Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-18
llI1SH NAVY HEAD
ONCEB. ANDO. ENIPLOYE
<ow Vice Admiral Geddes Also
Worked for Carnegie
Steel Company
SPLENDID RECORD IN WAR
Has Proved of Notable All-Round Eff
cheney in Conducting Large and
Varied Operations for British
By LOWELL MELLETT

LONDON, Aug Is.
They used to say that the fastest thing on
the Baltimore and Ohio was the Royal
\ Blue Limited. They were wrong. The
fastest thing on the Baltimore and Ohio
was young hired hand named Eric
geddes. Naturally. It wasn't known then.
but the appointment Of Vice Admiral
Sir Eric Geddes--the same young hired
hand and not whole lot older-to be ruler
OF the navy that rules the wave ought TO
prove II. If the new First Lord of the
British Admiralty had a middle name II
would be Speed. II he accomplshes the
same results In the Admiralty that he has
accomplished In other branches Of the Gov
ernment this much Is certain. British naval
officers will cease TO marvel at the hustle
OF the American navy; they'll be too busy
speeding up their own.
Sir Eric was born in India forty-one years
ago. He was educated at Edinburgh Acad-
emy and oxford Military College. When
seventeen years old he went to America
He worked In southern lumber camps a
bit, then for the Carnegie Steel Company
In Pittsburgh and became switchman and
afterward a station agent on the Baltimore
and Ohio in West Virginia Four years later
he left to go back to India.
In India he entered the service of the
Nohilkund and kumaon Railway. building
railroad through the jungle, a Job that
made him something of a reputation. Thir-
teen years ago Sir George Gibbs general
cabled him asking IL he was prepared to
accept a place on the railway stan.
Starting Monday" Geddes replied
In a short time he appointed deputy
general manager. Lord Kitchener saw him
In 1915 and enlisted his aid in speeding up
munitions. When the Ministry Of Munitions |
was created. with Lloyd George in charge.
he made Geddes deputy general director. |
Early In 1915 he was transferred to the |
War once as Director of Military Rail- |
ways
Called on to assist In the preparation for |
the Somme campaign, he was transferred, |
ut Sir Douglas Haigs request, to France |
as member of the Comma n der in Chiefs
stan, with the title of Director General of
Transportation and the rank of major gem
eral.
Lord Peel raised the question of the pro-
priety Of replacing a military officer with a !
civilian.
But" said Lord Derby the civilian in
this case is Sir Eric Geddes"
That settled II.
In May of this year II was decided his
energy was needed In the Admiralty The
post of Controller was created, little Job
that called for meeting the combined re-
quirements of the Admiralty, the War Of
nee. the Ministry of Shipping and other
Government departments with respect to de-
sign. construction, alterations and repairs
OF warships and other vessels of all classes
and the requirements of the Admiralty with
respect to armaments and munitions So |
ne ceased to be a major general and became
4 vice admiral |
But Lloyd George came to the conclusion
that Sir Eric didn't have enough to do, and
now has made him First Lord and the real
ruler Of the Queens nayy