Remembering Pearl Harbor - Part IV

To read parts 1-3, click on the "USS Arizona" tag on the right of the page.

The following, dated September 9, 1917, is a letter to Captain J.D. Burgess informing him that the Battleship Arizona Silver Service is paid for. To read the letter, click on the photo to enlarge it.



The following photos are of the Superstitions Bread Basket and a candelabra. I found this particularly interesting as I've hiked in the Superstitions. Also in this display case is Montezuma's Castle Bread Basket, USS Arizona Bread Basket, and Hualpai Village Bread Basket. Montezuma's Castle is an ancient Sinagua cliff dwelling located in central Arizona, and Hualpai Village is a Native American village located in northern Arizona.







In one of the display cases were a number of serving platters, including one engraved with a view of the San Francisco Mountains in Flagstaff, one engraved with an image of the first Captial building in Prescott and the territorial seal of Arizona, and one engraved with an image of the historic Capital building in Phoenix, the current home of the Arizona Capital Museum.







The following photos are of a water pitcher and glass tray. The pitcher features an image of the Casa Grande Ruins in central Arizona.





I've posted photos of just some of the pieces in the museum. The museum houses many more pieces as well as many other things, including a model of the USS Arizona and a sewing kit (circa 1918-19) owned by USS Arizona crewman Guy Winston. I highly recommend a visit to this amazing museum if you should ever find yourself in Phoenix.

Remembering Pearl Harbor - Part III

To read parts 1 and 2, click on the "USS Arizona" tag on the right of the page.

I meant to post these pictures sooner, but I've been a bit busy so I decided to take some time and get it done today. In previous posts, I posted some photos of a piece of the USS Arizona's superstructure that had been salvaged in 1942 and is now in the Arizona State Capital Museum, along with some other items housed in the museum. To view those posts, just click the "USS Arizona" tag on the right of the page.

Prior to the attack, there were a number of beautiful pieces of silver and silver sets on board. This silver service is now on display in the Arizona State Capital Museum. In "Battleship Arizona An Illustrated History" by Paul Stillwell there is a picture of the silver service on display on the quarterdeck soon after the USS Arizona was modernized. In the last shipyard period took place an activity referred to as "strip ship." When war seemed a question of when and not if, items that were not necessary during war were removed from the ship. Among these items were the pieces that made up the silver service. So, the pieces that you see in the museum were not recovered from the hulk at Pearl Harbor. According to Stillwell, after World War II the silver was put aboard the light cruiser "Tucson" and in the 1950s was on the ship "Adirondack". Clicking on the photos will give you a better view.

This photo shows "The Cowboy Compotes" - engraved pieces that honor Arizona's cattle industry, and "Pima Chief Compotes" - two small compotes engraved with a portrait of a Pima Chief to honor the Native American tribes in Arizona. The candelabra in the picture is one of two with the Navy emblem and saguaro cactus and features feet that look like dolphins. The vases are two of four vases used on the USS Arizona. Pine tree decoration recognizes the diverse ecology of Arizona.





This centerpiece is engraved with images of the Carnegie Laboratory and a Gila Monster. I found this interesting as I've seen two Gila Monsters in the wild while hiking, which is a bit rare. They aren't often seen in the wild. The goblets make up a set of twelve and are decorated with an image of Arizona Rough Rider Buckey O'Neil's Monument in Prescott.



The eagle was broken off the centerpiece before the silver was returned to Arizona.



The humidor in this photo is engraved with ranching scenes and Tumacacori Mission in southern Arizona. It was used to store cigars and other tobacco products.



This is a set of two smoking trays. They contained tobacco products and were used to prevent fires aboard ship.

Estate Planning Attorney Francis X. Morrissey, Jr. Has Been Disbarred

Photo Credit: daylife

By operation of law, Francis X. Morrissey, Jr., who did estate planning for Brooke Astor and was a co-defendant in the recent trial involving her estate, has been disbarred.

Matter of Morrissey

Brooke Astor's Son Sentenced to 1 - 3 years

Brooke Astor’s only son, Anthony D. Marshall, was sentenced on December 21, 2009, to one to three years in prison for defrauding his mother, stealing millions of dollars from her as she suffered from Alzheimers. (A co-defendant, Francis X. Morrissey Jr., a lawyer who did estate planning for Mrs. Astor, was also convicted of a series of fraud and conspiracy charges, as well as one count of forging Mrs. Astor’s signature on an amendment to her will.)



Credit: The New York Times

In addition to the legal issues involved, this story caught my attention due to my interest in the transatlantic liners of the early to mid-1900s. On April 14, 1912, the R.M.S. Titanic struck an iceberg in the middle of the North Atlantic and subsequently foundered on April 15, 1912 at approximately 2:20 a.m., sinking to the bottom of the ocean and taking over 1,500 souls with her.

One of the many people to die in the sinking was John Jacob Astor IV. After assisting his young, pregnant wife Madelaine into a lifeboat, Mr. Astor stood back with the other men while the other women and children entered the lifeboats, which was customary back then.



John Jacob Astor IV Credit: Picture History



Madelaine Astor Credit: Titanic-Titanic

It was Vincent Astor, son of John Jacob Astor IV, and married to Brooke Astor at the time of his somewhat sudden death of a heart attack on February 3, 1959, who brought his father's body back to New York (his body was recovered from the Atlantic after the sinking) and presided at his funeral after the sinking. In 1948, Vincent set up the Vincent Astor Foundation and, upon his death, half of his $130 million estate went to the Foundation which his widow, Brooke, was to administer.

Over the course of her life, Brooke Astor carried out her husband's wishes, donating over $200 million to various charities during her lifetime. Although, unfortunately, her good work might be overshadowed by the recent events involving her estate, this classy lady can rest in peace knowing she carried out her late husband's wishes.



Brooke Astor Credit: Fox News

A life ring, a teapot, a boatswain's pipe, a bugle, and a bottle of champagne . . . Remembering Pearl Harbor - Part II

To read part 1, click on the "USS Arizona" tag on the right of the page.

Here are some photos of some of the items in the State Capital Museum. (Click the photos to see the items in greater detail.)

Remembering Pearl Harbor - Part I

Today, December 7, 2009, marks the 68th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. I was downtown a little while back and had some time, so I stopped into the Arizona State Capital Museum where there is located a piece of the USS Arizona that was removed from the superstructure in 1942 and stored at Waipio Point, Oahu until 1995 when it was transferred to Arizona by the U.S. Navy.

The museum also houses a life ring, teapot, a boatswain’s pipe, and a bugle owned by Maurice Vincent, who played with the USS Arizona band in the late 1930s, among other items. Also included in the museum’s collection are a number of beautiful silver, copper, and silver and copper serving sets which were not on the ship at the time of the attack. They are some of the most beautiful pieces I’ve seen.

Outside, located in the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, is an anchor from the USS Arizona as well as a signal mast. I’d seen those before as I’ve been to the plaza for a number of events, but hadn’t known about the piece of the superstructure inside.

Here are some photos of the piece of the superstructure. I'll be posting photos of some of the other things I saw in upcoming posts.

And the Widow Wore White . . .

In a post dated September 22, 2009, I mentioned a magazine I found while digging around in some boxes that were in the basement of a charming little used book store in New York. In a different issue of the same magazine, in a section titled "Mainly About Men And Women" I discovered the following. The issue is dated September, 1912.What I found is a little blurb about Mrs. John Jacob Astor and her announcement that she would wear nothing but pure white for six months.

It reads -

Probably ten years from now black will not be worn at all as a badge of mourning. That is the conclusion of those who have been drawn into a discussion of the subject by the announcement that Mrs. John Jacob Astor will wear nothing but pure white for the next six months. "Personally I have always thought the only important question in regard to mourning apparel concerns not the putting it on, but the taking it off," declares one authority. "The lady who 'goes into colors' after a polite period of gloom seems to symbolize so blatantly the transient nature of her grief. Mourning outght to be worn forever. At least that is my feeling about it." Why not vote on it? Which do you favor? White or black? Or none at all?