Case Inscriptions from the Official Catalogue of the Trophy Flags of the United States Navy

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1913 edition. Excerpt: ...maged by moths. Efforts to have them put in a permanent state of preservation were, however, unsuccessful until 1911. To Commander William Carey Cole, U. S. N., more than to any other individual, is due the credit for the accomplishment of their restoration. Early in 1911, Commander Cole, then officer in charge of buildings and grounds at the Naval Academy, began a correspondence, which included the naval committees of Congress, patriotic societies, and the custodians of flag collections. The Hon. Curtis Guild, ex-governor of Massachusetts, named as his choice of an expert on flag preservation, Mrs. Amelia Fowler, of Boston. At the request of Commander Cole, Mrs. Fowler examined the flags in April, 1911. She found them so seriously dam aged by the ravages of moths, as well as the decay of age, that no ordinary method of preservation would suffice to insure their permanent existence. Her special process consisted in spreading the tattered remnants of each flag upon a backing of heavy Irish linen of neutral color. This delicate work was guided by the original measurement of the flag, by a knowledge of its design, and by placing in vertical and horizontal lines the warp and woof threads in the fragments of bunting. What remained of the original flag was then sewn firmly to the linen backing by needlewomen, under Mrs. Fowler's instruction and guidance. The stitches, of silk or linen thread, cover the entire surface of the flag and its backing, with a very strong, yet hardly visible network, of circular meshes about half an inch in diameter. The thread is carefully dyed to match the colors of the old flag, however faded or stained in varying degrees. Where there are gaps or missing parts in the original, the stitches, dyed to match the...