Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-01
Fifty Years Ago

war always mas Deen cruel aHaT
story in The Star of July 20, 1893 illustrates
how horrible it could be
The Son DOMINGO half century ago. THE
BIosted Spanish trans Atlantic
liner San Domingo" the
report announced, was totally destroyed by
the little auxiliary gunboat Eagle on July IL
off Cape Francois. I" = The San Domingo had
two 5-inch guns mounted and loaded, her
magazines were open, and 1t only remained
to train her guns and fire them to blow the
little Eagle out of the sea. But the latter,
with her comparatively feeble battery of g.
FOUNDERS, steamed to within two miles of the
enemy and poured shot after shot into her
until she turned and in desperate attempt
to get into the narrow channel grounded on
the reef without having tried to return the
American fire. Seventy shots were fred by
the Eagle and nearly all took affect When
the Spanish ship went ashore river steamer
came out and took of her officers and crew.
49, The cargo was largely of grain and food
supplies. Fifty head of cattle were penned
on the decks. The Eagles men decided that
she was too far gone to be foated, and after
shooting the cattle, they set fire to her and
watched her destruction"
ldi Gu ACiibclo Va VIC S0 ANC-
braska Regiment, commanded by Col. Will
liam j. Bryan, arrived in
COL Bryon in Nashville on July 81, 1898, and
Nashville were met at the depot by a
large crowd. The Star for
the next day told how all the soldiers were
provided with box lunches and presented with
flowers" Benton Mcmillan introduced the
former Democratic presidential candidate to
{ho al .War
often brings results which were not imagined
in the beginning, but one result has already
been achieved during this war. If there was
anybody in the United States who doubted
the loyalty of the people of the South, there
will hereafter be no one to doubt the loyalty
of the South. When the President gave
generals commission to Gen. Fitzhugh Lee
and Gen. Wheeler. the sectional question was
forever buried"
1.-THE first modelling in clay Of what will
eventually be a large bronze statue OF the
late Frederick Douglass" reported
DouoIoss The Star of July %, 1898. stands
Stntue completed in the abandoned First
Methodist Protestant Church, the
work of S. W. Edwards Of westerly r. l. From
the clay a plaster of paris cast will be made,
and from the plaster cast the bronze molding.
The statue, when finally finished in the richest
of bronze, will stand 8 feet IN height and VIII
be erected in Rochester, N. Y, where Mr..
Douglass spent Q great portion Of his life.
It will rest upon . handsome granite pedestal,
10 feet or more in height bringing the entire
work to height of nearly 20 feet. Mr.. Ed
wards has been at work on the clay model
for several months 1t has been inspected
from time to time by members OF the Douglass
family and by persons who were familiar with
the renowned colored leader when he was at
the zenith of his career AL have pronounced
the work excellent"
Three columns of correspondence signed
D. l. MERCER appeared in The Star for July 70.
1898, describing the baptism
D;str;rt Trooos Of fire" encountered by Dis
: II,d., E;,e trict National Guard per-
sonnet near Santiago on
July II. veterans never marched more stead
tIy or with more nonchalance to the place
assigned them on battlefield" In month
the war would be over, and the Washington
contingent would be homeward bound; but
the boys did not kno9 that then.