Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, December 23, 1900, Page 15

Famous Collection Of Relics of Battle An interesting object lesson of the in- variable success of Amerlcan arms in every conflict in which they have been engaged is afforded by the fine display of trophies at the big granite building occupied by the State, War and Navy departments, relates the Washington Star. The collection of these trophies includes over twenty speci- mens of ancient and modern ordnance cap- tured in various critical stages of our his- tory from the days of the revolution down to the recent war with Spain. These guns have been mounted in good taste and to the best advantage at the north front of the War department and at the east front of the Navy department. The work of placing them wa srformed by Captain Baird, chief engineer of the navy, who is superintendent of the State, War and Navy departments, with the valuable assistance of Foreman aborers. -man and managed the difficult work of mounting the heavy and unwieldy guns with as few ap- Jim Campbell and a gang of “Jim' is a typical man-'o-war' pliance as possible, relying mainly on tackle, handspikes and wedges Being, he says an old rope-yarn sailor,” he believes in quaring' everything “‘with the lifts and brace There are several real works of art among the old bronze guns which now decorate the front of the big building and stand as silent monuments of the military prowess of the United States Among the most interesting of the col lection are two bronze guns named “St, Matthew” and Mark' (“San Mateo' and “San Marco"), captured in Mexico They belonged to a battery of four guns Of the other two one named St. Luke i at Governor's Island, New York, and the other, named St. John, is at the Burchard library in Fremont, 0. It was the custon of the Spaniards to name their guns, som« for saints, some for warriors, etc Thes« two guns are on mount made in the uperintendent's shops in the building., The guns are but 274 inches in caliber Relie of the Revolution, Another gun i revolutionary trophy urrendered at Yorktown in 1775, It is a hardsome casting and a veritable work of art Cast on it is the British crown and the monogram of George 1! It has the stamp of the maker's name, Schalch 1747." 1 caliber is three and elghths inche A Mexican war tro seven hy is six-pounder breuze gun named ‘“‘Cerberc which has the Spanish crown and monogram of Carlos It is marked, ‘‘Cast in Seville 3d July, 1789, but the maker's name does Cerbero, in mythology, w three-headed dog which guarded the gates The caliber of the gun is thr and three-eighths inches. not appear. It is a beautiful The collection includes a relic of the civil war which is of interest. § a forty-two-pounder United States army is one of the guns used in the defense of Fort Sumter After its capture was carried, with its mate, to the Tredegar Iron works, rifled and reinforced From the notes of Mr chief engineer of the Tredegar Iron works, and who was formerly an engineer in the United States confederates E. R. Archer, Charleston, no doubt that confederates. great preponderance, due to the wrought iron band, made the gun very hard to handle. Captured at Santiago, The gun located immediately behind the Sumter relic is a bronze Spanish piece cap tured at Santiago de Cuba in 18by by the army. It is a beautiful piece of work in bronze. It was cast at Douay, in France, 1693, by Kellerituguro, a Helvetian, accord- ing to the legend on the gun. Its caliber is six inches, its weight 6,500 pounds. The in- scriptions “Ultima Ratio gum' (The Last Argument of the Kings), “Le Marechal, Duc de Humieres” (Field Marshal, Duke of Humieres), are upon it. 1t also bears a crown, a blazing sun and the motto of Louis XIV, “Nec pluribus imp: It was taken from the mouth of the harbor, either frcm the Morro or Socapau, Near by is a modern gun in bronze, pol- ished, fitted for a Krupp breech block, It was made in Seville in 1500 and wuas cap- tured by our army at Santiago. [t s rifled, three and one-half inches caliber and weighs 1,022 pounds. There is no record of the breech block. It is bhelieved the enemy tlrew it away to disable the gun A three and three-tourth-inch bronze Mexican trophy is named “El Despejador” (The Remover of Obstacles). It was cast by Bernado Antonio Guerrero at Manila in 1780 and is beautifully designed and exe LAYING THE CORNERSTONE OF COUNCIL BLUFKFS HIGH SCHOOIL, [LASHLIGHTSE SPECIALLY FOR THE BEE by LouisR Bostwick | < “® cuted. Twoe wotto “Violatu Fulming Rexis (Thunderbolts of the Offended King) ap pears on it; also the Spanish crown and monogram of “Carlos 111, King of Spain and India.” Another inscription translated reads: “In the year 1780 these Philippine Islands were governed by the high lord, Don J. P. H. Basco y Bargas, knight master of the corporation of the City of Ronda, of the Order of St. James, captain of the navy and of the Royal Armada, governor and captain general, president of the court, ete.” Stamped on the breech of the gun there appears, “"Me hizo en Manila, Ber nado Antonio Guerrero” (Bernado Antonio Guerrero made me in Manila). The bronz is of a rich yellow color. Ther is no rccord of the field carriage on which this gun rests. Another Spanish Gun, A beautitul bronze gun, four and onec fourth-inch caliber, captured at Santiago in 1598, I8 named “Le Fourbe' (The Knave), with the motto, “"Ultima Ratio Regum."” It has “Louis Charles de Bourbon, Comte d'Eu, Duc d'Aumale,” also cast on it. Below this is a blazing sun, the French crown and the motto, “"Nee pluribus impar.” IFurther inccriptions show it was made by Berenger Donicourt, at Doua in France, 10th Sep temwber, 1740, The English and French guns usvally bhave the founder's name, but the guns made in Spain have not. In the collection is a 4.62-inch brona twelve-pounder, surrendered by the Sara toga convention. It was made by Bowen in 1. The mottoes Iria luncta in Uno,” A Rege et Victoria,” “Honi soit qui mal y and “Dieu et mon droit,” are cast pens upon it, There is also another revolutionary relic which came to us through the Saratoga convention, It was made by W. Bowen in 1759, The mscription “Aut nunquam tentos aut perfice’” appears on it Also, "he Right Hon, Lord orge Sackville, Lt. G ' and the rest of the principal officers of hos Maj. Ordnance.” Following this is “Honl oit qui mal y pense’” and “Dieu ¢t mon droit,"” Aunother mount is one of a pair of nine- inch bronze mortars, captured by our army at Santiago de Cuba in 1868, They were cast at Seville in 1780, The Spani<h crown, the monogram of Carlos 111 and the ahove date and place of casting are cast on them They are works of art and weigh 1,260 pounds each, Arvother new trophy Is a bronze gun of French make, captured by our army at Santingo in 1898. It was cast at Douay, France, 27th July, 1748, by Jean Maritz. It is a gem of bronze work. lis name fs “Le Farouche" (The aree); its motto, *Ultima Ratio Regum.'" The fleur de hs (the em blem of the house of the Bourbons) appears on i, as it does on o all guns of French make. There also appear Louis Charles de Bourbon, Comte d'Bu, Dud d'Aumale,” the French crown, coat of arm the motto of Louis NIV Nee pluribus im i "and a blazing sun p; beautifully polished and engraved mountain howitzer, 4o, inche caliber, s marked “Val Verde, No. o The name of Lt Cormick™ and the date 15t e ruary, 1862, arc engraved on it There is inch caliber, which was presented to the republic of Texas by Major General 1. 1 Chambers another cast-iron howitzer, 01 It has the single star of Texas cast on it Sarres rred by the British, A tive and three-quarter inch bronze howitzer is a revolutionary trophy The mwonogram of George (1, and the name of R. Gilpin, 1760, arc cast on it, It 1s a particularly handsome hronze casting It was surrendered by the Saratoga conventfon October 17, 1777 In another group are two ship's guns carronade of cast dron four and five clghths-inch caliber, made by W. Bowen in 1750 and 1760, which also came to us through the Saratoga convention. They are without cmwbellishments or record They are well proportioned for the powder and projectiles used in the last century There s a peculiar three and one-half inch bronze rifle A transverse section of the gun shows the hore as hexagonal, 1n- tead of having the ordinary bands and Eroove It shows the tnish crown, and ' cast on it, No further record can be found of the gun, A six ana one-half-inch bronze seacoust rifle, captured by the army at Santingo in “I. de 8., 1861 No. 9 INOR, is a handsome casting Its name “Fanatico,” appears on it, also the Spanish crown, the monogram of Carlos 111 anl ville, 20 May, 1779," but not the found er's name On the cast side of the building, at the en trance of the Navy department, the retary of the navy has placed two very beautiful bronze guns, captured by the fleet urder Dewey at Manila, May 1 18498 They are crossed with large anchor One has the monogram of Carlos 111, and was cast at Seville, February 21, 1777; the other the monogram of Carlos 1V, was cast at Manila October 23, 1780 One is named I Belicoso™ (The Warlike), and the other “Garduna (The Martin) The names of the founders do not appoear All the gun brought from Manila by the navy, except ing the two, have been given to the states, national cemeteri ete. There are however, two steel breech-londing rifles now on the way from Manila which will also be mounted in front of the Navy depart. ment,