The Washington times., 1911-02-06
RULES KEEP HERO'S
WIDOW FROM JOB
Civil Service Regulations I'm:
pose Hardship on Mrs.
Croghan.
HUSBAND WENT DOWN
WITH THE TUG NINA
Executive Order Alone Can Help
Woman and Her
Child.

How tender and considerate Uncle
Sam is compelled to be in his attitude
toward the aged, infirm and superan-
nuated among civil service employees,
been shown in unnumbered cases. The
man or woman grown old in the service,
drawing top-notch salary and not
competent to perform the best service,
must vet be retained because there is
no plan for pensioning and retiring
them; they must stay or starve, no mat
ter how much public business must suf-
fer
That seems like a splendid and altru-
istic sacrifice of public interest that the
aged servant may be cared for. But
there is another side to it, which shows
how strangely heartIess the Government
may be in cases where 1t would seem
that the rigor of regulations might well
be loosed.
The case of Mrs Ollie NJ. Croghan
presents the seamy side of the Govern
ment's attitude toward its servant.
Mrs. Groghan is the widow of a man
whose life was lost in a fashion far
from creditable to his Government su-
periors. He went to the bottom of the
sea, just a year ago, with all the crew
of his vessel, the tugboat Nina.
Tug Unseaworthy.
The Nina's loss IS yet one Of the mys-
teries of the ocean. There was no sur
yivor. and all that is surely known is
that the Nina was sent out to sea in
such had weather and unseaworthy con-
dition that one man of her crew refused
to go. He was the one whose life was
saved.
Croghan was in command of the Nina.
He did not consider her seaworthy, but
orders were orders. That was the end.
His young wife and two-year- son
were left without resources ana the
mother has been desirous ever since OF
getting a position under the Government,
that she might earn a living and be in
Washington where her relatives are. AT
present she is in Brooklyn. A paltry
pension of SIS a month has been granted
10 her. But she cannot get into the
civil service, because the necessary sus-
pension of rules cannot be secured Ior
her. -
writer, her friends say she would wen
earn the small salary that would enaplS
her to provide a living for herself ana
her little boy. But the civil service rules
keep her out She could only be let IN
Dy an Executive order suspendlng them'
and all efforts to secure such an order
have utterly failed.
Case Widely Discussed.
The case has been receiving consider
able attention in Washington recently,
because strict adherence to civil service
regulations has imposed hardship, in an
exceptionally deserving case. The 9TH
er day one house of Congress passed an
act adding $45, 900, 900 to the pension roll
of the Government. vast share of
xuTfll uyn
not need it. But this young woman,
trying to earn a living for her little boy
is utterly unable to get any help from
the Government. Her needs are press
ing. her deserts are unquestioned. But
IA her case, the strictest construction
is enforced, and she cannot have the
poor position that would give her a
meager living.
Gone for Year.
Just a year ago today the Nina
was sighted for the last time, by the
steamer Howard. She was bound out
of Norfolk for Boston, was making
heavy weather of it, the captain of
the Howard reported when he arrived
in Norfolk that evening. He said he
saw q lone man on the bridge.
The Nina was a tug of 1877 feet
length and 357 tons displacement,
in speed; and she was due in Bos-
ton In three or four days. When nearly a
week passed and she did not arrive in
Boston the search for her was COM
menced. 1t was not at first believed
that there had been weather enough to
give her trouble, unless her machinery
failed, for the reports of the vessels
that had been putting into Norfolk while
she was putting out had not caused
much comment.
Then it was remembered by some Of
the families of the thirty-two men
aboard that the Nina had lain for many
days at Norfolk while there was some
patching done upon her after her trip
down coast from Boston as tender of
the third submarine division. There
was a story told that her boilers did
not have the confidence of all her Off
GERS. 1t was remembered that she was
built in 1866, that she will not han
die well in foul weather. She had
no wirelss apparatus. Though she
was equipped with sail, that aux
iliary yet might not have sufficed
to bring her safely out of the storm
and stress. She had a scanty stock
Of supplies after the regular days of
der run were told off.
BY February II hope had been aban-