Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-09-23
TREATMENT GIVEN
ELLSbERC CONTRARY
TO NAVAL PRECEDENT
Taylor of Colorado Aids
Move to Have Naval Con-
structOr Advanced
SERVICE OFFICERS
WANT HIM PROMOTED
Congressman Cellar Brings Case
to Attention of Secretary
Of Navy Wilbur
tJewish Telcgrnphlc Agency

tJcwish Telegraphlc Agency
New York-Failure on the
part of Secretary of the Navy
Wilbur to promote Lieutenant
Commander Edward Ellsberg to
the rank Of Commander in rec
ognition of his heroism and lead
ership in the salvaging of the
submarine S-51 was sharply
criticised by Congre ess m a II
Emanuel Celler of the Tenth Con-
gressional District of Brooklyn.
in a letter to the Secretary of
the Navy made known yester-
day.
The recommendation for the pro-
motion of Lieutenant Commander Els
berg and his comrades, Lieutenant
Henry Hartley and Boatswan Richard
Ilawes, was made 'y the .Unitel Stltes
navy authorities and strongly approved
fy ..Gniral Plunici., in charge Of The
l'rcci:'yn Navy Yard. The station of the
hove mentioned na~al officcrs.
Threat to Override Wilbur
| In his letter TO Secretary Wilbur.
Congressman Celicr declared that un-
less the Secretary will advance the of
iicers as recommended, he will intro
duce into Congress a resolution author
izing the president of the United States
Ia advance Lieutenant Commander
| Ellsberg to the rank of Rear Admiral
nd to promote the other twn.
at seems that the reasons advanced
for this failure properly to reward
these heroes is the Departments policy
not TO recommend the promotion of of
iicers as reward for service. 1t is
difficult to understand this policy il any
such existed. Already some 20 of the
enlisted men engaged in salvaging the
S.51 have been promoted. Furthermore
ne record of officers who have been
promoted for meritorious service is not
| Short Congressman Celler wrote.
"rhe recommendations for promotion
of Ellsberg, Hartley and Hawes are so
forceful that | must burden you with
repeating portions thereof. Captain
King says of Ellsberg:
| Not only was his technical knowledge
and resource adequate for every diff
fculty but he displayed the highest or
der of leadership. He set an exam
pie 10 the divers by learning to dive
and by actually descending to the S-5I
on The bottom no less than three times
during the period April-July 1926.
Again, ON July Z, 1926 while working
on top of No. 3 port pontoon with the
aid of derrick, wire strap gave
way, and the men on tho pontoon We're
in great danger, hut Lieutenant Com
mander Ellsberg twho as one of them)
saved himself and turned Immediately
10 the saving of the pontoon Ton which
the whole job depended at that timc).
even to the extent of showing thumbs
into broken vent pipes, with the pontoon
awash, until wooden plugs could he Sc
cured. His Ingenuity was ineXhaust-
ible. his perseverance in the face of
countless setbacks was unfaillng and
his determination animated and in
spired all hands. One of his con-
tributions to the salvage work was the
perfection of Il high-speed underwater
cutting torch and he is responsible for
the development of the technique of
lowering and placing pontoons with ac-
curacy and facility, hitherto not
known. Ii is desired to repeat that
to his efforts and skill the successful
salvage of the SOL is primarily and un-
mistakably due.
"Those men must and should be prop
crly rewarded The bcstowal of medals
upon them is insufficient