SAMPSON, WILLIAM THOMAS. 



SANTO DOMINGO. 



691 



Naval Academy as an instructor. A year later he 

 was ordered to the " Congress," on special duty, and, 

 in 1873, he served a second time on the European 

 station. In 1874-'75, he commanded the "Alert," 

 receiving his promotion as commander on Aug. 9, 

 1874. A third term of duty as instructor at the 

 Naval Academy was performed from 1876 to 1878. 

 Shortly after the completion of this task he was 

 given command of the"Swatara" of the Asiatic 

 squadron, and then came a term of three years 

 (1882-'85) in office as assistant superintendent of 

 the United States Naval Observatory. 



In 1886 Commander Sampson, who had assumed 

 charge of torpedo stations, was appointed a mem- 

 ber of the board to report upon necessary fortifica- 

 tions and other defenses for the coast. Prior to 

 this he had been chosen as a member of the inter- 

 national conference held in Washington for the 

 purpose of fixing a prime meridian and a universal 

 day. The implicit confidence of the naval author- 

 ities in Commander Sampson's ability and tact was 

 well illustrated in 1886, when, for the fourth time, 

 he was ordered to Annapolis, on this occasion as 

 superintendent. That he fully justified the selec- 

 tion is evident from the fact that his rule at the 

 academy continued undisturbed for four years. In 

 the meantime (in 1889) he served as delegate from 

 the United States to the International Maritime 

 Conference held in Washington. His promotion to 

 the rank of captain took place in March, 1889. On 

 Nov. 15, 1890, the new cruiser " San Francisco " was 

 placed in commission, and Capt. Sampson was 

 selected to take charge of that vessel during a tour 

 of duty on the Pacific coast. He then assumed the 

 place (1893-'97) of chief of the Bureau of Ordnance. 

 On June 16, 1897, the first-class battleship "Iowa" 

 was placed in commission, and Capt. Sampson was 

 chosen to command her. At that time the " Iowa" 

 was deemed the most formidable vessel in the 

 United States navy. 



In February, 1898, when the destruction of the 

 " Maine " in the harbor of Havana was made known, 

 President McKinley, in ordering a board of inquiry 

 to ascertain the cause of the disaster, named Capt. 

 Sampson as presiding officer. After war was 

 declared with Spain, Capt. Sampson was ordered to 

 command the North Atlantic squadron, with the 

 rank of acting rear admiral, and the " New York " 

 was selected as his flagship. His command in- 

 cluded the squadrons of Commodores Schley and 

 Watson, as well as that under his own immediate 

 orders. He took the command from Rear-Admiral 

 Sicard, who was relieved on account of failing 

 health. When he attained the rank of acting rear 

 admiral, Capt. Sampson passed over the heads of 

 ten officers previously his seniors, all commodores. 



His record since his appointment to this respon- 

 sible post is well known. Public opinion is appar- 

 ently divided as to the exact share taken by Ad- 

 miral Sampson in the destruction of Admiral Cer- 

 vera's fleet at Santiago, but no question ever has 

 Wen raised, in the navy or out of it, as to his ability 

 to meet any emergency within the limits of his pro- 

 fessional duties. For his services in connection 

 with the war with Spain, Admiral Sampson has 

 received the thanks of the President. Owing to a 

 dispute in Congress between his friends in that 

 body and the friends of Rear-Admiral Schley, con- 

 cerning certain events connected with the naval 

 campaign in Cuba, his promotion was held over when 

 the last session adjourned, but since that time his 

 merits have been passed upon by a board of naval 

 officers, and he has been reported as fully qualified 

 for promotion. 



It has been said of Admiral Sampson that, if 

 necessary, he can build, from beginning to end, any 

 naval weapon of warfare now in use. He is also 



sufficiently equipped in technical knowledge to re- 

 pair any engine or electrical device used in the 

 navy. Admiral Sampson is married, and has two 

 sons and four daughters. 



SANTIAGO DE CUBA, SOCIETY OF THE 

 ARMY OF,an organization formed in October, 1898, 

 somewhat resembling the Grand Army of the Repub- 

 lic, which was founded after the civil war. The pur- 

 pose of the society is to record the history and con- 

 serve the memory of the campaign that resulted in the 

 surrender, July 17, 1898, of the Spanish army and 

 of the city and province of Santiago de Cuba. The 

 membership consists of all officers and soldiers of 

 the United States army (including acting assistant 

 surgeons and authorized volunteer aids) who con- 

 stituted the expeditionary force to Santiago who 

 worthily participated in the campaign between June 

 14 and July 17. 1898, and who apply for member- 

 ship and pay the annual dues of $3. There are 

 three classes of members: First, original; second, 

 by inheritance, consisting of lineal descendants of 

 original members; third, by succession, consisting of 

 blood relatives of members of the first or second 

 class to whom, in the absence of lineal descendants, 

 the right of inheritance to one membership may be 

 devised by descendant members. The officers are 

 a president, four vice-presidents, a secretary and 

 treasurer, an historian, a registrar general (who may 

 have four division registrars to assist him), and a 

 council. The council consists of ten members, to- 

 gether with the officers and all ex-presidents, the 

 latter having all the privileges of regular members 

 of the council. The officers are to be elected annu- 

 ally. The council acts as an advisory body, passes 

 upon applications for membership, has the financial 

 control, and may call meetings of the society. The 

 president may at his discretion, and shall at the re- 

 quest of five members of the council, call a meeting 

 of the council. Local branches may be formed with 

 the prior approval of the council. A suitable medal 

 and insignia for the officers and members are to.be 

 provided. The constitution may be changed by a 

 two-thirds vote of the membership, and the by-laws 

 by a three-fourths vote of the council. The officers 

 elected at the organization were : President, Major- 

 Gen. William R. Shafter ; first vice-president, Major- 

 Gen. Joseph Wheeler ; secretary and treasurer, 

 Major Alfred C. Sharp ; registrar general, Major 

 Philip Reade ; historian, Major-Gen. Creighton 



Webb. 



SANTO DOMINGO, a republic in the West In- 

 dies, occupying the former Spanish colony in the 

 eastern part of the island of Hayti, first established 

 in 1844 and restored after two years' occupation by 

 the Spanish troops in 1865. The Congress is a 

 single Chamber of 24 members, elected by direct 

 qualified suffrage for two vears. The President, 

 who is elected by an electoral college for four years, 

 is for the term ending in 1900 Gen. Ulisses Ileu- 

 reaux. The Vice-President is Gen. Wenceslao 

 Figuereo. The Cabinet was composed in the be- 

 ginning of 1898 as follows : Secretary of the Interior 

 and Police, Gen. J. D. R. Betancourt ; Secretary of 

 Foreign Affairs, Enrique Henriquez; Secretary of 

 Justice and Public Instruction, S. E. Valvi-rde; 

 Secretary of Fomento and Public Works, Gen. T. 

 Cordero ; Secretary of Finance and Commerce, J. 

 Alvarez ; Secretary of War and Marine, Gen. T. D. 

 Morales. 



The export of sugar in 1895 was 2,390,960.000 

 pounds; of coffee, 4.106.000 pounds; of cacao, 8,762,- 

 000 pounds : of tobacco, 6.634,000 pounds ; of mo- 

 lasses, 621.492 gallons ; of honey, 28,492 gallons; of 

 wax, 321,41)5 pounds ; of orange peel. 80.000 pounds ; 

 of skins, 17,206; of bananas, 67,255 bunches; of 

 divi-divi, 2,606,000 pounds; of logwood, 17,358 

 tons; of cedar, 115,325 tons ; of mahogany, 14,- 



