CAPTAIN GRIDLEY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 135, 9 June 1898, Page 9

CAPTAIN GRIDLEY.

COMMANDER OF

.THE OLYMPIA

WHO DIED EROM WOUNDS RECEIVED AT MANILA.

Captain Gridley, who commanded the Olympia, the magnificent flag-ship of the Asiatic squadron in the battle of Manila- and who has since died from injuries sustained in that, engagement, saw two years' .service in the Civil War, and grew up with the new navy. He was an exceedingly popular man with his fellow officers, for, though hi a sense a quiet man, not given to boasting, he was at all times companionable and bad a fund of good stories at bis command, which showed the keen sense of humour in his make-up. ' Captain Gridley was an athletic man,

above medium height," at whom you would look twice, even, if lie hadn't ns.uniform on,'ami who carried in bis lace that nitelligonee and determination which, combined, make Ihe American fighter on land or on sea the superior of any other on the face ot the globe. . ™^ . c"l]tain Gridley had not been in Washington much hi recent years, the older men of the navy stationed there remember him well, and lie comes m for universal praise at their bands. He seems to hav e impressed all ot them with the panic idea—that when the time for action came he would prove a magnificent fighter. Captain Gridley graduated from the Academy in 1803, and went right info the hard campaigning which befell the navy m thy last year of the Civil War He was at the battle of Mobile Bay, which has been likened by naval experts to the battle of Manila .Bay, in which he played a most important part. After the war h e was on the Brooklyn, the flagship of "the Brazil squadron, and on the Kearsarge, which was on the same station For four years. Then for four years he was at the Naval Academy as one of the instructors, and during that time served on the practice ship Constellation.

His duties after that took Captain Ciritlley to the Trenton, where he served two years: then to the Jamestown and the Portsmouth. In 1880 he was senior officer of the cruising training squadron, lie was made'a captain in -1807. His last command, the flagship of the squadron, was one of the best ships of her class in the navy.