Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-10
FIRST NAVY FATHER
PH|LADA. CARPENTER
Sobriquct Has Been Applied to
Many Secretaries Since Civil War;
Quaker City is Birthplace.

"The sobriuuet Father Of the Navy
| has been given at various times to a
, number of Americans, says the Phil
adelphia Evening Bulletin "'rhe title
belongs To a Philadelphia carpenter and
shipwright, Joshua Humphreys. whose
Southwark Yard on the Delaware river
front, near Washington avenue, was the
birthplace Of the American Navy. Usually
II is associated with the name and fame of
the gallant Commodore Jack Barry,
and it also has been accorded for q gen
Grafton 10 William G. Whitney, President
Clcveland's Secretary of the Navy, who
was the active hacker of the movement
for new navy the fleet of trim little
ginhoats and slender cruisers that form
ed the famous White Squadron nj the
time of the Columbian Exposition.
Whitney and his predecessor in Office,
William T.. Chandler, have long enloyed
this distinction although after the Spanish
American war. as result of tho increase
III the naval establishment consequent on
that conflict, AN attempt was made to
confer the title on John ID Long. presi-
dent Mcknlcy's Secretary of the Navy
"Now, however. Rear Admiral Caspar
+ Goodrich, the President of the Naval
History Society. comes forward with
personal "reminiscences to accord the title
OF the father of the new navy on a
fellow officer of tho service, the late
Rear Admiral Bancroft Ghcrardi In a
note IN the records Of the Naval Institute,
Admiral Goodrich places the date of the
founding of the present steel navy dur
ing the brief administration of President
Garfield
According TO Goodrich 3 account. Viii
l x,...
Garliclds Secretary of IN" Navy, on n
visit to New York. III the summer of 1881,
took q trip UP the Hudson ON a naval
tug with Ghcrardi. who, ~ a fellow resi-
dent 81 New Orleans, was on intimate
terms with Hunt Since the close of tho
Civil War the Navy had been detcriorat-
ing steadily and gradually increased re-
strlctlons had been placed on tho repair
Of the old wooden ships
Hunt. II is said. expressed great con
Germ over the fate Of the Navy and uucs-
toned Ghcraril as "a what course to pur-
s,lc to build up and strengthen this arm
Of the national defense Ghcrardi. hd- |
lniral Goodrich SAYS. hen pointed out
that one man could not successfully acI |
the task. hut that "A spccia !
advisory board should I've formed. con
9isting of officers of the l'nc and ol the
engineering and construction corps
"GhcrardI S advice Was followed. Spc
ial departmental board was formed and
nn the strength of their recommendations,
in the following year. under Secretary
handler the first official Navy Ad-
tisory Board vas authorized hN Con
zrpss TODAY tho Navy Department still
iates the rucords 81 its Year Rocks
rom the formation III this board IN tho
summer oi 1882, therchy confirming the
notes of Admiral Goodrich
Put If Secretary Long came near
getting the title NJ the close Of he Span
>h- american war II * not improbable
hat after the great increase which Is now
aklng place IN the naval establishment.
he Hon .Io>cphu~ Daniels may hc adj
lancrd as claimant for the TITLE Z
"Onc OF he Sidrlghts of AdmIral Cood-