The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-09-26
AND
MERRIMAC

By Charles Eugene Banks, author of
the novel, Gin Hampton Roads, ;"
founded on the historic naval duel be-
tween the first ironclads ever to go
into action--the Monitor and Merrimac.
I sat spell-bound before this wonder
full reproduction of the most important
and dramatic naval duel ever fought,
both for its supreme Importance in its
results as battle, and its effect on the
revolution of sea fighting craft.
The drama as presented by the Alas
ka- Yuk on Pacific Exposition is stipend
Gus. One cannot but be transported
out of himself to become spectator
at this memorable contest, an event
the outcome of which meant SO much
to both North and South that all the
armies of both sides lay on their arms
during those two days-March 8th and
9Th, 1S62-awaiting the decision with
hreathless fear and hope. Should the
Merrimac win the South would have an
open road to the sea and the govern
ments of Europe stood ready to recog
nize the Confederacy as a nation to be
treated with. No tongue or pen car
begin to picture the suspense of the
nation on that night after, with ap
parently little effort, the iron ran
Merrimac and either sunk or run
h. IxyinO
in Hampton Roads.
In writing the novel of champion
Roads, the entire story of which is
comprised in the three days OF this
historic event, / made study of al
the facts leading up to and bearing on
the battle, as well as the scene OF the
historic "birth of ironclads.' The
representation here is absolute to al
astonishing degree. 1t is reproduced
with historic fidelity and the drama has
all the form and intensity of reality
Miles of water and land, forts, towns
ships, sunrise and sunset, the terrific
storm. which the little Monitor out
rode las special act of providence
to reach the scene of action in time tt
prevent the Merrimac from complet
ing it's work of destruction and steam
ing up the Potomac to Washington tt
shell the capitol, the sinking of thu
frigates, the burning and explosion o.
the wooden ships, the half days due
following this catastrophe between thu
first iron ships. Then the coming o.
the present American feet, the glan
children of those two first fighting SCI
dragons, it is all here, not as painting
not as a miniature reproduction, but a.
a materialized fact of the actual oc
currences, with ships and guns ant
surroundings that are as real to TIL
senses as if one were an actual specta
tor on the ground.
What marvels of mechanism! Wha
perfection of electrical effects! Wha
breadth OF artistic perceptlon VIVA
love of realism in art itself! Nothing
in stage spectacular ever approaches
this production. To me, familiar wit
a story of a small group of men an
women whose fate hung on the out
come of this battle, as did the fate o
| the nation itself, the spectacle has pei
| haps a more intense meaning than t
| the average onlooker, but no one VIII
| is familiar with the history of TIN
country can sit through this ''insut
stantial pageant, that, like bubble
"dissolves and leaves no track be
| hind without being carried out o
himself, as the applause that follow
! the action Of the boats testifies. Her
is the acme of perfection in the pres
| entation of an event which actual
| took Mace nearly half a century agt
repeated without a detail lacking, an
with the spirit of it preserved wit
marvellous fidelity.