a successful voyage, heavily lad
en-. The souvenirs are appreciated
by the recipients and suggestion is
made that one be added to the col
lection in the rooms of the New Lon
don County Historical society for
preservation for all time.
Now that the school of instruction
of the revenue cutter service is es
tablished at Fort Trumbuii, that sight
ly reservation having been transferred
from the war to the treasury depart
ment there as strong indications of it's
discOntinuance within a few years, or
a curtailment of its Importance. Eff
fort is being made TO have the service
form a branch of the navy and anOthr
move is being made to have graduates
from the naval academy take COM
missions in the revenue cutter service
after graduation from Annapolis. The
abandonment of this school of in
struction would be a serious loss to
New London and of some loss to the
whole state. Therefore it ought to be
a matter of Importance sufficient to
engage the attention of the Connecti-
cut delegation in congress and es-
pec1ally our own Brandegee and Hig-
gins.
the naval authorities are in favor
of the transfer OF the revenue cutter
service from the treasury to the navy
treasury will perhaps strongly object
to any such action. The plan of trans
fer provides that the revenue cut
ter service be a distinct and separate
branch of the navy, similar to the ma
rine corps organization 1t is claimed
that the transfer would be a. cOntribu-
ton to the efficiency of both the rev.
enue cutter service and the navy es-
pecially IN those joint operations which
would De advantageous in time of war.
1t is suggested that this plan would not
with the regular duties of the
revenue cutter service This is a
move on the part OF the navy officials
that would mean the dissolution of the
school OF instruction at Fort TrumbuII
This move on che part Of the naval
authorities is but tack hammer blow
at the school of instruction in com
p2rlSon with the sledge hammer crack
given by Ellsworth p. Bertholf, captain
chief of division revenue
cutter service. lie says that the duty
on recruiting the commission personnel
LIZ second only to the duty of per-
the work for which the serv-
Ice is maintained for the future eff
OF the service depends most
upon the quality and training of the
young men selected to fill the va
canc1es in the lower grade. The va
cancles IN the commissioned personnel
of the revenue cutter service are by
law hlled by appointing cadets who
must serve probationary term of in
struct1on and discipline before they are
LuA4U IltuIEndnL8. For
this purpose the school of instruction
IS maintained at Fort Trumbuu
Another argument for the transfer
IA addition to that set forth by the
naval authorities, is invitation TO the I
fact that during the next fourteen
years there will be but twenty-nine |
for age in the revenue cut
Ter service thus making an average of
Two known vacancies to be filed each
year. There are at present twenty
eight cadets of the line undergoing
at the school in New Lon
lon, and when the last of these are
graduated in the spring of 1913 all
known vacancies in the third lieuten-
ant grade will be provided for up to
that year. After 1914 the small num-
Der of vacancies to be filled, aVerag-
ing two each year for the next four
teen years, will not warrant in the
opinion of the captain commandant
the considerable annual exenditure for
he maintenance of the New London
school of instruction unless there is no
other satisfactory method Of filling
these vacancies.
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