Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-10-05

CuPr eiNk L'-h0ECHE
plans of wisest commodore and admiral,
and accident might leave them not on
the land ready for an ambulance, but at
the bottom of the sea, as when in our
civil war the torpedo boat blew up the
Tecumseh in Mobile bay and nearly all
on board persisted. They were at the
mercy of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans,
which have no mercy. Such tempests as
wrecked the Spanish armada might any
day swoop upon the squadron. No hid
ing behind the earthworks, no digging in
of cavalry spurs at the sound of retreat
Mghtier than all the fortresses on all the
coasts is the ocean when it botnbards a
flotilla.
moderated Wntery Graves.
In the cemeteries for Federal and Con-
federnte dead are the bodies of most of
those who fell on the land. But where
those are who went down in the war yes
sells will not be known until the sea gives
up its dead The Jack Tars knew that
while loving arms might carry the men
who fell on the land and bury them with
solemn liturgy and the honors of war, for
the bodies of those who dropped from the
ratlines into the sea or went down with
all on board under the stroke of a gun
boat there remained the shark and the
whale and the endless tossing of the sea
which cannot rest Once a year, in the
decoration of the graves, those who fell
in the land were remembered. But how
about the graves of those who went down
at sea? Nothing but the archangel's
trumpet shall reach their lowly bed. A
few Of them were gathered into naval
cemeteries of the land, and we every
year garland the sod that covers them.
But who will put flowers on the fallen
crew of the exploded Westficld and
Shawsheen and the sunken Southheld
and the Winfield Scott? Bullets threat
ening in front, bombs threatening from
above, torpedoes threatening from be-
meath, and the ocean, with its reputation
of 5000 years for shipwreck, lying all
around, am | not right in saying it re-
quired a special courage for the navy in
1868 as it required special courage in
1898?
1t looks picturesque and beautiful to
see war vessel going out through the
Narrows, sailors in new rig singing,
life the wave
home the rolling deep,
the colors gracefully dipping to passing
ships, the decks Immediately clean and
the guns at quarantine firing n parting
salute. But the poetry is all gone out of
that ship as it comes out Of that engage
ment, its decks red with human blood,
wheelhouse gone, the cabins n pile of
shattered mirrors and destroyed furni-
ture, steering wheel broken, smokestacl;
crushed, n hundred pound Whitworth
rifle shot having left its mark from port
to starboarl. the shrouds rent away, lad
ders spntercd and decks plowed up and
smoke backened and scalded corpses ly-
ing among those who are gasping their
last gasp far away from home and
kindred, whom they love as much as we
love wife and parents and children.
/ Oh, men Of the American navy re-
! turned from Manila and Santiago and
/ Havana, as well as those who are sur
vivors of the naval conflicts of 1868 and
! 1854, men of the western gulf squad
ron, of the eastern gulf squadron. of the
| south Atlantic squadron, of the north At
lantc squadron, of the Mississippi squad
ron. of the Pacific squadron, of the West
lndia squadron and of the Potomac hotil
Ia hear our thanks. Take the bencdic
ton of our churches. Accept the hos
pitalites of the nation. II we had oul
way, we WoUIu get you not only Il pen
sion, but home and princely wardrob,
and an equipage and banquet while
you live and after your departure q
catafalQue and u mausoeum of sculptur
ed marble, with n model of the ship ir
which you won the day. 1t is considered
a gallant thing when in naval fight the
flagship with its blue ensign goes aheaC
up a river or into bay, its admira
standing in the shrouds watching anc
giving orders. But | have to tell you, {
veterans of the American navy, if yot
are as loyal to Christ as you were to the
government, there is a flagship sailins
ahead of you of which Christ is the ad
miral, and he watches from the shrouds
and the heavens are the blue ensign, anC
he leads you toward the harbor, and al
the broadsides of earth and hell canno
damage you, and ye whose garments
were once red with your own blood shall
have robe washed and made white il
the blood of the Lamb. Then strik'
eight bells. High noon in heaven.
The Veterans of the Navy.
While We are heartily greeting and ban
quoting the sailor patriots just now re
turned we must not forget the veteran
of the navy now in marine hospitals o
spending their old days in their own o
their childrens homestcads. o We veter
ans, | charge you bear up under tn
aches and weaknesses that you still car
ry from the wartimes. You are not n
1T was almost Il miracle, Burdoc
Blood Bittcrs cured me Of a terr .Hl
breaking out all over the body. AZ