The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-08-02
THE MONUMENT.

Laird commanding; third company, sailors,
Lieutenant Albert Gleayrs commanding;
fourth company. sailors. Lieutenant Lucien
Dung commanding; Companies a, and
{, marines from the Ma island barracks,
Lieutenant James A. Turner commanding;
sailors from the InGeuendence and Thetis;
officers from the navy-yard as follows:
Rear Admiral John Irwin. Captain III. l..
Howison. Commander Henry Glass. Com
mander {. i Clark. Chef Engineer j. w.
Moore. Chief Engineer George J. BuTnap,
Medical Inspector George w. Wood. Sur
| geon A. NJ. More. Lieutenant Charles i.
Pond, Lieutenant ID. Menefee. Civil Engi-
neer Frank o. Maxson. Naval Constructor
| J. II. Linnard, Chaplain j X. Lewis. Pay
Inspector George w Beaman. Paymaster
| j. r. Stanton. Citizens in carriages fol-
| lowed.
The procession formed on Central avenue.
| with the right resting on Walnut and
marched directly over Lighthouse road to
| the graveyard. The men made splendid
| showing. the officers being n full dress
with sidearmS and the marines wearing
their fUll-lress uniforms with white he'll
| NETS. Lleutenant-COmmander Swinburne
WAS the commanding officer.
Arriving at the cemetery the sailors
formed hollow square about the monu-
| ment which stood in the center Of and
| facing the long row of graves of their ship
| mates. The monument was draped with
| the national col0rs and completely hidden
from view
The men in position. the commanding
| officers and the committee in whose hands
| the sailors OF the Boston had placed the
commission of building the monument. en-
tered the square. ana the exercises began.
Following the requiem by the band,
Cbapialn Lewis, L. ). n, read portion of
the Episcopal burial service for the dead,
and then offered up a most fervent prayer.
Following came the Grafton of the day by
Lieutenant Lucien You Of the cruiser
Boston, who 50 Ike as follows:
Shpma es ! dies and gentlemen One OF The
most lovely traits OF lie human heart l. the love
a man bears for hts fellow beings. In con
| formty with that natural law we are gathered
| TO do honor 10 our d ad comrades who
| were taken away from Us on that fatal 1911 OF
Jnne. without warning and without pr mont
| ton, aud 10 pefpeiuate their memories by the
| unyriling Of this beautiful monument, erected
/ by The Officers aud crew of the United States
cruiser Boston. The profession OF a sailor
soldier HIS always been one OF honor aud
- Onsibiiity. Ii was an ancient " Of classical
Greece thai he who threw away his bucki-r or
deserted tie ranks was branded feion and
forever after deprived OF his citizenship; but
when he lost Ills lie IN the p rfoTmanc OF duiy
/ II has been he custom from the earliest periods
| OF authentic history TO treat his dead body with
the most profound respect Even III nations un-
blessed with the education OF a civilized race his
body was carefully laid away In ali the
! martial glory, with tile implements Of war
iafe about HIM, aud his memory pre-
| served not only by some elaborate mausoleum
| but fully prepared epIIome OF his military
| deeds intended 10 Outliye the periods of lime
| loim the main theme OF history. AT present the
| voice oil war Is still anu The march OF armed
| troous or The echoes OF ships battery that
| SPOKE OF death and woke the siumbeTs OF night
! are but wal pageants Of The past. save in tile
/ holiday Pomp OF The untitled youth or the figid
! drills OF The regulars preparing Tor the cUmbats
| 10 come. Yet deeds OF yalOr and heroism are
| performed IN times OF peace we'll ia times
| OF war and though our shipmaIes lost their
lives not In the cash Of arms the din of battle.
| they nevertheless died while In The performance
1 Of daHgei Gus duly, and when That sad process
| sion on The IAN of june LAID away all mat was
| mortal Of the vie inns of that unfortunate ex-
| ploslon they made these 10 graves as con-
| secTated as the sacsed mounds of Gettysburg or
| Chiekamauga. These men were an honor 10
| their ship and the vice. aud their loss Is
| deeply ielt, but We should not forget that while
| we mourn their TAT there Is VI The distant East
some lonely home In which aged mother
| weeps Tor an only son, or a devoted vile Is
| grieying for the absence OF all that was near
! and dear; the unavaling grief OF AT.
! eeitonate brother, a tender sister, the
| darkness In which The bright prospects OF low
| Ing sweetheart have been suddenly engulG ed
| by The dread messenger oi death, through a call
| into eternity given IN Ia midst OF health. Of
| gaYeiy and OF The brightest hopes; and were II
| not Tor thai promise. made nearly 1900 years
/ ago, IN which he said. II am The resurrection
and the lile," all the Ast of Existence on earth
| would be but period of grief aud pain. We
| loved them that by file unwilling of tnis monu-
| ment To the breeZes of heaven aud overlooking
| the entrance To the harbor and the place II ON
| which they were called Into eternity, we bui
| cord 10 the world mark of bIotherIy love,
| while their memories have engsaftrd in The
| hearts OF every American sailor a maus oleum
| not OF ephemeral greatness, but OF adamantine
! durability that will outliye the Partnenon of
|
| small element of our great naval family and the
! love we bOrr TO our dead comrades equally
shared by all the officers. their wives aud ,ho
| men In the hayward. All these put forth
their strong arm IN assistance upon The fl ST
alarm on that fatal day. Wien the last sad rites
| were performed they atte~ted their sympathy
| and sorrow by tull AIT ndance. aud the mag
| Diteent HOfal offerings from The ladies' OF the
| yard made easier tile Inournful task we had 10
| perform. Now that We aie 5000 TO sail, whittier
| no one knows. and maybe never TO return, we
feel deubiy assured that 10 their keeping or in
| mat OF their successors these precious MOUNDS
| will never be neglected nor this beautiful tribute
| 10 tn memory OF our unfortunate shipmaies be
permitted 10 suffer fIOm the hands OF vaDdals.
| Then let this monument be uncovered TO the
rays OF yoD setting sun and permit IL 10 kiss the
breezes OF the grand old ocean. while the ripping
| WA ers ON lie beach shall sound their silent
| requiem TIL The bBa judgment day. On
| behalf OF the Ollie and OF the cruiser
| Boston | now have the honor to transfer the
| monument into the keeping OF the cOmmaDdant,
| officers their wives and the enlisted OF
| Mare Island Navy-yard. or Others OF our official
| laniy-a charge that IS full VI care aud respOn-
| sibilIty.
At the close of Lieutenant Young's re-
marks Misses Evelyn Maxson and Aubrey
| Lewis stepped forward and each pulled
| cord that loosed the fastenings of the flags
| draplng the monument As the flags fell to
| the ground the sailors and marines came to
| present arms" while the buglers sounded
'taps."
The monument. as it stood unveiled in
| the bright sunshine, was silent testimony
| OF how well the committee to whom the
| work of selection was assigned did their
| duty. 1t is Of gray Barre granite and most
beautifully polished. Standing over ID
feet In height, ii presents on the panel fac
Ing the graves This inscription:
Erected by officers and men OF the u. S. s.
Boston In memory OF their shpmates who were
| killed at Mare Island on tile 18th June, 1892.
Beneath which is ettered on the base ~. S.
| 5. Boston,"
| On the sides and back panels are the
names of the men whose graves the monu-
| ment marks. They read as follows:
| Frank Legat, seaman; John johnson. seaman:
| william Washburn, seaman; Anton ketyei
| ordinary seaman; &. w. Smith, landsman;
| 6e0fge hlitinRer, gunner. Uniied States nav, !;
| lhomast Seymour, chief gunners mate; q. q. L.
| SunDeIg. gnDners mate; Richard Renke, sea
| man; William Rush, seaman; John II. Hutton,
| seaman apprentice. first class; William Heckei
| seaman apprentice. first class; William Osifan.
oel, seaman apprentice, first class: John BIlSco
seaman apprentice, second class; Henry Joos
| apprentice, first class.
| The base nf fha mnpunaaot r.. n