The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-08-25
TROPHIES OF WAR
Captured Flags Carefully Pre-.
served by Uncle Sam.
ON VIEW IN NAVAL ACADEMY
Restored by Special Process After
Having Been In Tatters For Years,
They Are a Living Proof Of the Hero
ism of Our Soldiers and Sailors.

In the auditorium of the academic
building at the United States Naval
academy at Annapolis are $4,000 square
yards OF flags, most Of them trophy
flags.
The capture Of these tattered ban
ners helped 10 make the stars and
stripes respected by the nations Of the
earth and reflect undying glory on the
men OF the United States navy. They
are living proofs Of the heroism and
courage Of the soldiers and sailors who
fought to maintain the flag when the
nation was struggling for independ
ence and later when 1t was fighting to
establish firmly the foundations OF the
greatest republic OF the world.
From 1S47 to 1901 this collection Of
flags, which should be one Of Amer
ica's most highly priced treasures, was
kept mt the Naval academy and exhib-
tied I'm the old naval institute hall.
In 1901, when it was decided to tear
down this building, the flags were
packed In iron boxes and stored away
Being In dilapidated condition when
they were taken down to be packed,
grave fears were entertained that they
would be further damaged by moths.
During the ten years they remained
TO have the government take some
steps to put them In a permanent state
Of preservation, but without success
In 1912 congress appropriated $4,000
for the work OF preservation.
About three months later Mrs. Amelia
Fowler, an expert on flag preservation,
obtained the services Of forty needle
women, who began the arduous task
Of sewing over by hand every inch Of
tho 1900 square yards In the flags, rs
the natural decay Of age as well as the
almost hopeless rgvages Of moths made
any ordinary method Of preservation
seam impossible
A special process was originated by
Mrs. Fowler, which Is described as
spreading the tattered remnants OF
each flag upon a backing Of heavy
Irish linen Of neutral color"
The delicate work was guided by the
original measurement OF the flag, by
knowledge of It's design and by plac-
ing In vertical and horizontal line the
warp and woof threads In the frag-
Msnts Of bunting.
What remained u the original flag
Wis then sewed firmly to the linen
backing by needlewomen under Mrs.
Fowler's instruction and guidance.
Less than a year after the labor of
repairing was begun, on May 16, 1913,
the flags were completed and put on
exhibition at the Naval academy.
In the ceiling Of the academic build
ing Is one Of the most interesting of
the trophy flags. 1t Is British royal
standard taken from the parliament
house ut York, now Toronto, then the
capital Of upper Canada, when the
place was taken by the squadron under
Commodore Isaac Chauncey and land
force under General Zebulon Montgom-
cry Pike, April 27, 1918.
The squadron, with about 1,70O sol
diers aboard, effected n landing at York
under cover Of fire Of grape from the
ships, cleared way through the In
dians and sharpshooters that the Eng
lish had formed to oppose them and
stormed the batteries. The capture Of
York resulted In the acquisition Of the
royal standard, the only British royal
standard captured and held by any
nation.
The flags captured by Admiral Dewey
ut Manila bay are In this auditorium
and some Of them are exquisite. The
one flown at the main Of the Spanish
cruiser Don Antonio dc Ulloa Is n re-
minder Of the plucky captain Of that
cruiser, Enrique Robiou, who refused
to surrender at the battle Of Manila
bay on May 1, 1893, so the Ulloa sank
with It's guns blazing defiance and all
fiaps fyinp --Roston C1oba