The Portland daily press., 1897-05-31
Dedication Of the Soldiers and
Sailors Monument at the Cape.
AN APPROPRIATE TRIBUTE TO
THOSE WHO DIED FOR COUNTRY.
Impressive Exercises Held Saturday
Afternoon--Admirable Grafton by Gen.
Mattocks-A Sketch of the Monument
Association-An Original Poem by
Miss Dyer.

Association-An Original Poem by
Miss Dyer
The towns of South Portland and Cape
Elizabeth, which furnished many valiant
solalers and sailors during the late war,
nave nttlngly commemorated their memo
ry and their deeds by the erection of
monument on one of the most slightly
ana appropriate spots in the two towns.
Inc exercises of dedication were held
saturday afternoon and the monument
unveiled with appropriate ceremonies.
Meetlng House Hill is perhaps one of
the most beautiful spots in the vicinity
Oh Portland. From its top one can look
across the blue waters of the harbor to the
steeples and green trees of the Forest
City with its stretch of wharyes and ship
ping sweeping around the base of the
hills on which it stands. To the east
one may look from Meeting House Hill
lar down the bay with it's green islands
While away to the west the snow white
tops of Mount Washington and other
peaks of that range glisten in the sun
light of clear sky. On the very top of
this hill stands the newly erected monu-
ment near the church and not far away
from the cemetery in which sleep so
many of the fallen heroes of the two
towns. Surely better location for a
monument could not have been found and
the memorial itself is in keeping with the
position it occupies.
The monument is a handsome granite
shaft surmounted by the life size figure
OF soldier, with rifle of white bronze.
The inscription on the monument is
In Honor of Our Patriot Soldiers and
Sailors, 1s61-1se5.'' On the reverse ap-
pears the names "Cape Elizabeth and
South Portland" it being erected by the
two towns when they were one town.
On the front panel of the plinth appears
the date 1887" On the reverse are two
crossed cannon. The other panels have,
one an anchor, the other capstan. The
die on which the inscription is cut is
Quincy granite, the rest of the monument
principally of Hallowell granite. The
monument is % 1-2 feet above the street.
The cost was about $4,000.
The erection of this monument grew
out of a meeting which was held at the
town hall on the evening of August II,
1881, where subscription list to raise the
necessary funds was started. Several
other meetings followed the first one at
which many prominent citizens of the
town and of Portland delivered addresses
A temporary organization was affected
for the monument association with Will
liam E. ST. John as president, Noah B.
Knight secretary and William B. Jordan
treasurer.
On September 80, 1891, the present cor
poration was organized and Edward c.
Reynolds was elected president, Noah
B. Knight secretary and William B. Jor-
dan treasurer, and these officers have
been reelected annually up to the present
time.
The town has twice voted aid to the
association. Once before the division of
the old town, when $500 was appropriated
for the general purposes of the association
and again this year, when the sum of
$500 was generously added.
Many Of the schools and some of the
secret societies have contributed sums of
money, but of course, the principal part
of the balance has come by private sub
scriptions.
Unfortunately Saturday was not the
pleasantest day in the world for exercises
OF this kind and many people were pre-
vented from attending the dedication on
account of the threatening weather. Be-
fore the address of Mr.. Reynolds had
been delivered the black clouds which had
been lowering about Portland all the af-
ternoon rolled up in still more threat
ening manner and finally with little
warning the storm broke and forced the
remainder of the programme to be car
ried out inside the church. The little ed
ifice was crowded to the very doors and
while the rain fell in torrents on the roof
of the building the eloquent addresses of
the speakers were listened to in rapt at
tention.
!, It was shortly after half past two when
the exercises of dedication were begun.
Bosworth and Thatcher posts, G. A. R.,
escorted by Shepley Camp, s. of ", and
Merriman's band, marched upon the
ground at about this hour and crowd
OF several hundred citizens had assembled
to do honor to the occasion. 1t was the
original intention to have the monumetn
unveiled in proper form, and Miss Bessie
Small, the daughter of Mr.. A. H. Small,
the man who cut the monument, was to
have pulled the cord which would have
revealed the monument to view. But
owing to the threatening weather this
part of the programme was omitted.
Hon. E. G. Reynolds presided at the ex-
ercises and called the assemblage to ORDER
making brief and appropriate remarks.
The G. A. R. then went through with
the impressive and beautiful exercises
of dedication according to their ritual.
Commander Hiram Ellis presided and
was assisted by -Adjutant K. G. Mill
ken, Senior Vice Commander George W.
Richards, Junior Vice Commander Alec
johnson, Officer Of the Day William HI.
Lord and Officer of the Guard James w.
King. The flag, draped in mourning,
was slowly hoisted to the mast head while
the band played the ''Star Spangled Ban
ner." Then the symbols, consisting of a
soldiers and sailors arms and equip
ments were placed about the monument
by the guard of honor which consisted of
John r. Dimock, representing the navy,
and VIM. Staples, James Fl. Taylor,
Asbury Staples, Hiram Staples and Eu-
gene S Palmer, representing the army.
The chaplain, Rufus Lamson, offered the
eloquent prayer according to the ritual
and the commander Of the post then de-
clared the monument to be dedicated to
the memory of the heroic dead.