Evening star., 1921-07-27
WILSON Efficient,
BUT NO 0SUND0WNER
New Annapolis Head Can
"Cuss EN- Out RoundIy,"
IL But Has Soft Heart.

Miguel lock in the Panama Canal
lay the flagship Pennsylvania. Ad-
miral Henry Braid Wilson sat on her
quarterback. On the other SIDE the
destroyers of the Atlantic fleet were
being coupled up in pairs to 90
through the lock. They were clus-
tered in there as thick as dories at
fishing pier. Another, destroyer
swashed down upon them.
1t is the pride OF q destroyer cap.
tain to handle his snappy craIt as
though she were a taxicab. NO proper
captain ever approaches anytnlns-
whether it is a seawall or an enemy
at anything less than full speed.
Then, when every one nearby mas
succumbed to the acute shlVers ne pe-
{ gins to ring bells like Swiss musi,
clan. He stops her and backs ne. sha. o.,
forward from the whirling propeller.
She settles into her place as easily
as soap bubble.
Crashes Into Another boat.
Z This time the propeller did not re-
verse. There is a shackle or CAD
get or some other technical thing thai
sometimes fails to take hoid. fuii
speed ahead the unfortunate boat
crashed into another unfortunate ooat
tied to the lock wall. Her snarp
stem cut into the Others stern IKE u
hatchet in pine wood and stuck toer re
Every one said things in locd tones.
; "Order the captain Of that boat 70
report to me-" said Admiral wilson.
The offending captain reported on
board and received one OF the nnese
iacings ever handed out by master
of the art. When he had taken ms
medicine and snapped his hand to MS
cap-brim and backed away. white aho
shaken, Admiral Wilson turned 10
friend standing nearby; VI. ,.cu.
liarly abrupt manner. Couldn't help
myself Discipline. But don't blame
him. They all do it.
He paused for moment.
Admiral Not a .sundowners."
Matter of fact" he said. i've done
It myself
nate captain from punishment for the
mistake. That is Admiral Tug VIII
son all over He believes in disci-
pline and he enforces it. But his heart
is soft as a woman's for all that. he
is the very antithesis of "sundown-
er," as the navy calls an omcer VINO
Is unduly harsh and peremptory 10,
ward his -subordinates. The good
sailor may make mistakes ana Ad-
miral Wilson will forgive them. he
knows that it is only the man who
never does anything who never makes
mistakes. But he is merciless to the
Stacker and the duty-dodger.
That is perhaps why he has been
selected as superintendent OF the
midshipmen will walk straighter.
= look brighter. study harder. and sa-
& lutte with more of a snap after one
talk with him. He is a constitutional
invigorator. One interview Is guaran-
teed to produce results. -
Walks as Briskly ms a Boy.
He may be. sixty years old-he says
that he is-but if he is in one essen
tial particular older than twenty-five
I'll eat his admirafs thrae -cornered
hat. gold lace, beaver fur. and all. He
walks as briskly as a boy, and ne Is
Navy. One glance tells him every
thing. AS the ships of the fleet swung
: to their anchorages in Guantanamo
bay last winter Wilson was sitting
on the quarterback. as usual. He de-
tests tween decks. Nothing Is to be
seen there. He might almost be the
officer of the deck, he is SO persist
emily on the job.
Half dozen of the battleships had
preceded the flagship Pennsylvania
into the bay. AS Wilson sat under the
'awring he glanced at them. One sec
.ond later every wigwagging device
on the ship. was going. ful! blast.
Every signalman was swinging his
5tected what was wrong on each ship
whether the wrong pennant was fly
ing or whatsver-and he had
started in to tell. the offenders
even the unskilled eye could see that
the fleet was made up of trimmer,
neater. more workmanlike vessels
than t had been before. The ships
wore c:.astened air. too. as though
the" ha been well spanked:
An American First of All.
His midshipmen will be taught
Wilson has a wide liking for every
one. He has no unjustifiable feeling
against any other nation. But first of
all he is an American. He is proud
of what this country has done and
can do and he does not hesitate to
say so. One never detects that apol-
ogetfc attitude toward other nations
In Wilson that one sometimes finds In
Americans abroad. If he is ever rep
rfmanded for unwise speech 1t will be
because he has said too many things
for his own people and not because he
has said anything against them.
During the war he commanded the
United States naval forces in Fl ance.
with headquarters at Brest. Now and
then-as continually and inevitably
happens-there were brief periods of
friction. On one occasion the pro-
prietor of the largest hotel in Brest
ran his prices up to hideous height.
The commander of the American mil
itary forces on shore put the hotel out
of bounds and stationed a guard Of
marines at the doors to see to it that
Americans kept out. The, French au-
thorities made a violent protest to
Wilson.
"Ii look into it," said he.
Wilson Refnforces Guard.
When he had satisfied himself that
the American commander had been
justified in his course he added a
guard of sailors to the guard of ma
fines. Then an American could not
get into that hotel even with jim
my. Twenty-four hours later prices
had dropped to normal level. Then
the guards were removed. No one
appreciated the joke more than the
French authorities. Wilson was per-
haps the best liked American in that
part of France. The patriotic French
understood and appreciated patri-
.otism in other people.
There was a brief clash at one time
between Admiral Sims and Admiral
Wilson. A detachment of American
destroyers had been placed by Sims
under the command of a British ad-
,miral, who sent them to Brest. There
Wilson asserted his right to COM
mand. but the British resisted. The
matter bade fair to become one OF tha
important imprinted stories of the
war; but the British admiral in the