Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-14
AMBASSADOR PoRTER's REPORT
Transmitted to Congress BY the Presi :
dent-Recomends Monuments.

Washington. Feb. 1;.-President Roose-
Welt in transmitting Z" Congress the r.
mort Of Ambassador Porter concerning the
efforts to locate the remains OF Admiral
John Paul Jones. has urged the erection
Of monuments for both Paul Jones and
John Barry Ia emphasizes IN" value set by
our people upon the achievements of the
naval commanders in our war OF indepen-
dence"
baSSador Porter and asks Congress to ap-
prcrriate the So 800 needed to conduct the
search for Paul Jones body i'll the aban
doned cemetery of St. Louis. where it is
believed to have neen buried in li92. The
Presidents communication follows:
For number of years Efforts have
been made to confirm til" historic state
ment that the remains Of Admiral John
Paul Jones were Inferred in a certain
piece of ground in the city of Paris thctI
owned by the government and used at the
time as a burial place tor foreign Pro
teStants. These efforts have at last re-
suited in documentary proof that John
Paul Jones was buried On July 20, 1872, be
tween and o'clock r. NJ, in the now
abandoned cemetery in St Louis in the
northwestern section of Paris. About 500
bodies were inferred there and the body
of the admiral was PROBABLY among the
llSt hundred buried. 1t is incased in n
l"adcn coffin calculated to withstand tn,
raVhreS Of time.
THE cemetery was about atN feet long
iv 10 f"ot wide. Since its diSrsc as 4
burial place the soil has hcon filled 10 a
level and covered almost completely by
1
class.
Tho American ambassador in Paris he
ing satisfied that it is practice hlc to dis
cover and identify the remains OF .rohn
Paul Jones. has. after prolonged n,gotia-
tons with he present holders of the prop
eertE and the tenants thereof secured
from them options which give him the
right to dig i'll all parts of the property
during the period of three months for the
purpose of making necessary excavations
and searches, upon condition OF a stated
common "a .,
caused by the work. The actual search is
to be conducted by the chief engineer OF
the municipal department of Paris having
chirse OF Subterrdnean work. at "A cost
which has been carefully estimated. The
ambassador gives the entire cost of the
work, including options. compensation
cost of cXCavating and for the caring of
the remains at not exceeding 10000 francs
or S33HN. on the superstition that the BODY
may not he found until the whole area
has been searched. If discovered earlier
the eNpenS" would he proportionatelv less
| The great interest which cur people
feel in the story. of Paul Jones life. The
national sense of gratitude for the great
| service done by him toward the achicvr-
ment of indenendcnce. and the sentiment
of mingled distress and regret felt he
cause the body of one Of our greatest he
roeS lies forgotten and unmarked in tor
eign SOIL, lead me 10 approve the amhaS-
sailors suggestion that Congress should
take adNantaS" of this unexpected oppor-
tunitv to do proper honor to the memory
| of Paul Jones and appropriate the sun,
or 500" or some part thereof as may
he necessary for The purposes above de
Scrihed, to lie expended under direction Of
the secretary of state.
THE report of Ambassador Porter with
the plans and photographs of the prop
crty is annexed hereto.
I'm addition to the foregoing recon-
mendation | urge that Congress einpna-
size the value SGT by our people on the
achievements Of the naval comma nders IN
our war Of independence by providing for
40 n . .,f
two. at least. of those who now lie in IN
distinguished graves-John Paul Jones
and John Barry. These two men hold
unique positions in the history of the birth