The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-07-16

linus mucn precious time was lost
The people did not believe that thos.
who were trying to assist them wer,
sincere, and prevented them from pro
yiding means Of escape.
The captain, when urged to leave
stated that tlie fate Of the ship should b,
his and his little sons.
Master Collins, a son Of the proprietol
of the vessel. when offered life pre-
server refused it, saying be would no
take It while any woman % board wa
without one. He persisted with hi
mother and sister.
Another faithful one, and one whose
quiet heroism shone out brighter as tn,
prospect became darker, was q yount
man named Stewart Holland. he wa
an engineer under Instructions and bu
twenty-five years old. When most o.
his companions in the engine room tool
to the boats and deserted, he Remained
and did all he could to help save tbos.
left IN the ship. Just before the sbi,
went down he was helping fire the sig
nal guns. Dorian called to him to ge
into the boat with him, but he refused
and just as the waters curled over thu
ships side rs she went down his Last CUR
doomed over tho sea and he sank witt
the more than two hundred others still
on the ship, most of them to rise NJ
more, and among whom were all the
women and children.
There was something 30 romantic and
heroic in the self sacrifice of one &c
young ms Stewart Holland that his STORY
caused sensation. He was Washing
ton boy and had at one time been en-
ployed in the navy yard here. The peo
pie of Washington felt proud of him
and in response to general demand q
subscription was started to erect o mon.
ument to his memory. A Autograph
was published depicting him in the act
OF firing his last gun, copies Of which
picture are no doubt still in possession
of some Of the older residents of Wash
ington. The monument enterprise failed
because the design was too elaborate for
the funds and interest tagged from the
long delay.
In 1858 those having the matter in
charge were still trying too keep up in
terest in it, and some hundreds of dol
lars had been collected, but the bank in
which the money had been deposited
failed and this money was lost. A cir
cular issued in 1868 states that one Of
the last official acts Of President Pierce
was to designate the open space on
Pennsylvania avenue between Thir-
teenth and Fourteenth streets as suit
able site for the proposed monument.
1t is greatly to be regretted that 80
deserving an enterprise should have
been so unsuccessful. Washington city
is full Of monuments to national char
acters, but in the whole District of Co.
lumbia there is only one monument to a
local hero, and that is the monument 10
Greenup, the fireman, in Glenwood
cemetery.
1t should be cause Of pride to the
people Of the District of Columbia that
one of their young men SHOULD have
shown such Spartan courage and should
have died SO nobly, when all tho scenes
he had been witnessing for five hours
wero enough to unnerye and brighten
older men. And how sublime the
thought that he knew the last gun he
fired could bring no help for himself,
but might bring it for others! AS local
poet of tho time said:
HE died like man at the post of
deatlsand to save was his latest thought"
His father, Isaac Holland, was door
keeper of one Of the houses of congress,
and doubtless there are gentlemen now
in public life who remember the genial
old man, whose last days were saddened
by the loss of his manly and handsome
son.-Robert H. Hardness in Washing
ton Star.