The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-13
Man Of Great Courage.

for years
Man of Great Courage.
One of the iron links that bound
the old navy to the new, a command.
ing figure in each, was Robley D.
Evans. He did not take kindly to the
sobriquet of Fighting Bob" for al
though of gruff exterior he was
man of the kindliest impulses. Thus
it never was used in his presence by
his friends.
But his dauntless courage in times
of great emergency; the grim deter
mination with which he faced over
whelming odds and the stoicism with
which he bore his wounds and gazed
unlinchingly in the face of death
made the title so appropriate that as
Fighting Bob" he was known wher-
ever the English language is spoken.
Admiral Evans was sixty-five years
old He was born in Floyd county
Virginia, and as a mere boy entered
the Naval Academy at Annapolis. Be
fore he had got far with his studies
the Civil War broke out, and, throw
ing his books to the winds, he went
to sea and was assigned to blockade
duty. 1t was in one of two attacks
made by the Northern navy on the
powerful defenses at Fort Fisher, H.
c., that young Evans received the
wound through the thigh that made
him a cripple for life. He suffered
three other wounds, but as soon as lie
was discharged from the hospital he
again plunged into the fighting and
served until the end of the Civil War
with great credit.
With the ending of the war there
came a period of stagnation which
marked the passing of the old wooden
navy. Evans drifted for a time into
civil pursuits, although never relin-
gushing his connection with the sery-
ice. In fact, as soon as Congress
manifested it's purpose to meet the
insistent demand of Secretaries Chan
dler and Whitney for a renovation of
the American navy, Evans came back
into the service and was one of the
leading spirits in planning the rudi-
ments of what is now the American
modern navy.
Cruises Around World.
1t was Evans who took the little
dispatch boat Dolphin on a cruise
around the world to test the struc-
tural strength of this first product Of
the infant steel shipbuilding art of
the United States. He always got the
/ best ships and the newest because
his superior officers knew that he
could be trusted to handle them
safely and develop their strong and
weak points.
1t happened that with the gunbOat
Yorktown he dropped in at Valpa-
raise, Chile, in 1891, and found an OF.
portunity to display all the determin-
alton and courage he possessed. Some
of the American sailors had been
maltreated and murderously assault
ed, and Evans felt 1t his duty to de
mand protection and reparation.
The odds against him we're gro
tesquely large. The tiny Yorktown
lay in the harbor under the guns .
the whole Chilean fleet, yet Evans
never faltered, but carried out his
purpose and sailed away triumph
antly with his colors flying and the
band playing the American nauona
air to the accompaniment Of sullel
saIutes from the Chilean forts an,
war ships.
A few years engaged in duty Of
the construction board which planner
, the modern battleships and cruisers
and in several long cruises to try Oh
, the result of his brain work on tn
high seas, brought Evans then a con
, mander, to the opening of the Spar
a ish-American war He wanted a ba
> tleship and he got one, one Of tn
=, best-the Iowa-which represente
the latest product Of the America
# ship yards.
4 When Cerveras fleet made its fat'
d, dash through the blockade ships o
+ Santiago on July 3, 1898, CAPITAL
Evans ship took a notable part in I'll
fifty-mile running fight that followe
For his gallantry in this action }
IN received the thanks of Congress al
o. was promoted,
IT. Evans Ability Tested.
" As full-hedged rear admire
A. Evans was called on to take the 4
lantic fleet around the world, and he
is, he was selected has already been to
IN by former Secretary Metcalf TIL
err brilliant achievement, the first VOL
it. cruise of an armored fleet of that 81
as and power, full y tested Admit
le- Evans ability as an organizer and