The morning news., 1897-02-19
AERBERT DECoRATES A HERO.
SEAMAN CREELMAN PRESENTED
WITH A GOLD MEDAL.


Given to the Brave TRr-The Sec
retary Greeted Wfth'a salute From
the Naval Reserves on His Arrival
i'm the City-A Fog over the HnrbOr
! when the Secretary started For
the FIeet-The Chamber of Conn
mcrcc Gives a banquet at Night.
Charleston, s. c., Feb. 1s.-Charleston
has been thronged throughout the day by
thousands of strangers from South Caro-
lima and the neighboring states who had
come to the city to see Admiral Bunce's
fleet that has been blockading this port,
pass in review before Secretary of the
Navy H. A. Herbert. Among the special
guests of the city for the day were: Gov.
w. H. Ellerbee of South Carolina; all the
state officers, senator's and legislators.
These gentlemen were brought to Charles
ton during the day and they were among
the most interested spectators of the Off
cial communicate tions which occurred be-
tween the fleet and the secretary.
Secretary Herbert and his party, con-
sisting of Mrs B. NJ. Micou, Mrs. Glover,
Mrs. Switzerland, Mrs. Harrison, Gen. M.
c. Butler, Col L. Stobo Farrow, H. L..
Finney, Jr., and H. A Herbert Jr., ar
| special car "Scipio," via the Atlantic Coast
Line at O'Clock this morning. They were
met at the depot at o'clock by a COM
mittee, consisting of Mayor Smyth, Col
lector of the Port George d. Bryan, Dis
trict Attorney w. Perry Murphy, I. r.
McGahan, George B. Edwards and St.
John p. Kinloch.
As the secretary stepped from his car a
11aF, s,P+
| detachments by the first division South
| Carolina naval reserves, under Capt. Du-
bos. The party was then escorted to the
| Charleston hotel, where breakfast was
| served and the secretary and his friends
rested until II o'clock. They were then
| escorted to the custom house dock, where
! they boarded the revenue cutter Colfax.
The secretary was saluted as he board
| ed the ship, all the sailors being drawn
| up ~ man-o'-War fashion. A few minutes
| later Gov Ellerbe's special train drew
| Up on the siding, and the governor, Lieut..
| GOV. M. ID. McSweeney and Speaker +. B.
| Gary were taken off the cutter, salutes
dISo Delng awarded them.
| Ihe harDor was full of pleasure craft of
| all descriptions, which only waited for the
| cutter to lead the way to cast loose their
hS9WMsels and follow her to the bar,
The day was an ideal one. In the city
| II haa been SO warm that wraps were un-
| comi ortable, but on the water top coats
At the entrance to the ietties an unfor-
seen trouble arose. The cutter and its
| traln of pleasure crafts ran fun into a
| heavy fog which set the whistles and bells
| ago in a perfect din of noise Many of
| the small boats put back into port, and the
| larger vessels slowed down their engines
| ana dritted around for an hour. The cut
| ter worked her way down TO the Column
bia, where Secretary Herbert requested
| the presence of Capt. Sands on the cut
| ter. Capt. Sands informed him that the
| flagship New Y Yorx was lying Just to the
| northWard and the Colfax moved off once
more. When the flagship was picked up
| in the fog Admiral Bunce received a sum
mons from the secretary and came along
side in his cutter The moment he stepped
aboard his pennant was run up and the
| little cutter became the flagship. The ad-
miral was told by the secretary that he
| desired to board the battleship Maine to
| present Seaman w. J. Creelman with a
| conduct during the storm. So with both
| secretary and admiral aboard the cutter
once more got under way. Capt. Crown
| inshield, of the Maine, was hailed, and in
| formed that the two officials would board
| his ship with their party.
The transfer was made without trouble
| the jackies and officers receiving their
| superior officers with the customary sa-
| lutte and formality. With the ships crew
drawn upon deck, Capt. Crowninsheld
| gave the order for Naval Cadet Gherardi,
| his gunboat crew and Seaman w. J.
| Creelman to step forward. Addressing
| them, Secretary Herbert spoke of their
| had, he said, made him proud of the navy
| and then singing out Creelman, the sec
| retary presented him with the gold medal
and an enVelop containing 800 with a few
words in commendation of his gallant
deed. Creelman, 1t will be remembered
| sprang overheard while the storm was
| at it's hight, and attempted to rescue one
| of his shipmates.
When these ceremonies were concluded,
| the visitors became the guests, of the ward
| room of the Maine. When the company
was seated, Secretary Herbert lifted his
glass and said that he requested that every
one should rise and drink the health of
Naval Cadet Gherardi, whose gallantry
was now the admiration of his fellow-of-
fcers and the nation" Nearly two hours
had been spent on the Maine.
When the secretary returned to the Col
fax. accompanied by Admiral Bunce, the
cutter steamed down the line Of warships,
receiving from each a salute as she crossed
the day. and the cutter steered for port,
arriving at her dock at $3.50 O'Clock.
Tonight Secretary Herbert, Gov. Eller-
bee, Admiral Bunce, the captain and ex-
ecutive officers of each OF the ships were
the guests OF the chamber Of commerce at
a banquet given at the Charleston hotel.
Covers were laid for POO and the banquet
was a most elaborate one. The set
speeches of the evening were made by
Mayor Smyth, welcoming the visitors,
and Secretary Herbert. Impromptu
speeches were also made by other gentle
men, among whom was Admiral Buncc.
Responding to our Navy" Secretary
Herbert said
"Mr Chairman I thank you and the
chamber of commerce for this welcome TO
my native state 1t is now many years
ago since my father took me. then a small
boy, with him TO another southern state,
and there made his home. There my home
Is now, and do not mean TO imply by any
thing / shall says that the home of my
adoption has any second place in my af-
fections, but j have never ceased to re-
member with fond affection the house
where / was born the grand old oaks that
stood about, the fields aud streams where
hunted and fished. the old school house
on the hill and the dear companions of my
youth.
at is but generation ago when a fleet.
floating the stars and stripes, lay Off
Charleston harbor. You greeted that fleet
with shot and shell and torpedoes To-
night another fleet bearing that same flag
lies off your harbor and you welcome IT'S
gallant officers TO this magnificent ban
quet and not all the searchiights IN that
fleet could find IN this city OF Charleston
a single enemy to the union OF the states
'All OF us here this evening, wherever we
may have stood during the civil war, love
to recall the deeds done around Charles
ton In the brave days from 1861 to 1866,
whether by federals or confederates. They
were Americans all.
"What Is It that has wrought the rovo-
luton that has taken place between Eph-