The National tribune., 1909-11-18

VI
died Oct, 20, 1909, at his home in New
York. Rear-Admiral Erben was th
lsurvivor of several of the most spirited
naval engagements of the civil war. HI
was II years old, having received hi
commission as MidshiDman in 1S4S, an'
rose to the rank of Captain during tn
civil war.
After service with the blockadins
fleet along the Gulf Coast, he was trans
ferred to the Mississippi River feet, il
l1S62. He served on Admiral Farra
Igut's staff during the campaign which
Tended in the fall of Memphis, and com.
lmanded the Sumter thruout the naval
operations during the siege and fall OF
lVicksburg. He also participated in the
engagement at Baton Rouge, La. He
was assigned to the Naval Howit2er
Battery, assisting Gen. Mcclellan dur
| ing the Antietam campaign, and COM
manded oneNof the vessels that partici-
pated in the attacks on the forts at
Charleston, S. c., in 1868.
Admiral Erben's last active duty be-
fore retirement was the command Of
the European Station. He was retired
in 1894. After four years on the re-
tired list he was temporarily assigned
to active duty at the outbreak of the
Spanish-American War, and placed in
charge of the torpedo-boat work of the
coast defense system.
The Washington Garrison of the
Army and Navy Union has been hav-
ing the mischief of time with the
National organization. A year or so
ago two or three of the GarriSonS of
Washington withdrew and raised
tempest generally, and then were
coaxed back into line. When they came
from the National Encampment this
Fall the Washington delegates were all
hot again, and it has ended in the
Roosevelt Garrison severing all con-
nection with the Army and Navy Union
To offset this they have organized what
is termed an Army and Navy Veterans
Club. There really doesn't seem to be
any use for a veterans organization.
The chief cause of dissension is said to
be misappropriation of funds.
Washington last week INDUCED in
flower show. and it was a flower show
worth visiting Old Masonic Temple,
which, by the way, is the last place on
earth to hold big gathering of any
kind, was crowded afternoon and even
ing with handsomely dressed women
and a smart sprinkling of men to see
the beauties of the flower world that
were displayed there. The show was
largely given up to chrysanthemums
Some of these were simply tremendous.
They were of all shades of colors eX-
cepting purple and blue and from the
size of d gold dollar up to the size of
the average football; they were every
where from six inches high to six feet.
They We're q joy to the eye. but they
didn't smell good. The chrysanthemum
can never be a real favorite for the
house until some Burbank manages to
deodorize them. The display of roses
was a joy to the heart. The American
Beauties We're some of them fully five
feet tall on their stems and tremendous
in size. VIM. r. Smith, of the Botan
ical Gardens, sent some of his most
priced freak plants, principal among
these perhaps being the pitcher plants.
They all belonged to the orchid family
and all are curious. Some of the tre-
mendeus pitchers would hold a gill of
liquid. and Mr.. Smith is authority for
the statement that these pitcher plants
are nothing in the world but Speak
easies" for the insect world. They are
mostly of a dull green fecked with
either red or yellow, and are not pretty, |
but just simply curiosities. Mr.. Smith |
also sent all sorts of croton plants, |
which are very handsome and pleasing
to the eye, there being some Is or 20
different species displayed. Some of
the cacti sent by Mr. Smith are sure
One of them, starting from
about IL or IA inches, looking exactly
like a beaver tail
Mrs l.. z. Letter sent over about
$4,000 worth of tropical plants and
flowers, among them being some really |
beautiful begonias. She also sent some |
crotons. hybridum ferns and a number
Of other very beautiful plants which |
her friends have so long admired in
her conservatories. Probably no more
curious plant was ever seen than the |
flower, unless il is the stag |
horn fern, which Mr.. Smith displayed. |
Mr.. Edward Schmid, known as the |
bird man of Washington" and who |
was the firm friend of Quentin Roose- |
welt, made an exhibit of bulbs, water |
plants, Lizards. Brazilian mice, snakes
and tarantulas, which was a very curl |
Gus collection. The florists who planned |
this successful show were William f. |
GUIDE, who is also President of the |
Chamber of Commerce.; Geo. Schafer |
John Robinson, William Marche, L. II. |
Kramer and Edward Schmid. The dis |
play was magnificent, and the florists |
feel that thru their efforts the show
was a decided success. More than
81, 900 worth of flowers were given |
away each evening, as everybody who |
came in was presented with one as |
1t is stated that Mrs. Cleveland, be- !
cause of her mourning. makes no calls |
and will accept no invitations while at |
Lausanne, Switzerland. and to pass
away the time she has taken up the |
study of Italian while her children are |
in school at Lausanne. She takes ihree |
lessons a week from Prof. Annabel |
Mrs. Cleveland's mother, |
Mrs. Perrine, is with her, and Is being
very much entertained. Mrs Perrine |
is remembered in Washington as a very
handsome woman. She is stylish and |
and youthful in figure. Mrs. |
Cleveland in that respect doesn't resem- |
BILE her mother, as from very slender |
pretty girl she has grown very rapidly |
into stout middle-aged woman.
The gossips simply will not let the |
Duke of the Abruzzi and Miss Katherine |
Elkins alone. This very charming
young lady was abroad with her mother |
last Summer, and they Travelled very
leisurely hither and yon, only to be met |
on their return to this country with the |
story that Miss Katherine's trip to Eu-
rope was resented with powerful indig-
nation by the court circles of Italy. and
also the statement that Miss Elkins
could not marry the Duke with the
of the Italian court. AS a mat
ter of fact Miss Elkins hasn't made a
noise like caring whether she married
the Duke of the Abruzzi or not.
Commander Frederick Abercrombie
Miller. u. S. N, died Nov. 8, of pneu-
monia, in New York, after a brief ILL
n