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One of World’s Famous Sculptors Now in Washington’s Art Colony / W. Clark Noble Has Won Twenty-nine of the Last Thirty-three Outstanding Competitions, a Record Never Before Equaled in the Art World—He Is a Native American Sculptor, Trained Entirely in the United States, Yet He Has Defeated the Best Sculptors of Europe—Athletic Qualities Unusual in One of His Profession. BY GEORGE H. DACY. WASHINGTON is now the per manent residence of one of the world’s most famous sculptors, an artist who has won twenty-nine of the last thirty-three national and interna tional competitions; a remarkable man, who in training, temperament and aggressive activities wholly vio lates the innate conceptions that the laity conjures Up when it attempts to visualize the word "sculptor.” W. Clark Noble now lives on upper 15th street, where he maintains the most beautiful studio in the National Capital. He is a bred and trained American sculptor, who has demon strated irrefutably that Sin earnest and worker, gifed with artistic talents, can Acquire as great mastery and skill, in this land of his nativity as he. can by living abroad for several years and studying under the best teachers in Europe. There is absolutely none of the long hair and flowing tie about this newest and greatest addition to Washington's artist colony. Mr. No ble is a man’s man. He can go into the gymnasium with tho best experts of America and hold his own in a bout either with the boxing gloves s>r with foils. He can discuss the most jjntimate complexities of anatomy %’ith the world’s leading surgeons to their mutual benefit. There is not an architect in the United States but who is eager to receive suggestions paid advice from this prominent American sculptor. When it comes to a matter of wood Carving, working with clay, bronze or gnarble, or painting in oil or water Colors, Mr. Noble does not have to 4of£ his hat to any man in all cre ation. Tim is dynamic, overflowing with energy, Suroeful, unswerving in his loyalty to his convictions, athletic, upright and honorable. ** * $ npilE measure of a man, according to our national standards, is gauged by his achievements. His bronze relief memorial of Bishop Phil ip Brooks in the Church of the Incarnation. New York city, is an epochal production. It is one of the largest and most remarkable exam ples of ecclesiastical portrait-sculp ture in this country- There are three pieces in the Vatican at Rome by »lr. Noble. One bas-relief shows his ftoliness seated on the pontifical . bhrone in his canonical robes. The bronze is in two colors, in itself a remarkable feature. The metal is mounted on mahogany, with the pope’s coat of arms worked in sev eral colors in leather placed in the morocco setting. The Noble busts of Henry W. Long fellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Cabot Lodge are epics of the ■eulptor’s art. Critics have said of them that they were more than great works of art—so accurate and true to Ilf© that it seemed as though the likenesses were possessed of the kuman powers of mind and speech. One of Mr. Noble’s greatest pieces of work is a statue of Robert Burns, pimple in arrangement, forceful in movement of lines and form, graceful end manly in pose, as well as a marvel in the execution of textures. •The statue is a lifelike picture of the author of “Auld Lang Syne.’’ Its value has been estimated at $35,000 to $40,000. A bas-relief, called "For Humanity,” panel depicting the lives sacrificed for the well being of posterity during the world war, is another of Mr. * Noble’s masterpieces. A bronze of an *‘Gld Newport Salt” Is a striking cre ation. It represents one of the rap idly disappearing types of old sea captains. The figure is so realistic that it fairly teems with the atmos phere of the sea. It was a post liast© execution of genius, modeled and completed in four hours. It sold latterly for SB,OOO. Several studies of the American siegro that Mr. Noble made are also without equals in their accuracy to type and faithful portrayal of facial peculiarities and expressions. It took the sculptor only two hours of work •Piece to complete these small busts. One day Mr. Noble became inter ested in a panther stretched out in its cage at the Zoo Park. Thereafter be modeled from memory a fine rep resentation of this wild beast. The Noble statue of William Ellery tThanning at Newport is considered by tnany critics to be the finest example c»f a standing portrait figure in America- His Soldiers and Sailors’ monument at Newport is an ideal pro duction, while the Walters memorial,, i’ity Hall, Newport; the statue of Gen. Porter in Van Cortland Park, New York city; portrait relief of Bishop Potter; portrait of Edward Everett Hale; statue of Monsignor Doane, iNewark. N. J.; portrait of Pope Leo Kill. life size; bust of Pope Pius ' ; y I ; . |y|9r *^ * < •,.i/y-r 1 .-■ :,* vi/it*", -.!■■,, B||H(< : ®aßslaH«Sr ;•s£s;<■ ' > f ■ SHH| ' HHII mkfe&t **' s' ■BB r — < T\ pfl A - , f MR NHWT.K AIM CTwarr ANATOM!ST|,ANft BARELY HUMS ' A , ■ KM AT WORK IN THE STUDIO. MR. >i)BLE HAS WON TWENTY-NINE OF THE LAST THIRTY-THRE^COMPETITIONS ENTERED. 1 . i X; jeweled crucifix in the Church of ! St. Mary the Virgin, New York city, I said to be the most elaborate of its ; kind in America; challenge statue, j Antletam; colossal, statues of Napo j leon, Jefferson and "Mad” Anthony j Wayne; an ideal statue for the Maine [ State Capitol and statue of "Knowl ledge” for the Augusta Public Li brary; bas-relief of Gen. Joseph Wheeler: monument of Belle Archer; | ideal group. “The Morning Tide"; statue of Harriet Beecher Stowe; j $5,000 Jefferson loving cup, and 100 i or more other bronzes, memorials and I portraits of public men and private citizens constitute the American col lection of W. Clark Noble's work. Many of his masterpieces have also been England and on the continent. *** * . T rR. NOBLE'S early ancestors were A pioneer voyagers on the May- j flower, when that good old wooden, ship first established moorings in the : new world. One of his ancestors Was an intimate comrade of Miles Stand ish. Turn through the pages of the art history of England and you will read of a notable Matthew Noble, a British Isles sculptor, who created a number of wonderful sculptures, among them Oliver Cromwell and the Earl of Derby. Compare the excellent technique of this Englishman with that of W. Clark Noble of today and you will notice a marked similarity in skill and adeptness of execution. The W. Clark Noble of today is a modernized and improved edition of the former Matthew Noble, one of Clark’s forebears. The father of W. Clark Noble was a hardy sea captain who sailed from the New England ports to all quarters of the globe. When W. Clark Noble , was ten months old his father was! lost at sea with his ship. The infant i orphan then went to live with his j grandfather at Gardner, Me. At the age of six years the youngster ex- | ! hlbited the first evidence of his ar tistic talents. There was a great hill of clay at the rear of the grand father's farm and there the boy would spend hours dajly, moulding tiny figures of animals and people out of the crude clay. Two years later young Noble found and painstaking read and reread a book on the life of Thorwaldsen, the great Danish sculptor, which de termined his career. His relatives wished him to follow.the sea. as most of the family before him had done. Clark, however, decided otherwise. He worked in a Maine lumber mill sev eral years and finally saved enough money to go to Boston, where he hoped to get employment in some branch of the sculpturing and archi tectural industries. Entering the workshops and offices of a leading Boston firm one morn ing. the fourteen-year-old boy finally gained the attention of one of the partners. When the lad applied for THK SUNDAY STAR. WASHINGTON, T). C.. DECEMBER 9. 1f)23-PART 5. W: the man gruffly inquired how Huh pay he wanted. Young Noble "I don't want to earn anything: ■Mfeuid like to learn something.” The Han of commerce put the boy to work Htjb when he had learned the rudi ments of the industry paid him sl2 a meek. At the age of seventeen years ■lgrk Noble was foreman of eighty- Hur men in that saipe plant. youthful foreman devoted all THIS CAST OF AN OLD NEW PORT SEA CAPTAIN WAS MOD ELED BY MR. NOBLE IN FOUR HOURS. his spare time to study of architec ture and sculpture. He gained pro ficiency in both design and modeling in clay, plaster, wood, marble and bronze and learned all the orders of architecture. Just at the time when affairs looked the brightest a union known as the National Modelers’ Union came into being. Clark Noble refused to join. As a result, ulti mately, he lost his position in Bos ton, and everywhere throughout the city he was refused work because he was a non-union man. Noble was nothing in those days if not -a fighter. He traveled to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and even as far west as Chicago in search of the work that he loved. In each of these cities he was debarred from employment in the modeling' industry because he was not a member of the national union. ** * * piNALLY, defeated and discouraged, the boy returned to Boston. It so happened that from the time he was ten years old he had been interested in boxing, and through regular prac tice had acquired remarkable pro ficiency in the sport. lie happened in at one of the gymnasiums where lie had formerly exercised and in a chance conversation told his troubles to the director. “Well, if there’s no possible chance of obtaining work in your line, why not try mtae?" suggested the expert in physical training. "I know of an athletic which is about to go on the road avd travel from coast to coast and all over America. If you say the word I’ll get you a place on their program." It was tuus that Olark Noble em barked in professional athletics for a time. His success in sports, was un usual during the following year. He was able to save up enough money to continue his self-financed art studies. Most boys in similar need and dif ficulty would have appealed to their relatives for assistance. That was not Clark Noble's system. He fought hie own battles—and won. These victories, unquestionably, wore early auguries— prophetic of the more Important con tests which Noble was to win in the world of art. Subsequently. ’ Mr. Noble studied and worked with James Priestman, an architectural sculptor of Boston, and later, in New York city, with William Hunt, one of the greatest architectural sculptors of his time. Simultaneously, the ambitious student took up figure drawing and the study of anatomy. Noble also studied with a certain Ur. Kimmer. one of the ear!disciples of American art. Noble devoted three en tire years to anatomical dissection, dur ing which lie gained full knowledge and a true foundation for the building of the human figure. As architecture and sculpture are closely allied. Noble’s training as a draughtsman has always been an outstanding asset to him. His remarkable knowledge of human anat omy enables him almost to put life into the statues and portrait sculp ture which he designs and creates. Clark Noble is American-born and American-trained and proud of it. Notwithstanding, the masters of all Europe characterize him as “America’s greatest living sculptor." In anony mous competitions in the United States and on the continent Noble has re peatedly defeated the best sculpturing talent. His years of hard preparatory work, his thorough knowledge of anat omy. his complete familiarity with painting and his genius have all com bined to make him a master. Despite the fact that most Americans are prejudiced in favor of foreign -taught artists. Noble is universally recognized as a "champion of champions." Clark Noble is one of the four original founders of the National Sculptors’ So ciety and also one of the charter or ganizers of Nyw York’s Arts Club. After the world war Mr. Noble dedi cated one year of his work to the cause of the disabled veterans. He made In numerable statues, bas-reliefs and busts, and painted many pictures dur ing that period. All these were auc tioned off at charity functions, and the proceeds were allotted to funds for the use and entertainment and assistance of wounded soldiers. Mr. Noble is as proficient with brush and palette as he Is with the sculptors chisel. However, he does not paint professionally. Several hundred marines which adorn his home are mute testimonials of his great merit. He paints as a hobby and relaxation from his modeling ac tivities. The only pictures of his that have ever been offered for sale are those that were auctioned to raise funds for the disabled soldiers. ** * * Q N the* dome of the c.apilol 1.. Augusta. Me., there Is a fine statue, a repousee in pure copper, valued at $35,000. which Clark Noble gave to his home state. It so hap pened that the Maine authorities ne glected to set aside any funds for the ornamentation of the oapitol dome. Learning by chance that the contractors were going to put a cheap 1300 zinc figure on the dome, Clark Noble came forward and vol unteered to supply the material and, his services free of charge for the proper adornment of the dome. That is the "how come" of one of the finest pieces of art work In one of our 1 northernmost seats of state govern ment. Many portrait miniatures In porce lain which Mr. Noble has made are outstanding for their fineness of de tail and their photographic similarity to the originals. Most sculptors who attempt such work make the por traits on a large scale and have them reproduced by machinery. Mr. Noble, on the other hand, models his pro ductions directly with special tools of his own invention. No one has ever been able to duplicate his re markable process of copying in por celain from the modeling wax orig inal. This process is also a private method which Mr. Noble has per fected. Some of his most superb por traits of this description have been made from old daguerreotypes. ' The artistic creations of Mr. are convincing—they show con science, sympathy. Insight and rev erence for the canons of high art. His genius finds outlet in th* Incep tion and perfection of wonderful bronze, marble and copper creations. They tell a remarkable story about the great speed at which Clark Noble works, up Newport and New York way, where the famous American sculptor formerly resided. A great public testimonial to the late Lester Wallack was held In a mammoth auditorium. Mr. Noble, was Invited to attend and to make a bust of Mr. ■Wallack from several photographs, in full View of the great assemblage. Overnight the sculptor accepted, and without any rehearsal whatsoever made a public demonstration of his skill. It took him exactly nineteen minutes to make the bust before the audience, with only the pictures as models. Subsequently, this bust was sold for $3,000 by a dealer who pur chased it from the stage carpenter of Imprisoned in Sunken Submarine, Two Desperately Fight for Life Wait, Endure and Watch for Rescuers During Long Hours in Watertight Chamber—Nearly Overcome Before Disabled Craft Is Finally Raised From Bottom of Sea by Heroic Efforts of Navy's Divers and Sailors—Hydrogen Blast and Chlorine Freed , by Acid Add to Perils of Situation—Weird Flames and Heat. By PROSPER BURAXBLLI. A CLIMAX of terror, weirdness and startling fantasy is to be discovered in the full report of the recent sinking of the United States submarine 0-5 off Pan ama. The undersea boat is rammed by a merchantman au<l founders in forty feet of water. Twenty-four of her thirty men get away safely as she plunges. Six nytn go down with the broken hulk. Three die. One, trap ped in a flooded compartment, makes a ghostly escape to the Surface. Two axe imprisoned in a water-tight cham ber. For a phantom-haunted day and a half they lie in their black vault at Hie bottom of the sea. enduring an ordeal nionrtrous in fright and unearthly mei»ce. Then they are rescues! from their sunken tomb. At sunrise three underwater craft running' awash, slid into Union bay. bound for,-the Atlantic entrance of the canal to make the transit into the Pacifica The 0-5 was In the lead. Steaming toward them came the United Fruit liner Abangarez. The 0-5 lay across her bow. There was a blunder. The two yessels sought to elude each other, but the oncoming merchantman boro directly upon the submarine. It was seen that the 0-5 must take the crash. There were frantic shouts. Men rushed up from below. "Close the torpedo room door"’ the command sovuided. as the officer on deck of the submarine ordered the compartment shut. With these air chambers sealed the craft might float. A man ran to the hatoh —Henry Berault. the torpedo dispatcher. He flung himself down the hatch, to the torpedo room. In the dim Eght he saw a man sleeping on a eot there. He was crazed v.Vth the desire to get back up to the surface, but he darted into the long. low chamber and roused the slumberer, whom he saw to be Lawrence' Brown, the electrician’s mate. A crunching impact outside, and both men went sprawling to the floor. The boat lurched and swung over onto one side. Water poured down the hatchway and flushed the tor pedo , room. They struggled to the door. They would not be able to make their way up against the rush of water. They forced the door shut in front of them. A foot of water lay at the lower slope of the floor. They scrambled to the upper slope and clung to a stanchion to keep out of the water and waited in pale anx iety. The bow of the towering merchant man had rammed the submarine at the middle. Iron piates had been wrenched apart and water was flood ing the craft’s vitals through larg£ gaps. the 0-5. listing still further, began to settle. Two dozen men leap ed from the . slanting deck into the sea and swam. A rescuing boat swung down the side of the steamer. ‘*s £ * SOMEWHERE in the intricate vitals of the doomed .submarine were Clyde Hughes, motor machinist’s mate; Thomas Metzler, fireman, and Fred Smith. Panaman mess attendant. The water came upon them and they struggled and died. «On the steep spiral stairway to the aft hatch a man waged a mad fight. Charles R. Buttler. chief machinist’s mate, was at the throttle in the en gine room when the crash came and flung him to the floor. He ran to the gangway, scampered up and was near the top when a torrent of water through the pipe-like hatchway knocked him stumbling back. He struggled to his feet and lurched his way up again, but once more the rush of water beating on the narrow iron stairway flung him back, now into the rising water. He floundered up and for a third time was thrown back. The surging water engulfed him. He struck out with frantic swimming strokes, got to the engine and climb ed up its side, as the water rose around him. On top of the engine he waited like a trapped animal. Then he saw that the water had ceased to rise. An air pocket had formed at the theater where the testimonial was held. This work Is known as the best portrait of Lester Wallack. ♦* ♦ * NOBLE seldom uses any hu man models. He idealizes and creates human figure* for hi* statues and pther works of art. They are products of his thorough anatomical knowledge of the human body. In all his creations the poses are admirable, exactly the right muscles are taxed while other muscles are relaxed. The defects of an erroneous posture or position never appear to flaw" this versatile master’s work. He knows accurately what Is scientifically cor rect In his subject matter. The models of his mind’s eye are Invaria bly 100 per cent true ,1c type and scale. Very soon now a beautiful photo graph of all the great art works of Clark Noble will be on display In the Library of Congress—the finest art collection of its kind ever fnade by an American sculptor. Some day, per chance, the millions of America may revere a great memorial to the American woman, which Clark Noble hopes some day to build. This has been his cherished dream of more than thirty years. He has expended approximately $40,000 of his own mopey In the perfection of design and plans, which are now finished. The structure will cost $6,000,000, will take fire years to build,_ and will be located on an appropriate site prox imate to the Potomac. The monument when completed Is to be 168 feet high, in the form of an arch standing upon an oval base 300 feet wide and broken by sweeps of steps. This arch and the steps are to be of marble. On either side of the arch there will be a bronze panel 38 feet high, with groups of figures In Itow and high relief. Within the arch there will be a hall of nletoorlala and records representing the achleve ojeav® fit JAMEififiA THE UNITED STATES SUBMARINE OS, WHICH SUNK AT THE ATLANTIC END OF THE PANAMA CANAL. SIX MEN WENT DOWN WITH HER. THREE LOSING THEIR LIVES AND THREE HAMM. MIRACULOUS AND THRILLING ESCAPES. the top of the compartment, and he'j was in this pocket. He rested for one appalling mo- j raent, contemplating his destiny, { The pressure in the air pocket was | Increasing oppressively as the boat j slowly sank. Now there was a slight j shock as it settled on the bottom. His head was bursting, his thoughts wandering. He could not live in this strange prison nook for more than a few minutes. Delirium and death were before him. He summoned all of his senses for a last despairing effort. He knew the boat well and could tell that she had listed in such away that the air pocket had formed just beside the hatchway. With a dive into the water beneath him and a few swim ming strokes ,he might rise up through the opening to the surface of the sea. How deep the sea was here he could not guess. He might die before he got to the surface. - But it was his only hope. Swiftly he threw off his clothes and made a reckoning of the exact posi tion of the hatch opening with the HENRY BERAULT. ONE OF THE MEN RESCUED AFTER A DAY AND NIGHT OF IMPRISON MENT IN THE SUNKEN SUB MARINE. desperate intensity of a man who stakes his life on his guess. He let himself into the water, beat his way down and in the direction where he supposed the hatch was. Then he let himself rise. His head struck heavi ly against an obstacle. A wild clutch of despair, hut his crazily groping hands fold him that he had struck the hatch cover. The hatch was only half open. Trapped in the sunken shell at the bottom of the sea. the terrified man made a last effort. With a mad wrench he slid the hatch cover fully open. But now a weird force caught and swirled him. The margin of the air pocket had lain near the edge of the half closed hatch cover. The cover pushed open, a great mass of the' heavily com pressed air was released. It shot up ward. It caught the body of the man . o** 0 ** 1^ Kfc ■ 1 Wy* ~*^-wr ><s&£s HL''' :.' : <4&y|g'<4^H| : 9>T ,-T^WAJ 9* ■«» *Su. ~M jjnrwrri - ■»«&* >** i v?s£ Tgfegfc • TWELVE HOURS AFTER THE FIRST SINKING THE FIRST HOIST WAS MADE. BUT FAILED. THE DIVERS HAD TO DO THEIR WORK ALL OVER AGAIN, AND IT TOOK THEM TWENTY HOURS HORE* u I—.. _ _ ,__. i 'j in Its fantastic grip and propelled ■ him like a missile toward the surface. IHe was twisted by the blast, out, and shot up head 1 foremost. *♦ * * | minutes after the 0-5 had gone down the survivors in boats and the people of the ship saw a vast bubbling of the water and a man arose upright, flung up out of the sea as if by some demonic power, until his feet were out of the water. He fell back, swimming. In the torpedo room the two youths, Berault and Brown, clung to their places at the upper slope of the floor and waited in nerve-tearing anxiety. After thirty- seconds the lights went out. The water had got into the bat tery. Berault had a flash lamp, and quickly a narrow white beam cut the utter darkness. They thought of the torpedo tube. They had heard of men shooting themselves out. of torpedo tubes and rising to the surface of the water. It was said that prisoners in the holds of battleships had re leased themselves in that way. A tor pedo was merely pushed out into the water by compressed air. A man could lie in the tube and by- hunching up his knees could fill it sufficiently for the pressure of the packed air to thrust him into the water. Berault inspected the torpedo dis charging apparatus. Everything was workable. Boats would be lying on the surface to make rescues, and there was only a small chance of the escaping men striking their heads against a bottom and drowning stun ned. The torpedo dispatcher could pro pel his mate out, and then, with his practiced knowledge, could get out himself. But the gauge, in the tor pedo room showed that they were lying beneath forty feet of water. They could not guess whether they .would come alive to the surface from such a depth. They were certain that divers and a crane would come and raise the wreck in the hope that men might be alive in it. That would take many hours—a day, perhaps, or two days. The torpedo room might leak and fill. If it did they would wait until the last possible moment, and then the torpedo tube. The chamber seemed staunch and water-tight. But would it prove gas tight when the salt water had reached the acid in the battery ro«m next to them and had released the deadly chlorine gas? They- resolved that at the first choking breath of chlorine they would make for the torpedo tube. But they could detect no odor of chlorine, although they guessed the salt water must have mingled with the acid. They could look Into the battery room. The door between had a glass window. By- flashing their light into the chamber they could see that it was .half full of water. Thus forty-five minutes passed. A blinding flash of an eerie blue and frightful crash and boom arose. The steel vault trembled. The bat teries had exploded. Salt water and acid had engendered a fearful cloud of chlorine and hydrogen. An elec tric spark had detonated .the hydro gen. The shaken youths flung themselves to the door. The heavy glass pane had not broken. They then saw a weird and marvelous spectacle. The gas continued to burn with a strange, menacing roar and with fan tastic darlings of blue hydrogen flames. In the sunken, half-filled ‘ chamber the water bubbled with great emissions of gas, the gas took fire as it arose, and wild flames leap ed and danced over the swirling sur face of the water. Surely no stranger sight has ever been seen at the hot tom of the sea. ** ♦ * TT grew very hot in the torpedo room. The burning hydroge*: emitted an intense hea.t, to whkw the acid mixed with water added. The heat abated as the fire burnt down until it was no more than ghostly occasional flicker. The mi were thirsty now. There was wat in a lead-lined tank in the torpe room, but not water for drinking. a| they were afraid of lead poisoniii They had no food. They reasoned that under the conditions they would be able to ho out for forty-eight hours. If at til expiration of that time the hulk wen not raised to the surface they wou’4 l chance the torpedo tube. They settled down for a for: A eight-hour wait. An hour had pass3J since the 0-5 sank. .There was a clock in the room. "With occasional flashes of the lamp at its face they watched it. But as the hours dragged by they found the agonizingly slow progress of the hands unbearable and they ceased looking at the clock. Three hours after the sinking a diver came alongside the boat. They could hear him thumping around. The joy-maddened youths gripped hammers and pounded signa's to him. Taking their posts at opposite ends of the room so that he might know ihere were two, they played drumming tunes, dancing rhythms of glee. Twelve hours after the sinking the first hoist was made. The boat rose. Then the joyous prisoners heard something snap and the 0-5 settled on the bottom again. She settled on »n even keel now and the Imprisoned uen were more comfortable. Hour after hour passed in a long, silent, moveless, dismal succession. The waiting men understood that some difficulty had been encountered by the holsters, that night had come upon them and they were compelled to wait until daybreak to continue. By the twentieth hour of their imprisonment Berault and Brown were in torment. The air pressure had become agonizing and their mouths were baked with thirst. The time for daybreak passed, and still hour after hour of movelessness and silence went by. During the thirty-first hour a diver was again heard alongside. Chains were placed again. Xow, with a small jerk, the 0-5 was raised and moved steadily upward. Sunlight, air, th« upper world! But the joy of the spirit was tempered with the aches of the flesh. The two rescued men rejoiced with swelling gladness, bm had to endure the pains that eome to those who pass quickly from poisoned air to free air. That was small dis comfort, though, after the ghastly terrors they had endured. 3