Thirty-six Years in the Customs Service:
Valuable Work for Shipping Interests and for China Capt. T. J. Eldridge, Coast Inspector to the Chinese Maritime Customs, 80 ping and busi exceptionally of services he has rendered, will retire on July 15 fon reaching ' the age of 69 years, though we might perhaps no one would think so to I him. Capt. Eldridge, who son of the late Mr. George Jackson Eldridge, British Consul-General at. Boyrout, Syria, was educated.' at the Naval Training College, H.MLS. Worcester and on completing his term was commissioned in the Royal Naval Reserve. Subsequently he ved with the British India Steam Navigation Ca, and in October, 1888, he received a commission in. the mediately felt or even apparent, particularly to a layman, and it is 89 with much of Capt. Eldridge's work, but an idea of what he has achieved may be gained by tabulate of the outstanding works which he initiated:—
1.—Arranging suitable positions for lighthouses on the coast and in the rivers, 2—Arranging suitable positions for fog signal stations, 8.—Organization of the river in-electors' offices on the Yangtze. sikzcThe buoying of harbours' and vers.
5.—Surveys of numerous sections, of the coast and rivers.
6.—Weather warning stations on the coast, Royal Indian Ma later he joined the Chi Maritime Customs and was appoint id to the revenue cruisers; reaching the rank of Commander in 3806, In 1899.he-was made Assistant-Harbour Master at Shanghai, in 1901: Deputy Coast Inspector, and since 1918 he has been head of the office.
Capt. Eldridge's retirement from China means that the shipping interests of the Far East in general are losing the assistance of one of the most experienced and capable mariners who have ever served this country, for it is not an exaggeration tosay that, during the years when he was patrolling the coast inthe revenue cruisers, he became acquainted with every' inlet, cove, harbour and rock throughout the Length of the China coast, besides cbtnining a wide knowledge of all the navigable rivers, from the Sun-gan to the West River, and it was hhis constant purpose to use this Knowledge and experience for the benefit of others. Hence, is retirement will mea a great loss to many. As frequently is where improvements to navigation are concerned, the effects of an expert's work are not always 7—Regulation of navigation in /harbours-and rivers.
'8—Provision of charts and plans to assist navigation.
The above all have been under Capt. Eldridge's supervision as Coast Inspector" and. continuously have been undergoing improvement and further organization as his vast knowledge showed "was necessary: There is no doubt that.the efficiency of the numerous branches of the Marine Department of the Customs, of which: he has been the technical chief, is principally due to his untiring efforts in keeping things up to date.
Capt. Eldridge gained the first prize for Seamanship on the Woreester in-1880 and he received the China Expedition medal in 1900. Sine then his good services in so many ways have been recognized officially by the award of the following Chinese decorations:—Civil Rank of the Fourth Class, 1904; Double Dragon, Sed Division, Srd Class, 1908; Order of the Chia Ho, Fifth Glass, 1914; Blue Medal, ' Third Glass, 1915; Order of the Chia Ho, Fourth Class, 1917; Order of the Chia Ho, Thirt Class, 1921; Order of the Wen Hu, Second Class, 1923.
Cape," which was first presented the Provincetown Players and "The Lavap and the Bell," the Vassar play for 1921, She is also the author, if we are not mistaken, of a strange romance in prose, of which the name'eseapes us. About a year ago she became the wife of Mr.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.