The New York herald., 1921-09-18
navy YARD SERVICE
FOR VICTIMS OF zR-2
Sec'y DENLY Present With
J Representatives of Three
Other Nations.
CEREMONY is BRIEF
Three of 15 Americans Will
Be Inferred at Arlington
National Cemetery.
ONE TO BE BURIED AT SEA
Rain Prevents Carrying Out
Programme for Open Air
Service.
ONE TO BE BURIED AT SEA

Funeral services were held yester.
day afternoon In the restaurant hall at
the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn.
for the fifteen Americans who lost
their lives in the explosion Of the
dirigible ZR-2.
The services were attended by the
diplomatic representatives of Great
Britain, France and Brazil, Secretary
of the Navy DENLY with several Amer
ican naval officers OF high rank and
several hundred relatives and friends
of the dead with their invited guests.
The ceremony itself was confined to
the reading OF the burial service OF
the Episcopal and Roman Catholic
churches. the singing of two hymns
and the placing OF wreaths on the
collins.
Although Preparations had been made
for the handing of crowd of $4,000.
fewer than 500 attended, many persons
being kept away by the rain, which fell
throughout the services. The small
number who attended, together with the
incessant drizzle. prevented the funeral
from being SO Impressive as 1t otherwise
would have oeen.
When the bodies arrived Friday on the
British light ,;-uiser Dauntless they were
carried ashore and placed In building 16
at the navy yard. 1t was originally
planned to ho.d an open air funeral SER
vice on the athletic field. but the rain
caused a change In plans.
The ceremony began at 2 80 o'clock.
The cofiins. oraped with flags and
flowers. were faced by chairs for naval
officers and invited guests. The first
four rows were reserved for friends and
relatives of the dead. Behind the cofhns.
against wall draped with American
flags were chairs for the chaplains and
a few guests. Double columns of Ameri-
can. British, French and Brazilian ma
a9nes faced each other along the two
side walls
Lieutenant Commander F. z. Meyer,
Episcopal chaplain. read the Episcopal
funeral service and ended with short
eulogy in which he said that the men
had lost their lives because of "the love
tinlt is the buglc call that leads US to
q higher civilization"
Then the New York police quartet
sang Lead. Kindly Light" and Secre-
tary DENLY stepped forward, and in be-
half of President Harding and the Navy
Depas 'trnent placed a wreath on each of
the fifteen caskets. He was followed by
Representatives OF the British Embassy.
Chaplain Matthew c. Gleason, Cath
Ollie chaplain. then read the Roman
Catholh burial service, and the police
quartet s'ang Nearer. My God. to Thee"
Three v.lleys were fired by marines
outside tie bugler sounded taps and the
mourners filed out of the hall.
Oswald e. Herring. in behalf OF the
d. K T.. Fraternity, as its president.
laid on tia casket containing the body
OF CoWma uder Louis II. Maxfieid a
large wseath in the fraternity colors Of
red gold and blue. Commander Max
field joined the fraternity while a stu
dent at the Massachusetts Institute OF
Technology
With Secvetary DENLY were Capt. d.
i. Sellers ef the navy and Col. d. d.
Porter OF the Marine Corps. Others
who attended were Rear Admiral w, a.
Noffatt Rear Admiral Hilary p. Jones,
Gen. Robert Lee Bullard. Commander
Kenneth Whiting and Lieut-Commandc
Zachary Whiting.
sir Hugh NJ. TTencherd, British Air
Minister. also was present. He was ac-
cornpanied by Capt. Gloucester Arm
strong, British Consul-Geuerai: Capt.
Stephenson OF the cruiser Dauntiess and
other representatives of the British Gov
errpnent.
After the services the bodies wers
taken to the navy yard hospital 20 be
prepared for burial The body of Lieut..
Emory C. Coll Will be buried at sea In
response to a desire which he expressed
n short time before the ZR-2 disaster.
Three bodies, those OF Commander Louis
il. Maxfield. Lieut. Commander Valen-
tine n. Bleg and Chief Machinist's Mate
George Welsh will be buried mt the Ar
lington National Cemetery. The widow
OF Coumander Maxfield Is still at sea
and is not expected to arrive In this city
until tomorrow.