BICYCLE GIRLS AND THEIR SUMMER ROAD GOWNS
NEW YORK, May 27.— The bicycle
girl of '9S will be a beauteous
creature. ' •.•:'*'
Last year she was new; the
year before she was newer; and
. the year before she was newest.
This year she is settled and she knows
how to dress herself.
Bicycle dresses were bizarre two years
ago and last season they were not much
better. But the bicycle styles this year
are all that can be desired. They are
really beautiful creations,, such as one
would not hesitate to wear anywhere.
In traveling: through New England last
fall I was surprised to notice how many
women wore bicycle dresses. On the
cars, on the boat and journeying by stage
and over land, the bicycle dress was the
rule and the long skirt the exception. It
was really refreshing to note how these
New England ladies stepped on and off
the railroad trains without getting entan
gled in a long skirt. It was delightful to
see how easily they handled their bag
gage without cumbersome folds to
bother them. After a little practice with
the . iort skirt one becomes really grace
ful, and it is safe to say that the long
traveling skirt has been banished from
New England forever.
Would that this might be the rule in
other parts .if the country. In August on
a Lining hot day what is more refresh
ing than the Bight of a young woman in
trim bicycle skirt with natty low shoes
and comfortable blouse waist? And what
is more enjoyable to the young woman
herself than such a. traveling garb?
I noticed last week on a train going to
Lenox, that fashionable Mecca for
wealthy New Yorkers, a young woman in
a traveling suit which caught my eye at
once. It was so "fit." The skirt was made
of a very light weight wool goods with a
fine dot .scattered over it and through it.'
The waist was of the same material with
straps and belt of thin white patent
Wther. The hat was a Tarn of leather
and cloth with plumes stuck in one side.
But the neatest thing was the adjust
ment of the skirt. This consisted of a row
of large smoked pearl buttons set at In
tervals of three inches ■ around- the hips.
Connecting the buttons and the belt was
a little silver chain. This chain on being
pulled atone side would lift the skirt un
til it was of convenient bicycle length.
I saw another, later, which had links in-
Ftead of buttons, the silver chain running
through the links. This struck me as be
ing more reliable, as the chain could not
slip off the rings as easily as it could off
the buttons. \
The bloomer bicycle gir! is almost gone;
but not quite. You still see her. She
wears very large bloomers which are so
arranged that when she stands you would
scarcely notice that they were not skirts.
Indeed, you would hardly" notice that fact
even when she rides.' The bloomers are
each two yards around and are brought
up and hooked around the leg in Turkish
trous.;r fashion. They are gathered
around the belt with gcdet in the back so
t.iat really you would not be conscious of
the bloomer. The divided skirt and
bloomer tfifter from each other only in
tn , a .t T - L e b mer hooks around the knee
while the divided skirt falls open.
The suk shirt waist will be worn largely
V ,£ Whee V, \° 1J can get a quality of
silk that really does wash. It is a china
si:k. such as is used in men's neckties It
launders perfectly. The shirt waist is
:::ade with large sleeves and rather close
£»£$ n°C\ Se - Avold makln a shirt waist
with full blouse for the wheel. The wind
inflates the blouse and produces a most
ludicrous effect, similar to that of a bal
loon on a bicycle.
Have the waist as blouse as you please,
i«Sm?m« c '° se at < the sides and back and
JetUt blouse only In the front.
There is a very trim skirt for the cen
tury rider or for those who like to spend
a grrat deal of time upon the wheel It
buttons at the side, concealing a volumin
pus.pocket. This skirt is very Bhon and
is of a dust color. Quartz gray is an ex
cellent shade for a bicycle skirt, sis it pos-'
Itlyely does not show mud or dust This
fckirt is lined with a bright scarlet which
?w™~ very rnumental on the wheel.
uidaN T tJ Scarl<lt show as the bicyclist
pedals, her way along the roads.
*•'': tV\ say what you will about the
'oth^-PkotT o^-. but after all. there is
notWng hke the shirt waist. A little jack
bars lk*hl ™lll l Ca:i be tied on th e handle
bars to be put on in case of shower or if
a cool breeze springs up. But for regular
cycling nothing will do except the shirt
wafst. fciuri
The newest things in bicycle suits are
the dresses fn which more attention is
tSa'-RTh? UninS than , t0 the dress?^
terial. liis is positively true of all the
imported suits, and all those that are
row attracting attention in Central Park.
These dresses are the very acme of style
and are so chic in effect that you could
not help (topping to admire them. Their
length i.s about to the calf of the log- and
their color is a dull shade of brown or
gray or blue. Nothing very brilliant Is
worn. But when it cornea to the lining
it is a BCerent mati • ■
One of these dresses seen that sun-
Bhiny Sunday a week ago was of new'
leaf green goods, lined with violiene near
tilk. A .irt waist of violiene China siik
was worn, and over it set a little jacket
with a very short ripple around the waist
The ripple was lined with violiene taf
feta.
The hat was of green, with a scarlet
bird with purple tall-feathers. The gloves
were white.
This tume, while not at all startling
in effect, was very becoming, and was one
of the prettiest seen that Sunday in a
long array of fashionable riders.
Tt is quite the thing to have your stock
ings match your dress skirt. This, if the
match be good, is a very excellent idea,
fis it gives the appearance of leggings
without the cumbersomeness of the same.
With a steel gray skirt and steel gray
stockings the young woman can cycle in
black tics without attracting half the at
tention which she would if she wore black
chocs and stockings, as the contrast be
twern stockings and skirt is very great.
Taffeta linings in bicycle skirts are a
plague. They tear so soon and hang in
long fringes around the feet. And here a
COMPLEXIONS FOR
THE SUMMER GIRL
SUMMER is coming, girls, and with
it some fine, beautiful coats of tan
\\ and any number of freckles for
<2i == >7 the girl upon whom Old Sol casts
his loving beams at the seashore
I and in the mountains. And now is the
time— right now— for the summer girr to
lay in a supply of cold cream and harm
less lotiona, with which to down these
abominations, that cause so much un
happiness to the feminine heart.
\v<- all of us adore beauty, and seek as
siduously ways and means of acquiring
It. We always have and we always will.
We may to.s.s our heads in a superior,
toploftical sort of way and say that if we
had our choice we would rather have- in
tellect than beauty, but we don't mean it,
and, bless your heart! every one knows
we don't. Why, even Mme. de Stael com
plained that "the ancients evinced no
preference for women except for thoir
beauty," and confessed that she would
give half her knowledge for personal
charms; and Mohammed, that shrewd
observer of human nature, held out as a
chief inducement to the faithful that in
his paradise would be found only the most
perfect beauties. ,
And so, girls, it behooves you all to be
as beautiful as you may, and to be beau
tiful you must in the first place be
healthy The blood must be kept, in a
perfect condition of purity, which can be j
done by paying strict attention to the
diet, exercising as much as possible in
the open air and keeping the skin abso
lutely clean. But I could write a column
lion each one of these subjects.
" However, to return to the summer girl.
In the first place, let mo warn her against
all patent devices for- the improvement of
the skin or hair. Nearly all hair dy.es are
poisonous and dangerous, and most face
powders contain bismuth or lead. _ Every
fvoman should have upon her dressing ta
il* a. jax at KQpa^ £ux« oelA cream* X «&qJ
word of caution must be spoken. Should
these silk iinirigs ever show a tendency
to catch in the pedals or in the wheels,
push hard and you will find the silk will
{rive, and so you can save yours- If a fall.
It is much better, however, to take the
ounce of prevention than, the pound of
cure, and before you start examine your
facings to be sure that they are firm.
It would be pleasant to say that the
sailor and the Alpine were as fashionable
as the Tarn, because the sailor is so natty
"and the Alpine is so comfortable; but,
when all is told, you must admit that the
Tarn is seen fully three times as much
as the others put together.
The secret of the Tarn's popularity can
be traced to its economy. Anybody with
a grain of ingenuity con make- a Tarn out
of a "wheel" of cloth and an old brim.
It requires no trimmiti- exc< !>t a nuill at
one side, which can be stuck smartly
forward. A dozen Tarns are not too many
to carry a girl through the bicycle season,
onf> to match every shirt waist. It is de
lightful that those hats can be so easily
and cheaply made, for a hat certainly
sets off a "face and figure better if it
harmonizes with the waist in some way.
* * •
(^ TAXDIXG all day on her feet
N where her work must be done Is
C^-J) one of the hardest tasks a working
woman encounters. Unless she is
dressed properly this position may cause
rioua trouble. Lame, acning ankles
and feet are oftener the fault of a tight
corset than of tight shoes. The corset
dislocates the organs in the pelvis, caus
ing them to press upon the great nerves
and blood vessels which go to the feet,
making them most painful.
There Is a shoe which can be bought
for $4. with very low heel and broad,
square toes, which is called the "nurse's
shoe" and is much worn by nurses in the
hospitals. It is not a "thing of beauty,"
but it is a "Joy forever" in its proper
place. The heels and soles of this shoe
are made to stand upon, and the body
Is balanced with this in view. When the
wearer cramps the. foot or raises the
heel till all the weight rests on the ball
of the foot, the entire body is out of
balance and must be kept upright by
using up the muscular and nervous force
intended to be usf-<l for such work, hence
the consequent fatigue.
The round-toed shoe has not come to
stay; the new shoes from the East grow
more pointed. There is a brown patent
leather shoe having brown cloth top,
which is rather expensive, but which has
good style.
If you cannot live without a corset, the
very short French ones are less harmful
and give a better figure than the long
ones.
There Is a girdle which worn with
shirt waist and skirt is quite as satis
factory. The waist ends in a stout band
with buttonholes for the tapes, which
button on to the girdle both back and
front. The skirt has corresponding
buttonholes. Euttoned neatly under a
belt there is no -danger of showing safety
pins and slipping skirt.
A lady recently from Japan brought
home some most delightful shirt waists
give you a recipe for one than which there
is none better. It was given me by a wo
man in whose family it has been used for
years. Here it is:
Pure white wax •....■ >& ounce
Spermaceti I*4 ounces
Oil of sweet almonds I*4 ounces
Rose water...: % ounce
Go to work, girls, and make it your
selves. It's a bit troublesome, but with
care there is no reason why it shouldn't
come out all right, and it's" lots of fun
fussing over these things.
Take what housekeepers call a farina
boiler— that is, one kettle- within another.
Take the inside one out and into it break
the white wax and spermaceti. Add your
oil of almonds and set- the kettle back
inside the other, which should contain
boiling water. Don't let them get too
hot, and stir with a silver spoon ' until
the three ingredients are thoroughly . in
corporated.
Remove from the fire and add the rose
water drop by drop, while the mixture is
hot, as the rose water will not mix after
the oils begin to cool. Boat briskly un
til it fluffs up like tne white of an egg.
Then put it into small porcelain jars,
which nave been warmed, and put it away
to cool.
This is both a skin food and cleanser
and will keep it soft and smooth.
For sunburn there is nothing better
than sweet cream. Bathe the face with
it several times and the' redness will soon
die out and the soreness disappear.
Powder the face well with fine starch
or pure powder before going out. This
will prevent sunburn.
Be careful not to bathe the face In cold
water immediately upon coming in.
For the removal of tan- as good a meth
od as any other is to bathe the face in a
wash made of glycerine diluted with lem
on juice. Be careful while using to avoid
exposure to the sun, as the skin is made
more sensitive by its use.
Next week I will give you another recipe
for tan, also one for freckles.
Jliia. JIXOEI A* j
THE SASi FRAXCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 29, 1898.
of the Japanese silk. The* waists were
laundered and starched, cuffs, collar and
all, just the same as a cotton waist, but
they have a gloss and beauty no cotton
or linen will take. The silk can be
bought in Chinatown here for from 20
to 50 cents. It is 23 inches wide and in
almost any color, check or striped and
plain.
A blue one to be worn with a white
pique skirt had a box plait with two
inch ruffles down the front of the same
silk in white, with a stock and belt also
of the white. One yard of silk will make
the ruffles, stock and belt. The stock
should be made double and lined with
double-faced cotton flannel.
Pass it twice about the neck and tie in
a four-in-hand knot in front. The belt
is also double with the joining in the
middle of- the under side and not at the
edge. Make it long enough to go twice
about the waist and end in a large bow,
■which should be sewed to the end of the
belt.
Pin the free end of the belt under the
arm, covering the pins as you pans the
belt over the end. The bow may lie
pinned in the front, back, at the side or
brought up t<"> where the top of the first
dart would be.
When wearing a white pique skirt, and
they are quite as much in demand this
year as last, the waist should be rather
dark. The belt should be the same in
color as the tie and the band on the
sailor hat.
The organdies with white background
and large natural flower patterns can be
made into very pretty, inexpensive
bureau covers and sofa pillows. Cover
the top of the bureau with white felting
or cotton flannel. Let the organdie be the
exact size and finish all round with a
four-inch ruffle. Fancy stitch the hem of
the ruffle with heavy silk of the
principal brightest shade in the
flowers of the organdie. It must be care
fully washed by rubbing between the
hands, as the threads easily slip out of
place. Dip it In milk to stiffen and iron
wet on the wrong side on a well-padded
ironing board.
• * •
HOW that spring is fully upon us
and the lovers of outdoor sports
are beginning to realize that pro
crastination at this time of the
year is doubly the thief of time, cyclists
are securing their wheels from the dim
recesses of the garret or cellar and are
oiling and polishing them for immediate
use.
The mind of the bicyclienne is occupied
these days with the eternal conflict be
tween the short skirt and the long skirt
and she is trying hard to make up her
mind whether 'twere better to wear leg
gings or gaudy golf stockings.
In the East last season the leggings
and bicycle shoes were almost entirely
discarded. ■ In place of these the golf
stocking and laced shoe was used. It is
claimed that the stocking does not wrin
kle over the dainty ankle of the rider as
do the leggings. Besides, they are very
much cooler and give a prettier shape to
the leg than the wrinkling legging gives.
Golf stockings conducing to a more grace
ful effect will, therefore, probably have
the call.
The popular materials for bicycle cos
tumes this season are Scotch tweeds,
tailor cloth Jn gray and black checks and
tan, navy blue. serge, and for use In the
heat of summer denims and other cotton
materials will be In favor. Skirts will
be worn shorter than last season. The
bloomer will not be worn thjß season.
The, koJckfirbQckqrfl will xepiftCKk It op, tiie
common sense ground that they are more
comrortable and cooler.
A becoming bicycle dress for a slender
woman is made of tan tailor cloth, the
divided skirt, short, circular and very
j full.
The jacket Is made With the blouse ef
fect in both back and front. A blue
shirtwaist and an ascot tie are worn with
this neat costume. A sailor hat with
several quills will "go" best with the cos
tume.
Golf stockings of tan and blue plaid
and tan lace shoes compose the footwear.
The reign of the Norfolk Jacket is not
yet over. It has been worn for several
years, but is still as popular as ever.
The skirt to be worn with the Norfolk
jacket is a short kilt.
This costume is most effective made of
gray tweed or gray and black tailor cloth.
The most fashionable material for both
men and women's bicycle costumes is
navy blue serge with a fine hair stripe of
white. This cloth is best for the cool
spring days. The full divided skirt is
made very short. The jacket is short,
with a tight-fitting back and a fly from.
A white shirtwaist is to be worn with a
white collar, and a tie of white silk com
pletes the natty costume.
For warm spring days and summer cos
tumes of denim and cotton goods will be
in great demand. A dainty way for
these to be made is shown in the pic
ture. . ■
The skirt Is wide and divided. The
jacket is made with a tight-ntting back
and a loose blouse front. It is trimmed
with several rows of white buttons. A
white linen collar is worn with this ana
a belt of white leather.
Oolf stockings of a shade to match the
dress should be worn, and shoes loose and
comfortable.
The hat is a white sailor with a band
of black velvet around the crown and &
large loop of velvet on the left side.
The style of the boulevards of Paris
may ba adopted at the fashionable sum
mer resorts this season, the knickerboc
ker to the knee and the leg bare from
the knee to the top of the dainty half
hose. It is not probable that the cyclist
in fashionable society in the Unitr-d
States will copy it away from the sea
ehore.
Sweaters are no longer worn by either
men or women. They are negligee ana
wretched form.
Male riders will this year be seen in
negligee ehirts with low turn-down col
lars and soft ties. They will wear tho
orthodox bicycle cap or the new style of
felt deerstalker. Otherwise their costume
will be unchanged.
WHEN a woman must spend six
days a week at work in the city,
it is a duty she owes to herself
to get out into the country on the
seventh.
It is a matter of small expense, and the
change of air and scene ; and thoughts
will give an added zest to the work a
day a week to make up for the cost. Be
sides it is better; to spend a little money
in recreation than to give It to a ; doctor
or spend it for tonics.
kuj. Xa Eesx iv Uia CQmitry, i& a .yea-
Important question If one would have any
real pleasure in a single day's outing-.
Whatever is best adapted for rough
wear is most appropriate, for though you
may look very nice indeed before you
Mart out you will not be properly dressed
for the jaunt unless you look quite as
well when you return home.
For general wear a suit consisting of
skirt, coat, skirt waist and sailor hat is
always presentable, and never more so
than for a one day trip. These dresses
need not be expensive.,, but must be well
made and neat and plain. For from $20
to $25 they can be bought ready made in
blue serge, which for wearing and com
fort have no equal and i.s becoming to
any woman from 15 to 50.
In such a dresa you can w;ilk in the
dust or fog or Bit on the ground and not
feel your trimness disappearing. Noth
ing can be more absurd than the costume
one so very often sees — a woman walking
along a dusty country road, and most
California country roads are dusty, wear
in? a "Sunday dress" shoes and hat,
which have cost her many an hour of
hard work and many a sacrifice of good
food to purchase. One such day's wear
will destroy most of the beauty of such
attire, make the wearer cross f and un
comfortable to her friends, and she must
spend all her time taking care of her
clothes, and have no thoughts for tue
beauties around her.
An almost indispensable article for one
who goes much to the country is a small
handbag. It will hold the lunch and book,
a comb and some hairpins and a small
mirror, and afterwards the flowers and
ferns to brighten the city room and keep
the remembrance of a happy day. Such
a handbag can be bought for from 50
cents to a dollar, and with care will last
a long time.
' For vacation wear a pretty change can
be had in the ginghams, which are with
in reach of very slender purses. If the
bodice is merely a skirt waist it will be
doubly useful, and can be worn much
oftener than \he skirt. A very -pretty
wash dress can made from the 15-cent
chambray, and ten yards will be all that
is required beyond a clever hand almost
any one can own one.
Make the skirt quite plain- with gored
front, and ' for a belt satin folded and
sewed in place to a firm lining. Make the
bodice a skirt waist with adjustable
cuffs. "When worn with the cotton skirt
a stock with a bow tied at the back of the
neck and cuffs with small bows at the top
made of : the same satin or ribbon as the
belt aro very pretty. A bow of the same
may be worn in the hair. ;
Fancy - hand ; stitching in white or col
jaxai Uaeu floss makes .very. Jprettc trim-.
ming on plain cotton dressed and while
It requires more time and patience Is
much less expansive Rufnes can be used,
too, on cotton dresses.
A very pretty one has ten-Inch ruffles
from the belt to the hem. The founda
tion skirt must of course be made very
narrow.
NOW that the season for bicycle
riding is well under way a great
many people are reviving with
deep personal interest the old
question of the effect of wheeling upon,
the health.
Dr. John H. Girdner, who is one of the
best known medical authorities in Amer
ica on matters having 1 to do with the ther
apeutics of exercise, says on this subject:
"Bicycle riding is certainly not harmful
when indulged in to moderation. In every
case bicycle riding transforms the mus
cles of the body into kidneys— that is to
say, it causes all of the muscles of the
body to perform exactly the same func
tions as the kidneys, namely, the work of
eliminating poisonous and other waste
material from the tissues of the body.
"None of the muscles of the legs are In
jured in any way by bicycle riding in i
moderation. All are strengthened to some ;
extent, but particularly. the muscles of the J
thigh, and it is the enlargement of these j
muscles on each thigh that gives that odd |
appearance of unusual fullness to the legs
of athletes just above the knees.
"The muscles of the lower part of the i
leg which are chiefly developed by pedal- ;
ing are those called the tibialis anticus, j
the externus longeus. If you will, look up ,
your school text book on anatomy and
turn to the- diagram showing the location
of the muscles s of the legs you will per
ceive just how the development of these
muscles gives that rounded appearance to
the fore part of the leg of the bicycle
rider to the side of the central bone.
"None of the muscles of the rear of the
thigh are particularly well developed by
bicycle riding, as none of these muscles
perform any other office than merely con- i
tracting and expanding with the move- ■
ment or the leg.
■ "In the hind part of the leg the muscle !
that receives the greatest development is \
the calf muscle. This muscle is developed j
more than any other in. the;legs, with the
exception of the'vastus internus and the j
rectus. The other leg muscle that devel- I
ops so much as to give a rounded appear- I
ance is the soleus, which Is responsible for
the bumpy part of tho leg about the ankle !
of a wheelman. . - "
"And while it is chiefly the muscles of i
the leg that are developed in so marked a j
mnTinp^ by. tlia ridioK c£ a wiieoL jxavar- i
theless there is not a single muscle In the
whole body that it is not brought into
healthy action for some purpose by the
person who rides a wheel."
ALL SORTS OF HINTS.
Bites of insects, auch as fleas or mos
quitoes or bees, will be relieved by rub
bing with a menthol pencil.
Ten minutes' callsthenlc exercise, fol
lowed by a glass of hot (not boiled) milk,
to which has been added a teaspoon of
lime water, will relieve sleeplessness
caused by fatigue of worry. Both must
be taken directly before going to bed.
A liberal use of salt in the food will
destroy the odor of perspiration. In
Australia, where the "blackfellows" are
employed as house servants, they are
required to eat a certain amount of salt
in their food every day.
Before exposure to poison oak, or imme
diately after, poisoning may be avoided
by a hot bath in which has been dissolved
two tablets of bichloride of mercury.
Relief may be obtained after poisoninr
has occurred by washing tho infiamp?
part frequently with a strong solution of
green soap. After bathing • dust with
formaline.
A cross baby Is cross for some good rea
son. Let it lie or play as many hours a
day as possible in the warm, dry sand
or on the earth. The effect will be im
mediate and better than medicine.
Indian babies wear few clothes, live on
the ground and never cry.
Long skirts collect disease germs along:
with the dust and expectorations of tLe
street.
During sleep the entire system is re
laxed and much more liable to receive
the germs of disease than during the
waking hours.
A. diet composed as nearly as possible
of strawberries, cherries or grapes is the
rage in Europe at present as a cure for
dyspepsia. The diet is effective for the
same reason as semi-starvation, usually
prescribed, namely, the noxious germs in
the bowels do not thrive on fruit juices.
A celebratedhjienlth expert, after many
expc-riments, advises the use of .blanched
almonds regularly for brain workers in
place of moat more than once a day.
He also says apples, when they can be
dig* sted by the eater, rest the brain.
Prunes and juicy fruits feed the nerves.
THE ORIGINAL
STAR
SPANGLED BANNER
PRESIDENT McKINLEY has ac
cepted an invitation to deliver
ah oration when the monument
erected to Francis Scott Key at
Frederick, Md., is unveiled.
Almost every one knows the words of
the "Star Spangled Banner," and many
are well acquainted with the history of
the author, but comparatively few
kno# anything concerning the where
abouts of this famous flag, which is
now owned by the grandson of Colonel
George Armistead, historically known
as the "Defender of Baltimore." He
was in command of Fort McHenry in
1814 and owned the star-spangled ban
ner that floated over it and the sight of
which inspired Key to write his im
mortal lines. During the bombardment
Key was a prisoner on one of the at
tacking British vessels.
The bombardment began on Tuesday,
September 12, ISI4, at 7 a. m. and lasted
twenty-five hours with but two brief
intermissions.
Colonel Armistead, although but 35
years of age, had so great an influence
over the men that they bore the attack
with great patience, but at length a
bombshell dismounted one of the twen
ty-four pounders in the southwest bas
tion. This killed Lieutenant Claggett
and several soldiers. The confusion
caused by the work of the bomb was
promptly noted Ly the commander of
the British fleet, who immediately or
dered three of his bomb vessels to
move nearer the fort.
Colonel Armistead was well pleased
at this move of the enemy as his guns
had thus far been useless owing to the
fact that they did not carry far enough.
He waited patiently for the vessels to
come within r. nee and then ordered a
general cannonade and bombardment
from every part of the fort.
So successful were his tactics that
all the ships were injured and the Ere
bus so severel ■ t'..z~ it required quite
a fleet of small boats to tow her be
yond the reach o f Armisteads guns.
It was estimated that between 1500
and 1800 shells fell during the engage
ment around the fort, and yet. strange
to relate, but four men were killed and
the twenty-four who were wounded all
recovered. .
During the first part of the assault
a shell fell into the magazine but did
not explode. The fact that the maga
zine was not bomb-proof was known
only by Colonel Armistead. Had the
soldiers been aware of this they might
have refused to have remained in the
fort.
The citizens of Baltimore were enthu
siastic in expressing their admiration
and appreciation of the bravery of the
young colonel whom they styled "the
defender of Baltimore." They present
ed him with a great punch bowl, with
cups, ladle and salver, all of massive
silver. This gift is now owned by one
iof Colonel Armistead's grandchildren.
The bowl is as large as the largest ball
that fell inside the fort.
It was a glorious victory, but the
young hero paid for it with his life, for
; with numerous chance 3 against him he
faithfully sustained the siege and won a
I victory and a name. But the fearful
sense of responsibility during those
long hours left him with a fatal dis
! ease of the heart, from which he suf
| fered for three and a half years. He
was buried with all possible military
and civil honors, the procession that
followed him to the grave being the
largest ever seen in Baltimore, and all
mourned the "defender of Baltimore."
The people of Baltimore erected a
monument, on which is inscribed:
Coftmel George Armistead, in hon
or of whom this monument is erect
ed, was the gallant defender of
Fort McHenry during the bombard
ment of the British fleet, Septem
ber 13, 1811. He died universally
esteemed and regretted on April 25,
ISIS, aged 39 years.
So great was James Lick's admiration
for this hero that he erected to hia
memory a fine equestrian statue in Eu
! taw Square, Baltimore.
After his death Virginia presented to
; his son, Christopher Hughes Armistead,
■ a sword, on which was inscribed these
words: "The. State of Virginia to Col
onel George Armistead. Honor the
I brave. Presented to the son of Col
| onel George Armistead (late of the
i army of the U. S. A.), as an evidence
I of the high esteem and admiration en
tertained by his native State for the
courage and soldier-like conduct of
Colonel Armistead at Niagara, and In
| the gallant defense of Fort McHenry
I September 14. 1814."
The flag that floated over the fort
during the engagement and now so
famous as "the Star Spangled Ban
ner," was the private property of Col
onel Armistead, having been presented
to him by several ladies in Baltimore.
After his death it was given to his
daughter, Georgiana Armistead, who
was born in the fort. She married a
Dr. Appleton from Boston, Mass., and
five years ago the banner was placed
in a safe deposit vault in New York
City by her son, the present owner, Mr,
Ebenezer Appleton.
27