By James F. Vivian
The remarkable attraction is called the ‘Miner Statue,’ crafted during the spring and summer of 1916. It is on permanent display today at the Capitol Museum in Phoenix. The citizens’ group that sponsored the well-known sterling silver dining service for the USS Arizona intended the statue as a companion piece in commemoration of the launching of the ship on June 19, 1915. The custom was, at that time, that a state for which a battleship was named would provide a silver service that would be featured in the officer’s galley. The statue, in combination with the burnished copper serving tray, punch bowl and twelve goblets attached a decidedly local embellishment to the sixty-six-piece collection. Nearly all the other sixteen battleships in the Atlantic Fleet had their sterling silver dining sets on board, but no other would have the added attraction of a bronze sculpture.
One early photo of the statue is seen in its original aspect (or nearly so), according to the sponsors’ own announced description prior to casting: “The statuette, of bronze is to be the figure of a miner, thirty-nine inches high, (standing) on a 17-inch platform, with a pick and 27-inch shovel over his shoulder, (and) a miner’s candlestick with its candle in his right hand.” The pose apparently was beyond the manufacturer’s technical ability and the candle and holder were omitted….or were they?
The ‘Miner Statue,’ gift to the USS Arizona in 1919, as seen on the cover of the October 15, 1916 magazine “Yavapai: A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Northern Arizona.” The now missing candle and candle holder are seen on this photo. The statue is on display at the Capitol Museum in Phoenix, along with the silver service (Photo Courtesy of Author).
Yet, the early photo, taken from the cover of the October 15, 1916 issue of “Yavapai: A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Northern Arizona” shows a different view, clearly appearing to have the candle and holder in his left hand. There is no duplicate of the photo to be found anywhere. Reed & Barton of New York had agreed to manufacture the silver dining set as well as the statue for a total of $9000 based on the previous year’s price of silver – 49 cents per ounce. No money had exchanged hands; Reed and Barton had explicit faith in the people of Arizona. But, the sponsors were having a difficult time raising the money. At the time the magazine appeared with the statue photo on the cover, the sponsor’s fund-raising tour of the state’s cities coincided with the Fourth Annual Northern Arizona State Fair. The silver service and statue were on display at the fair and many cities statewide from mid-summer to mid-November, including a dazzling exhibit which could be viewed from two or more of the Bashford-Burmister Company’s store windows on Gurley Street. A front page photo of the complete silver dining service was in the Weekly Courier on October 14, 1916.
The impending war in Europe, America’s growing involvement and subsequent declaration of war in April of 1917 all but put a complete stop to the project of raising money for the silver set and statue. They were placed in storage through the next half year. Then, as luck would have it, a $5000 donation was sent from William A. Clark, a secretive proprietor of Jerome’s United Verde Copper Mine! The donation satisfied more than half the obligation. Other Arizona mining companies donated funds in order to “fall in line.” The full amount needed for payment was finally secured. In June of 1917, the silver service was returned to Reed & Barton for polishing and preparing it for presentation to the USS Arizona.
The bronze statue of an Arizona miner appears today at the Capitol Museum in Phoenix to be without the candle and candle holder seen in the photo of 1916. The missing candlestick and candle has never been explained (Photo courtesy of Author).
The entire collection, including the statue, was turned over to the U. S. Navy in a ceremony held in New York Harbor on board the ship on December 27, 1919. By then, the candlestick and candle had been removed from ‘The Miner,’ leaving the figure partly empty-handed. Whether purposely or accidentally is not understood. Replacing them seems not to have been thought necessary. Both the silver service and the statue were removed from the ship in 1940, along with many sports trophies, just before the ship was ordered to Pearl Harbor.
Predictably, at a later stage, the silver service, trophies and statue got separated and disassociated. The silver service was returned to Arizona in 1953 and is on display at the Capitol Museum in Phoenix. The Navy lost track of the statue until 1999, when it was returned to Arizona after it was found ensconced in the storage facility of the Naval Historical Center in Washington D. C. Surprised and somewhat perplexed Arizonans had all but forgotten about it in the interim. Many of the ship’s survivors thought it all went down with the ship at Pearl Harbor and didn’t realize it had all been removed.
The missing candlestick and candle has never been explained and a close and concentrated examination of the statue only adds to the mystery. The statue bears no visible clues, no logos or stampings toward identifying its provenance. Who designed it? Who sculpted it? Was it, indeed, made by the same company that fashioned the silver service? None of these basic details were presented in 1916. They remain no less elusive yet today.
Arizona is looking forward to its series of centennial observances. Perhaps a visual arts student, art historian or other motivated person may wish to accept this curiously inviting challenge to solve the mystery?
A formal plea for donations for the silver service and statue for the USS Arizona battleship in 1916-17. The European conflict and America’s growing involvement at that time controlled the news and donations were sparse. It wasn’t until 1919 that transfer of the items was made to the battleship (Photo courtesy of author).
Published in Prescott Courier: November 27, 2011