Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-18
Correspondents Of The Evening Star.
Nr-r-p4nr a.

| all American summer resorts have been waiting
and watching for the white squadron" ever
since it sailed northward from the capes Of the
Chesapeake in June, and at last their expecta.
! tons are answered by the presence of the wal
ships. Friday morning the squadron steamed
IN past Fort Adams with the Chicago leading
and the Newark, Boston, Yorktown, Concord
and Vesuvius following in line, while the Cush-
ing, as usual, darted in and ont among
| the Others like 'bee in clover
patch" The Atlanta had been left behind
ut the Brooklyn navy yard and did not
arrive until yesterday. As the flag ship passed
the fort seventeen guns doomed in salute to
Admiral Walker; then seventeen more followed
from the New Hampshire. Yachts all over the
harbor took it up Just for fun" and for an
hour the salutes kept ON booming till ono might
have supposed an actual bombardment was in
progress. On board the flag ship were Senators
blackburn and Chandler and the other men,
bers of the United States Senate naval COM
nlittee, the guests of the admiral who is anxious
| to show what his famous squadron of evolution
can 40, and wants the men who appropriate the
| millions for defense to see what they are
appropriating the same for.
THE NAVAL COMMITTEES CRUISE.
The committee viii remain on board during
the cruise north to Boston, Portsmouth and
Bar Harbor, returning to New York abcu. the
hiiNo-S VI SSptSupeEs ~ Is SllQ tilslt the al
miral likes New York: and that is sufficient to
explain why the squadron is there so much.
The squadron will sail from here tomorrow
morning for Boston. where an exhibition drill
is TO be given for the benefit of the naval COM
mlttec and reception is to be given to the
officers Of the squadron. The Concord will be
detached for her final trial trip this week,
when she Is expected to show a higher speed
than her first trial developed. The bennington
Is expected daily, as she has been fitting OUT
at Brooklyn Tor three months and should have
joined the others six weeks ago, but when a
ship starts Ito fit OUT SO many different de-
partments get a chance at her that it is more
by good luck than anything else that she gets
away at all.
On Saturday evening a ball was given to the
oilcers OF the squadron at the Gardiner House
at jamestown, just across the bay from New
port, where quite a number of navy people
are staying. This is about the only attention
that has been paid to the squadron here, for
Newport Is not enthusiastic over the navy by
any means.
RESULTS OF RECENT TORPEDO TRIALS.
At the torpedo station on Goat Island every
one is talking Of the recent trials of the Sims
Edison torpedo and its wonderful success. The
advocates of the Howell torpedo arc still hope
fui that the latter may overcome all difficulties,
however, and seem to think that the SUCCESS OF
the Sims-Edison invention is only temporary.
However this may be, the trials recently made
brought out some new features. As every one
knows, the torpedo is run by electricity and IS
completely controlled from the boao or shore
station from which it is started by means of
electrical connection. through a small insulated
wire that Is unreeleI from tie starting point as
the torpedo advances. 1t was demonstrated BY
the trial that the torpedo could be sent to any
point, raised to the surface or sunk and ex-
ploded at any time by the electrical connec-
ton or on contact when it struck the ship
aimed at. With coast defended by such in-
struments OF war as these any approach by
war ships would be almost impossible, and the
company owning the patents feel sure that the
government will accept the torpedo after
another trial soon to be made with high ex-
plosives. which it is claimed will completely
demonstrate its usefulness.
VALUE OF THE RECENT DRILLS.
Rumors abound that the squadron is to be
broken up on the return to New York, and that
the ships are to be scattered to the four winds,
but the admiral does not think so and the flag
lieutenant, S. A. Stanston. says that the SQUAD
ron will hold together for two more years
Ihere Is no doubt that much has been gained
by the drills and evolutions. The usual cruis-
ing formation is in column at half distance"
or two hundred yards apart, and to q navigator
unused to such cruising this seems dangerously
close, and more than ordinary skill
Is called into requisition in handling
vessels So near each other. Now in
case o. a naval battle the ships would
have to BIO maIreuyered and foughtat very close
quarters. and the present drills are an excel
lent training for such emergencies. Notwith-
standing this close distance and the number of
SHIPS IN the fleet no collisions have occurred
though the squadron has been out in all SORTS
OF weather, rough and smooth, and in fogs SO
heavy that even at the close distance kept not
sign OF the other ships could be seen from
any one. In such cases the position is kept by
sound. Each vessel has letter distinguishing
Ia q mi, u.
or thick weather blows short blast followed bya
long and short blast on its steam whistle for
the 'do.- dash-dot Of the letter T in the Morse
telegraphic code. Each ship in turn sounds its
distinguishing letter, and thus the admiral
Keeps his white ships in limo in spite of wind
and weather. The effect of the training, or
rather the lack Of training, in squadron steam
ing 10 shown when a new ship joins. Instead
OF following the line perfectly, as the others do.
she steers wildly from one side to the other and
1t is not until several weeks that Johnny New
conner" Gas the new ship is styled gets down to
the proper working.
THE CROWDS or VISITORS
Wherever the new vessels 90 crowds of wis.,
itors come aboard and the questions they ask
are sometimes appalling. 1 do not mean to say
that it is strange that the people in general
should not know the weight OF a gun or its range,
or that there are many like the western states
man, who was surprised on his first visit to
ship to find that 'she was hollow" but it docs
seem that they should at least strike n happy
medium that would prevent them from asking
IF the ship could go well forward as back
ward, and IF the half-inch sides OF our steel
cruisers would keep out six-inch Shells" vet
such questions and many worse ones are daily
to be answered.
THE MOONLIGHT SIGNAL SYSTEM
In scarcely any part OF the ships is more gen.
eral interest shown than in the new night sig
nal system. II Is the invention Of N. Ardois, O
Frenchman, and consists of five pairs of incan-
descent electric lights about fifteen feet apart,
arranged on q stay reaching from the deck to
the masthead. Each pair consists of a red and
o green light. and they are all in circuit with
keyboard where forty eight different combi-
nations may be switched in, showing a red, a
white and a red light for the letter A, or three
reds, and so on for all the letters in the alpha
bet and the ten numbers. A ship
wishing to signal turns on the call,
which Is answered by the ship
signaled to, then the message Is sent letter by
letter. Accuracy is insured by the receiving
ship turning on the same letter as the sender
ss.owe. The whole squadron signaling Mt once
forms very pretty sight and it is not surpris-
ing that the shore folk should admire 1t. 1t
was said that one young officer was discovered
teaching Boston girl the phabet, but whether
he has sent any messages to her by this means
was not discovered. When all is told the pres
ent cruise is one ovation to the officers all
along our coast, but with it goes On abundance
of hard work. d. w.