Valdez daily prospector., 1912-01-17
PASSING OF ADMIRAL EVANS.

as the world knew him bcSt--the nation has lost man as univer- sally loved as he was respected, says the Tacoma Ledger in com menting on the passing of that great sea officer. American all through, as kindly as he was cour- ageouS, ready for fight or frol- ic, and possessing a grim per SOnality that gave him a distinc- ton over all other officers, he was To his admiring cOunlrymcn all that a sailor should be. The gov rrnmrnt found in him even more
 Succeeding secretaries of the navy all gave their most import ant tasks to "l'ighting BOb." To them he was not only a Skillful commander. an unrclrnIinE fight or and an rnliSSary absolutely dependable. hut he. was. behind his Yruir exterior. a diplomat as well. and as much a man lO en- certain royalty as lu COW a Lalin- American mob. They found him d constructive naval expert. and. had Admiral Evans never seen a day of sea service. his work in the offices of the department. helping ln shape the new navy out uf the old. would have entitled him tp q nations respect.
 Much as the public loved him a~ "Fighiin% l1nb,' Admiral Ev- ans hi~likrh the $nhriIurt. liz Was Il man uf kindly instincts. and did not want Io br looked up- on a> a ''r"ugh. IIr was not plIgiliStiraIIy inclined. and was ~rnSitiNr iu inc fact that there Was in Ilr nickname and doubt less in Inc popular estimation of his character a suggest ion nf the man who was ready with his fists For ihiS reason. friends of the gallant admiral tell Us. They nrv- CT referred ln him as "FiEhiing Bob in his presence.
 In better sense, however, the title was an apt one. All his life the Admiral was in struggle. As boy the naval academy was his goal, but as he had not the influence to be appointed from his native --Nirginia--he ac- ccptcd an offer to go to Utah and be sent from there. On his way 10 the western state his party was attacked by Indians, and he received his first wound by help ing tO fight them off. At the naval academy he came into conflict with the authorities over a token from his mother, and won out. 4 little later, when the civil war burst upnn'ihc nation. the moth or, her sympaIhirS with the south, demanded Rnblry's rrsig- nation. informing him that his brother had already taken up arms for Inc Con nfrhrrary. The IuiiIr" ahnlirak was hot for the Union. and With many heartburn II" hr"h" will his mother. IL was years afi"rWard before SIIn would consent in a reconciliation.
 Leading a gallant charge of marines al Fort Fisher. Evans. Then in his teens, received a wound which Ianrd him for life. M lll" point Of a revolver that had been mahr useless by wa - ter. tn" wounded boy forced q SuIkIng soldier lO drag him lu safety. The doctors found hc had been Sllol in both legs. and order ch a doubl" amputaiiun. Again making usr of his revolver. EV- ans forced the medical men io chang" their diagnosis.
 The sam" spirit was shown in the larbnr of Valparaiso in 1891, Whcn'tlr sailors of the tiny gun boat Yorktown were threatened with annilIilaIion by an innamcd p0pulac". The whole Chilean fleet had iIs guns trained on the un; American vessel, but her com nandrr had io br rcckOncd with. Evans carried his bluir through successfully. and, had actual con- tlici come, there arc those who b"!i"N" that. despite llIa odds. hc would have "niadc go0d' in q very different way.
 Tn" Spauish-Amcrican war found him in command of Inc bal il"Ship Iowa. lIr il was, after the 5O-miIc running fight al Santi- ago, who S"l Inc blurjackrls cheering by handing back the sword 0r lllc dazch Spanish com- mandrr whose riddlcd ship had 20n" down under Inc American