Evening Star Newspaper, March 4, 1923, Page 79

BY WILL P. KENNEDY, EPRESENTATIVE JOSEPH GURNEY CANNON, more af- fectionately known through- out the length and breadth ©f the land as “Uncle Joe,” is leaving Congress today, having broken the long-distance record for membership, with & mark which probably never wrill be equaled. He has served forty- =ix years, through most troublous days, and is loved best today by 1hose who fought him most bitterly in the days of so-called “Cannonism” and Cannon ‘“czarism.” He went on the appropriations com- mittee forty-four vears ago and has been a member continuously ever since, except for four years, when he was not in Congress, and eight years while he was Speaker. For 1en vears he was chairman of the appropriations committee. R NNON was Speaker in the days when the Speaker was boss, being such & Speaker as were Reed, Car- ligle, Crisp, Blaine and the other mreat leaders who have occupled that chair. But although assailed as “czar,” Speaker Cannon was really Tess of a boss than any of his pred- eccssors. All the previous Speakers had made up the list of committees themselves. In his organization of the House Speaker Cannon sent for John Sharp Williams, then demo- cratic leader of the House and later senator, and sald to him: “Williams. you're boss of vour side. T Delieve in a contest the leader should control his organization. I wish vou'd make up the democratic atde of the committee lists. 1've made up the proportion according to the majority and minority strength. Il make up the majority side ang vou make up the minority side, and 'l incorporate your list with mine. “I'll make only two conditions— irst, geographical. 1¢ T find it neces- sary to put a republican on any com- mittee from a state which ought to Yiave only one member, I'll not let you also assign a democrat from the same state. Second. T'll have to ask you to do what T will do myself, refrain from appointing new members to the ivers and harbors committee from districts where they have big new projects under consideration, or to the naval committee where they are irving to get new navy yards. Willlams agreed that that was “not only fair, but a most generous propo- sition.” and yet it was out of this ar- rangement that the furor against ‘Cannonism™ and “czarism” developed. Williams did not give several of the old democ-ats the committee places they wanted. For example, Repre- sentative Shackleford of Missour! wanted a place on interstate and for- cign commerce. Shackleford made a speech in the House against the “czar- sm of the Speaker,” and that was the first note of rebellion. *%x = €67 INCLE JO first speech in the House has been written into history as “the hayseed speech.” but it really, resulted in revision of the vostal code. establishing the pound rate of paying postage on second- class mail matter. The postage on newspapers pre- viously had to be paid by the sub- scriber and collected by the post- master making the dellvery. Under the legislation put through by Cannon the postage had to be paid at the of- fice of publication at a pound rate. While making his “maiden speech,” Tepresentative Cannon was inter- rupted by Representative William Walter Phelps of New Jersey, who said: “The gentleman seems to have oats in his pocket.” “Yes,” promptly replied Cannon, “and hayseed in his hair, and that's the style of most of my constituents. T hope that both are good seed and will grow good crops here in the east.” Mr. Cannon was making a plea for the country press, because the city press had been attacking the bill. who is one of the * ¥ % ¥ M R. NON, ! most generous of men in ex- penditures for his family, seems to have a grudge against himself when it comes to personal outlay. He is notoriously a “tight wad” regarding himself, close as the proverbial bark on the tree. 1t fell out that he was wearing an nvercoat which had seen too many years of service. His daughter expostulated with him, mildly at first, then insist- ently, and finally emphatically, until he consented to go to a clothing store and select an overcoat. He wouldn’t think of latting any one else pick it out. That would not be in accordance with his in- dependence, The salesman showed him a coat which he fancied and which fit him to his easy-going satisfaction. “How much?” was Uncle Joe's cau- ttous and suspicious question. “Only $85,” was the reply. Up in the air he went. “Why,” he cried, “I never paid more than $30 for a coat in my life,” and he took the gar- ment oft, golng out of the store ripping and snorting at profiteers. He duly reported the incident at home, still indignant. His daughter soothingly said, *“Well, you go back to- motrow und see Mr. So. and So, and he wall give you a $30 coat.” Meantime she arranged that the salesman mentioned should fit him with a sultable coat and price it at $30, and she would pay the balance. He did so, supplying him with the $85 coat. Next day Uncle Joe breezed into the Capitol and bumped into 2 fellow mem- ber. “Hello, Uncle Joe; you have 2 new coat?” “Yes, it's all right.” “How much did you pay for it?” “*Thirty dollars, and that was enou; 11 give you $40 for it right now. “You are on,” said Uncle Joe, strip- ping off the coat while his colleague counted out the four tens. They teased him about it for a while, until the coat was returned. But they say that Uncle Joe still groans at the thought of that $85. * ko k % HEN Former Speaker Cannon first came to Congress he served with @ delegate from the District of Co- Jumbla, and hopes the time will come when he will welcome to & seat in the House a representative from the peo- ple of the National Capital. This was emphasized during the Cannon fes- * tivities in the House, when Repre. sentative William A._Rodenberg of Jilinofs said: “For several years people and the T Popular Legislator Was Speaker in House in Days When That Official Was Boss—Loved Today by Those Who Fought Him Most Bitterly When He Was Called Czar—Instituted Reform in Selection of Committees His First Particigation in Debate Written Into His- tory as the “Hayseed Speech.” Hareis- EWING “UNCLE JOE” CANNON FIFTY YEARS AGO. WHEN HE CAME TO WASHINGTON AND THIS P ICTURE WAS TAKEN, “UNCLE JOE'S” HAIR AND BEARD WERE RED. Copyright by Harris & Bwing. sentation of the District on this floor, and with this T am personally in full accord. Even those who are acquaint- ed with the historical aspect of the proposition are frankly concerned about the practical working of such an agreement, but this is a question that causes Mr. Cannon no concern, because when he first came to Con- gress he served here with Gen. Norton P. Chipman, the delegate from the District of Columbla. The city of Washington, or rather the District of Columbia, was at that time represent- ed on this floor by a delegate, just as were nine of the territories that have since taken their places in the sister- hood of the states.” Representative Burton E. Sweet of Towa and “Uncle Joe' Cannon, the sage of Danville, Ill, often play dominoes together at the National Press Club, just as though they were back home, playing at the four- corners store. When “Uncle Joe” Cannon starts on his permanent vacation he proposes to spend considerable of his time with Charles Dickens, and to have another session with David Copperfield, which he thinks is the best book Dickens wrote. If there is one man in the entire American Congress whose picture is familiar to every one in the country it ought to be “Uncle Joe" Cannon, because he always ran a close second to the late Col. Roosevelt as the most- photographed and most-written-about man on this continent. And yet when the former Speaker established a new record for longevity in Congress one of the big newspapers printed a cut of former Senator Frank Cannon, a Mormon, with a captain under it which read “Uncle Joe” Cannon. When such things happen to “Uncle Joe” his friends make sure that he does not miss seeing them. For ex- ample, 2 much-read newspaper in up- per Michigan on January 8 printed a picture of an attractive young wom- an in lingerie and boudoir robe, un- der which the amazed reader found this caption: “Still wears 'em—Uncle Joe Cannon, the grand old man of the republican party, and one of Illinois’ i representatives in the House, rising to speak at a dinner in Chicago.” elsewhere in the paper was found a picture of Mr. Cannon, with vest under which was the comment: “Boudoir robe with oriental touch— for this wonderful boudoir robe of panne velvet and silver metal cloth.” * k k x ‘6U NCLE JOE" paused in the House pay tribute to the men who as clerks helped him in the duties of his “There was a boy brought up from Tennessee by the name of James C. that passed from that time up to the time of his death, there was no man who was so well equipped from the standpoint of all legislation requir- Mr. Cannon interrupted himself with a little anecdote about the late souri, of whom he said: “Aside from the gentleman from North Carolina think there never was a man so able with his tongue as De Armond. It said that De Armond once wound up with a sentence attack on himself as The mystery was explained when dofted, standing forth in suspenders, from the east comes the imagination Some one had switched the captions. proceedings the other day to high positions. Courts,” he said. “In all the decades who ever occupied such a position ing experience, as James C. Courts.” Representative De Armond from Mis- (former Floor Leader Kitchin), I was like & knife and a dagger.” He chairman of the committee, to the ef- public press of Washington have been | fect that “the clerks had fnade the cgitating the_guestion of the repre- reputation of every ch_lgmnn_o[.xfigg committee. including the then present chalrman.” To this Mr. Cannon re- plied: *Yes, that is true, and I wish to God that some one would get a competent clerk for the gentleman trom Missourl.” | Mr. Cannon told the House that James C. Courts had shortened his life a decade ut least by his “great, strenuous and valuable work. “Cnele Joe,” on December 28, 1920, established his new record for longev- ity in the national Congress. On that day he made the following speech, covering the developments during his life in the House: “We have had so many of these wakes that T am beginning to wonder if I am not already realizing the hopes of those who desire to return from the other shore and continue to communicate with their friends who are still participating in the ordi- nary affairs of this mundane sphere. But it is a compliment that I appre- ciate from my fellow members of the House, and I thank my personal friend and colleague, the former Speaker, for his sentiments, which I fully reciprocate. “I realize that it is a rather long time that I have been here, but it has not seemed long, for time never drags in the House, and the realization of the years that have come and gone comes to me only when I look into the faces of my colleagues and note the changes. “As I look over the House I find more than 100 of my colleagues who had not been born in 1872; and as I have watched You as you took your places as leaders in committees and on the floor in debate, some of you already called veteran legislators, I feel that 1872 must have been a lons way back in the history of the House and the country, for there have been new names added to the United States, with a whole great empire covering the plains and the mountains of the west now represented on this floor. Eleven states have been admitted to the Union since I first became a mem- ber of the House, and they have often 'made a noise like a majority here and in the nation and the world, both in peace and in war.” * kX x EPRESENTATIVE W. A. RODEN- BERG of Illinois figured out just what “Uncle Joe” Cannon stands for as a landmark in the country’'s de- velopment. He finds that since Rep- resentative Cannon came to Congre: for the first time In 1872, the follow- ing have happened: Population from 40,696,000 to 106,- 000,000. From thirty-seven states to forty- eight. Public wealth from $30,000,000 to $200,000,000,000. From 66,000 miles of railroad track to 268,000. From initiation of post-card serv- ice to alrship mail. From $23,000,000 in postal receipts to $437,000,000. One-half of all the members of Congress born while he has been in Congress. All of his colleagues in the early Congresses are dead except Gen, Isaac R. Sherwood. Served under ten Speakers, besides being Speaker himselt for eight years. Served under ten Presidents. Took leading part in readjustment following three wa: Helped to establish the civil serv- ice. Saw four of nineteen amendnients to the Constitution adopted. Saw Panama Canal built threugh legislation he helped to pass, HILE Mr. Cannon has been ac- corded the reputation of being the champion smoker of America and the government authority on all brands of cigars, it is a fact that he sticks o one brand of very light pan- etela clgars, which he buys for him- self in Washington, fifty in & box. He destroys probably a dosen clgars a day but really smokes no more than five or six. He breaks them up, chews them up or throws them away only half consumed. Probably no man has ever received more numerous or more valuable gifts of cigars than Mr. Cannon—and no man has more earnestly expressed his appreciation of the good will that prompted a gift or more punctually &iven it away to the next caller. This proneness of “Uncle Joe” to sive away cverything In sight that any visitor manifests a liking for has been a source of great annoyance to his secretary and his daughter. who &s far as possible keep out of his reach whatever he might be inclined to give away impulsively. ‘While for years it has been the cus- country, whenever they went away on any little trip, to bring back a box of the best clgars they could find to “Uncle Joe,” and while functionaries in Cuba, the Philippines and many places famed for their cigars have sent gifts of their best to the former “czar of the House"—it was a mer- chant in Georgia who put across the really unique gift. He wrote to Mr. Cannon one day about like this: “I see by the papers that you have the reputation of being a great smok- er, but that often you never light your cigar, but chew it. Under sep- arate cover 1 am sending some cigars 1 have made expressly for you. I guarantee that you will not be able to light them and that you find they will chew better than any you ever had in your mouth.” His gift was a box of panetela- shaped black cigars. All efforts fail- ed to light one, and it chewed with uneurpassed flavor and moisture, for it was made of the choicest plug to- bacco. T is doubtful If there is a single day throughout the year when the Capitol at Washington is not visited by at least a dozen couples on their honeymoon trips. Washington seems to be the mecca for newlyweds from every section of the country, from El Paso to Augusta, and from Cape Cod to Seattle. A majority of these brides refuse to leave the big, beauti- ful buflding until their newly ac- quired lords and masters have taken them to “Uncle Joe" Cannon's office. Their object s twofold—first, they want to shake hands with “Uncle and then they want to eee the “bride” chandelier that hangs in his outer office. The “bride” chandelier was formerly one of the attractive decorations of the White House. It was under this chandelier that Presi- dent Grover Cleveland and Miss Frances Folsom stood when they were married, back in 1886. The chandelier was discarded when the White House was remodeled during the Roosevelt regime. Elliott Woods, architect of the Capitol, had it placed in “Uncle Joe's” office. «Uncle Joe” Cannon is ready to challenge men of his age to fisticuffs or & foot race. When W. E. Morgan, veteran of the Illinois 8th Cavalry. who is a doorkeeper on the Senate side, dropped around the other day to “Uncle Joe's” office to swap ancient political history, one of the first ques- tions the former Speaker asked was, “How old are you?’ and when he learned that they are the same age he backed up, squaring off | at the o) cavalryman. Then his next sally was, “Say, I'll run you a foot race.” Morgan and Cannon are quite simi- lar in appearance, Morgan was sworn in on his present job on his eighty- third birthday. He is living today on a farm in Virginia, where he saw service when detailed to check the raids of the old Confederate Mosby's Guerrillas. After the war he lived in Nebraska for forty years. * x % o* EN Gov. Frank O. Lowden of Il- inois visited Washington to tes- tity on the national budget system, he was strolling uptown en route to his hotel and encountered “Uncle Joe" Cannon. The former Speaker was walking with his head down, deep in thought. “Pardon me. sir. ‘but could vou direct me to the Shoreham Hotel?” said the governor, with a twinkle in his eye. “Certainly,” replied “Uncle Joe." “T'l] show you just where it {s.” Taking the governor by the arm, Mr. Cannon turned around and started up the street. After a few steps he glanced up into his companion’s face. Uncle Joe stopped short In amaze- ment upon observing that the supposed “stranger” was his governor and long- time friend. Mr. Cannon takes considerable pride in the fact that what wealth he has came through his confidence in the fu- ture of the country, and that the very agenclgs which brought him money also contributed to the development of communities and to the establishment of hundreds of happy homes in a number of states. Mr. Cannon had a brother Bill who was considered as & youth not strong physically. Mother Cannon from his earliest youth instilled into “Joe” that he must prepare to care for Brother Bill, which young Joe proceeded to do. Just about the time that Joe started in to be prosecuting attorney, having won election on the Lincoln ticket, he came home one day and Brother Bill dumfounded him by saying: “Joe, I've taken you In as partner.” Mr. Cannon says that he accepted that “taken you In” in all its slang significance. “Partner in what?’ he asked. 4 “Oh, I've started a bank,” was the amazing reply. Brother Bill had started a little farm back in Tuscols. Gradually Bill and Joe invested the funds in land. A little later they started another bank in Danville. Then one day Brother Bill decided that the people of Danville ought to have & horse car or two, and he established & street rallway system, which Senator Willam B. McKinley owns today and which he later extend- od into an interurban system. When the street cars got running in good shape, Brother Bill decided that the town must have gas and olectric service and he gave it to them, Then came hard times and the HE SUNDAY “STAR, WASHINGTON,. D. « “Uncle Joe” Cannon Leaves Congress After Breaking Long-Distance Record l AAAR tom of many of the great men of the; ) ), MARCH 4, 1923—PART J. 2 Monitor-Merrimac Anniversary This Week; Confederate Survivor Recalls the Conflict TN Fewwwwww BY STEPHEN F. TILLMAN. EMORIES, the sweet-coated day dreams of yesterday, are rellshed by granddaddy as well as youth. The sweetest things in life are the air- castle @reams of youth. When even- tide enshrouds the earth and the lights are aglow, then with the old jimmy pipe agoing, seated in the old armchair by the fireside, slowly our eyes drop, and with bowed heads we drift back to those happy hours of childhood—ot our “first love”; remi- niscences of yesterday. Perhaps on the 8th of this month Capt. Henry Marmaduke will also dream of the by-gones and recall those stirring days of the memorable fight betwixt the Merrimac and the Monitor, for he is the last officer alive of the former famous vessel. Prob- ably he, seated in his cozy home by the fireside, will mentally turn back to that never-to-be-forgotten day when: Slowly the Confederate vessel Vir- ginia steamed out of the Norfolk navy vard (March 8, 1862) with a crew on board of 375 officers and men. Little did that brave band of men realize that the forthcoming events would revolutionize warships in years to come. For up to that time the naval ships were constructed of wood. The Virginia, or, as she has since be- come known, the Merrimac, was the first warship to be coated with fron. All school children will recall the his- toric fight in Hampton roads between the Confederate ship Merrimac and the Unfon vessel Monitor. On board the Merrimac, as she slowly made her way out of the yard, was Midshipman Henry H. Mar- maduke, who now makes his home in | Washington at 1231 11th street north- west. Today he is the only living of- ficer of that famous frigate. Born in Saline county, Mo., in 1842, he was appointed-to the United States Naval Academy. at Annapolis, Md., in 1858 However, when the civil war bro.c out his love for the Confederacy W 1s too strong and he chose to res.gn from the academy to accept an ap- pointment in the Confederate navy as midshipman. He arose to the grade of first lleutenant in the Confederate states navy. a grade which he held at the close of the war. * % % K in his seventy-ninth vear, Capt. Marmaduke shows few effects of the rigors through which he passed during the fight be- tween the Merrimac and the Monitor for the mastery of Hampton roads. Though severely wounded when the Merrimao was destroying the Union frigate Congress, Marmaduke re- mained on board the Confederate jronclad and commanded a gun in its tragic fight with the TUnion ship of war. (Today in the Washington navy yard there is a gun from the Merrimac that was commanded by Marmaduke at the time he was wounded. The gun was silenced by having its muzzle shot off during the fight.) With the young officer at the time of the fight was his gun crew of fourteen men, two of whom were killed at their post of duty. Marmaduke's first assignment with the Confederate navy was with the fieet at New Orleans, where he serv- ed on the McRae. He was detached from this vessel and ordered to the Merrimac. then being fitted out in the Norfolk navy yard. He was a participant in the attack upon the Tnion fleet at the head of the passes on the Mississippi river on October 11, 1861, and then was transferred for temporary service with the gun- boat Calhoun. His services with the ironociad Vir- ginia, commonly known as the Mer- rimac, began in 1862. He was in the fight with the frigates Congress and Cumberland, and while in action with the former ship was painfully wounded. but remained aboard the Merrimao until aften the fight. As Capt. Mermaduke sits there in his chair tears dim the eyes of the old sea warrior while reminiscences of early sea fights of the civil war come floating back. When thinking of that wonderful 8th day of March Capt. Marmaduke heaves a sigh of regrot. Of a desire to live over those wonderful days? No one knows but himself. Slowly opening his eyes ana gaz- ing at the writer with a look that is both stern and soft with the love of memories, he says that Capt. Frank- lin Buchanan was in command of the LTHOUGH CAPT. HENRY. H. MARMADUKE, SURVIVING OFFICER OF THE FAMOUS IRONCLAD MERRIMAC, WHICH BATTLED WITH THE Merrimac and was wounded during the first day's fight. Buchanan had previously served as an officer in the United States Navy. Here is the story of the fight as told by this won- derful old man, a true product of the old south: “The fight between the ironclads was a glash of the first armorclad fighting vessels to travel under their own steam. During the Crimean war | there were several floating ironclad {batteries. It was the Merrimac that first proved the uselessness of wooden warships and the value of the iron- clads. the forerunner of the present- day steel warship. “Our country is rich in historic events. but, try as you will, it is im- possible to find any event or series of events to overshadow the two days. more than sixty years ago, when the ironclad Merrimac met and destroved some of the finest warships then afloat and then engaged in combat with the Monitor. also an ironclad, and demonstrated to the world that wooden vessels were doomed as War- ships and that it would be necessary from that time on for all nations to build armored ships for their navies. * ok x X 6HE Merrimac was built by the United States government as a steam frigate, and placed in commis- sion in 1855. She was considered to represent the best type of warship possessed by any nation at that time. The government thought so much of her that she was sent on a cruise to European waters, where she was viewed with admiration by repre- sentatives of the greatest European powers. The vessel remained in for- eign waters for four years, and then returned to this country and to the navy yard at Portsmouth, Va., where she was placed out of commission. “Soon afterward the bloodiest war in history was fought—the great civil war. The federal troops evacuated Norfolk and Portsmouth, and on April 19 of '61, before evacuation, the Mer- rimac and other ships were disman- tled and burned to the waterline by the federals. Scuttled and sunk, the vessels were thought to be safe from e e —— people couldn’t get coal. Brother Bill figured out that as a matter of economy and conservation the elec- tric plant ought to sell its surplus steam to the people for their homes, and as & result of that a central heat- ing system was established. Occasionally Uncle Joe rather proudly tells how Brother Bill, whom he set out to care for, really did most of the helping-hand business all his life. Brother Bill died about twenty- five years ago. He fell in a bank as he reached to pull down & window shade and was fatally hurt. Representative Cannon always has had a weakness for land. He bought large tracts in Illinois, Nebraska, Towa, Arkansas and Mississippl. He bought when the states were young. He had faith in them, and when some of his friends suggested that they ought to develop, he would show his conviction on that point by buying a large sweep of land. He always sold at & good profit, but invariably lived to see the same land sold over again for much higher figures. “'He never went out hunting for land bargains—they just seemed to present themselves to him. His having grown up in the great middle west in the boom days helped a lot. By his con- fidence In buying lands he encouraged others to buy and'develop farms. His farm banks helped to establish thou- gands of happy homes on productive farms in & number of states. * ok x X \HERE was a group of Capitol T “rubbernecks” in front of “Uncle Joe” Cannon's portrait. L. White Busby, *“Uncle Joe's” secretary, ex- plained that Mr. Cannon was born a Quaker and named after Joseph Gur- ney, a noted English Quaker, then visiting in this country. He lived & good Quaker until he married a Meth- odist school teacher. It is customary for the House to vote an appropriation for a portrait of each Speaker. The proposal for $25,000 for & portrait of Speaker Can- non was made by Representative Frederick Hicks of New York, who is himself a Quaker. Then, When it came time to select an artist, Mr. Hicks picked C.. W. Smedley of New York, who comes of a famous Quaker family. So the Cannon portrait is of an old Quaker member, secured by a young Quaker member and painted by a Quaker. Busby pointed out that the best view of the picture can be had by turning your back on it. In this way you look at it in & big mirror on the opposite wall of the gold room and get the best light and a mellowed impression. “Uncle Joe” is just cutting himself oft from the pay roll of Uncle S8am, on which he has been for forty-six year: and of recent years he has been col- lecting $7,500 & year. While it is generally recognised that his services to the United States government have for many years been worth several times that amount, vet it is interest- ing to recall that he started out a: a breadwinner with a salary of §2 a week as elork in a country store, MONITOR SIXTY-ONE YEARS AGO ON MARCH 8. Copyright by Harris & Ewing. the hands of the ememy. The Con- federate navy department authorities took over the Portsmouth vard, and after due consideration raised the Merrimac and converted it into a powerful battery for the protection the James river. “The hull was placed in drydock and reconstruction commenced. Work progressed, and before long was com- pleted. The vessel was covered with a roof 170 feet long, built at an angle five degrees, constructed of ch heart pine and covered four-inch plank. Upon this with wood backing were placed, one hori- zontally and the other vertically, two iron planks two inches thick and seven inches wide, making the arma- ment four inches thick. These plates were bolted through the wood and clinched on the inside. The bow of the vessel was armed below the wa- terline with a cast-iron prow, about six feet long, so constructed as to be used as a ram. “The armament of the ironclad con- sisted of ten guns, as follows: Two 7-inch rifles, mounted as pivot guns at the bow and stern: two 6-inch rifles and six 9-inch smooth-bore broadside guns. There was one fault with the vessel, though, considered her weak- est element, and that was the motive power, the engines and boilers hav- ing already been condemned. “The Merrimac, then renamed the Virginia, was commanded by Capt. Franklin Buchanan, who had as his executive officer. Lieut. Catesby Jones. Members of the crew were mostly volunteers from the Confed- erate army and navy. The men who had charge of making the vessel iron- clad were Lieut. Brooke, a naval con- structor, and a chief engineer, whose name is not recalled S ul was about 8 o'clock on the morning of the Sth that the Merrimac left the Norfolk navy yard. At the mouth of the James river were the U. S. S. Cumberland, flag- ship of the blockade fleet, and the Congress, lying at anchor. Upon ap- proach of the Merrimac the Congress slipped her anchor chain and ran aground, opening fire on the Merri- mac as she steamed slowly by. The fire was returned by the Merrimac, but the ironclad vessel kept on its course, headed for the flagship Cum- berland, which had opened fire on the Merrimac as soon as the ironclad was within range. “A shot from the Cumberland part- ed the hog chain on the Merrimac, driving it back into the ship, killing one man and wounding several others. The Merrimac then headed ffor the flagship and the bow rifle was used with deadly effect, making a large hole in the bow of the Federal warship. The ironclad kept on her course and rammed the Cumberland on her starboard bow, the sharp prow of the Merrimac cutting right through the side of the Cumberland below the water line. The great ship imme- diately started to sink. “The ironclad then withdrew and paid attention to the Congress. With the aid of a hot shot it was not long before the Congress was a mass of flames. The Merrimac then Wwith- drew to Sewells Point battery for the night. “The next morning was Sunday. Bright and early the Merrimac again got under way to finish the Minne- sota, which was aground on the Hampton bar. But during the night the federal ship Monitor had put in her appearance and was lying along- side the Minnesota, awaiting the ap- proach of the Merrimac. “The Monitor backed out and the two ironclads exchanged shots, neither * Capt. Henry Marmaduke, Now Living in Washington, Recalls Historic Battle Which Was Fought Sixty-One Years Ago Next Friday and Which Revolutionized Methods of Naval Con- struction—Merrimac Officer Tells of Events of Two Days During Which Armored Vessel Had Brief Period of Success—He Was Then a Midshipman and Had Active Record in War. of Norfolk harbor and the mouth of | | sent | Union, having any effect on the other. The shots just glanced off the sides of the vessels. The Merrimac, drawing more water than the Monitor, grounded in the shallow water, and for awhile the Monitor circled her, peppering her smokestack and trying to find a weak spot to seriously damage the ship. but without success. “Finally the Merrimac again floated. and it was decided to ram the Moni- tor and sink her. The plan was ex- ecuted, the Merrimac ramming the Monitor, but without doing any ma- terial damage. The Monitor then re- tired to shallow water. The Merri- mac hovered on the scene for possibly an hour and then returned to ihe navy yard, and that afternoon was again in drydock. The grand old Merrimac was indeed a picture to behold. Her smokestack was filled with holes and her sides showed where the shots from the Federal Monitor had found their mark, but without effect. “As I look back on that battle 1 :an’t help but think of the bravery displayed,” declared Cupt. Murma duke ‘ollowing the return of the Mer- rimac to Norfolk she made two addi- tional cruises down the river, but the Union fleet would not come out and fight. Today we look upon great fleets of armored monsters upon whose decks brave young men in blue pace, keeping the faith so nobly kept by the Union forces in the dark days of the civil war.” * % % % I 1863 Capt. Marmaduke abroad for the purpose of joining a Confederate cruiser which failed to go to sea. In 1864 he returned to the Confederacy, following an ex- citing dash through the blockade at Wilmington, N. C., and was assigned to command of the Confederate ship Sampson. In the winter of '64 he served on the Confederate ironclad Chicorn at Charleston, S. C. Early in 1865 he was ordered to the naval bat- terles on the James river in front of Richmond. At the fall of Richmond he commanded a company in the naval brigade and was captured at the battle of Sailors creek and sent as a prisoner to the Old Capitol prison here in Washington. Later he was to Johnsons Island, at Lake from which he was paroled. At one time he was with the Bu- reau of American Republics, a posi- tion which he resigned to take com- mand of the Colombian gunboat Bo- gota. This vessel, in several brisk encounters with the revolutionary forces, was handled with great abil- Resigning from the Colombian v, he returned to Washington and subsequently was appointed agent for the collection of Confederate records in the office of naval records, suc- ceeding his old shipmate, Capt. Hardin Beverly Littlepage (deceased). He wgs retired from this office three vears ago. He has made his home in Washington for the past twenty- two years. Men from the south and men from the north are now united and work- ing In harmony and peace with one objective—to guarantee the tie of the which, through the lessons learned during those four dreary years, went Erle, | has become the greatest nation on the globe. The late world war brought together the sons—yes, and even the grandsons—of the veterans of both the north and the south. And so it should be—one natlon, undivided; ali for one and one for all. COSMOS CLUB (Continued from Third Page.) cial feature of the Cosmos Club, while its walls are adorned with master- pleces of art. During its early his- tory, on many occasions, the club- house was thrown open to the public, the people of Washington being in- vited to enjoy art exhibitions. Lat- terly, as the membership of the club has grown and the daily demands of the members keep all the space in use most of the time, public exhibi- tions have been discontinued. Anin- teresting feature of the Cosmos Club is the woman's department, where the wives and families of the membets are always welcome. Parlors and @ dining room are provided for theu convenience. * %k % K NE of the oldest members of the Cosmos Club told the writer that a visit to the club was a source of constant surprise to him. “I am always meeting there some scientist whom I have not seen for many vears. ‘Hello, John’ I will cry; ‘where are you from now? And he may answer that he has just returned from hunting big game in Indla or exploring for precious stones inSoutl Africa. Mayhap he is an agricultural explorer who has E=en making a de- tailed study of the rare and unusual fruits and horticultural treasures of Japan. Perhaps he has been up near the arctic circle engaged in surveys of the ice floes which threaten steafner trafic. Or, again, he may be one'of the bureau chiefs in charge of tic 350 professional hunters who are rid- ding the western ranges of dangér- ous predatory animal Albeit, 1 spend an interesting hour or so 18 tening to the inside story of What he has been doing. The CosmosClul, lounge and lunchroom are veritable reservoirs of stranger storics of 'ad- venture, peril, scientific enigmas and explorations than ever appear on the fiction pages of our leading puhllc’- tions.” Curious Flower Wreath American investigator, in re- porting with respect to the flow- ers and plants of Iceland, describes s curious sight which he witnessed in the lava fields near Reykjahlid. Notloing wreaths of steam issuing from the summit of a small volcano. he climbed up there and found a band about two feet wide, encircling the interior line of the crater. The steam warmed the flowers and tho rim of the rocks protected them from the cold winds without. »