DOCSLIB.ORG

Congressional Reoord-Senate. December

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Congressional Reoord-Senate. December • 28 CONGRESSIONAL REOORD-SENATE. DECEMBER. 7, said reservation at some convenient point nen.r the said city of Peii­ pension to Kate E. Buckham-to the Committee on Invalid Pen- dleton, for the purposes of furnishing and su.pplying the inhabi tan ts sions. · of the said city of Pendleton with water for irrigation, houseliold, By Mr. SMITH of Kentucky: A bill (H. R.11017) to restore Jesse domestic, and sanitary uses, watering live stock, extinguishing Everly to the pension roll of the United States-to the Committee fires, and for such other and further municipal purposes and uses on Inval id Pensions . .as may be incident to the needs and wants of said city-to the By Mr. UNDERWOOD (for Mr. WHEELER of Alabama): A bill Committee on Indian Affairs. (H. R. 11018) to increase the pensions of Mrs.l\Iargrett B. Shipp By Mr. RICHARDSON: A bill (H. R.l0992) to extend Four­ widow of Lieut. William E. Shipp, who was killed at San Juan' teenth street to Spring road-to the Committee on the District and M_rs. Louise D. Smith, widow of Lieut. William H. Smith, wh ~ of Columbia. was killed at San Juan-to the Committee on P ensions. By Mr. JENKINS: A bill (H. R . 10993) to reimburse those who have had sent to their homes for burial the dead bodies of officers, soldiers, and sailors who died away from home while members of PETITIONS, ETC. the Army and Navy of the United States since the 1st day of Janu­ Under clause 1 of Rule XXII, thefollowingpetitions andpapers ary, 1898-to the Committee on War Claims. were laid on the Clerk's desk and referred as follows: By Mr. OTEY: A bill (H. R. 10994) to repeal the stamp tax­ By Mr. COCHRANE of New York: Petition of the Woodside to the Committee on Ways and Means. Presbyterian Church, of Troy, N. Y., and the Young P eople's By Mr. UNDERWOOD: A bill (H. R. 10995) to amend section Ch~istian_ Endea':or Socie~y of the same church, for the passage of 858 of the Revised Statutes of the United States-to the Commit­ a bill which forbids the sale of alcoholio liquors in Government tee on the Judiciary. buildings and reservations-to the Committee on Public Bw.ldin0o- s Also, a bill (H. R. 10996) to amend an act to establish a uniform and Grounds. systetn of bankruptcy throughout the United States-to the Cotn- By Mr. FLETCHER: Petition of the Minneapolis Board of mittee on the Judiciary. • Trade, protesting against· any reduction of the United States By Mr. LOUD: A b11l (H. R.10997) to amend section3287of the troops assigned to garrison Fort Snelling, Minn., and for the Revised Statutes of the United States concerning the drawing off, enlargement of the barracks at said fort-to the Committee on gauging, marking, and removal of spirits-to the Committee on Military Affairs. Ways and Means. By Mr. KULP: Resolutions of the Order of Railway Conductors, By Mr. SKINNER: A bill (H. R. 10998) to establish a term of No. 187, of Sunbury, Pa., in favor of the passage of the so-called the circuit court for Newbern and Elizabeth City, N. C.-to the anti-scalping ticket bill-to the Committee on Interstate and For­ Committee on the Judiciary. eign Commerce. By Mr. DALZELL: A bill (H. R. 10999) to protect the Ameri­ Also, reso!utions of the Thirty-second ~nnual _Encampment of can flag from insult and deseoration-to the Committee on tb.e Pennsylvama Grand Army of the Repubho,at 011 City,Pa.; also Judiciary. of the Thirty-second National Encampment of the Grand Army By Mr. PAYNE: A bill (H. R. 11000) to extend the laws relat­ of the Repubpc, Cincinnati, Ohio, favoring an appropriation foJ; ing to customs, commerce, and navigation over the Hawaiian the preservatiOn and care of"' the Gettysburg National Military Islands ceded to the United States-to the Committee on the Park-to the Committee on Military Affairs. Merchant Marine and Fisheries. .Also, resolutions of the Grocers and Importers' Exchange of By Mr. HAY: A resolution (House Res. No. 347) calling upon Philadelphia, Pa., in reference to restoring ocean-carrying trade the Secretary of War for information as to what towns in the in vessels sailing under the American :flag-to the Committee on islands of Porto Rico and the Philippines will be required to Interstate and Foreign Commerce. be garrisoned by soldiers of the United f;tates~to the Committee By Mr. MOON: Papers tv accompany House bill No. 10944, for on Military Affairs. th~ r~lief of William D. Hubbard-to the Committee on Appro- pnatwns. · By Mr. OTEY: Papers relating to the claim of Phillip Wool~ PRIVATE BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED. wine, of Montgomery County, Va.---'-to the Committee on War Under clause 1 of Rule XXII, private bills and resolutions ot Claims. tbe following titles were introduced and severally referred as By Mr. ROBINSON of Indiana: Petition of Wayne Division, follows: _ No. 119, Order of Railway Conductors, of Fort Wayne, Ind. fa­ By Mr. BERRY: A bill (H. R. 11001) to place Col. M.A. Cooh­ voring the passage of the anti-scalping bill-to the Committe~ on ran, of the United States Army, upon the retired list with the Interstate and Foreign Commerce. rank of brigadier-general-to the Committee on Military Affairs. By Mr. SAMUEL W. SMITH: Petition of Rev. Francis B. Out~ By M.r. BARLOW: A bill (H. R. 11002) for the relief of John ler and 80 other citizens of Oxford, Mich., for the bill which for­ Burns~to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. bids the sale of alcoholic liquors in Government buildings, etc.­ By Mr. ELLIOTT (by request): A bill (H. R. 11003) for the to the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. relief of the estate of Robert Fishburne, sr., deceased, late of Col­ By Mr. SULLOW A Y: Resolutions adopted by the New HamP.­ leton County, S. C.-to the Committee on War Claims. shire Baptist Convention, praying that future difficulties and d1f~ By Mr. MOON: A bill (H. R. 11004) for the relief of David ferences be settled by a.rbitration-to the Committee on Foreign Baudy,late a privat-e in Company L, Fourth Regiment Tennessee Affairs. Volunteer Cavalry-to the Committee on Military Affairs. By Mr. ELLIS: A bill (H. R. 11005) to pension Josiah S. Boothby-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. SEN.ATE. By Mr. JENKINS: A bill (H. R. 11006) to appropriate the sum of $281.15 to William P. Swift, of Rice Lake, Wis.-to the Com­ WEDNESDAY, Decernber 7, 1898. mittee on War Claims. Also, a bill (H. R. 11007) granting a pension to F1ora Stanton Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. W. H. MILBURN, D. D. Kalk-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. WILLIAM M. STEW .A.RT, a Senator from the State of Nevada., and By Mr. LOVERING: A bill (H. R. 11008) for the relief of Hud­ D.A.VID TURPIE, a Senator from the State of Indiana, appeared in son Maxim and W. H. Grahatn, in connection with various inven­ their seats to-day. tions-to the Committee on Patents. The Secretary proceeded to read the Journal of yesterday's pro­ By Mr. LAMB: A bill (H. R.11009) for the promotion andre­ ceedings, when, on motion of Mr. TURPIE, and by unanimous tirement of P. A. Surg. John F. Bransford, of the United States consent, the further reading was dispensed with. Navy-to the Committee on Naval Affairs. COST OF PRODUCTION IN LEADING INDUSTRIES. By Mr. OTEY: A bill (H. R.11010) for the relief of the Metho­ dist Protestant Church-to the Committee on War Claims. The VICE-PRESIDENT laid before the Senate a communica~ Also, a bill (H. R.11011) for the relief of the heirs of P. St. tion from the Commissioner of Labor, transmitting, in response George Ambler-to the Committee on War Claims. to a resolution of June 26, 1897, a report on the total cost and Also, a bill (H. R. 11012) for the relief of William R. Perfater, of labor cost of transformation in the production of certain articles Montgomery County, Va.-to the Committee on War Claims. in the United States, Great Britain, and Bel!rlum; which, with Also, a bill (H. R.11013) for the relief of Mrs. Lilly P. Douglas, the accompanying report, was referred to the Committee on Edu­ sole surviving heir of Alexander S. Perkins and Bettie F. Perkins, cation and Labor, and ordered to be printed. his wife, of Madison County, Ala.-to the Committee on War REPORT OF BO.A.RD OF ORDNANCE AND FORTIFICATION. Claims. · Also, a bill (H. R. 11014) for the relief of E. W. Donnelly, The VICE-PRESIDENT laid before the Senate a communica· Roanoke, Va.-to the Committee on War Claims. tion from the Secretary of War, transmitting the annual report Also, a bill (H. R. 11015} for relief of R. T. Vaughn, of East of the Board of Ordnance and Fortification for the year ended Oo­ Radford, Va.-to the Committee on War Claims. tober31, 1898i which, with the accompanying report, was referred By Ml'. STRODE of Nebraska: A bill (H. R.11016) granting a to the Committee on Military Affairs, and ordered to be printed. 1898. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 29 NATIONAL ARMORY, SPRINGFIELD, MASS. Narcissa G. Short; which was read twice by its title,aud referred The VICE-PRESIDENT laid before the Senate a communica­ to the Committee on ~nsions.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Proquest Dissertations
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to loe removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI* Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 WASHINGTON IRVING CHAMBERS: INNOVATION, PROFESSIONALIZATION, AND THE NEW NAVY, 1872-1919 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctorof Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Stephen Kenneth Stein, B.A., M.A.
    [Show full text]
  • November 07,1901
    ^■J———wp———■—— __ The _ Journal.~~ VOLUME BELFAST, NOVEMBER 1901. 73.__ , MAINE, THUBSDAY, 7, NUMBER 4o7~ Contents of To-Day's Journal. THE CHURCHES. OBITUARY. CITY GOVERNMENT. Thanksgiving Hoy. a8th. PERSONAL. PERSONAL. JPAGK 1. The will be held at Mrs. 0. Wadlin died at regular meeting of the City Council Meetings the Peoples’ Mis- Nancy her home President Roosevelt issued his unty Correspondence..The Churches..Cupt. was held 4th. Saturday John Parker went to Anburn last Sued..Successful Fishermen..Islesboro sion in the Miller with her son, Tileston October Monday evening, November Nov. Friday Jerry Staples went to Camden Monday wley Frye schoolbouse, street, Wadlin, Esq., proclamation fixing Thursday, 28th, for work. Movements. A Big Fire in Port- A full board was in the aldermen’s as a of national for work. ...Obituary... every Saturday evening at 7 o’clock. All 31st, at the advanced age of 83 years and 2 present day thanksgiving. It fol- .CityGovernmeut..The Maine Granite m- lows : room and there was but one absentee from Mr. and Mrs. D. P. Palmer 'try... The Latest Colors...The Woman who are welcome. months. Prior to April last she was in returned Sat- Mrs. Essie P. Carle went to Boston Tues s for Nov.28th...Belfast tbe common council. A PROCLAMATION. Fame..Thanksgivng health and but she was then urday from Boston. on 11her School There will be two services at the Unita- good strength, day business. Report...High Notes..Transfers The first business was the before “The season is nigh when, according to Real Estate. Notes..Personal.
    [Show full text]
  • Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
    Guantanamo Bay, Cuba We hear of Guantanamo in the news frequently these days, and probably will for the foreseeable future, but what is its history; why do we own it? For Europeans, the first mention is by Columbus, who anchored there on his second trip to the New World in April, 1494. He was impressed enough by its geography that he named it Puerto Grande (large, or impressive port). In 1741, while England was at war with Spain, a British admiral, with 61 vessels, took possession of the facility, and retained it for the duration of hostilities. Before and after this the harbor had been the lair of the pirates plying the Windward Passage. Guantanamo Bay has an area of fifteen square miles and is protected by dust-brown, scrub-covered mountains shielding it from observation or bombardment by sea, and sheltered from the force of hurricanes. It is relatively isolated from the rest of Cuba; the town of Guantanamo is 14 miles inland and the town of Santiago was 40 miles to the west. The Spanish continued to rule Cuba among growing discontent by the Cubans. A main point of contention was that Spain had not abolished slavery there until the 1880s, and the populace was racked by disease, malnutrition, ignorance and Spanish cruelty. As the nineteenth century wound down, there was an open revolt in progress in Oriente [eastern] Province, and because of this, the Spanish had to maintain a 7,000 man army there. Then came the Spanish-American War. The United States was in an expansionist mode, and because Spain held several pieces of real estate scattered around the world that we coveted, and at the same time did not have a powerful military, she attracted the attention of the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • NAVAL BATTLE of SANTIAGO DE CUBA BY: FRANCIS T, SIGISMONTI on February 18, 1898 the USS Maine Was Torpedoed and Sunk with a Loss of Over Two Hundred Men
    THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR - NAVAL BATTLE OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA BY: FRANCIS T, SIGISMONTI On February 18, 1898 the USS Maine was torpedoed and sunk with a loss of over two hundred men. Realizing war was imminent the American Fleet had started prep- arations for a conflict as early as January. After the sinking of the Maine, the fleet was ordered to Key West, Florida under the command of Admiral William T. Sampson. Two months later, April twenty-second, President McKinley or- dered a blockade of all major Cuban ports which two days later the Spanish answered with a declaration of war. We reciprocated the next day. The prime objective of the Navy was the Spanish Fleet under Ad- miral Pascual Cervera y Topete. This Spanish Fleet prevented any sort of force from crossing the ninety mile span from Florida to Cuba to engage the Spanish land forces then occupying the area known as the Province of Cienfuegos which included Havana. Another reason for the United States’ concern over Cervera’s fleet was the fact that the entire east coast of the United States was open to attack. In this case they were mistaken as the south- ern portion was closely guarded by the Flying Squadron under Com- modore Schley and the northern portion was too far to travel with- out a suitable means of refueling. An attack on New York City for instance would have been suicide as all their coal would have been expended just getting there. Soon after the blockade was set up in Havana harbor, Commodore Schley met Admiral Sampson to discuss such matters as the disper- sion of ships, blockade procedures and the necessary communications with the Cuban insurgents.
    [Show full text]
  • GAZETTE Is on in a Memphis Hospital for a Liver from a Child Weighing Between 10 and 25 Pounds with an Guantanamo Bay, Cuba "0" Positive Blood Type
    Energy Tip of the Day ENERGY CONSERVATION IS LANTFL T's oldest active ship visits GTMO EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY The Atlantic Fleet's oldest ac- metalworking. I, Guantanamo Bay was a regular tive ship, the USS Vulcan (AR-5), During the Spanish-American port-of-call for the second Vul- arrived in Guantanamo Bay last War, the first Vulcan arrived in can (Collier no. 5), a coal ship If your dryer has an automatic Friday to begin her post-overhaul Guantanamo Bay on July 1, 1898 that was in commission from 1909 dry cycle, use it. The timed training. to join the American fleet under to 1921. cycles on your dryer can waste Commodore Winfield Scott Schley USS Vulcan (AR-5) saw extensive energy because they'll continue The 41-year-old repair vessel, (1839-1911), which later proceeded service in the North Atlantic, to operate even after your clo- commanded by Capt. James E. McCon- to the water off nearby Santiago. North African, and Pacific theatres thes are dry. Also make sure that ville, USN, first visited Guantan- during the World War II. the outside exhaust vent of your dryer amo Bay over forty years ago in Recognized by the Naval Histor- Vulcan supported the American is kept clean. A clogged exhaust the early summer of 1941, within ical Center as the "Fleet's first naval forces in its quarantine of will lengthen the amount of time it a month of her commissioning. repair ship," Vulcan played a Cuba during the 1962 missile takes to dry your clothes. Vulcan recently completed an valuable support role during and crisis.
    [Show full text]
  • A Splendid Little War"
    A S P L E N D I D L I T T L E W A R A CHRONOLOGY OF HEROISM IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR By C. Douglas Sterner Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 A War Looking for an Excuse to Happen ................................................................... 3 Manifest Destiny & Yellow Journalism ................................................................. 5 Prelude to War ............................................................................................................. 8 Remember the Maine .................................................................................................. 11 Trouble in Paradise ...................................................................................................... 17 The Battle of Manila Bay ............................................................................................ 21 Cutting the Cables at Cienfuegos ................................................................................ 25 Cable Cutters Who Received Medals of Honor ..................................................... 29 The Sinking of the Merrimac ...................................................................................... 33 War in The Jungle ....................................................................................................... 43 Guantanamo Bay ................................................................................................... 44 The Cuzco Well .....................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The American and Japanese Navies As Hypothetical
    BIG STICK AI\70 SHORT SWORD: THE AMERICAN AND JAPANESE NAVIES AS HYPOTHETICAL ENEMIES DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Carlos R. Rivera, B.A., M.A ***** The Ohio State University 1995 Dissertation Committee : Approved by J.F. Guilmartin, Jr. a <—- J.R. Bartholomew A v \(,/i ( I ^ Adviser^ P.L. Hahn Dep^tm^t of History ÜMI Number: 9534057 Copyright 1995 by Rivera, Carlos Rafael All rights reserved. DMI Microform 9534057 Copyright 1995, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Copyright by Carlos R. Rivera 1995 To my Father, Carlos Rivera DeJesus Sargeant First Class (ret.) U.S. Army Who taught me that honor, duty, and courage are so much more than political expediency 11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I express my most sincere and grateful appreciation for the professional contributions I received. For John F. Guilmartin, Jr., I very much want to recognize the patient guidance and support I received during the last few years. Grateful thanks go to the other members of my committee, James R. Bartholomew and Peter L. Hahn, and Frederick J. Milford. Other persons who have been most helpful include Otsubo Sumiko and Sendai Kenzo, both of The Ohio State University, Yamamoto Masahiro, University of Alabama, and Sebastian Dobson, Tokyo. I want to recognize the Ohio State University Main Library, especially, Ms. Maureen Donovan for help with Japanese texts, and the staff of the Inter-Library Loan office for their valued assistance.
    [Show full text]
  • New Biographies Log One Bold Confederate's Naval Exploits
    Civil War Book Review Summer 2000 Article 9 Conspicuous Dash': New Biographies Log One Bold Confederate's Naval Exploits William N. Still Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr Recommended Citation Still, William N. (2000) "Conspicuous Dash': New Biographies Log One Bold Confederate's Naval Exploits," Civil War Book Review: Vol. 2 : Iss. 3 . Available at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr/vol2/iss3/9 Still: Conspicuous Dash': New Biographies Log One Bold Confederate's Nav Review CONSPICUOUS DASH' New biographies log one bold Confederate's naval exploits Still, Jr., William N. Summer 2000 Campbell, R. Thomas Sea Hawk of the Confederacy: Lt. Charles W. Read and the Confederate Navy. White Mane Publishing Company, 1999-12-01. ISBN 1572491787 This review is also available under the following title: Confederate Corsair: The Life of Charles W. Savez Read In a recent issue of this journal a reviewer rightly observed, "Biographies of Civil War-era naval officers are a scarce commodity and those of Southern officers are even more rare." That is why the publication of Sea Hawk of the Confederacy and Confederate Corsair is worthy of note. The fact that they are about the same naval officer, and a junior officer at that, makes the event even more interesting and rare. Charles Read is unquestionably one junior officer who rates a biography. Read's Civil War career is so fascinating that it reads like a novel. It certainly is the kind of story that should attract some movie producer. Although the books' titles, "Sea Hawk" and "Corsair," suggest that Read was a pirate (another earlier biographer, Bob Weems, called him a "Buccaneer"), in reality he was a naval officer whose activities were well within the bounds of legitimate warfare, namely the destruction of an enemy's sea-going commerce.
    [Show full text]
  • Late Colonial History Five of Seven
    Late Colonial History Five of Seven Marianas History Conference Late Colonial History Guampedia.com This publication was produced by the Guampedia Foundation ⓒ2012 Guampedia Foundation, Inc. UOG Station Mangilao, Guam 96923 www.guampedia.com Table of Contents Late Colonial History Reluctant Refugees: The Forced Resettlement of Carolinians to Saipan 1907-1912 .................................................................................................1 By Dirk Spennemann, PhD. Towards a Post-Colonial Friendship between Micronesian and Japan: Approaching the Centenary of the Nan’yō Occupation and Governance by Japan ...................................................................................................3 By Shunsuke Nagashima Broken Spear: The Roller Coaster Existence of Sumay, Guam (1900-1941) ...............................................................................................9 By James Oelke Farley Carolinians and Chamorros in Japanese Mandated NMI: A Review of Tadao Yanaihara’s Studies on Micronesia ..............................................43 By Yumiko Imaizumi Concrete Terraces and Japanese Agricultural Production on Tinian, Mariana Islands ......................................................................................63 By Dave Tuggle, PhD and Wakako Higuchi, PhD Surviving War on Pagan .........................................................................77 By Jessica Jordan The Description and Graphisation of Chamorro During the German Colonial Period in the Marianas ..........................................................111
    [Show full text]
  • Sampson-Schley Controversy
    Sampson-Schley Controversy The Sampson-Schley Controversy grew out of differences of opinion over who should get credit for the July 3, 1898, victory of the American fleet in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. Acting rear admiral William T. Sampson was in charge of the American naval force blockading the Cuban port of Santiago, but he did not anticipate that Spanish rear admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete’s squadron would sortie. Sampson was en route to a conference with V Corps commander Major General William Shafter when the Spanish fleet emerged from the port. Commodore Winfield Scott Schley was the ranking officer in the blockading squadron in the absence of Sampson and hoisted a signal for all ships to engage the Spanish. But the ships on blockade duty moved to attack the Spanish vessels on their own. At the sound of gunfire, Sampson’s ship, the armored cruiser New York, turned back to rejoin the fleet but did not arrive until the end of the battle. Although Sampson claimed credit for the victory in his report to the secretary of the navy, most newspaper reports gave Schley credit for the victory. Alfred T. Mahan argued that victory was due to Sampson’s placement of the blockading force and that he deserved the praise. After the battle, Sampson wrote a confidential report to Secretary of the Navy John D. Long that criticized Schley’s actions in the weeks before the battle. When this report became known later, Schley’s supporters accused Sampson of duplicity. These supporters grew resentful after both men were promoted to the permanent rank of rear admiral, but Sampson was advanced eight places on the navy list, while Schley was advanced six.
    [Show full text]
  • The Heroic Image of a Pennsylvania Sailor
    The Heroic Image of a Pennsylvania Sailor ANY United States sailors have died in service to their country, and most are remembered or mourned by family M and friends, but time erodes the individual identities of countless men whose collective contribution is unmistakable and whose individual legacy is minimal. Only a few great leaders or controversial figures leave a more permanent or unforgettable im- print, thanks to biographers, historians, journalists and maritime aficionados. This natural or at least predictable course has an interesting exception in the Baltimore affair of 1891-1892. Here the diplomacy of the imbroglio, which almost led to war with Chile, and the personalities and ploys of President Benjamin Harrison, Secretary of State James G. Blaine, Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy, American Minister Patrick Egan and Captain Winfield Scott Schley have obscured the equally fascinating public reaction to the unfortunate and unproductive death of a Pennsylvania Boatswain's Mate. Patriotic defender of flag and country or insti- gator of a drunken brawl, Philadelphia-born Charles W. Riggin was, for a short time, so celebrated and honored that his death outside a bar in Valparaiso, Chile, was elevated to heroic proportions. He served on the U.S.S. Baltimore^ a cruiser of English design built at Philadelphia by William Cramp and Sons' shipbuilding works, at that time one of the largest in the nation. The ship was commissioned on January 7, 1890 (contracted in August 1885). Heavily armed and with a crew of 301, she displaced 4,600 tons. Her engines had 10,065 horsepower capacity, and could maintain a speed of 19.5 knots.
    [Show full text]
  • Change and the Construction of Identity in the US
    Abstract Title of Dissertation: “THE SQUADRON UNDER YOUR COMMAND”: CHANGE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY IN THE U.S. NAVY’S NORTH ATLANTIC SQUADRON, 1874-1897 James C. Rentfrow, PhD, 2012 Dissertation Directed by: Professor Jon T. Sumida Department of History This dissertation examines the transformation of the United States Navy as a fighting organization that took place on the North Atlantic Station between 1874 and 1897. At the beginning of this period, the warships assigned to this station were collectively administered by a rear-admiral, but were operationally deployed as individual units, each of whose actions were directed by their captains. By 1897 the North Atlantic, or “Home” Squadron as it was known, was a group of warships constituting a protean battle fleet – that is, an organized body moving and fighting in close-order, which meant that the actions of the captains were directed by a commanding admiral. The development of an American battle fleet resulted in the construction of a new organizational identity for the North Atlantic Squadron. This process was as critical as the eventual outcome. It was not linear, but one in which progress in critical areas was modulated by conflicting demands that caused distraction. From 1874-1888, exercises in fleet tactics under steam were carried out sporadically utilizing existing wooden cruising vessels. From 1889-1894, the last wooden cruisers were decommissioned and the Squadron consisted entirely of new steel warships. Ad-hoc concentrations of vessels for purposes besides exercise and training retarded the continued development of doctrine and tactics necessary for a multi-ship fighting capability during this time.
    [Show full text]