The Oskaloosa herald., 1914-04-30
Admiral Fletcher an Oskaloosa Bow.
He Was Born and Raised Here and Vent HE Navy From,
This City,

New York, Apr. 23.-Two men are
in the spotlight I'm the North Atlantic
feet. One is Rear Admiral Charles
J. Badger, who is in command. The
other is Rear Admiral Frank Friday
Fletcher. If naval guessers are right
Fletcher will succeed Badger when
the latter relinquishes his command
somewhat later in the year ...
Badger has served forty-one years
in the navy. Twenty.four of those
years have been at sea, which is some.
thing of a record in these days of bali.
bearing rocking chairs and overstuff.
cd front porches. Fletcher has served
thtrty-nine years. The first come from
a family which is naval by tradition.
His father was commodore, and his
son is a lieutenant. The second comes
from the Iowa prairies. In the matter
of honors they are about even. Badger
has been distinguished as an execu.
tive. Fletcher is a specialist in ord.
nance. If his folks had not decanted
him into the navy when he was fifteen
years old he would have been an In.
ventor.
Both Efficient Men.
Both are taciturn, kindly, efficient
men. Each has served in almost ev.
cry sea. Badger was a member of the
Greeley relief expedition in 1884, and
with several other officers was thank.
ed for his bravery by the Maryland
Legislature when the expedition re.
turned. Fletcher was once a mem.
Der of the exploring expedition in
South America. For months he wal.
lowed through marshes and f0rded
rivers and climbed mountains in Or
der to establish some sort of a line
through some sort of a country for
some purpose or other. Badger
fought on board the Cincinnati during
the Spanish war. Fletcher was as.
sistant chief of the ordnance depart.
ment during that affair. He was large.
ly responsible for its conceded eff.
cheney.
Fletcher never discusses himself
and never speaks at banquets when
he can avoid it. He isn't secretive.
He is merely silent, One could sit
with Fletcher In the smoking room
of Pullman car crossing the Great
American desert and one would never
discover that he had ever heard OF
the sea. Badger-well, Badger isn't
Notdl SIthCt
not since the day he pulled a Page in
Copenhagen.
You know. of course, what pulling
a Page means nowadays. II is to
get up in the midst of banquet and
say something you are afraid to read
In print when 1t appears under in
tensely thoughtful headlines the next
morning. Badger was in command
of the second division of the North
Atlantic feet. which was just then
jaunting about the, world. 1t had
reached Copenhagen, and the Danes
had tied on their artificial roses and
turned out to make everyone vel.
come. In due course Badger rose to
respond to a toast. Did you notice
what a positive gift some Danes have
! for twittering laughter? Well, this
! was Badgers toast;
"To the German navy.
He Didn't Mean II.
He didn't mean It, of course
Which did not keep those. Danes from
exercising their cachinnatory capaci
ties. Nor does it alter the fact that
Badger is a most efficient officer. He
may have little trouble with his
syllables now and then, but when it
comes to making a large feet full OF
rough men behave-and being digni-
fiedly willing to take a chance with