Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-06-30
PRISON SHIP MARTYRS.

The ceremonies which took place at
Fort Green Park under the auspices of
the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument as
ISOLATION of the United States called at
tentlon to another burial place which is
dear to all Americans. Here the bones
of some of the men who died on board
the old prison ships Jersey, Prince OH
Wales, Good Hope, Falmouth, Chatham
and other old British prison ships, We're
buried q years ago. They were taken
from the jackson farm, which was part
ly on the water and extended as far west
as Gold street and east into the nav
yard. 1t cmoprised about 80 acres Of
land and 35 acres of pond, together with
The old Remsen mill and dwelling. Last
April, while digging for a foundation
for the extension of the storekeeper's
building in the navy yard tn eworkmen
found more skeletons. Some of the
bones We're in a fair state of Dreserva-
ton and some crumbled when touched.
1t is believed that no fewer than one
hundred and twenty skeletons We're
found at that time, n these, in eight
large collins, We're entombed yesterday
at Fort Greene Park.
The prison ships were used by the
British to save building prisons on shore.
DR.. Charles T. West in an article on the
Isubject, said:
THE battle of Brooklyn in August
and the capture of Fort Washington in
| November, 1.76, placed in possession of
the Britishh nearly four thousand pris-
oners, and thisn number was increased by
/ the arrest of private citizens suspected
of completely with the rebellion to over
five thousand before the end if the yea
THE only PRISON then existing in the city
Of New York We're the new jail, which
still remains, in an entirely altered fo"m.
as tha hall of records, and the Bridewell.
which was located between the present
| city hall and Broadway. These editices
p-oving entirely inadequate to the ac-
l 49, tinr nf thnCa la Yg~a nl1nhprS or
ca ntives, to whom they were unwilling
to extend the privileges of parole, the
British were compelled to turn their
large sugar houses. several OF the
churches, the hospital and Columbia
college into prisons for ttoiT reception.
These buildings also were soon crowded
to overtlowins by daily accesslons OF
captive patriots. who in many instances
found net even soace to lie down ana
rest upon the hard and filthy floors
Here in these loathsome dungeons. de-
MED the light and air of heaven, scanl-
ily fed on poor. putrid and sometimes
even unccoFcd food. obliged TO endure
the companionship of the most abahdon-
ed criminals and those SICK WIN iia
box and other infectious diseases; worn
lrut by the groans and complaints OF
their suffering fellows, and subjected 70
eyrrv conceivable insult and indignlty
Eby their nhuman keepers, tnousahus VI
Americans sickened and dled.
"C.reat however. as We're the sufferlngs
of hose incarcerated within the prisons
of the city, they wee eXceerded, II possi,
HE nv those of the unfortunate naVal
prisoners who languished In the prison
ships of the Marlborough. They We're
originally the transport vessels IN wnich
the cattle n other supplies or the
British army had been brought 10
America in 1916. and which had been
anchored in Gravesend Bay and occupied
by the prisoners in the battle Of Brookiyn
upon the occupation of the city by the
British forces
The prisoners persisted by thousands
The vessels were all anchored In the
channel between what is now the Coz
Dock and the inner shore of the bay, the
old Jersey being at the west side. near
" opposite what Is now the west en-
trance to the Navy Yard. The prisoners
were crowded together in these disman-
tied ships, poorly fed and badly treate'tl
and it is estimated that between eleven
thousand and twlve thousand persisted
there, the death rate On the old Jersey
alone amounting to five a day.
For the purpose of securing FUNDS for
a suitable monument the Monument AS.
ISOLATION was formed. The board OF
trustees is composed Of the following
persons: Stewart L.. WOodford. Cornell
ius N. Bliss, Stephen v. White. Henry r
Howland, William B. Davenport, VII.
liam Berri, Thomas C. Plat, Mrs. DAME
Manning and Mrs. Henry Sanger Snow
The officers are Elijah r. Kennedy, presi.
dent: Mrs. s. V. White, ~vice-president;
Felix Campbell, treasurer, and Mrs. Ho.
ratio G. King, secretary.
DISCRyMINATED Against