New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-22
ALL GALLANT BOYS IN WHITE
VETERAN aJACKIES' AND NEW SAILORS
MEET.
DRILL OF THE SQUADRON OF EVOLUTION
CITIZENS PROUD OF THEIR NEW NAVY.

State OF New-l ork lew from Nes-el yesteIuay.
II toatcd in the languid river breezcs from the
tug FL Toro, which had come out with Lieutenant
Commander Miller on board 10 the first Of tho
drills of the Reserve ever held on the water.
OF course the members of the organization have
drilled on the old Minnesota at great guns, how
itzers and singesticks, and as the old ship has a
few feet Of water under her keel, those drns
might strictly lie said TO be drills afioat. But
Yesterday the members Of the Reserve Tor the
first time left the shore, reported on board Ves-
sells at anchor in the stream, and in tossing ooav
and snorting launches learned what 1t was 70
arm and equip boats for "cutting out
1t was beautiful afternoon, but warm,
ard the sun beat Inercifssly down
on the North River when the memoers
Of the Reserve assembled at o'clock on board the
Minnesota and were mustered in their white work
ing suits on the torrid pier at which the OLD snip
is moored II was lot Of sailor men such as no
other country has produced, nor can. Then IN tne
earb of sailors "unlettered and unknown met
LAWYERS doctors, men of business. And even the
stern capitalist had come forth from MS retre-
mert TO minge with the crowd, which, anxious
and striving to conceal agitation at the novelty
Of the position, met to be- for the rest of the day.
sailors for all they were worth Inc
officers of the Reserve were easily distinguished
from the regulars by their inferior military
/
not on account of the difference Of uniform, for
the uniforms are very similar, but from the fact
| that they appeared in uniform much as q Naval
officer appeafs in citizens clothes. There WIS
| look of determination on each face, and no ono
who saw the officers and men Of the Reserve
yesterday could doubt for moment the success
| of the organization. Officers and men were there
to do and to learn. They acquitted themselves
nobly. New-York was proud of them the day."
OFF Twenty-ffth-st. lay the Chicago flying
the flag Of Admiral Walker, and the
other ships reached up the river, all
just beginning to swing to the first OF the s'rong
| food tide which setting in.
One hundred and twenty members Of the
Naval Reserve reported for duty and in six cut
ters and two steam launches were conveyed on
board the various ships 10 which they were
| eseiQned Lieutenant Commander Miller, accom-
panied by his adiutant George Edward Kent and
the rest of his staff, came steanng up TO the Mime
sofa with the blue folds Of the Naval Reserve
haa flying above him, before the time came for
the boats to be manned, and took command OF
! his gallant boys in white. As an ex-
ample of how much and deeply Interested
! in the Naval Reserve the American steamship
| lines are, it may be said that the Morgan line
furnished it's steel tug FL Toro free OF expense
for the use of Lieutenant-Commander Miller and
| his staff
When the members of the Naval Reserve had
| reaciTed the ships to which they had been sent
| they were mustered on the quarter deck, and then
tbe drum beat to quarters all up and down that
line of shining white vessels. The Reserve men
we're mixed up among the regular sailors, anu
! wherever there was an amateur there were pail
y dozen sailors to whom these drills were part
OF their daily lives, ready to prompt and posi-
their shipmates of the day on everything per-
tanning to their duty. The mllhonaires
and the merchants, the professional men ana 'he
students were meek as they could be, ana only
wanted to learn, while the real "Jackies' filled
with the pride of their professlon' dihuSeu III
formation at every pore.
Lieutenant, Commander Miller went on board the
Chicago and stood there on the quarterback with
| Admiral Walker each high functionary surrounded
nv his rlitterng staff while the exercises were In
nrorress The crews being at quarters, the order
YVES given 10 arm and equip boats for cuttlrg
ont Naval Reserve men and squadron sailors
lowered away the boats. provisions were
nlaced in them howitzers, iatlng guns and Hotch-
kiss rapid-fre guns were lowered 10 the boats and
mounted. The men swarmed down the Jacobs
ladders into the boats each having rifle slung
over his back and a cutlass strapped around MS
waist Thus equipped il was no joke for man
not used TO this sort of thing to get down
| ,Id
ing about on every swell sent up by passing
steamer and on one never by any chance being
in exactly the same place for one minute. It s
one of the most dscouraging things in Naval
history to reach ont ones foot 10 q boat which
is Just where it ought TO be and to fud
that you are reaching for the depths OF tho
deep blue sea, while the boat has Jumped away
and is mockngy tossing about several yards away.
The boats of the Chicago. seven in number,
with a steam launch at their head being manned
formed a column abreast of the star0oard side
of the flagship. Then down the river came the
boats from the other ships, all moving III column
with o steam launch at the head of each column.
The pierheads along the New-YorlS shore were SO
thronged with people that from the water the
crowds appeared as ore black mass, fecked with
white where the faces The shrouds of YES
sells moored at the piers were filled with people
also, and venturesomc ones were perched hgL aloft
on the crosstrccs and yards. Tugs, gay with bunt-
ing, had come out with parties TO see the marine
spectacle and were massed over toward the Jersey
shore. The flags the ships and at the stems
of the boats of tie fotlla, the brilliant-colored
signals which were now and then run up aboard
the flagship, and the answering peRnants
Of red and white which rose and fell
in response on the bods, all shone in
the bright sunlight, and formed brilliant picture
framed by the green hills of the western shore
and the spires and domes and towers OF the en-
circling cities.
The boats formed in six columns on the star.
board side of the Chicago, between her and the
jersey shore. Nearest the flagship was the column
Of her own boats, and then came those Of tho
Newark Concord, Atlanta, Yorktown and Boston
in the order named. When tie boats had been
in position for a while they were allowed 70 drift
ND the river for little way, and then, upon
signal from the Chicago, moved in echelon order
over toward the New-lork shore They were sup
posed to be ON their way TO cut out some hostile
vessel. but signal from the Chicago stopped them
before they had destroyed the merchant fleet,
moved along the eastern snore, and they returned.
As the boats went by the port side of the Chi
! cago the men tossed oars as salute TO the Adj
: AL LII. L.l ...A liz