The Keota news., November 26, 1915, Image 4

About The Keota news. (Keota, Weld County, Colo.) 1911-1922

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JELLICOE MOST
POPULAR OF ALL
BRITISH CHIEFS
Frederick Palmer Writes of Fight
ing Commander of Britain’s
Great Fleet.
MASTER OF HIS PROFESSION
No Matter What Diffleultloa Arlao Ho
la Always Smiling—Tho Ono Man
Who Cannot Risk Boing Ab
oont From tho Float—
Lovod by Olfloera.
By FREDERICK PALMER.
London.—Of all tho groat Isadora of
tho war Sir John Jolllcoe, command
- Inc tho British grand fleet. Is leaat
known to tho world, and hla Is tho
portrait which receives the most
cheers when It Is thrown onto a
acreen at a London theater. But the
British pnMle knows nothing of him
except that ho la the lighting com
mander of the "Invisible" power of
the British navy.
When war was threatening It Is re
lated that a meeting of admiralty
lords and others who would have the
say eras held to decide who. la case
of hostilities, should command the
British fleet Tho opinions ran some
thing like this. It Is said:
"Jellicoe! He has the brains!”
"Jellicoe! He la young. He has
the health to endure the strain. He
has the nerve.”
"Jolllcoe! Hla fellow-offlcers be
lieve In him.”
”JoQlcoe! He has been tried In
every branch of the service.”
That sort of recommendation helps
when a man has to undertake such an
immenao responsibility. He was
given supreme command and the rest
left to him.
A Marked Man.
"Worn the time he was a midship
man, Jsill coo has been a marked man
in the service.” said one of his ad
feirals. “He Is one of those men who
seem to bo born with tireless energy.
No matter what dlflcaltles arise, he
Is always smiling. Both hs and Beatty
were on the first attempt to relieve
the Peking legations at the time of
the Boxer rebellion. Captain Jellicoe
was then Vice-Admiral Sir Edward
Seymour’s chief of staff. When he
was wounded and Dm little band of
seamen were surrounded by Boxers
and It looked as If every minute might
be their last, he was smiling as cheer
ily as If he had been on the quarter
dock. Nothing ever seems to ruffle
bis equanimity. His personal charm
would aria him his way anywhere;
but when you have served arlth him,
then you realise what a master of his
profession he la”
Only tho commander in chiefs flag
which she files distinguishes the flag
ship, which Is In the center of the
fleet, from the rest of the gray light
ers In their precise lines at anchor
In harbor. Sir John takes bis exer
cise and hls holidays pacing the quar
terdeck. He never leaves the fleet
oven for a few hours. The
er In chief is the one man who must
take no risk of being absent If the
German fleet should come out
Not tall, spars, hls face tanned by
the brasses. he walks up and down
the deck, sometimes with one of bis
aides or with hls chief of staff, again
with one of hls officials. Everyone It,
the fleet Is familiar with the quick,
tight step of that slight figure with a
telescope always under Ms arm. if a
ship should come to anchor with a
bow out of line, he knows It All his
Ighttng ships are under hls eye and
every human being on the fleet feels
hls personal presence.
Makes It Look Easy.
Descend a ladder under the shadow
of two great 13.6-lnch guns and the
visitor Is In a large cabin extending
from side to side of the ship, which
In a house would be called the dining
room. Here when he was in port In
time of peace the commander In chief
would give hls official dinners. In
time of war the cabin Is partly
screened off, as there Is more room
than Sir John and his staff need for
meals. Aft of this is what would be
called In a house the sitting room.
The furnishings are of the simplest.
Everything inflammable could be re
moved promptly in case of action.
The few names in the visitors' book
on a table were suggestive of the
fleet’s isolation from intercourse with
the rest of the world. Ope name was
the king’s and another the prince of
Wales, and a few others were those of
high officials.
The visitor looked about in vain for
signs of the Immense amount of offi
cial detail which would seem neces
sary for the focal point of a vast
campaign. Some staff officers and a
few records were all. The flagship
is kept cleared for action in this as
In all other respects. The actual di
recting of the three thousand ships
and auxiliaries of the British navy is
carried on in a space occupied In a
Slr John Jellicoe.
New York office by s lawyer and two
or three clerks. An orderly went and
came with messages from the wire
less room, which aside from the In
stallation, bad space enough for the
wireless operators to stand and no
more.
Officers said that It was difficult to
contemplate how such s naval cam
paign as the British In this war could
have ever been conducted without the
wlrelesa Blr John could talk with
the admiralty In London or with any
ship, whether off Helgoland or Ice
land. He knew what each one was
doing. Let a German cruiser chow
her nose In the North sea and he had
the news In a minute or two after she
was sighted.
Hls Fighting Admirals.
Beatty, who sank the Bluecher, Is
the youngest of Sir John's young ad
mirals. forty-four years of age, boy-
Ish and quick. Sturdee, victor of the
Falkland Islands battle, smooth
shaven, as smiling as Sir John. Is
quiet-spoken and rather studious in
appearance, he Is an expert In naval
strategy.
In the British navy promotion Is
by selection up to the grade of cap
THK OOTA MIWB.
a man with a single flaw tn bin
record as lieutenant must wait on
others before he can become lieu
tenant commander. Those with per
fect records In each grade are can
vassed by boards and those who have
shown Industry and Initiative are
chosen to go over the heads of less
active men. The aim Is to apply the
system of civil life, where ability
rises and mediocrity must be content
with the lower rungs of the ladder.
Jellicoe, Sturdee and Beatty en
tered the navy as boys of fourteen.
None had any particular influence;
they made their way by industry. Blr
John has served In every branch. He
is regarded as possibly the ablest
ordnance expert in the navy, which
means that he knows the guns which
be will Are tn section.
Despite bis amiability, all agree
that he has only one criterion—suc
cess. If an officer falls be Is super
seded. Most of these young admirals
sleep on the bridge even In harbor.
For the last ten years the average
British naval officer has worked hard
er than a man of any profession In
civil life. They have kept up the
grinding drill, which continuee since
the war began.
“We can take no risks.” one of
them said. “Our responsibility to the
nation requires that we neglect noth
ing that devotion to duty will accom
plish. Most of these crews you see
have been at their posts, whether gun
polntlng or passing ammunition, for
live or six years. We want each man
to be letter perfect In hls part.”
Prompt In Hls Decisions.
In all actions thus far the firing has
begun at extreme range—eighteen
thousand yards. At that distance a
dreadnaught painted the color of the
sea Is a vague speck. But one for
tunate hit may be vital, anl either
side wants to get that fortunate-bit
first The accuracy of Are both at
the Falkland islands and In the bat
tle of the Dogger Bank, officers said,
had been as good as st battle prac
tice.
Seen among hls admirals, Blr John
Jellicoe seems the head of a family.
In frequent consultation, they know
one another tn the fellowship of their
confined existence. If be had any
thing to say to one of them or they
to him. the definiteness of their re
marks and the promptness of hls re
plies were Impressive. Decision
seemed automatic with him.
He showed the visitors over the
flagship himself, calling attention to
which he thought would Inter
"est them, as he led the way along
the cramped passages behind the
armor or pointed the way to enter
one of the turrets where the gun
crews were going on with their drill,
which they went through like so many
machines. Moat of them were In the
late twenties or early thirties, mature,
experienced and confident
“All they ask Is that the Germans
will come out” said an officer. “They
could not work any harder than they
did before the war. But the war has
given them renewed eagerness.”
SEALS MAKE HER WEALTHY
Maine Woman Is About to Retire After
Twenty Years In the Bush
nose.
Booth bay Harbor, Me.—Mrs. Janet
MacDonald, seventy-eeven years old,
Is about to retire wealthy, after
twenty years In the business of seal
catching, with three men In her em
ploy.
The seals of Maine waters are not
valuable for their skins, but are eas
ily tamed and are in demand for pub
Ho and private collections and aqua
rlurns and soologtcal collections.
The catching Is dons at night, with
tho aid of nets, and Mrs. MacDonald
has caught many personally. Often
they follow her about the bouse sev
eral days after capture.
The usual price Is $35 and her
catch has averaged MlO In a ssastm of
six weeks la the lata spring and sum
®R®We
THE EUROPEAN WAR (???)
YEAR AGO THIS (???)
Nov. 22, 1914. ■
Ypm bombarded.
Germane trappr « by
Dlxmudo. V
Germane fortified Belgian
Gorman army advanced tohJlI
mlloa from Warsaw. |§J
Russians took Gumblnnen. H
Auatrlana evacuated Neu
Auatrfana crossed the
and took many Serbian*.
Turks toon fight near Port
and roachod the 8uez canal.
Turkish warships shelled
but wore repulsed by
torles.
Mayor of Ypres shot by alllafll
a spy. B
Nov. 23, 1914. ■
Fierce fighting In the Argon* B|
Vpros again bombarded. B
Gorman advance on W**B
checked. ■
Many Gormans captured nearuB
wlez. ■
Austrians captured 2,400 NoH
elans near Plllca. H
British defeated In attack |B
Gorman railway terminus In
Afrioa. B
British defeated Turks near hi
elan gulf. I
British warship Patrol ransafl
Gorman submarine U-18 and Ism
crow. I
Serious riots In ConstantinapiH
British smbassy looted. ■
Nov. 24, 1914. I
Germans attacked allies ImH
Ypres to La Bassos. I
Tervday battle in Poland esddH
In Ruoalan victory. ■
Ruaalano defeated the Turks ifl
Armenia. I
British ships attseked Genafl
naval baso at Zoobrugge. M
Chile ehargod German wanRfl
had violated her neutrality. M
Nov. 2S, 1914. B
French bombarded Arnavllls J|
Cast Indian troops retook Ml
trenches In Flanders. I
Gormans made galna at Arm ■
Gorman army In Poland In al
treat B
Russians again Invaded Hunpjfl
and oemored Austrians in the Cm
pathlans. . U
Serbians foutsd Austrians «*■
had crossed the Kolubara. I
English coast towns preparsd m
resist Invasion. I
Russia began mobilizing first
American Christmas ship
with cargo of presents for Eshl
pean children reached Plymouth.
American relief clearing how
organized.
Nov. If, 1*14.
Ainas' armored train wracss
bridge aeroas the Year.
Gormans reported victorias
tween Lodz and Lowlcz.
Turkish advance checked l" "
mania.
British battleship Bulwark
up In the Thames. M
Turkish mine layer sunk m
**Brit!ah" aviator wrecked Gsr"*
military train.
Germany made public • '•P'
proof of Anglo-Bolgien mlinP7
agreement.
Nov. 27, 1214.
Reims again bombarded.
French made galna In Alsace
Gorman army In Poland **
forced.
Montenegrins defeated Austrm
naar Vlshegrad.
Col. Marita, Iputh Africa *•»
defeated.