Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-04
FROM DIANA TEMPLE
Two Age-Colored Pillars at
Washington Navy Yard.
DISCOVERED UNDER JUNK
Relics May Have Been Brought Here
by Stephen Decatur.
INVESTIGATION BY OFFICER
Suggestion That Curios Be Re
stored and Placed on
Exhibition.
INVESTIGATION BY OFFICER

Exhibition.
| While overhauing a lot of old junk and
| rubbish under the cartridge case foundry
| at the Washington navy yard, workmen
| recently unearthed two age-colored stone
| pillars. which were apparently without In
| trinsic value. 1t is probable the discol-
| ored stones might have been assigned TO
| the rubbish heap had it not CHANGED that
| they came under the observation of
| naval officer who was of an investigating
| turn of mind. He at once set about MAX
| ing inquiries concerning the pillars and
| eventually learned that they had once
| graced one of the famous temples OF
| Diana the goddess of light, and that they
| are therefore. Of great historical value.
Information of the important find of the
| workingmen was conveyed to the Navy
| Department and naval officer promptly
visited the navy yard to CLEAN whatever
| information he could in reference to the
| curios He soon discovered that the mat
| ter presented some of the phases of a
problem play, as there were several &C
counts given as to how the stones reached
| the navy yard and who brought them
| there. One of these reports was to the
effect that they were brought TO this
country by Capt. Stephen Decatur after
his brush with the Tripolitans. In looi'
Another account stated that they were
| conveyed to the yard In one OF tne ora
wooden frigates as ballast early IN 'he
| fifties by Admiral Schutelot VINO was at
| that time a naval lieutenant
| The stones are portions Oh pillars. 1hey
are about three feet in diameter by tour
feet high, and are Of Italian white marble
Used During Civil War.
When a Star reporter visited the navy
| ward today he learned that one OF the
| pillars had been used during the period
of the civil war as a support for what an
old employe said was "a statue from d.
ana's temple" which was mounted in the
| front ward of the commandments residence
| near the Sth street entrance to the eStao
lishment. This so-called statue is said to
| have mysteriously disappeared during the
excitement and hustle at the navy yaro
| incident to the ending of the civil war
| One of the oldest employees said accord
| ing to his recollection it was taken from
| in front of the commandants house IN
| 1865. "about the time the Lincoln con.
| spirators were taken to the yard and
confined on an ironclad in midstream on
| the navy yard
| For long time it was the impression
| that the statue had been stolen. but the
belief was expressed today that it is still
| somewhere in the yard, perhaps in an out
| of-the-way place, and will soon come to
light
Instead of being a statue the missing
! relic is. said to be one of the stone legs
| of sacriicial table in one of the Tenn
| pies Of Diana. 1t Is about six feet in
| height and Of white italian marble like
| the pillars. The carved design or stat
uette on the front of the leg is a cherub
| tod dol fch
being in the act of diving. In artistic
workmanship 1t is said to compare more
than favorably with the work Of masters
! of the present time.
Wave Of Interest.
The discovery Of these rare relics of an
| tiquity has caused wave of interest to
pervade not only the navy yard. but the
] Navy Department as well, and it was said
today that the curios should be restored
and placed on exhibition. which will prob
ably be done. The age of the relics is
computed from about 14oO B. c.
In regard to the belief that Capt. De-
catur brought the pillars and stone table
leg with him after his conquest of the
| Tripolitans in 1904. it was pointed out
| today that there are three guns on exhi-
bition at the local navy yard that he took
this country after that affair. Two of
the guns are posted on the parking to
| command the main or 9Th street entrance
to the yard. They are eight-inch, smooth
bore bronze pieces and the inscription at
tached to them states that ION August 3.
1904, Capt. Stephen Decatur. in command
Of two American gunboats off Tripoli,
boarded and captured in succession two
Tripolitan gunboats armed with these
guns In the navy yard museum Is an
| other smaller Tripolitan gun Of exquisite
| workmanship, which is also made of an
Gent bronze or bell metal.
From .Carthagenian Temple.
! 1t was also pointed out that Tripoli was
in the territory of ancient Carthage hav-
ing been a Phoenician colony That
Carthage was particularly the seat of
Aeneib, the great Roman ethic, and
Diana could have been worshiped there
Therefore, If Decatur brought the relics
| here. he took them from some old
| Carthagenian temple. The design of the
| dolphin on statuette is said to be spe-
| ctally significant. as that fish was re-
garded as sacred to Bacchus, the god of
| wine.
| On one Of the pillars is date which is
scarcely legible. It has been dechipered
as both '17ss" and "14Ss"
| Another longtime employee of the navy
yard maintained today that the pillars
| and statuette were brought here about
1855, by then Lieut. Schufeldt: that he
| used the stone pieces as ballast for his
wooden man-o'-war, and presented the
rare and valuable relics to the then COM
mandant of the yard. who had them in
stalled in front Of his residence.
Date Of Visit.
| In the official history of the Washing
ton navy yard it Is shown that Capt.
| Decatur visited the local yard in the
summer of 1909, and at that time engaged
in a controversy with the commandant
Capt. Tingey. over some circular sky
lights for ships. which, it is said. were
appropriated by Decatur for his vessels
| 1t is believed if the Temple of Diana me-
| mentos were brought to this country by
the intrepid Decatur, it was about that
| date.
1t is said the Navy Department is en-
| gagged in making a systematic search for
some record bearing on the pillars and
statuette In connection with officials of
the navy yard.
FORESTER PINCHOT RETURNS.