Bridgeton pioneer., 1906-12-20

Rear Admiral Edwin Fithian is too
we'll known in Bridgeton to need any
Introduction as citizen, and for
many years has been one of the most
esteemed and respected Bridgetonians
The promotion from Captain to Rear
Admiral. under the provisions of the
aot. took effect on the goth of June.
Rear Admiral Fithian has had a
most distinguished career as an officer
OF the United States Navy and stands
very high in his profession, and is
known the world over.
|. The Rear Admiral entered the Navy
In 184S and during his career of actual
service was engaged in many import
ant duties. At the outbreak of the
Civil war he was ordered home from
the Pacific station to superintend the
construction OF machinery and the fit
ting out of vessels for the war, in
New York, among which was the iron
clad Roanoke. The Roanoke was one
OF our five magnificent "a gun steam
frigates. She was dismasted, razed
her sides armored with AZ inch plates,
and with other alterations including
her. three revolving tnrrets each carry
ing two II inch smooth bore Dahgren
guns. she was considered the most
formidable vessel afoat of that day,
but has been long since consigned to
the scrap heap.
After the war he was twice ordered
to the European station on the Ad-
miral's staff as Engineer of the fleet.
He was on the expedition to lay the
first Atlantic cable in 1857. which. for
the want of experience and the proper
appliances. was failure. but was sue
oessfuIIy laid in August, 1858.
He is one of the six surviving off
GERS, still in the service, of the two
hundred attached to the famous Japan
Expedition, in 1858 81. to open up
that country to the commerce of the
word, under the command of Commo.
dore M. @. Perry. He was attached
to the flagship, and was one of the
landing party who with the Commo-
dore and forty officers. and with two
hundred and fifty blue. Jackets we'll
armed as an escort. landed at Kusi-
hama on the l4th of July. 1858, where
the conference with the Royal Com
missioner was held in pavilion
erected for the purpose. The letter
from the President of the United
States to the Emperor. contained in a
handsome rosewood box, was delivered
through Interpreters. The Commo
dore announced his intention of re-
turning the following spring to receive
the Emperor's reply. TIE ceremony
was over. A monument has been
erected on the spot to commemorate
the event by the Japanese, and was
unveiled on the 14th of July, 1903.
These were the first foreigners 10 set
foot on the isolated soil of the Sun
rise Kingdom since the expulsion of
the Christians in 1887, when, history
records. 10000 of them native and
foreign, were massacred, and their
bodies cast into vast pit. over hich
was placed this defiant inscription
$50 long as the sun shall warm the
earth let no Christian be so bold as to
come to Japan and let all know that
the king of Spain himself, or the
Christians God, or the great God OF
all, if he violate this command, shall
pay for it with his head" This was
followed by enforcing the annual cere.
mony of trampling on the cross and
the image of the Virgin to show they
we're not Christians.
One of the immediate effects of tht
visit Of the Japan Expedition was the
abolition of this nnholy ceremony il
! the same year of 1858.