Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1916-09-15
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 to 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 it was fighting to
esta blish 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 at the Naval academy and exhib-
tied in 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 We're entertained that they
would be further damaged by moths.
During the ten years they remained
in storage repeated efforts were made
to have the government take some
steps to put them in permanent state
Of preservation, but without success.
In 1912 congress appropriated 100000
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
the $4,000 square yards in the flags, as
the natural decay Of age as well as the
almost hopeless ravages of moths made
any ordinary method of preservation
seem 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 its design and by plac-
ing in vertical and horizontal line the
warp and wool threads in the frag.
ments Of bunting.
What remained Of the original flag
was then sewed firmly to the linen
backing by needewomen under Mrs
Fowler's instruction and guidance.
Less than a year after the labor of
repairing was begun, on May 16. 1913
he flags were completed and put on
exhibition at the Naval academy
In the ceiling Of the academic build
'ng is one of the most interesting of
the trophy flags. 1t is British royal
'tandard taken from the parliament
house at York. now Toronto. then the
capital of upper Canada when the
Nlace was taken by the squadron under
Commodore Isaac Chauncey and land
force under General Zebulon Montgom
ary Pike, April o. 1873
The squadron with about LOO sol
diers aboard. effected landing at York
'lnder cover of fire of grape from the
ships. cleared way through the In
dams and sharpshooters that the Eng
fish 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
at Manila bay are in this auditorium
and some of them are exquisite. The
one flown at the main Of the Spanish
cruiser Don Antonio de Ulloa is a re
minder of the plucky captain of that
cruiser Enrique Robiou. who refused
to surrender at the battle Of Manila
bay on May 1. 1898. so the Ulloa sank
with its guns blazing defiance and all