Evening journal., 1914-05-11

great ceremony being prepared on shore
is not for them. They will participate
in the solemn welcome home-a wei
come not to the living, but TO the si-
lent boys, sleeping serenely under the
flag for which they oied. Everywhere
about the big, sparkling ship, cleanede
and polished and dressed in her best IN
honor of the occasion was evidence OF
the solemnity of the duty TO be per
formed by sailor and landlubber alike,
I from the stoSer in the hold TO the
/ President of the United States.
The Montana had done 2,050 at an
average of IA knots and a cost of
/ 1000 tons of coal and about $4,000,
/ from the tropical waters of Mexico.
Armed bluejackets, pacing the super
structure whereon lay the nations
dead and the officers and crew at at
tention on the quarterback, showed
the sorrowful mission of the ship.
The eventful trip began on Sunday,
May 3, in the harbor of Vera Cruz,
with one of the most impressive inn
promptu ceremonies in the United
States navy's history. With flag at
half-mast and her crew at attention
on the quarterback, the Montana, af-
ter taking on her cargo of dead from
the hospital ship Solace, steamed ma
jestically through the Atlantic fleet,
drown up in two long and imposing
lines.
As the Montana passed, each
dreadnought silently saluted by dip
ping her flag. which was left at half
mast Mustered on deck was the
entire crew of each warship and as
4 the Montana passed by, the ships
bands struck up mOurnful dirges,
"The Dead March From Saul" Near
er My God To Thee" and kindred
airs
More than two thousand miles
from home, after five months in the
South, the departure OF the Montana
was highly dramatic to her officers
and crew G-a to everyone else in the
p harhor.
On the trip up, covering seven days
the Montana was about every sort of
3 ship that the log of the Navy
records
With the seventeen bodies on the
superstructure. she was funeral
b ship. With six cOurtmartialed blue
jackets from the fleet i'm the brig
coming home for dishonorable dis
charge, she was a prison ship. Will
Il two insane men I'm her hospital ward
crazed by five months of heat in the
tropics of Santo Domingo and Mex.
leo. she was an asylum ship. And
with 50 men whose terms Of enlist.
ment had expired, the Montana was
passenger ship.
The first care of Commander J.. NJ
Mutton. captain of the Montana, was
d the preservation OF the bodies entrusted
to his care. AS soon as the Montana
passed before the last of the battle
ships and Vera Cruz was "hull down
on the horizon. the casSets were hoist
, ed to the port side of the superstruc-
ture and ranged in three rows of -four
each and one of five. They were ele-
waited on blocks to allow free circula-
tion of air and covered with tarpaulins
/ to protect them from the weather.
: On last Thursday night. there came
: up a storm off Cape Hatteras,,and
Hatteras can stir up more varieties OF
, storm than any other point on the
Atlantic. The rain came down in tor
rents and as the old Montana rolled and
/ pitched and reared up on the waves
, the flashing lightning, with its accom-
/ panving thunderous detonations re-
, vealed the tapping tarpaulins over the
. seventeen boxes in a picture that will
never fade from the eyes Of those who
saw IT,
! Throughout the voyage the bodie
, OF the dead were guarded night ant
day by two bluejackets, with rifle
and side-arms. As the ship entere'
r Lower New York Bay, after anchor
+ ing Saturday night off Scotland
: Light. the cakets we're draped wit
the stars and Stripes, and the guar
p was doubled. For the funeral service
4 today. the body bearers for each ca
= ket were detailed from the dis
' charged men. They begged to be al
1 lowed to serve. They were men iron
@ the Atlantic fleet who saw actual ser
vice at Vera Cruz. Among them wer
some who actually caught the slail
men in their arms as they fell
The fact that these veterans of tn
taking of Vera Cruz were allowed Z
serve at the memorial of their com
rades today was due entirely to tn
efforts of Commander Mutton. TIL
department, which ordered the Mon
n tana TO depart ldle To-Day lot Dos
y ton with four Of the bodies, ordere
the body bearers to be made up froI
the Montana's regular crew. Off IN
Battery yesterday, Mutton visite
Secretary Daniels, on the Mayflowe
and so explained the circumstance
r that the secretary ordered the di:
r charged men TO bear the bodies {
l. their comrades in the navy yard Ger,
d monies.
It On the trip from Vera Cruz, the az
z pearance of the ship, apart from I'll
l. silent passengers on the superstructur
was normal. Officers and men wer
e about their usual duties with verv-da
IT cheerfulness. Every night there wei
e moving pictures on the quarterback fC
e officers and men. Since the Montan
e had been in the tropics, everx ma