The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-03-23
ADMIRAL
LYONS FLAG
tFrom Wednesdays Advertiser,

4
salLtes ana inspiring music iejuti-
ful blue silk pennant with two white
stars vertically arranged at the center
was raised to the truck of the Naval
station flagstaff yesterday morning,
| ANA with this pretty ceremony, per-
| formed IN the presence of scores of
friends Captain Henry Ware Lyon. U.
S. N, commandant OF the station, as
sui.led his full rank of a Rear Admiral
of the United States Navy.
The ceremony was a novel one to
most of the guests. and certainly an
interesting one to all, especially to the
large assemblage OF naval officers
Captain, or rather, Admiral Lyon, has
been one of the very popular officers
known in Honolulu since the middle of
the eighties, when he was lieutenant
and a lieutenant commander, and the
many old-time friends who were gath
cred in the vicinity of the Flagstaff
yesterday felt that it was proper that
he should be created an Admiral while
again on duty in this port.
The fiag-raising took place at IL
o'clock. and long before that hour
most of the guests arrived. There
were Federal and Territorial officials,
army and navy officers, and gather
ing of society people of the old Ho-
nolulu and of the new Honolulu. Act
ing Governor Atkinson was the prin-
cfpal representative for the Territory
of Hawaii, as was Judge Sanford b.
Dole for the civil end of the United
States government. There were con-
sular representatives of foreign gov
ernments, many of them in uniform.
Captain Merrell and many officers of
the battleship Oregon were also pres
ent, and the army was represented by
several of the 10th Infantry from
Camp Mckinley.
The Marine guard from the Naval
Station was drawn up in double rank
near the foot of the flagstaff, the
sailors of the u. s. S. Iroquois and the
members of the Hawaiian band form
ing on two additional sides of the
square about the base. The beautiful
silk flag which designated the Ad-
mirals rank was held in the halyards,
by George Varis now a foreman at the
Naval Station who had asked permis-
sion to hoist the Admiral's flag.
Promptly at II o'clock the blue flag
was run slowly up to the peak while
the marine guard presented arms As
it reached to highest point it was
saluted with seventeen guns fired by
the battery in the naval grounds in
charge of Thomas Fay. Gunner's Mate
of the U. S. s. Iroquois. Both Varis
and Fay were with Admiral Lyon on
board the flagship Trenton during the
hurricane at Samoa, March &c. 1889,
which wrecked American and German
warships stationed there.
After the station guns had ceased
firing the batteries of the battleship
Oregon belched forth salute of thir-
teen guns and as the last shot was
fired, the United States Revenue CUT
ter Manning, Captain Roberts, COM
manding, took up the salutation and
thirteen guns were fired from that
ship. In return, seven guns were again
fired from the Naval Station battery.
1t was novel experience to the guests
for it was a case of cannon to right
of them, cannon to left of them and
cannon in front of them. AS the
echoes of the salutes died away and
the smoke cleared the Hawaiian band
played national airs.
During this time Admiral Lyon, sur
rounded by officers and guests, stood
on the lawn beneath the trees, his
eyes raised toward the flag which,
when at the truck, made it known that
he had risen to practically the highest
grade in the navy.
Immediately the Admiral was con-
graduated by the assemblage and his
health was drunk in glasses of punch.
Dainty refreshments were served on
the fiag-bedecked lanais, the station
officers and ladies assisting Mrs. Lyon
in this pleasant duty.
In the office of Paymaster Hagner
the guests subscribed their names to
a souvenir list which will be greatly
priced by Admiral and Mrs. Lyon.
Admiral Lyon became well known by
reason of his having been in the Sa-
moan hurricane i'm 1889 when the Amer
lean warships Trenton, Vandalia and
Nipsic We're terribly battered. The
Nipsic was towed up from Samoa as
far as Tanning Island, rudderless, and
in very bad shape. The Alert left her
there at anchor and came to Honolulu
for coal. Returning, she towed the
battered Nipsic safely to port. Lieut..
Commander Lyon was in command of
the Nipsic. Old-timers remember when
the Nipsic was placed on the Marine
and the good times aboard the
vessel during the nine months she re-
mained there. The dances and recep-
tions aboard the Nipsic will be re-
membered as social events par excel
ence. While repairs were being made
on the vessel the officers made every
effort to give Honolulu society the time
Of their lives. There are hundreds of
dance cards of the old Nipsic in many
homes today, treasures of the
Did navy's past.
There was n telephone line to the
Nipsic In those days and oftentimes IL
got out of order. Lieut.. Commander
Lyons theory for its failure to work
At such times was about as follows:
"Oh, the ladies OF Honolulu send so
much taffy over the wire 10 the OFF,
,ers that II has become sticky and the
sea moss has got tangled up it,"
U0ITNDQ RRITISEs AMI RITPNa