Page:Men of Mark in America vol 2.djvu/269

Rh and supplies, he narrowly escaped death from yellow fever. For gallant service in various actions he received the commendation of the navy department and was promptly promoted.

After the war, he had various assignments in the ordinary line of naval service. In 1867 he was one of five (among a large number who took the competitive examinations therefor) who secured the highest positions in the regular navy which had been created for volunteers by an act of congress. In May 1879 he was placed on ordnance duty at Boston and for many years his principal work was in this department of the naval service. In 1884 he was in charge of the manufacture of steel guns at Cold Spring, New York; and in April, 1886, he became inspector of ordnance at the navy yard at New York, at which point he remained for three years. Here his mechanical skill and sound judgement made his services of great value in the difficult work of installing the large guns in the first of our modern ships. From March, 1890, until September, 1892, he was superintendent of the naval gun factory as Washington, where he made great improvements and large additions to the works.

During the next few years he was in command of the Marblehead. He participated in the imposing ceremonies at the opening of the Kiel canal in Germany; he protected American interests, and won the respect and confidence of the native officials, when the Armenian disturbances in Turkey were at their height; and in 1894, during the troubles respecting the Mosquito reservation, he rendered efficient protection to American and other foreign interests at Bluefields, Nicaragua. For the last-named service he was commended by our navy department and received the thanks of the governments of Nicaragua and Great Britain.

In 1896 he again became superintendent of the government gun works at Washington, where he continued the improvements and extensions which had been commenced under his previous administration; and on June 1, 1897, he was promoted chief of the naval bureau of ordnance.

It was owing very largely to his foresight and energy that the navy was well equipped with ammunition at the beginning of the war with Spain. The value of his work in this direction was highly appreciated by the people and the government. Admiral Sampson, in a public speech, asserted that the bureau of ordnance "was the one branch of the navy department that was ready when the war