The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-03-24
BENEATH THE SOIL
OF FREE AMERICA
Thirty-Four ocean-Bleached Bodies
Of Heroes Of the Maine Are
Placed In Arlington
Cemetery.
TOTAL NOW rs 227 MEN
Impressive Services Ended at Twi-
light When comrade Joined
comrade After Long
Years.

! Is
comrade After Long
| UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.1
WASHINGTON, March 23-The
ooean-bleached bodies of the heroes
of the Maine found their final rest
I ing place tonight beneath American
soil--the dull red clay of Arlington
cemetery. AS dusk folded in the sod
den skies of a raw grey day, the
chiefs of the nations stood shivering
/ sixty-four victims slid from an out
spread flag into an open grave mark
ed unknown,
| Through the long lines Of soldiers,
sailors and civilians that crowded
close to the graves there ran shud-
der as the wailing notes of the bugle
sounded the long, last taps the navy
rifles rang out, and the deep voice of
the chaplain intoned:
Il am the resurrection and the
Life. saith the Lord
The leaden casket marked .un-
known No. "a, U. S. Maine" sank
slowly into the gaping red clay. 1t
was the last of the thirty-four that
contained the bones of the sixty-foui
| victims of the Maine explosion VIII,
for fourteen years slept silently in
Havana harbor. Tonight they an
swered the bos'un's whistle in the
midst Of the 163 Of their comrades
who took their places in the national
4 cemetery in 1899.
In big triangle. topping the higf
4 bluff over the Potomac, is all that il
mortal of the victims of the fatefu
err, as darkness dropped its mourning
mantle over the final scene, the presi
dent of the United States, the chiefs
\ OF the army and navy, as they stood
/ bare headed, watched the lights of the
national capital flicker Massed about
cavalrymen, sailors, marines and artil
lerymen, who had brought the dea6
to their final resting place. Through
the lowering darkness, the gloom,
forms of the f1ag-draped caissons tina
carried the sad burden doomed big il
the shadows. AS the impressive cere
monies approached their conclusion
soldiers, sailors, men, women, Chill
dren, diplomats and iignitaries stoot
Unconscious of the rain. intent onl,
on the scene of national sorrow tina
, spread out before them, as caske
after casket was lowered away t
, earth The president. surrounded b.
a sodden group of gold-laced officers
, stood beneath tiny tent flap swun!
at the head of the triangle plot tina
marked the graves. Directly opposite
him, beyond the red coated musician
of the marine band, doomed the bi:
port anchor of the Maine, with it's in
scription:
u. S. S. Maine, blown up, Feb Ii
1898. Here lies the remains of 16
men of the Maine crew brought fror
Havana, Cuba; reinterred at Airing
ton, Dec. 2s, 1892
Tomorrow the inscription will rea
227 men, for tonight comrade rejoir
: ed comrade in the bivouas of tn
dead.
: AS the numbering caissons drov
\ slowly into the cemetery and circle
: the muddy grave plot the hundreds c
l men. women and children, drew clos
to watch the color-draped coffin'
. which two by two were lifted tendel
: ly and carried to the sides of tn
group of graves.
!, From the big band at the head c
the triangle of graves came the du
J, waiting minors of the Chopin funers
march, signing through the eve
green's that surrounded the plot. On
of the crowd pushed a little girl an
= thrust herself up to the group of co
fins, looking tearfully at the grill
gathering Of the dead before her, i
! their bare pine boxes. All the pom
, and ceremonies of national erie
= stopped short for a moment. Th
heads of the nation gave way to tn
. grief CT a girl. She told gold-lace
officer:
l. & had a brother on the Maine
# wonder which coffin he's in?''
The big gathering of sorrowing PEI
y pie caught the full significance {
j that pathetic word unknown STAN
e ed into the lead of the collins that tn
# bare pine boxes enclosed. AS eac
e casket took the hole assigned it. tt
J. Spanish war veterans in the burr;
e ceremonies of the organization place
y a sprlg of evergreen, token of und
e