Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-04-30
BROTHER Tells
ABOUT FLETCHER
Career of the Rear Admiral Who
Took Vera Cruz.
YEARNED FOR SEA WHEN BOY
Forced to Remain at an Executive
Desk During the Spanish War, He
Became an Expert on
Ordnance.

Chicago-While Admiral Fletcher,
who captured the city of Vera Cruz
Tuesday, has never resided in Chi
cago, he has been a frequent visitor
here at the home of his brother, Thorn
as J. Fletcher, 5237 Cornell avenue.
The latter is treasurer of the Coop
erative League of Chicago. J. Fetch
er, a son of the Chicago Fletcher, is a
lieutenant on Admiral Fletcher's flag
ship
1--WE Fletchers do not come of a sea-
faring breed" said the civilian fetch
er at his home. con the contrary, we
are Iowa men and we should by all
rights have lived and died landlub-
bers. My brother is an admiral now
because our representative in con-
gress in Marshalltown, Iowa, decided
he would fill vacancy at Annapolis
by holding a competitive examination.
"'Tom,' said my brother when he
saw the notice of the examination,
I'm going to be a sailor. That's the
life for me. l never thought of it be-
fore, but 1 see now that I was meant
to be a hero Of the deep.
Leads in Examination.
He entered the examination, just as
he said he would, and took first place
over 20 other boys. That was in 1870
and be has been in the navy service
since.
According to the Chicago Fletcher,
it was one of the bitterest disappoint-
ments of the admiraPs career when
he was compelled to remain at an exec
utive desk in Washington during the
Spanish war But the admiral, as the
result of that experience, became an
expert on ordnance.
Secretary Long promised him that
if he would remain as assistant chief
of the ordnance department until he
could get things in order, he could
have anything he wished. But be-
fore his work was done there the war
was over. You see, the country was
totally unprepared for war and the
ordnance department was placed I'M
der a terrific strain"
Invents Recoil Apparatus.
Admiral Fletcher had been in the
service but a short time when he in
vented a recoil apparatus for quick
frers, which has been in use ever
since He also improved the Farcot
breech mechanism, thereby insuring
the SUCCESS of the system. Whereas
to open the breech of the big guns it
had been necessary before to depend
upon power from the engine-room,
the admiral's Improvement made it
possible to move the huge blocks
| with one hand. AS commander
of the torpedo boat Cushing the adj
miral, then Lieutenant Commander
Fletcher, conducted an investigation
Of the behavior Of torpedoes and dis
covered many errors in range and in
almost every instance the correctness
of his deductions was proved. He is
regarded as one of the first ordnance
| experts of the navy.
Born in OskaIoosa.
admiral Fletcher" said his kins-
man in Chicago, was born in Oska-
Ioosa, Nov. %, 1855. He was only
| fifteen years old when he took the
examination and entered Annapolis.
my brother was graduated in June,
| 1875, one of the honor men of his
| class. He served as a midshipman for
one year and then was promoted to
| the rank of an ensign. On April 1,
| 1882, he became a junior lieutenant,