The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-16
ORIGIN AND RISE OF GOVERNMENTS
 NAVAL ACADEMY
Institution Formally Open ed Oct. 10, 1845 After Ban
 croft Began Campaign.

We had a military academy almost half a century before we had a naval academy. It was not until the ad-
 ministration of President James K. Polk that the government, thought it necessary to establish a naval acad-
 emy at which young men could be edu-
 cated for that part of our protective service. George Bancroft was the founder
 of the United States Naval academy, which was at first called the Naval school It was formally opened at
 Annapolis on October 10, 1845. For several years prior to this ehere was a school working along similar lines at the Naval asylum in Philadel- phia, where the midshipmen prepar ed themselves for examination and promotion.
 The school was reorganized in 1850
 < nd the course was increased from five to seven, the first and last two years to be passed at the school. the inter-
 vening years at sea. At this time the
 separate departments of instruction were established. vessel was pro- vided and annual practice cruises were instituted. In 1851 the re- ouirements of sea service were abol- 1SneO, ledVlng tue CouAS So AouA SoAAS0S@
 utive years of study.
 At the outbreak of the war in 1861
 the Naval academy was removed to New port, R. l., wheNlt remained un- til the summer of 1865, when it was
 re-established at Annapolis In 1870 the title of cadet midshipmen was
 substituted for midshipman, and three years later the course was increased It. I of fvxyn VIE vice in cruising vessels, at the expira-
 tion of which the cadet midshipman returned to the Naval academy for exa imitation in professional subJects prior to graduation.
 Previous to the establishing of the Naval academy several attempts had been made to establish training schools for officers and sailors of the navy. In 1898. Captain M. c. Perry suggested a school for engineers, but little was accomplished before Ban croft called the meeting in Philadel- phia which decided the establishing of the present school.
 |. At first there was considerable of a wrangle as to where the school Should be located. The site finally Chosen was an old army post known as Fort Severn, located on the point of land which forms the easternmost extremity of the city of Annapolis and lies between the harbor and the Sev ern river. Poor as the place was in the eyes of Bancroft, he saw that it was far less likely to challenge con- gressional criticism than a more pre- tentious habitation, and besides, the fact was undeniably true that it might "be enlarged and perfected at some future time."
 Fort Severn was duly transferred by, the war department to the navy on Aug. IS, 1s45, and a fortnight af- terward Secretary Bancroft published his plan" which, together with the regulations subsequently, prepared by Commander Buchanan, governed the workings of the school until 1850. The first superintendent of the Naval academy was Commander Franklin Buchanan.
 At Il o'clock on the morning of October 10. 1S45, all hands assembled in one of the recitation rooms, and the superintendent, after brief but point ed address in which he announced he should exact rigid compliance with all laws, orders and regulations, declared the school open. The old buildings at the ancient army post at Annapolis, where the midshipmen began to re- ceive instruction, had been termed by Secretary Bancroft "a modest shelter for the pupils and it is said that they certainly deserved no more compli mentary description.
 Mr. Bancroft at once began plans to have the academy more conmodious- ly housed, and he asked congress for an appropriation Of $2S,000 to be ex- pended for repairs, Improvements and instructions at Fort Severn, Annapolis. The secretary brought all his diplo- macy and skill to bear, and at last had the profound satisfaction of re- ceiving the appropriation by an ample
 majority and of seeing the naval school of the United States then be- come duly organized by law.
 Thus ended the long fight for it. Three years after the bill became law Secretary Bancroft directed the superintendent to enlarge the build ings and construct new ones sufficient to accommodate 100 midshipmen. This small beginning was the foundation of the present large and effective in- stitution, which trains the sailors in way equal to that furnished by any