Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-29
the closed port of Sebastapol, carrying the
star spangled banner.

WhAfPED AROUND HIS BODY
or the Strain Darien exploring expedition.
which ended so disastrously in 1854, the fol-
lowing is condensed from Mr.. Headly's story:
Thorough it ALL" he says, "our flag was
| sacredly preserved. man by the name OF
McGinness had wrapped it round his body, the
only emblem Of the nationality OF the party
| that remained to them. They had thrown
away blankets, weapons and haversacks. but
saved the colors. They were wounded aud
their liberated sores needed bandages, but the
| nag was too sacred for such impious usage
When on their way to the small boats that
rescued them Lieut. Strain asked for the flag
to be placed in his boat that he might display
1t as they approached the rescuing ship Nc
Ginness hesitated and bis eyes filling with tears
he said, Capt. Strain. have never parted with
| the ensign single instant since you intrusted
1t to my care on the Atlantic coast. Don't take
| it from me nowr"
| Whereupon the noble fellow was told to dis
play 1t himself. Trembling and weak his skel-
eton hands unbound it from under rags that
scarcely hid his nakedness and flung its tattered
| folds upon the wind. while three cheers won't
| up from the fleet. Mr.. Headly adds, There ia
whole poem in this little incident; that flag
| had been displayed when they marched from
the beach Of Caledonia bay; it was unrolled to
announce their deliverance"
In 1854 DR.. Kane planted the flag on the land
| nearest to the north pole then discovered. 1.-THE
| hrst flag that ever waved over that solitude. ~
This flag was the one that was planted in the an
tarctic region first and later had clrcumnavlgated
| the globe on the Columbia. In 1861 DR.. Hayes
OF the arctic expedition of 1860. which sailed
| from Boston, planted the American flag yet
further north than ever before. This flag, too,
! has history. On the 4th of March. 1861, DR..
| Hayes, then in the hitherto UNEMPLOYED regions
| Of the north, hoisted this flag in honor of the
| inauguration of President Lincoln. although
no news had reached them of Lincon's cleo
| ton, and they did not know it surely until
August IA of 1861, when they were returning
DR.. Hayes simply had faith that Lincoln would
be elected The flag was made for the pur-
| pose and had only eighteen stars because there
was not enough material to make more. When
they learned five months later that Lincoln had
been elected and inaugurated they learned also
that their flag had anticipated history little
and that only eighteen states were at that time
left in the Union.
The Associated Press gave the following mar
rative of the raising of the American flag over
her new possessions: The formal transfer
and delivery of Russian America to the United
States government took place on the Sth of No
vember. 1867, Capt. FEES trohoff acting on be-
half OF the Russian government and Maj. Gen.
rousseau acting on behalf of the United States.
At 3 o'clock pm a battalion of United States
troops under command of Maj. Chas. o. Wood
OF the ninth infantry was drawn up in line in
front OF the governors residence, where the
transfer took place BY $50 a large concourse
u.
cans, Russians of all classes, Creoles and In
dams, all eager to witness the ceremonies.
UNFURLED IN ALASKA.
Precisely at the hour named the Russian forts
and fleet fired salutes in honor of the lowering
of the Russian flag; but the flag would not
come down. In lowering it tore its entire
width close by the hallards and foated from
the crosstrees, some forty feet from the ground.
Three Russian sailors then attempted to AS
cend the inch and II half guy ropes supporting
the flagstaff but each failed to reach his
national emblem. A fourth assembled in a
bOatswain's chair. seized the flag and threw it
in direction directly beneath him; but the
motion of the wind carried it off and caused
sensation in every heart. Five minutes after
lowering the Russian flag the stars and stripes
went gracefully up, floating handsomely and
free, Mr.. George Lowell Rousseau having the
honor Of finging the flag 20 the breeze and the
United States steamers Ossipee and Resaca
simultaneously honoring the event with
national salute. As the Russian flag was
lowered Capt. Festrehoff stepped forward and
addressed Gen. Rousseau as follows:
General: As commissioner Of his imperial
majesty, the Emperor of Russia. 1 now trans
fer and deliver the territory OF Russian Amer
lea. coded by his majesty to the United States"
Gen Rousseau, IN response, as the American
flag assembled, said:
Captain: As commissioner on behalf of the
IL. L
the same accordingly"
The commissioners spoke in a tone of COM
mon conversation. Several ladies wit
messed the ceremony, among them the Prin-
cess Makesatoff, who wept audibly as the Rus
sian flag went down. The transfer was con-
Quoted in a purely diplomatic and business
like manner. neither banquets nor speech
making following. The entire transaction was
concluded In a few hours. The Ossipee, with
the commissioners on board, steamed into the
harbor at ii O'Clock this forenoon, and at 4
o'clock in the afternoon a dozen American
flags float over the newly born American city
of Sitka."
The first acquisition Of territory ever made
by the United States by simply taking possess
sion was accomplished il. 1868. The Midway
Islands, about half way from the Sandwich
Islands to Japan, were taken possession of on
order from the Navy Dep ,rtment by Capt VIM.
Reynolds Of the LackawaIna. He went on the
shores of the uninhabited islands. which lie
mile apart. and raised the star spangled banner
on the highest point of land. while the Lacka-
wanna fired the national salute Of twenty-one
guns. The reason for taking possession of
these islands is of interest at this time They
are coral reefs, each about a mile and a
half long and nearly mile wide.
They are devoid of vegetation except ahrubs
and grass. but abound in springs of fresh
water. The naval department thought that
with small expense these islands could be pro-
visloned and coalirg station established there
so that vessels plying between San Francisco
and Japan could replensh their stores of food,
water and fuel at this point rather than at
Honolulu. 1t seemed at that time that the port
could be made much safer than the one on
Hawaii. Congress appropriated $50, 600 for
this purpose in 1869, but it was only a drop in
the bucket, and the project was abandoned.
THE FIRST OF AMERICAN BUNTING.
The last spike was driven In the rail on the
Union Pacific railway on the top of the CONT
mental divide on Friday, August Z, 1868, and in
commemoration Of the stupendous engineering
feat being accomplished, a monument was
erected and on that day dedicated with solemn
ceremony, the stars and stripes being flung to
the breeze from the top Of tho pile. This flag
was made Of American bunting. and was one Of
the first true American flags. For nearly ninety
years the American flag had been in existence;
yet it was made Of English bunting imported
for the purpose. On the 23d of February, 1866,
the Associated Press said: "On the Dist
of February the Hon. Benjamin F.
Butler introduced to the officers OF the Senate
Mr.. ID. c. Harrington, agent of the United
States Bunting Company at Lowell, Mass,
who presented to them, for the use of the Sem
| ate, magnificent flag manufactured by that
company, twenty-one feet fly by twelve hoist
1t is believed to be the first real American flag
ever raised over the Capitol OF the United
States. Heretofore all our flags have been
manufactured from English bunting, and every
effort made to substitute domestic texture
capable of resisting the wind and air signally
failod bovi