The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-24
Plain Collins Are Heapsd With Flowers by the Citizens
 of San Diego
IMPRESSIVE SCENES AT
 BURIAL OF THE VICTIMS
Forty-seven Bodies Are Placed in Trench on Promontory of Loma on Shores of Pacfic-Last
 Tributes Paid.

San Diego Cal, July 23.-They buried the Benningtons dead today-forty-seven of them in a common grave. On the crest of the promontory of Loma, high above the water of San Diego bay on the one side and within sound of the booming surf of the Pacific on the other they were laid to rest in the peaceful little military burylng ground Without the crash Of drum or the sound of brass. without pomp or parade, yet with simple impressive ness. all honor was paid the nations dead
 They have honored dead to keep them company, these brave boys of the Ben nington. All about them lie those who died in the nations service, in more try Ing times. Gravestones yellow with age bear the names of men who died at Mon terey, in the Mexican war: others who gave up their life in the conquest of Call ifornia, and who followed Commodore Stockton at Old San Pasqual. These are their neighbors in death
 Army and navy paid their last tribute no less sincere than the simple grief of the representatives of peace who made the long journey around or across the great bay From Fort Rosecrane came the 1l5th company, coast heavy artillery, from the city of San Diego the naval reserves, from the Universal Brother hoods Home on Point Loma company of khaki-elad representatives and from the government ship Fortune, dozen of their sailors But the most impressive body of mourners were the ifty-two men from the battered Bennington Besides these there were hundreds of civilians who, unthoughtful of the fatiguing jour hey from the city, brought their offerings of flowers to lay upon the graves San Diego was a city of mourning today. AL though the people of this little city have taken in the Bennington catastrophe an interest that was personal to all from the moment 1t happened they set apart the beautiful Sabbath day to pay last and loving tribute to the dead.
 Thousands Bring Flowers.
 Thousands filed through the morgues this morning with arms filled with flow CTS, dropping the blossoms here and there upon some unfortunate's fiag-draped cof- fin. Other thousands gathered in the piazza from whence the procession of cof- iln-laden wagons was to start
 Promptly at noon the long line of ve- hieles began the journey around the bay to the burial place. Owing to the steen hills, and rough roads, 1t was found impraeticable to use hearses or even dead wagons, and the bodies were stacked in heayy express wagons and other ordinary vehicles.
 lhefe were no bands of music to stir the people with doleful melody. Everything was quiet and business like. The task was LOO big to be hampered by any usa- ges of ordinary funerals. Forty-seyen men were to be buried, and to bury them + was necessary to haul them ten miles up steep hills and along dusty roads. There was striking display of these. Every cas- Ret bore a beautifully constructed wreath or asparagus fern, while carnations and immortelles were thoughtfully sent py the san Diego commercial bodies The nags came from the nation in whose service they had died Everyone of the plain, blaek-stained caskets was dranod with the national emblem and the plain. commercial utility of the wagons was dis guised under the folds of the national colors. From noon until 3 o'clock thosa dead-laden wagons toiled toward the bu- rial grounds and not until almost hesf past four was the last casket placed in the rock-ribbed trench.
 Deep Trench Finished.
 The deep trench in which the bodies were placed in two rows. feet to feet IS 0O feet long and IA wide It was fn- ished only few minutes before the ar rival or the first load of bodies. Around if were drawn np in long lines the artillery company from the fort. 5 strong. on the west the naval reserves bearing arms fulI or flowers; on the north the Bennlneton,s survlvors, and the east the Universal Brotherhood. Just outside the simple picket fence' enclosing the burying ground gathered the public in solid masses on all sides. This was the setting for the most impressive spectacle-the culminating scenes of San Diego's week of sor- row.
 Without moments delay the work c lifting the coffins from the wagons and ranging them In the trench was car red on Shipmates from the Bennington performed this sad duty Squads of six came forward from the ranks in rapid succession. lifting the caskets gently. en- tered the trench at the head and de- pcsited the bodies as directed by Lieuten- ant Tobin and saw that the board placed al the head of each was properly marked and numbered In just one hour and fif- teen minutes the last body had been de- posted in the trench.