The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-10-05
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HOLD SERVICES
ON BATTLESH|P
North Atlantic Fleet HOnOrS
New hampshire'S Dead.
CAST FLOWERS ON WATER

Impressive hItudi oI tNC Gp'sSoPe'
Church 10 Read by Chaplain Cas-
sard-Three voIleys Fired Over
Waters Which Refuse to Give Up
Bodies Of Dead Seamen--officers
and Members Of Crew Then Silent
ly Drop Floral Tributes on Tide.
New York, Oct. 5.-Purple asters
and white carnations drifted down
with the ebb on the Hudson in clot-
ted ropes of color. They eddied
about the gray bows of the battle
ships lying at anchor there, then
passed on seaward. They were from
the hands of the officers and sailors
of the second division of the North
Atlantic fleet and they were to re-
member the dead of the battleship
New Hampshire over whose bodies
they floated
A gun sounded from the battleship
| Louisiana, Rear Admiral Vreeland's
flagship, and at the instant the flags
at the stern of the Louisiana, Kansas
and New Hampshire, the three ships
of the division anchored in the Hud-
son, dropped half the length of their
staffs. Then on the quarterback of
the New Hampshire began the SER
vice of the dead, not one Of which
the river had yielded
All the officers and so blueJackets
came from each of the other two
ships in the division. As they step
ped from their launches onto the
gangway they marched up to the
deck two abreast and took their
stand in double rows on either side
of the quarterback. A bugle sounded
and every man Of the New Hamp-
shlres crew not on duty formed in
line on the gun deck and marched
back to join the blocks of blue be-
hind the 'arter-turret.
Fifty marines with guns stood at
attention on the two flanks of the
lines of men in blue. The ships band
marched to its place by the side of
the port gangway There was no
sound and no movement. The chap
lain, w. G. Cassard, in the vestments
of the Episcopal church, walked
through the quadruple lines of sailors
and took his place behind a lecturn
which had been set Just before the
covered electric winch in the middle
OF the deck
The chaplain closed his eyes and
repeated the benedlction. When he
had finished. an officer of the ma
rines gave an order in hushed
voice. There was q sharp metallic
rattle. The officer gave another or
der and 80 rifles were elevated sky
ward. Then a volley, another and
another. The clatter of shots came
banging back from the Palisades.
When the smoke from the rifles was
still shredding out over the stern,
Captain Rodgers twitched one finger
of his whitegloved hand and bugler
standing by his side lifted his bugle
and blew taps,while every man and
officer on the quarterback stood with
right hand at salute. The quaver of
the bugle sounded to the shore, and
the crowds that had been watching
the police boat pass back and forth
with its lines of grapplers strained
eyes to see what was going on out
on the New Hampshire.
There was long pause after the
last notes Of the bugle had been
whipped back from the Jersey cliffs.
Then Captain Rodgers stepped to a
great basket of purple asters and
: white carnations. He picked up an
aster while all were watching, walk
cd to the port rail and dropped the
flower over into the river. Then. he
Wrned quickly and stepped away
from the group of officers.
One by one the officers OF the sec
ond division according to their rank
passed before the basket of blossoms
chose one and dropped It down to
the tide. The ranks Of the enlisted
men stood rigidly at attention. When
the officers of the New Hampshire
took their turn at the flower casket
Midshipman Godfrey De Chevalier
the one who had been in command OF
the launch when it carried the sail
with them. His face was white as
the carnaton he plucked from the
ferns. He dropped the flower over
board, then stood stifiiy at attention
before his superlors.
After the officers came the sailors
They marched one at time before
the flower basket, each dropped his
Offering over the side and passed on
into the maze between the guns
amidships, When the last blossom
had sped down with the tide the flag
was full-masted again and the routine
OF the ship was resumed.
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