The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-01-18
WAS DEwEY'S CHIEF CLERK.
Jean ]. Vanderveer of Brattleboro Re-
calls Many Incidents During
Spanish War.

The death of Admiral George Dewey
brought wildly to Jean J. Vanderveer Of
Brattleboro, steward at the Brattleborc
Retreat, recolleetions of the battle OF
Manila bay, May /, 1898, in which he
served on the Baltimore as a chief yeo.
man and few days later was trans
ferred to the Olympia, Admiral Dewey's
flagship, and assigned to duty as chief
clerk to the admiral.
In that capacity he handled all of the
correspondence relating TO the activities
of the Asiatic fleet, much of it being of
international Importance. He has a let
ter of recommendation from the admiral
praising his services and stating that
"the naval service is loser by his dis
charge"
Speaking of the admiral, Mr.. Wander
veer said that he was martinez in the
matter of discipline. His Interpretation
of the word duty was that man must
give every moment of his time to the
service of his country.
The first letter which the admiral
started to dictate after Mr.. Vanderveer
had been assigned to the position OF
chief clerk Mr.. Vanderveer began to take
in shorthand. The admiral glanced over
his shoulder and asked what he was do
taking the dictation in shorthand the ad-
miral said 'None of that here. We
want only one record of what is done in
this office" After that Mr.. Vanderveer
said dietation was taken directly on the
typewriter. The admiral was a rapid
and very accurate dictator and never
changed word or phrase after it came
from the machine.
So important was the correspondence
that the desk of the chief clerk was con
vertible into bunk and there the chief
clerk slept, He never left the little Of
flee alone and when he was not there the
-at-arms was responsible for the
contained in it,
After the battle in Manila bay the adj !
miral slept very little at night, for he
feared some action on the part of the |
German naval commander in the harbor. |
It was nothing unusual for him to enter
The Office of his clerk at o'clock in the |
morning and dictate letters.
He had marvellous memory and |
months after having dictated letter he
,ould ask the clerk for the copy of it,
irving the date on which it had been die
,ated. He was a great student of inter
rational law, being about as well in
ormed on it as many international law
yers, and at the time trouble was ex-
,ected with the Germans he cited from
to the German flag lieutenant
boa r;n hn NJ ha
lowers in situations like that then exist
ne there.
The admiral was thorough gentleman
nd courteous in the extreme. After the
attic, when the Filipino women would
ow to the sides of the warships to sell
ruits the admiral, when he saw one of
hem approaching the flagship, would
tep to the side, bow courteously, and
early always buy some article.
He believed always in letting credit be
iven where credit was due. Two months
fter the battle when the first papers
rom the United States containing ac-
cunts of the battle were received by the
zen of the fleet in Manila bay, the adj
liral glanced at a front page of one of
he papers which had a picture of him
nd exclaimed to his clerk:
isn't that wicked They are giving
lie credit for what my officers and men
i'd"
The admiral had no intention, Mr.
anderveer said, of remaining at Manila
nd in fact made arrangements to go to
onolulu after the battle, but when he
mt word to Washington that he could
Ike the city at any time the idea took
'ot in Washington, and he received or
Frs to take it.
Dewey had not been popular with the
lreau chiefs at Washington and was
mt to the command of the Asiatic fleet,
the worst consignment of any
the navy. But along came the Span
h-American war and in few weeks his
Tine was heralded over the world as the
an of the hour.
Mr.. Nanderveer was eight months with
lie admiral as his chief clerk and had
ways been a staunch admirer of him,
I'd although he had not seen him in
veral years, he feels sense of person
loss in the news of his death.