The Alaska citizen., 1917-01-22

at Montpelier. on the day following Christmas in 1887. At the age of r he reached the cross-road of his career; one road led to West Point the other to Annapolis. Young Dewey favored the former but
 There was no vacancy for West Point from Vermont" explained the admiral In reviewing his life. 10th erwise I might have gone into Ma nila Bay on an army transport in stead of on the Olympia. But it happened that there was vacancy at Annapolis, so 1 entered the navy"
 At the outbreak of the Civil war Dewey was g years old He was commissioned a lieutenant, and guid ed the Mississippi as it's executive officer in Farragut's historic dash past New Orleans and it's forts. He was not so successful at Port Hud son. Farragut won through, but Dewey and the Mississippi ran aground under the guns of the fort The ship was set afire. and during the transfer of the crew under fire, the young officer lived five years in an hour"
 From the close of the Civil war until the opening of the Spanish American, the life of the American naval officer was made up of rou- tine duty at sea and ashore. During this period the future admiral cruis- ed; taught class at Annapolis; surveyed lower California and part of the west coast of Mexico; carried supplies to the survivors of the siege of Paris; performed duty at Boston navy yard and the naval torpedo station at Newport; inspected light, houses and served as naval secre- tary on the Lighthouse board; spent two years travelling on a sick leave in search of health; four years as chief of the Bureau of Equipment; and at the age of 59 was serving as president of the Board of Inspec- tion and Survey with the rank of N1N In tant naval office that he presided at the trials of all the battleships, ex- cept the Oregon. which were to de- molish the Spanish squadron at San tiago
 Shortly after his return from Ma nila Bay, Admiral Dewey found him. self in the fire of popular criticism over the gift house incident" Am erican citizens had raised $50,00O by public subscription as a testi- monial to the hero of Manila and they presented him with a house in Washington. Dewey, who had been a widower since 1872, had just married Mrs. Mildred Mclean Hagen of Washington, and he turned over the gift house to her. Shortly after ward the admiral and Mrs Dewey left the gift house and lived in the wlfe's former home.
 In 1900 Admiral Dewey was seri- ously talked of as a candidate for the Republican nomination as Presi- dent, but the Admiral preferred to remain in the naval ranks rather than to seek such venture in states manship. His admirers have since often spoken of him as the man who could have been a President If he had wished.
 Early in 1914 Admiral Dewey again became conspicuous in the current news by revival of the long stand ing controversy with Admiral won
 
 Diederichs, of the German navy, re, garding the conduct of the German squadron during the blockade of Ma nila Bay, 16 years before. In his autobiography, Admiral Dewey criti cised von Diederichs for failing to observe the neutrality laws and told how shot was fired across the bows of one of the German ships to impress it with the fact that the American navy had established blockade and would countenance no undue activity on the part of the German ships, suspected at the time as friendly to Spain.
 "A difference of opinion about in ternational laws had been adjusted" said Dewey, without adding to the sum of President McKinley's wor ries."
 Dewey was always great stu dent of history; he knew every naval campaign that had been waged from the days of ancient Greece and Rome, had analysed them and knew why defeat or victory had come from certain movements, and this without