Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-24
Iemains Lie beside Those Of Heroes Of
Monterey and San Pasqual
WITH MILITARY AND NAVAL HoNoNs
All Branches Of the Service Represented in
Short Procession.
FOUR MORE BODIES ARE RECOVERED
Captain Drake Announces that he
Expects to BE Able Eventually
90 RehOat the DamRged
GunbOat.

SAN DIEGO, July 2S.-They buried the
Bennington's dead today-forty-seven Of
them-in a common grave on the crest
Of the promontory OF Iona, high above
the shimmerinE waters 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 burying ground. Without
the crash OF drum or the sound of brass,
without pomp or parade. yet with simple
impressiveness, 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 most trying
times. Gravestones. yellow with age, bear
the names of men who died at Monterey,
in the Mexican war; others who gave up
their life in the conquest of California
and who followed Commodore Stockton
at Old San Pasqual. These are their neigh
bors in death Surely they should rest well.
Army and navy paid their last tributes
no less sincere than the simple grief OF
the representatives Of peace. who made
the long journey around across the
great bay From Fort Rosecrans came
the One Hunded and Fifteenth company,
coast heavy artillery; from the city Of
San Diego the naval reserves; from the
UNIVERSAL BfOtnefnoodb nome on folhI
Iona, a company OF khaki-olad representa-.
tives, and from the government ship For
tune a dozen OF their sailors. But the
most impressive body of mourners were
the hfty-two men from the battered Ben
nington. Beside these there were hundreds
OF civilians, who, unthoughtfu OF the IA
| tigulng journey from the. city, brought
their flowers TO lay upon the graves.
City in Mourning.
San Diego was a city of mourning today
although the people Of this little city have
| taken in the Bennington catastrophe an
| interest that was personal To all from the
| moment that II happened, they set apart
this beautiful Sabbath day to pay tribute
to the dead
Thousands nled through @ze morgues this
morning with arms filled VITO flowers. drop
ping the blossoms heTE26Id there upon
some of the unfortunately hhe fiag-draped
collins. other thousands gathered In the
Plaza, from whence the procession of
coffin-laden wagons was to start.
Promptly at noon the long line of vehicles
began the journey around the bay to the
burial place. Owing TO the steep hills and
rough roads it was found impracticable
to use hearses or even dead wagons, aa1
the bodies were stacked in heavy exprOD
| wagons and other ordinary vehicles
Long Trip to Cemetery.
There were no bands OF music to stir the
people with doeful meody-everything was
uuiet and businesslike The task was too
| big to be hampered by any usages of ordi-
nary funerals. Forty-seven men were TO
be buried and to bury them It was neces-
sary TO haul them ten miles up steep hills
and along dusty roads. But there was a
striking display of these. Every casket
bore a beautifully executed wreath OF
log.
mortelles. beautifully wrought and sent by
the San Diego organizations The nags
came from the nation in whose service they
had died Every one OF the plain black
stained caskets was draped with the ma
tional emblem, and the plain commercial
utility OF the dead wagons was disguised
under the folds of the national coiors
From noon until o'clock these dead
burdened vehicles toiled toward the burial
ground and II was almost 4:30 when the
last caslxet was placed In the rock ribbed
trench.
Hundreds OF other vehicles stirred the
choking dust of the ten-mile road through
out the forenoon, all making for the same
point, while every craft that could be had
brought hundreds across the fve-mils
stretch of bay. who unmindful of the pre-
cipitous heights to be scaled, climbed SO
feet to the crest OF the ridge. In this way
| came lne bOlulefb from Fort hOEecranS,
toiling up the steep footpath, their striking
full dress uniforms giving color to the dun
. gray hills. After them came the naval
reserves. and still later the survivors OF the
, Bennington.
Captain F. ]. Drake, Commander Lucien
? Young OF the Bennington and the members
OF his stan, Captain e. d. Scott command
ing Fort Rosecrans, and Captain Rofe OF
2 the same post Mayor sehon of San Diego
, and members of the executive and govern
. ment branches OF the city, were hauled
around the steep hills in ambulance wagons
from Fort Rosecrans.
$ Impressive Scene at the Grave.
i The deep trench in which the bodies were
1 placed, I'm two rows. feet 10 feet. is sixty
T. feet long and fourteen feet wide II was
L finished but few minutes before the ar
rival OF the first load OF bodies. Around Il
were drawn in long lines, the artillery com.
1 pany from the fort. seventy five strong, on
' the west; the naval reserves, bearing arms
full of flowers on the north the Benning.
toms survivors on the east and the Uni.
versal Brotherhood on the west. Just out.
side the simple picket fence enclosing the
burial grounds gathered the public In solid
- masses on all sides. This was the setting
n for the most impressive spectacle the eul.
\ minating scenes Of San Diego's week Of
, sorrow.
A Without a moments delay. the work OF
!, lifting the cofins from the wagons and
e ranging them In the trench was carried on.
p shipmates from the Bennington performed
this sad duty. Squads OF six came for
ward from their ranks In rapid succession,
). lifting the caskets gently. entered the
N trench at the head and deposited the bodies
directed By Lieutenant T6bin who
Z. checked them and saw that the board
placed al the head Of each was properly
m marked and numbered, In just one hour
D. and fifteen minutes the last body had been
m deposited in the trench. The work OF car
ing for the unfortunate men. begun last
" Thursday morning was now completed.
" Burial service Read.
II only remained for the representa- tives
W a ~ chtIrch 10 nrnnnlIncn Anal hI.aaInn.