The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-07-24
NATIONS DEAD
LAID To REST
Forty-seven Victims of the Benning-
ton Disaster Buried.
CLOSING SCENES SIMPLE
FLOWERS AND FLAGS IN GREAT
\ PROPULSION.

day-forty-seven OF them-in a
common grave. On the crest of the
Promontory of Iona, high above the
shimmering 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 par
ade, yet with simple impressiveness all
honor was paid the nations dead.
They have honOFed 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
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 fol-
lowed Commodore Stockton at old San
Pasqual. These are their neighbOrs in
death. Surely they should rest we'll
Tribute of Army and Navy.
Army and navy paid their last trib-
utes 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 Rose
Grams came the 115th company, coast
ACdNy lEODl the city OL EoosAA
Diego the naval reserves; from the
Universal BrotherhoOd's home on Point
Iona, a company of khaki-clad repre-
sentatives, and from the government
ship Fortune a dozen of her sailors. But
the most impressive body of mOurners
were the fifty-two men from the bat
tered Bennington Besides these there
We're hundreds of civilians, who, un-
thoughtful of the fatiguing journey
from the city, brought their offerings
of flowers TO lay upon the graves
San Diego was a city of mourning
today. Although the people Of this lit
tie city have taken in the Bennington
catastrophe an interest that was per
sonal to all from the moment il hap
pened, they set apart this beautiful
Sabbath day to pay last and loving
tribute TO the dead
Flowers For the Dead.
Thousands filed through the morgues
this morning with arms filed with
flowers, dropping the blossoms here
and there upon some unfortunate S
fiag-draped coffin. Other thousands
gathered in the plaza from whence the
procession Of cOffin-laden wagons was
to start.
Promptly at noon the long line of We
hicles began the long journey around
the bay TO the burial place. Owing TO
the steep hills and rough roads it was
found impracticabIe to use hearSes or
even dead wagons, and the bodies were
stacked in heavy express wagons and
other vehicles of everyday commerce.
There were no bands of music to stir
the people with dOleful melody-every-
thing was quiet and buSlneSSl1ke- The
task was too big TO be hampered by
any of the usages of ordinary funer-
ais. FOrty-SeVen men were to be bur
led and to bury them il was necessary
to haul them ten miles up steep hills
were only flowers and flags But there
was a striking display OF these Every
casket bore a beautifully executed
wreath Of asparagus ferns, white car
nations and immortelles, thoUghtfully
sent by the San Diego commercial
bodies
Flag For Every Casket.
The flags came from the nation in
whose services the dead had died
Every one of the plain black stained
caskets was draped with the national
emblem, and the plain commercial util-
ity of the dead wagons was disguised
under the folds of the national cOIors
From noon until o'clock these dead
burdened wagons toiled toward the
burial grounds and not until almost
half past four was the last casket
placed in the rocked ribbed trench.
Hundreds of other vehicles stirred
the choking dust of the ten mile road
throughout the forenoon, all making
for the same point while every craft
that could be had, brought hundreds
across the five mile stretch of bay, who
unmindful of the precipitous heights
to be scaled, climbed five hundred feet
to the crest of the ridge. In this way
the soldiers from Fort Rosecrans came
toiling up the steep foot path, their
striking full dress uniforms giving col
or to the dull grey hills After them
came the naval reserves and still later
the survivors of the Bennington.
Officers Present.
Captain e j. Drake, Commander
Lucien Young of the Bennington, and
the members of his staff; Captain E
D. Scott, commanding Fort Rosecrans
Captain Rofe of the same post; Mayor
Sehon of San Diego and members Of
the executive and legislative branches
of the city were hauled around the
steep hills in ambulance wagons from
Fort Rosecrans.
The deep trench in which the bodies
were placed, in two rows, feet to feet
! is sixty feet long and fourteen fee
wide 1t was finished but few min
utes before the arrival of the first load
| of bodies
Around it were drawn up in Ions
| lines the artillery company from the
! fort-seVenty-five strong-on the west
| the naval reserves, bearing arms full
of flowers on the the north; the Ben
nington's survivors on the east, and
! the Universal Brotherhood on the west
Just outside the simple picket fence
enclosing the burying grounds. gath
cred the public in solid masses on al
/ sides. This was the setting for th'
most impressive spectacle-the culmin
| ating scene of San Diego's week of sOr
| row.
Placed in the Grave.
| Without a moments delay the worl
! of lifting the collins from the wagons
| and ranging then in the trench wa
| carried on. Shipmates from the Ben
nington performed this sad duty
| Squads of six came forward from thei
ranks in rapid succession, lifting TIT
| caskets gently, entered the trench a
| the head and deposited the bodies as di
| rected by Lieutenant Tobin, wh'
/ checked them and saw that the boar'
placed at the head of each was properl,
marked and numbered. In just on
hour and fifteen minutes, the last body
had been deposited in the trench
Final Blessings SAID.
| 1t only remained for the representa-
| tives of the church TO pronounce fina
| blessings of the dead.
| Rev. ]. A. NJ Riehey. rector of ST
| Continued on Page 2.