The Oskaloosa herald., 1914-02-19

IL
Mia and off Santiago.
Throughout the few months the |
struggle with Spain lasted, Fletcher I
was at his desk in the navy depart |
ment, one of the very busiest and, as |
Secretary Daniels has it. one Of the |
most efficient in Washington.
Eut it should be mentioned that |
during this time F'letcher's active
brain was busy thinking out lot Of
now things to improve the ordnance
arm and in consequence the efficiency
of the American fleets. /
Admiral Fletcher" said Secretary
Daniels to the writer last week, has
always evinced keen interest in the
ordnance department of the navy and
is the patcntee of number of fine
inventions. The Inventions include
design for mounting small guns
which has been generally adopted
throughout the entire navy and a
brcech mechanism which has been
widely used in the service.
at was also Admiral Flctchcr's inn
prOvementS on the Farcot brccch
mechanism which really made the
system successful in the United States
navy. Again, il was Admiral Fletcher
who. as a lieutenant commander com
handing the torpedo boat Gushing,
conducted the investigation into the
behavior of torpcdocs and discovered
many errors i'm range, and in almost
every instance the correctness of his
deductions was proved.
"Of course everybody knows now
that Admiral Fletcher, is cur, com,
handing officer in Mexican waters,
| and | suppose it is needless for me
to add that the reason he has been
kept there is because the administra-
ton has the utmost confidence in his
discretion"
1t was not until the close of the
war with Spain that Admiral Fletcher
! was relieved of his desk work in
Washington and ordered to sea. there
to begin the service that has culmin-
ated in the supreme command in
Mexican waters, and has brought his
name forward as a probable success
| SCR, early in the coming year, of Rear
| Admiral Badger. as commander in
chief of the Atlantic feet, promotion
that will carry with it the honor of
commanding the great United States
|
| the Panama Canal when that inter-
oceanic waterway is opened to the
| commerce of the world in 1915.
In March, 1904. Fletcher was pro-
NOTED to commander after having
served as the commanding officer of
the gunboats Kanawha and Eagle.
Soon after this promotion he was
made inspector of ordnance in charge
Of the torpedo station at Newport,
serving in that capacity until March
! Is, 1905. Then he was again ordered
TO sea, this time as chief Of staff Of
the Asiatic fleet. which high position
he relinqushcd in November of the
same year to take his first really i'm
| pOrtant sea command, that of the
cruiser Raleigh, Coghlan'S old ship,
| and the one on board which the jolly
Kentucky admiral wrote his world
! famous poem, "Hoch der Kaiser"
which everybody enjoyed except the
German emperor.
! For two years, or until February,
1907, Fletcher retained the Raleigh
command, and then home again he
came to assume one of the most i'm
| pOrtant positions In the Naval War
college at Newport. From Newport
he returned to duty in Washington as
a member of the special ordnance
| board.
In May, 1908. Fletcher was made q
captain, and given the command of
| the battleShip Vermont. He was then
OH his way around the world as the
executive officer of one of the battle
ships that made that famous voyage
under Evans and Thomas and Spcrry.
Until February. 1910. Fletcher con
tinued in command of the Vermont
and was on the bridge of that ship
when the Atlantic fleet passed in re.
view before President Taft in the
| summer of that year. .f.
! Next we hear of Fletcher as, an aide
on the staff of Secretary of the Navy
! MyGr, and il was during that SERVICE
in October, 1911, that he was promo:
cd to flag rank. On August ] of last
| year he was again sent to sea. this
! time as the real admiral commanding
| the Fourth division of the Atlantic
! fleet, and he has been with the feet
ever since. now as commander OF the
| Third division.
| IL was Immediately after the as.
sassinatiOn of President Madero that
Admiral Fletcher was ordered TO Mex.
lean waters. When he arrived OFF
Vera Cruz in the latter part of last
February his pennant nuttered from
the masthead Of the battleship Yer.
| mont, the vessel that was his first
command as a captain. Then came
the order for the Vermont to return
! to American waters and join the ships
under Admiral Badger for the Med
iterranean cruise. ....
But Fletcher made good, and so
when the time came for the Vermont
to return to home waters, Washing.
ton ordered him to switch his flag to-
the Louisiana and stay where he was.
FLETCHER had handled the delicate
situation that had arisen with such
wonderful ability and discretion that
the Wilson administration was quick
to realize the Importance of his con.
tinuing in command, not caring toI
trust the command to another officer
less familiar with the facts and per-
haps not so diplomatic as is Admiral
Fletcher" an officer of the Atlantic
fleet said the other day.
What kind of man is Fletcher,
anyway" the officer. who happens to
be on the Atlantic fleet stan, was
asked. !
'He is lot like Sampson, and you
xx,l,a ma ~ thn q