The Washington times., 1912-03-16
MAINE SINKS TO
REST WITH ALL
HONORS OF WAR
Historic Old Fighter, Flower
Laden, Goes Down in
Florida Straits.
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page)
navy and all of the officers of the Amer
lean Army and Navy here, including
delegations from the cruisers Birming-
ham and North Carolina, which had
been designated to the duty of convoy
Ing the bodies to their native land and
aiding in the final funeral Of the
Maine.
When the service ended the caskets
were hoisted to the shoulders of SOL
dlers detailed for the purpose and car
rled out to where repe-draped army
wagons were in waiting Escorted by
delegations of American marines from
the warships in the harbor, soldiers
from the local garrison, patriotic Am
erican and Cuban societies. Including
veterans of the Spanish American war,
the Cuban-Spanish ten years war and
similar organizations, the bodies were
taken to Caballeria.
There were drawn I'D hundreds NJ
marines, bluejackets, and soldiers. and
on behalf of the Cuban government
M Ma En CST ;1iIn turned over the bodies
g1neers, =. S. A., who received them
on behalf of the American people'
SSbh aIp a,iTor Chidwlck then delivered
ilnal eulogy, after which Cuban soldiers
hoisted the bodies on their shoulders
and marched along the wharf, deliver
ing them to the detailed American ma
F Nnrth VINO TnnoS carried them on board the
back to the United States.
Many Floral Tributes.
The floral tributes which were MANY
and most elaborate were placed on
board with the collins. The most re-
markable Of these is a huge tomb-like
n Nayif1, . he TolI
inscription in immortelles:
,,people of Havana to Victims of the
Following the transfer which was
the church towers of Havana the North
Carolina steamed to her place In the
procession of warships that had been
out of the harbor.
In the front rank were the Brming-
nam and the North Carolina. Between
mem the naval tug Osceola, with great
Maine. remained ready to proceed,
Then came the hulk itself. its rough
outlines hidden almost from view BY
great ropes OF eSergreens, the whole
surmounted by 200 magnificent roses
ccntWlned into canopy, their perfume
filing the air Of the crowded harbor.
behind the Maine swung into place
the little vessels of the Cuban navy,
comprising revenue cutters and minla-
ture gunboats. Then came more than A
score CT merchant vessels, including
the yacht Gypscy, which carried the
Daughters of the American Revolution
The line. as it steamed toward the
harbor mouth, was nearly two miles
long.
Statutes To Be Fired.
AS the steel prows Of the two great
American cruisers came into line with
the entrance of the harbor. the first gun
OF the national salute was fired from
the overlooking fort. The signal was
taken up by the other forts, and before
the answering reply came from the
American warships the saluting had
been begun by all of the land fortilca-
tons
The garrisons stood at attention at
every point, while the Cuban flag was
flying at half-staff. The scene was
most remarkable one, the Cuban gov
eminent having left nothing undone to
show it, respect to the old warship and
her dead.
rhe- 'ta1nA was sunk il, 2sAn cot of
water, sine mics on the Cuban coa,>.
A hollow square was formed by
the cFCortinG fleet at a signal of three
blasts from the siren of the RirminS-
Ian. General Kixcy and Major H. B.
Ferguson then went aboard the hulk
with a number of machnists and
opened the seacocks IN the hull md
floocgate in the bulkhead.
Then, as the great wreck sank the
guns On the warships agaiu belched
forth the national salute, 50 timed
that the last shot was simultanr-
GUS with tn" Disappearance CT th2
wreck hcIow the great hlUr waves.
Thea, DIS the 'ast rosn bcbEcd an the
surface Of the water, the signal was
given, the s'Crtng feet turned
back. and the two grim American war
SHIPS turned their prow5 northWard.
The Maine is only a