The Washington herald., 1922-10-22
co.sinred from Pepe zoo.

- S0Wmweo U0W fugo rtVo.
date was announced some time
ahead, too. Then 1t IL q bit early
in the season, too.
It does seem to be that the
Army and Navy Club either doesn't
do anything or oyerdoes 1t. They
had two tea dances and one dinner
dance, all the same week; too much
of a good thing. I would say. to
make q success of any of them.
One tea dance q week perhaps and
one dinner dance every other week
and not on night that the Chevy
Chase Club gives their dinner
dances. The Army and Navy Club
used to give dinnor dances on
Thursday nights; little else happens
on Thursdays. as q rule, and the
place was always crowded TO
capacity. Some one said the club
was thinking of having tea dances
every afternoon; that viii never
do. I've had many service people
agree with me that that is entire-
ly too often: twice a week was the
most that would succeed and one
is plenty. However, 1t Is not my
affair!
VTAsHINGTON was muchly In
w terested In the. fact that
last Sunday Rear Admiral William
s. Sims, u. 8. n, a distinguished
officer Of the u. s. Navy. who was
last on duty holding the important
office OF president of the Naval
War College at Newport. r. l.. was
placed on the retired list. at which
time he reached the age limit Of
81 years. He IL one of the most
energetic, progressive and enter
prising officers of the navy, pos
sessed OF great mental keenness and
force of character. He retires after
a sea service of nearly twenty Ave
years and shore duty of some four
teen years.
Rear Admiral Sims was guest Of
honor at dinner given October s
by the officers Of the stan and class
of the War College at the Newport
Clambake Club. The dinner was in
the form Of a farewell to the Ad-
miral and was attended by Q party
of about seventy officers, the guests
Including. besides the offlcers from
the college, the commanding officers
of the naval training station, the
naval torpedo station with their ex-
ecutive officers, and the command
ing off1cer of Fort Adams and his
adjutant. Capt. Dewitt Blamer.
chief of staff OF the War College.
presided.
Admiral Sims was born in Port
Hope, Canada. OF American parents,
October Is. 1858. He was appointed
a midshipman at the U. s. Naval
A cademy in 1876. and was graduated
in 1882. His first sea service was IN
the old wooden steam frigate Ten
nessee, then known as the big
ship" under Capt. Joseph Fyffe.
Thsn followed service on various
stations, in the Colorado. Swatara,
Yantic. and Saratoga of the old
wooden navy. His nrst modern
ship in the new navy was. the
cruiser Philadelphia, and subsequent
vessels served in included the
cruiser Charleston. monitor Mon
terey. cruiser Brooklyn and various
battleships and various other
classes of ships.
TN the period Immediately preced-
ing the Spanish American war
| Rear Admiral Sims, then a lieu
tenant. was naval attache at St.
Petersburg and Paris. and was in
trusted with the responsibility of
buying ships and supplies for the
navy. He expended hundreds of
thousands of dollars. keeping in
touch with the available sources Of
supply in Europe. and rendered val
liable service in fitting out and sup
plying the navy during that war.
He remained naval attache at Paris
until 1900. when he was recalled to
the United States and was sent to
to- AN
battleship Kentucky. He was later
fleet intelligence officer on the stan
of the commander-in- chief of the
Asiatic station. serving in that ca
pacity under Rear Admirals Remay
and Rodgers. It was while on this
tour of duty that he became inti-
mately associated with Capt. (now
AdmiraD Sir Percy Scott of the
British navy. Capt. Scott's ship
had at that time made remarkable
scores in target practice under new
methods devised by its commander.
Lieut.. Sims became thoroughly IA
miliar with Scott's method Of train
ing in naval gunnery and acQuaint-
ed the Navy Department with them.
In the autumn of 1902. by direc-
tion OF President Roosevelt, the
then Lieut. Sims was placed at the
head of the office Of naval practice.
He remained in that position for
nearly seven years. and 1t was dur
Ing this time that great improve
ment was made in our navy In gun
merry and ordnance. largely owing
to the new method introduced by
him. In order to keep in touch with
the latest improvements in other
navies. he made trips to England
each year. conferring with the ex-
perts in gunnery and ordnance.
Admiral Sims was in command of
the battleship Missouri during the
famous world cruise of the fleet un-
der Rear Admiral Evans, was COM
mander of the torpedo iotilla and
of the battleship Nevada. He was
naval attache at Paris, Petrograd,
and Madrid. He was aid on the
staff of Admiral Dewey on the U.
s. s. Dolphin, was president Of the
Naval War College for a short time
early In 1917. from which station he
was given q world war command in
charge of all American destroyers.