The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-09-21
|KEARSARGE AND ALABAMA
NEW HAMPSHIRE'S GIFTS TO THE
SISTER BATTLESHIPS
IN MEMORY OF HOSTILE SHIPS

IN MtMURY Ut HUSlllt SHIPS
The Ceremonies of Unwilling and Pre-
senting h Tablets-A Daughter OF
Admiral Semmes Unveils That for
b K~earsarxe-A Niece or an q
OF the Old Kearsarge Draws the Veil
From the Ala bama's Tablet-Ex-Sec-
rotary Herbert the Chief Speaker.
Portsmouth, n. H. September is
The initial days celebration of the tab
lets to the Kearsarge and Alabama,
although ushered in by gloom and
storm, nevertheless, proved a great
success through the fortunate clearing
of the weather and tonight the two
bronze emblems are in the custody Of
the commanding officers of the great
battleships. The storm, OF last night
d~isarranged the programme planned
by the committee for the day so that
the formal exercises Of presentation
went over until this afternoon, While
those arranged to be held on board the
Kearsarge, now at anchor IN the har-
DOI, were pOSlpOnSo dIlOSSluCE- lie
exercises on shore. however. were a
great success and the different
speeches by prominent officials were
warmly received by a large gathering.
The weather cleared beautifully dur
ing the latter part of the day and the
stands erected on the shore of the in
land lax presented a fine appearance
and the whole afternoon was very sat
Iisfactory to the committee who had
planned his part Of the celebration.
The exercises were held shortly after
3 o'clock.
Mayor Edward Mcintyre opened the
proceedings with an address of well
come and then introduced General
Charles H. Burns, of winton. as pres
ident of the day. Mr.. Burns presented
Miss Mary Thornton Davis. Of Boston, :
niece Of Lieutenant Thornton, execu-
tive officer of the old Kearsarge, and
Mrs. Henry Bryan. of Alabama, daugh-
ter of Rear Admiral Semmes, Of the
tablet destined for the Alabama, while
Mrs. Bryan performed a like act with
that Of the Kearsarge.
Governor Frank w. Rollins was then
introduced and made a brief address
presenting the tablets to Captain Fol
ger, of the KearSarge, and Captain
Brownson, of the Alabama
Secretary of the Navy John d. Long
responded on behalf of the navy de-
partment.
Governor ]. H. Johnston, Of Ala
bama, accepted the Alabama's tablet.
Captain w. P. Folger, Of tn. Kcaf-
sarge, was introduced and accepted
the tablet in behalf of the officers and
men, extending to the state and the
city their appreciation for the gift
Captain VIM. H. Brownson, COM
mander of the Alabama, was also in
troduced and spoke on similar lines.
The exercises were concluded with
an historical address by former Secre-
tary of the Navy Hilary A Herbert. of
Alabama, who said:
How wonderful is the marcn of his
tory since 1860. Think Of it for a mo-
ment. An effort by eleven states to
form an independent confederacy-the
bloodiest war that ever shook a CONT
nent, enduring for four years on lane
and sea, a ship of the new confederacy
called the Alabama, destroying mil
lions of United States commerce, de-
nounced in he heat of war as 2 pirate,
that commerce-destroyer aOing down
in heroic battle to the bottom Of the
sea, off the coast of France, before the
guns Of the brave KeaI sarge loating
the old flag, Just as the new govern
ment was shortly to go down before
the armies and fleets of the old union
the sudden close of the mighty con-
Ifict-the sincere submission of the
vanquished-a mutual admiration be-
tween the soldiers who had fought
each other that political animosities,
following in the wake Of war could not
extinguish-the process of reconstruc-
tion-the slow and painful rehabilita-
tation of the late Confederate States
in the old union-the final fraterniZa-
ton, first of the soldiers and sailors,
and then the peoples OF the two sec
Itions-the calling Of an eA~-confederate
soldier to command the navy of the
restored union-the ordering by that
Iex-confederate of the Kearsarge to the
waters of Central America to maintain
the rights of American merchants-the
melancholy wreck OF the old ship on
IA Roncador reef-the mgr of the
United States, at the suggestion Of that
Iex-confederate, authorizing the build
ing and the naming of this splendid
vessel for the old Kearsarge.
Then while these two ships, the new
lKearsarge and the new Alabama, were
still on the stocks, another war, this
time a foreign war, the president OF the
United States himself a gallant soldier
in the civil war, appointing In that war
ex-confederate soldiers to command
union soldiers and UNION soldiers TO
command ex-confederate soldiers, the
congress of the United States for the
first time In our history sustaining
with unanimity the government with
its fight with a foreign foe, and now
the splendid chapter in the march OF
American manhood and chivalry and
craftsmanship hat is being writer
here today on the coast Of New Eng.
land, the governors an peoples o,
New Hampshire and Alabama, under
the auspices Of the national govern
ment, joining hands to send forth
freighted with the prayers and hope
of a united country, the I'VE great bat
~tleships, the new Kearsarge and tn
new Alabama.
THE seer who forty years & coult
ihave BODIED forth his picture woul
have been set down as an idle dreamer
but we are not dreaming, we are rejoic
ing over realities, rejoicing tina
though our contest was bitter an
bloody, our reconciliation Is hearty an
complete, rejoicing that it has bee.
given to US to witness at last tina
more perfect union which the father
dreamed Of in the preamble to OF
constitution but never i've to see.
How has all this come about? tn
ANSWER Is simple. the people of the tw