The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-09-12

| DIlP lIldt LHC WI III hAh
never seen a similar production.
The way in which every incident of
that memorable and far-reacliing
battle of March 8, 1862, and the bat
tie OF the preceding day. as well, are
startling in its faithfulness to his
| tory.
appeared to be seated with many
Others about me, in the PROV OF A
vessel, which foated upon the waters
OF Hampton Roads. | was told by Il
gentleman-the lecturer-that it was
March 7, 1862, and that the vessels
| saw i'm the distance were the FEEDER
al frigates, the Cumberland and the
| Congress, the Minnesota, the Roam
| oke, and the st Lawrence, and, in
deed, they resembled very much the
pictures | remembered to have seen OF
them in my school books. The Mer-
rimac, or Virginia-as she was re-
| christened after the old ship had been
raised and rebuilt by Lieutenant
George NJ. Brooks-appeared, com
ing slowly up the bay. Then begun
the terrific firing which lasted into the
night-rOar of cannon was in the air,
a continuous line of fame and smoke
issued from the sides of the various
vessels, and when it cleard away the
Cumberland and Congress had been
DESTROYED and their faithful defenders
had gone to watery graves. The
Minnesota, the st. Lawrence and the
Roanoke were aground and a ter
rible storm ragged over turbulent
waters. During the action, | found
myself so stirred that | retained my
seat with difficulty and for the mo-
ment | lost sight OF the fact that |
was merely witnessing a bloOdless
picture torn from the pages OF his
tory.
| had seen the sun set, the moon
rise and then become OvershadOWded
by the storm clouds, which. in their
turn, passed, and [ now saw in the
east the faint rays from a sun not
yet risen, indicating the birth of II
new day AS the full red orb finally
cast its brillance over the waters of
Hampton Roads, saw coming from
the direction of the sun the fOrmida
BILE enemy OF the Merrimac-the
Monitor, and then began the duel of
irOnclads, IL duel as terrific and
awful as the annals Of war record-a
duel in which there appeared so SUI
premacy, and there was no Justly
claimed victory.
GETTYSBURG AND MANASSAS
Next door to tie Merrimac and
Monitor building are two other like
structures, one housing the Battle Of
Gettysburg and the other, the Battle
of Manassas.
These | fund entirely different from
the battle | had just witnessed.
They were simply cycloramic repro
| ductiOns OF these two bloody strug
| giles. But the pictures are SO i'm
mense, SO realistic and with plastic
foreground, built up to meet the NIT
| iestic paintings in such a way as to
| be pulling for the moment. The
| Illusions were SO striking that Icould
very we'll imagine myself surveying
the real conflicts.
While both of these battle scenes
were practically the same, the one of
Gettysburg impressed me more The
| great paintings, stone urns, Obelisks,
statues, equestrian groups and far
reaching battle plans, forever peopled
with the shades of countless brave
men, should never be separated
DESTRUCTION OF SAN FRAN
CISCO.
Deeming it now about the proper
| h,>,,r of ni~ht t, l.,
tragedy that occurred in the dead of
night, the large building housing the
expensive reproduction Of the San
| Francisco disaster was next visited.
The scene opens with the great city
of the Golden Gate in all the hustle
of the very active life she has always
enjoyed. The principal buildings
and points of interest are distinctly
outlined. In the foreground is the
ripping waters of the bay, with boats
OF all description plying back and
forth, or anchored off shore, while
Others at the numerous docks
along the water front, receiving and
discharging cargoes ofvariOus kinds
Then, as the afternoon wanes, the
sun, a glowing incandescent ball,
slowly sinks to rest in the waters OF
the Pacific, between the portals of the
Golden Gate, leaving the sky diffused
with the beautiful afterglow, seer
only on the western coast. The
short twilight quickly passes, and
the city takes on the artificial day
furnished by the glow of countless
lights from it's streets. theatres and
cafes, while the stars, twinkling from
a cloudless sky, lend their aid in
frightening this ever festive city
and over the waters float the sounds
Of sweet music. How like the even
ing some historians tell US preceded
the destruction of Pompeii.
AS night ages, the lights in the homes
OF the workers are extinguished, anC
an almost entire darkening of the
city results and the pleasure seekers
can be imagined vending their way
homeward in anticipation OF long
nights rest.
A small cloud that has been hang
ing lazily overhead suddenly assumes
mastodon proportions, and, unable
to contain itself longer, bursts upon
the city in a short but furious rail-
storm.
With the approach of dawn the
fearful destroyer, heralding its ad-
vance with mighty subterraneal
rumblings, eliminating in Il terrifi,
shudder, followed by wave after
wave rocking the entire city, crumb
ling buildings like pasteboard, leav
ing nothing but gaunt skeletons
standing.
. Almost Immediately fire break!
out and gradually traverses to thu
entire city, leaving that which wa,
once proud and prosperous anC
beautiful city nothing but mass o
glowing EN- 5ers and blackened wall
IA place of sorrow and death. The
production is so real one is inclined
to weep. forgetting for the momen
| that it is only another masterpiece