Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-02-27
Relic Of the Maine
Wasn't Satisfactory


saved from the wreck of the, battle
ship Maine, when it was raised in the
harbor of Havana and re.sunk in the
Gulf of Mexico, were held by the gov
eminent to be distributed as relics to
cities and institutions that desired
them. Numerous applications were
received and they have been attended
to so far as possible.
1t seems that the people of Urbana,
Ohio, wanted a Maine relic, and they
wanted good sized one. So Repre-
sentative Willis, their congressman,
endorsed a petition to this effect. In
due time the order was filled from
Washington and the relic arrived. A
committee of leading citizens went
to the station to welcome it. Plans
in the city hall or in the courthouse
yard, with a suitable inscription on
the base, so that posterity might walk
round it and admire it.
The citizens could hardly wait to
have the thing unpacked; they we're
as eager to see what Uncle Sam had
sent them as children are to see what
Santa has left in their stockings. 1t
was big box and the relic was care,
fully packed in excelsior; evidently II
was a treasure. Some thought il
must be the ships log, though it was
a little short for a log. Others argu
ed that it was probably a section OF
the smokestack or perhaps a garbage
chute. Some were sure it was the
Names figurehead, only the Maine
didn't have any. Others hoped and be
lieved it was the dasher of the engine
and still others were confident it mus
be the ships clock or at least the lar
board watch
In this way the discussion went or
While the relic was being carefully un
packed Imagine the shock therefore
when it was discovered that the long
awaited article was only T battered
bathtub rescued from the officer
quarters! No wonder the good PEG
pie of Urbana were mad. 1t was g,
reflection on the cleanliness of thu
CITY," said Mayor Green in a huff. TIL,
/ idea of setting up secondhand bath
tub as public monument was prepos
ferrous, they all agreed. So messag
was sent to Washington CURLY reject
ing the proffered gift and giving motto
that there was 50 go freight charges OF
!, it for someone to pay.
Dean Swift two centuries ago wrot
The Tale of Tub" but he shout
T have waited for the outcome Of thi
episode before issuing his famous sal
{ ire. OF course when it was noise
over the country that Urbana scorne
the Names bathtub, many other cite
7 whose taste in relics is not so fastit
t ious sent in applications for it. Fine
5 lay, Ohio, got it's request in first; an
: Grand Rapids, Mich. Mt. Clemens
: Mich, and Medford, Mass, were rival
: for next choice.
2 Mayor PfeiTer of ST. Joseph, Mo
: thought he would do a popular thin
: and he telegraphed to Washington t
hold the tub for St. Joe. He wa
i much chagrined however when tn
= city council refused to provide an
q funds for bringing the relic on.
e fact they censured the mayor for b
!, ing officious and for bringing the cit
f into undesirable notoriety. The pc
: pie at Washington would think tn;
d the st. Joe people had never seen
e bathtub, they said. Here the matte
d rests, in midair as it were, like tt
: coffin Of Mohammed. Urbana will e
v a 10-inch shell for her relic; this wi
not be as big as the bathtub but
e will have more sentiment to it.