White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1920-02-08

again were these musicians 'ii"ai'o"
in their attempts TO reach nome.
Equally spectacular was the career
of the second regular band OF musi-
clans recorded In our navy. Inns
hand was not kidnapped but captured
by our frigate United States, Captain
Decatur. when he defeated the British
frirate Macedonian in lS12. 1here
were eight members of this band
Germans. Frenchmen and Italians
who had enlisted on a French battle
shin. were captured by the Portuguese,
and while in Lisbon enlisted on the
Macedonian, only to be captured a Few
months later by the United States.
From which we see that the Ire OF
| the early sea musician was fuii Oh
! sharps and flats.
That the English naval officer OF ina
day appreciated music is shown by
the fact that Captain Garden tine
Maeedonian's commander) had these
musicians play under his cabin Win
dow when he dined, land when the
wardroom officers messed they played
before the door of that sanctum, ex-
cept on Sundays, when Garden was In
the habit of honoring the wardroom
with his p~resence-the band accom-
panyIng him.
When these musicians enlisted on
the Macedonian a clause in their con-
tract stipulated that in case of battle
they Should not be called upon to fight
but should be safely slowed away In
the cable tier. Thus they came out
of the battle with the United States
unscathed. Decatur carried his cap
tured band to New York and these
musicians headed the great" street
parade In celebration of this naval
victory.
From Humble Beginnings
IL was from humble and irregular
beginnings that u present Marine
band-which Justly has won for itself
a reputation for being one OF the finest
naval bands in the world@began its
development. We have no record OF
a regularly organized naval band Of
musicians at the period of the Revo-
luton: but on the reorganization OF
the navy In 1898 provision was made
for the establishment of a drum-and-
fife corps. This was the Official be
ginning of our present Marine band.
In an act for the establishment Of q
marine corps, approved by President
Adams on July IL of that year, IL was
provided that there should be 16 drum
mers and the same number OF fifers,
one of whom should act as ffe-maJor.
Ambitious to add other instruments
TO the drum-and-ife corps, the officials
Of the navy department, early In the
following century, sent Lieut.. Col.
Archibald Henderson TO Naples, where
he enlisted Is italian musicians and
brought them back to America. Un-
Ill 1915 there was no regular leader
of the Marine band, the members
seeming to take turns in acting as
"ffemajor." On August IA Of hat
year. however, j. l.. Club was regu-
larry appointed and served until 1924
thus becoming the first Of a line OF
distinguished band leaders in the Unit
ed States navy. His successors were
Eutins Friquet to 1880. Francis Sche-
mig to 1S43. Francis Scala to 1871.
First open-air Concerts.
II was Scala who first gave this
band a national reputation, for he In
augurated the now famous open-air
concerts at the White House and on
the capitol grounds-the organization
still being known oficlally as the
drum-and-ffe corps. Evidently men,
bers of congress were susceptible to
the influence of music, and on July 20,
1861, President Lincoln approved a
law recognizing this band as part OF
the military service of the United
States, with its number fixed at thirty,
under the leadership of a principal
musician"
Scala was succeeded In 1871 by Hen
~ Fries, who served to 1873; by Louis
Schneider, who served TO 1880; by