Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-08-29

of men who sent their craft around
the world in times when romance
gilded remote seas and distant ports.
There's no admission charge. Build
ings are open every week day, includ-
ing holidays, from 8 o'clock until 5,
and on Sundays from to S.
I COATING the museum from New
port News is very easy. Simply
drive along route so until. miles
north Of the city, you're about a mile
from a hamlet called Hilton Vi'lsgs
Keep your eyes peeled and You'll see
large sign directing you to your
destination.
You now enjoy a drive of about a
mile and q half that skirts the bay
First the road winds through level
fields, passes ponds where wild fowl
Turk in the tall grasses. and comes tc
a white bridge guarded by two stone
lions, and then into a dense wood o.
towering pines. Incidentally, the life
sized lions, cast in granite, are the
work of Mrs. Arthur NJ Huntington
wife of the founder of the museum
She happens to be famous sculptress
In the heart of stately hardwood, ir
a setting rarely surpassed for native
beauty, the museum building stands
today. On the land side the struc.
ture is flanked by woods. But looking
across the broad river dhe James,, il
offers a splendid view downstream OF
the long James River Bridge and the
busy harbor in the distance.
A 500-foot dam across the tidewater
creek has converted it into a lake,
raising the water level 10 feet and
flooding the entire valley. The water
is called Maury Lake, in honor Of
Mathew Fontaine Maury, famous Vir-
GINA oceanographer and maritime
scientist.
The museum is a rectangular. single
story brick building, colored a light
tan. Closer inspection reveals it to
be skylighted quadrangle, surround
ing a spacious courtyard in which are
placed a weird-looking collection OF
seacraft from far corners of the globe.
Two enormous ships cannons front
the entrance, while the door is
guarded by two cast-iron anchors
more than 6 feet high and weighing
at least a ton apiece. All around the
exterior'of the building, leaning against
the sides, giant anchors like these
have been placed. Most OF them are
so to 100 years old and they lend an
atmosphere of realistic antiquity, for
they are coated with sea shells and
other maritime growths, the result
of many long years OF submersion IN
Davy Jones' Locker.
ENTERING the building is an event.
II YOU look for a bell and don't
locate any. No guard or caretaker is
in sight, You take the slightest step
forward and something almost un-
canny happens. Slowly the heavy
door opens, as If operated by some
unseen force, and just as slowly closes
behind you.
Later YOU kCdkh oAAdt OAlC ooOA 10
controlled by Q photo-electric cell
working In combination with COM
pressed air. An ultra-modern system
counts the number Of people coming
in nv means Of an automatic counting
device.
FIRST to catch your eye in the main
exhibition room are the decorations
upon the walls-a magnificent display
of ships' figureheads. There are any
humber Of these proud figures taken
from the prows Of vessels, drenched
with the spume Of the sea, symbols of
adventure, carved and hewn from
wood. Today far from the breaking
waves. they stand in utter peace, land
locked for ell time to come.
Finest figurehead in the entire ex-
hibit y the figure OF Ceres, goddess