The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-01-05


wherever the English language is
spoken.
Wounded at Fort Fisher.
Evans was mere boy when he was
sent to the Naval academy at Anna
polls. Before he had got far with his
studies, the civil war broke out and
throwing his books to the winds, he
Went to sea and was assigned to
blockade duty. 1t was in one Of the
two attacks made by the Northern
navy upon powerful defences at Fort
Fisher, n. c., that young Evans re-
ceived the wound through the thigh
that made him a cripple for life. He
suffered three other wounds, but as
soon as he 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 cid wooden
NAVY. Evans drifted for a time into
civil pursuits, although never relin=
| gushing his connection with the ser
vice. In fact, as soon as congress
| manifested its purpose to meet the
insistent demand of Secretary Chan-
dlar and Secretary Whitney; for a re-
/ novation of the navy, EVANS Game back
into the service and was one of the
leading spirits in planning the Tudi-
! ments of what is now the American
modern navy. -
1t was Evans who took the little
dispatch boat Dolphin on 4 cruise
around the world, to test the structur-
al strength of the first product of the
infant steel shipbuilding art of the
United States. He always got the b.
ships and the newes+ because his su-
perior officers knew he could be trust
ed to handle them safely and develop
their strong and weak points.
1t happened that with the gunboat
Yorktown he dropped in at va1par-
also. Chile, i'm ::$@9I,. and found an op-
portunity to. display all Of the: deter
minaticn aid courage he possessed
Some of the American sailors had
BEEN maltreated and murderously as
iisau1ted and Evans felt it his duty to
demand protection and reparation
Thg% odds against him, were grotes-
quely' large, The tiny Yorktown lay
in the harbor under the guns Of the
whole Chilean fleet, yet Evans never
faltered, but carried out his purpose
and sailed away triumphantly, with
his colors flying and the. band play
ing the American national air to the
accompaniment Of su[len salutes from
the Chilean forts and warships.
A few busy years, engaged in duty
on the construction board which. plan
ned the modern battleships, and in
several long cruises to carry on his
work on the high seas, brought Ev-
ans, then a commander, to the open
ing of the Spanish-American war. He
wanted a battleship and he got one,
one of the best-the Iowa-Which
represented the latest product Of the
American shipyards.
When Cervera's fleet made it's fatal
dash through the blockading ships of
Santiago, On July 3, 1898, Capt. Ev-
:ans's ship took a notable part in the
50-mile running fight that followed.
For his gallantFy in this action he re-
ceived the thanks of congress and
was promoted.
A Great Achievement.
As fuTl-he6ged admiral, Evans
was called upon to take the Atlantic
feet around the world, and how he
was selected has already been told
by former Secretary Metcalf. That
brilliant achievement, the first world
cruise of an ar11ored fleet of that size;
fully tested Admiral Evans's ability,
as an organizer and commander.
All that the public knew was that 16
battleships had made a 25,o00-mile
cruise; they could not imagine. what
that meant to the directing mind Of
the fleet, of the many hours Of anxiety
spent in poring over charts of har-
bors and reefs, of planning for sup
plies Of fuel and food and of keeping