The Washington critic., 1886-05-14
w ASHINGTON CRITIC
WASHINGTON. MAY IA. 1896.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.


show how the President and his bride
and the officiating clergyman will ap-
pear at the wedding ceremony. That
is not hard job Weddings are
good deal alike. Bridsgrooms are as
monotonous as Nebraska prairie.
There is an inexorable uniform for the
man about to be married that has set
half the society reporters crazy in the
effort to call 1t by some other phrase
than "the conventional evening dress"
The only notable variation is In the
coat, and that Is only slight difference
as to quantity of cloth In the tail. If
the President gets married while the
dew of the morning Is still on the rose
buds, and the sun Is kissing the back Of
George Washington neck, east of the
Capitol, he will doubtless wear black
Prince Albert coat. III he waits till the
shadow of Arlington Heights falls
across the Potomac, he will appear in
"spade.tail" of somber hue, The
difference is next to nominal, so that
whether the wedding takes place be-
fore or after 12 o'clock meridian, about
all the artist has to do in the case Of
the President is to make drawing of
man weighing somewhere from two
hundred and fifty to three hundred
pounds. There is even less artistic
trouble about the lady. All brides are
beautiful. All the artist has to do In
the case under consideration Is to draw
the picture of beautiful woman at
tired in white satin dress with long
train, with wreath about her head,
and an ample veil dropping over her
shoulders. After all the Inventions of
fashion, brides look alike the world
over, in pictures The preacher, II he
is Of the Episcopal persuasion. will be
enveloped In an unembellished robe
and II of some other denomination his
dress will be as severe in plainness as
the Presidents. An artist who couldn't
meet all the requirements of nuptial
illustration, with these simple data,
couldn't draw the picture of tow
string.
Congressman Leonidas Houk has the
distinction of being the first member
on the Republican side to be renomi-
mated. Naturally, Mr.. Houk is being
much congratulated, but, says the
Washington correspondent of the
Globe Democrat, he doesn't seem to be
as happy as he ought over the pleasant
certainty of another term. lie Is q
typical East Tennesseean, lean and
leathery, with sallow, deeply. scanned
face. Just now the lines are more
strongly drawn, and the Congressman
has nervous, agitated manner and q
worried look, unusual to him. eyes,
thank you," he says in response to the
mention of his good luck. Then al
most Immediately he changes the sub
ject, and goes on like this: "Do you
know l smoked my last cigar at 6
o'clock last Monday morning? It's
fact. l haven't had smoke
since. l quit once before, in
1870, and didn't touch tobaccol until
1889, when had big campaign on,
and thought must have something to
brace up with. Talk about the hold
whisky gets on mani tell you one can
have the delirium tremens from to-
bacco. / know it. for I've had 'em.
Do you know what tobacco made me
do once? I'll tell you. l jumped in
the river in February, and swan around
till l got cooled off, all on account of
tobacco. ! am done with the weed
now, for good"
Sam. Lemio, who is now a fireman
at Wainwright's brewery in St. Louis,
was q sailor in the navy during the
war, and gunner on the Monitor at
the time of her engagement with the
Merrimac. Consequently he can spin
long yarns, and some of them quite as
interesting as those the magazine
writers spin. His account of the loss
of the Monitor, as told to reporter of
the Globe Democrat, is perhaps new
contribution to the war literature Of the
day He says: "After the fall of
Norfolk we were ordered to Whining.
ton, N. G.. The steamer Rhode Island
had us in tow, and don't believe the
true story of the disaster that termi-
mated the trip has ever found its way
into print. The Monitor was not sea.
going craft. She was adapted to
smooth waters, but her model was not
calculated to withstand storm.
Off Hatteras we encountered very
heavy weather. The waves ran
very high, and the ship took
SO much water that 1t was only with
extreme difficulty that she could be
kept ailoat. Finally the hawser either
parted or was cut; Idon't think that
point has ever been entirely settled, and
realizing that we were sinking, we sent
up rocket of distress. afterward
learned that all was excitement on
board the Rhode Island, and the usual
delay in lowering the boats was pro-
longed. Every minute was that much
nearer certain death to us, and when
our signals were not responded to the
word was passed among the men that
1t was the intention to abandon us to
our fate. This made them desperate,
and the sailors insisted that we fire
upon the vessel Before they could do
so, however, we saw the boats coming,
but by that time the Monitor was SO
near gone and the sea so high that
sixteen were lost before they
could be taken In. l was
on the companion ladder just be.
hind my mess.mate, Jack o Brien, and
we were both lodging the third waves
which are always the biggest. One had
just passed, when he sprang for the
boat, and missed 1t. l heard him
shrek, oh, God' and then he swep,
away forever. / caught the boat upon
the gunwale and managed to pull my.
self in, but 1t was close call. AS We
pulled away saw in the darkness some
black forms / knew to be men clnging
TO the top of the turret. They were
drowned, poor fellows, when, mo
ment later, the Monitor gave one las
pitch and went down like shot"
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