Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-18

Official announcement of the death OF
Rear Admiral George Wallace Melville.
L. S. NJ, retired, the noted authority
on arctic explora ton as well as engineer
ing and naval affairs. which occurred yes
terday at his home in Philadelphia. due
to paralysis, was received this morning
at the Navy Department.
The news of the death came as great
shock to the Navy Department as we'll
as to his extensive circle of acquaintance
outside the service in the National Cap
ital, for he stopped in Washington on
business early last week for several days
and appeared in excellent health.
When the funeral Is held Wednesday
in Philadelphia number of his former
Washington friends and associates in The
navy will attend. The burial will be in
Laurel Hill cemetery. although five years
before his retirement. in 1909, Rear Ad-
miral Melville erected in Arlington ma
tional cemetery a sarcophaguS, mag
nificent in it's simplicity and bearing his
name. under which was left a space for
the date of his death. 1t was the wish
of his family that he be buried at his
home in Philadelphia.
Work With the Navy.
Maj Cen Adolphus W. Greedy, U. s. A.,
retired, to whose arctic expedition he
figured in the relief; Rear Admiral Peary.
Beekman Winthrop, assistant secretary
of the navy, and others bore testimony
today of their friendship and personal
admiration for the deceased, his career
and his services to his country.
For sixteen years prior to his retire
ment, January 10, 1903, at the age OF
ty--p bo inf of he hrtr n
steam engineering in the navy, and he
contributed largely to works on naval
engineering, making the engine rooms
of the vessels of the United States Navy
the models for all foreign nations. He
did much toward inaugurating new meth
DDS of naval construction.
From time to time following his retire
ment from active service Rear Admiral
Melville was a conspicuous figure In
Washington. He had a powerful physique
Perhaps his most notable service. one
for which he received public recog-
milton and a medal from Congress, was
his heroism which saved the lives of most
of the crew on the Inflated Jeanette
arctic expedition. For this service and
for his explorations and scientific re-
searches Rear Admiral Melville was hon
ored by the Gar of Russia, the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Column
bia and Georgetown universities and by
Stevens Institute He was a past presi
dent of the American Academy of Me
chanical Engineers and the American So
ciety of Naval Engineers, while at thu
time of his death he was president of the
Friendly Sons of ST Patrick. Rear AID
miral Peary paid one of the highest
tributes to his career by saying that M
knew his profession from A to H." Maj
Cen Greedy said. Elm the great work %
initiating the exploration of the arctic
seas Melville's labors were second onl!
| to those of De Long"
Native of New York.
Rear Admiral Melville was born il
| New York January 10, 1871. When only
twenty years old and only ninety day,
| after the outbreak of the civil war In
was commissioned an officer in the En-
| gineer Corps of the navy. His service.
| during the civil war won renown for hin
| and he was often highly commended b,
| his superior officers. among whom wa.
Admiral David d. Porter. Probably the
greatest service rendered by Admira
| Melville during the civil war was at the
| time of the capture of the Florida in til.
| harbor of Bahia. Brazil, by the Wachu.
| sett. of which vessel Melville was chief
engineer.
At the conclusion of the civil war Mel.
willie was ordered to the Tacony, and with
| her served in the Gulf of Mexico during
| the French occupation and evacuation OF
Mexico. Later he was transferred to the
gunboat Penobscot; then he cruised &c
| Brazil in the flagship Lancaster; then to
| the arctic in the T1gress; then to China
and Japan; then to the arctic on the ia.
| most Jeanette expedition, and later in
the Thetis to the relief of the Greedy
! expedition