Evening Star Newspaper, December 29, 1929, Page 88

|4 20 THE SUNDAY STAI}.W WASHINGTON, D. C, DECEMBER 29, 1929 — = Life at the Naval Academy Fifty Years BY CORINNE FRAZIER. They made me climb a wardrobe high, These youths of Uncle Sam; And there I squeaked in discords low, The tale of Mary’s lamb. “Fag Ends,” ’'82. IFE at the United States Naval Academy has undergone many changes with the changing years of the past half century-—sails have given way to steam; ships of wood to ships of steel; old buildings have been re- placed by new, and the “battalion” of 325 mid- shipmen grown to a ‘“regiment” of more than 2,000. But the spirit of youth within the walls of the “Crabtown” reservation remains the same. The zest for mischief and adventure ruled the “future admirals” of 1879 and the ’80s no whit less than it rules the crews of blue-clad youngsters just finding their sea legs in Uncle Sam's naval ihstitution tcday. Reminiscences of certain distinguished admirals, whose tongues were unloosed when ther eyes alighted upon pictured familiar scenes which exist now only in their memory, reveal the unchanging char- acter of that body of youth in whose hands the naval defense of the Nation must always rest. Then, as today, they played their pranks, tossed their pennies to old Tuscorora with a prayer for a 2.5; learned their lessons of sea- manship and service; took their knocks and made their mistakes with that eternal mixture of irresponsibility, nonchalance, idealism and basic sense of duty which is typical of high- calber youth of every age and every clime. The setting for the four-year drama enacted by the 300-odd midshipmen of 50 years ago bore little resemblance to that in which the 2,000 are playing their parts today. With the exception of the great brick wall surrounding the academy and one lone landmark, nothing of the physical academy of the '70s and '80s remains. Buildings and ships alike present an entirely new picture to the eyes of “Mr. Ducrot,” the plebe of 1929. On the Severn waters then rode three wooden ships; two of them the practice ships Con- stellation and Dale, and the third Old Santee, shunted station ship, where the ex- tensively demerited served time in the brig. The Dale, propelled entirely by sail, was the ? ship to carry a Naval Academy second ass on a Summer practice cruise, Previously, o N. McGiffin, romantic figure of the Naval Academy class of 1882, who became the hero of the Chinese Navy. only the graduating class had taken these cruises. The class of '82 inaugurated the new program in 1880. These three ships of the “wooden Navy” have been replaced today by a group of modern ves- sels that would have presented an amazing appearance to those boys 6f 79, if, indeed, they could have believed their eyes at all had they seen them. Eight little gray streaks—subma- rine chasers—do the practice-ship duty of the Constellation and the Dale, while the Reina Mercedes, a modern steel cruiser, casts its gloomy shadow in lieu of the Santee and for Summer cruises three huge battleships of the Scouting Fleet on the East Coast are pressed into service, beside which the dauntless little Dale would have been sadly pigmied. In 1910, when the old academy buildings were razed and the magnificent new structures given shape, one landmark alone escaped the wreck- ing crew and stands today to remind “old ‘grads” of their midshipman days. This is the old guardhouse at the main gate. Bancroft Hall, with its surrounding walks of concrete, spreads out where once there was & green shaded path, tempting to any young blood and his “femme.” Great stone struc- ‘tures of uniform design have arisen in place of formal rambling affairs that housed the udents originally for their classroom work. Bancroft Hall itself, said to be the largest and most magnificent dormitory building in Amer- ica, is many times the size of the orignal four- story barracks. The picturesque superintendent’s home, as well as the other quarters assigned to officers on duty at the academy, have given way to more modern structures. A few of the gray- haired officers who were receiving their training half a century ago preserve pictures of the “Old Academy” among their prized possessions and it was some of these which proved the open Sesame to their memories of scenes of mingled e 2 Ago s A e The Naval Academy graduating class of 1882. Two of the class are holding babies, adopted as “class babies” The “adopted™ youngsters usually were children of Academy Famous Yarns Spun by Old Grads Concerning the Middies of °79 and the 80’s Reflect the Spirit of the Times at Annapolis and Point to the Changes and Contrasts Which Present an Entirely New Picture to the Classmen of Today. tragedy and comedy which will repeat them- selves 8o long as youth forgathers within those ivied walls. The story of one midshipman in that group (class of '82) stands out above the rest in the minds of all his comrades for its mingling of high adventure, gayety, recklessness of personal safety and tragic suffering. It brings a light of pride and compassion to the eyes of all who knew him whenever his name is called, Philo N. McGiffin, with a sailor's heart and the courage of a lion. What a career was his! One of the most popular men of his class, he was, with the majority of his grcup, a sufferer from the “crime of the early '80s,” a retro- active law reducing the size of the Navy so drastically that hundreds of men who had striven for years to make themselves worthy of service with Uncle Sam suddenly found that they were cut adrift, skippers without a berth. Some scattered to the inland couptry and set about the .task of reshaping their destinies as lawyers, merchants, or business men. But not Philo McGiffin. He was born a sailor and a sailor he would be. He dropped from sight with little ado, to be discivered later, the hero of the Orient. He had sailed for China and presented himself at once to the Secretary of the Navy with the simple statement that “he’d come for & job.” Asked what credentials he had to prove his capabilities, he presented his commission and honorable discharge from the United States Navy. It was enough. A short term as superintend- ent of the Chinese Naval Academy at Wei-Hel- Wei in Northern China followed, during which time he became thoroughly familiar with their operations plans—then a future naval hero took his place in line. Some years later a classmate of McGiffin, Admiral Spencer S, Wood of Washington, arriving at Wei-Hel-Wei, was amazed to see a stripping dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Navy, Stepping aboard the old Palos to greet him from a man-o’-war tug manned by Chinese sailors. The “Westerner” was Capt. Philo N. Sketch of the U. S. S. Dale, practice velsél of the “Wooden Navy,” used for many years to carry the midshipmen on their cruises. o officers. T he graduating class of 1932 has more than 500 members. MoGiffin of the Imperial Navy, first in come mand of that port, He was the hero of the Japo-Chinese war (at what a cost to himself only he could know). His courage and heroism in action, combating an enemy within as well as without (threatened mutiny in the midst of the fray) had earned him recognition throughe out the East. It was said that he fought the decisive battle practically by himself. But he paid for it with his life. So serious were his wounds that it was not long before McGiffin’s flag was lowered while a nation mourned. His own country had not called on him to serve, but he'd served his adopted coun- try well. Today he is remembered, with Lewis Nixon, as “one of the most distinguished men of '82.” Nixon is that genius of academy days who easily stood No. 1 in his class throughout his entire career and since has become one of the foremost shipbuilders of the United States. He was respected for his brilliancy by his school- mates; admired for his apparent lack of effort in attaining the highest class goal and beloved for his unfailing generosity in lending a helping hand to “the wooden section.” It is said that Nixon liberally carried some of his classmates through the academy by the assistance which he gave them in mathematics. “He always seemed to have time to aid & classmate and rarely seemed to find it necessary to study him- self. He was a genius,” say those who knew him as a midshipman, Because of his unusual mathematical ability, he was sent to the British School in Greenwich following his academy course, where he easily outdistanced all ccmpetitors for honors. He then returned to this country and was the de- signer of some of our earlier battleships, among them the U, S. S. Massachusetts. He later bee came the head of a shipbuilding firm in Eliza« bethtown, N. J.,, and has amassed a great for tune through the sheer power of his genius. He Ims built a number of boats for foreign na- tions; was at one time head of Tammany Hall, and has held prominent positions in the gifs of the New York City government. Few men who have received their training at the academy have ever attained a position in the commer= cial, poltical and financial world which out- rivals Nixon's. Among the academy reminiscences that will g0 the rounds today when those middies of half a century ago get together (and they do this in formal reunion at least once a year) there are several concerning that same Philo McGiffin of later fame. In its carefree happie ness McGiffin's life at the academy was inm sharp contrast to that which lay before him, “No one was more popular, or more full of ‘the oid Nick' than Midshipman McGiffin,” one of his classmates recalls today. “Whenever a bit of fun was in the wind, one might be sure that Philo and his ‘wife’ were not far from the scene of action. During plebe days it was customary to “ride” the officers in charge of the “middle” watches, some of the officers in particular. All sorts of pranks were played by now dignified and sober gentlemen. Upon one occasion, I remember, McGiffin and his roome- mate obtained or fell heir to a bottle of un- certain contents. Even in the '80s one could not possess with impunity such articles if one chanced to be a midshipman, you know. The officer in charge discovered this “unmention= able” bottled liquid in the absence of the lads in question and took it to his office. A few minutes later, returning to their room, the boys discovered their loss. They took council upon ways and means of recovering their property. He who was one day to become famous for his strategy and resourcefullness in times of stress Was not lacking in these qualities at this early