The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-10-20
Especial Correspondence

Harlem river soon after seven O'Clock on
the morning of Tuesday the second day
of the celebration l caught sight Of the
cupola of brewery decorated with the
italian colors. Down the side streets
appeared quantities of American flags
and although this part of the city was
miles from the route of the procession
nearly all of the houses and shops seemed
to be decorated. The morning was warm
and pleasant and the day of the naval
parade opened auspiciously. There did
not seem to be an unusual crowd about
the station, at the. hotels OF on the ele-
waited roads. On Fifth Avenue stands had
been erected in front of the reservoir,
the club houses and private residences.
Portraits of Columbus appeared frequent
lyand the red and yellow of Spain and the
green, white and red of Italy We'd with
our own national colors. Grand stands
had been erected at 59th street and at
Madison, Union, Washington and City
Hall square. From 34th street to Madison
Square there were tall masts on each side
of the avenue one hundred feet apart.
Strung from them were the flags of all
nations, gonfalons and streamers of
different kinds and rows of Japanese
lanterns which were to be lighted by
electricity in the evening
RECALLING on my business friends in the
morning I found that some with the in
difference of many New Workers were
ta1x h11tl iT1fp in ho 10
aud did not even intend to take the
trouble to see it. Others showed more
enthusiasm and from one of them [ re-
ceived an invitation to join private party
on large tug which promptly accepted.
At Pier East river from whence we
started all was life and excitement.
Seven or eight tugs and excursion steam
ers were taking on passengers and were
wbistling loudly for their belated guests.
One portly gentleman in his hurry to get
on board fell overheard and was ignomi-
niously fished out with boat hook, los
ing his silk hat and eyeglasses in the
ioperation. We soon started and as we
swung into the stream the beautiful AS
torssteam yacht Nourmahal passed us.
She looked very stately with her tall
spafs land top-gallant and lower yards
across. On her bridge was
A Gay Party of Ladies
and gentlemen and she like the other
yachts that were to tahe part in the pro-
.oession, was decorated with flags in rain
bow style.
Darling about were ferry boats and ex-
cursion steamers black with people, tug
boats and crafts of all kinds. We pro-
ceeaed slowly down the harbor and near
the narrows heard the firing of the salute
as the ship passed Fort Hamilton. As
the smoke rolled away the procession ap-
speared. First came fiotilla of tug boats
manned by the naval militia whose duty
it was to clear the way, darling about
was the swift Gushing with the mar
Shal of the procession on board and as
siSting him were several of the swiftest
sfnall steam yachts of the country. Next
in line came three OF four very ordinary
looking excursion steamers which seemed
strangely out of place in that position.
On board of them were dignitaries of
different grades, the invited guests of
the city and the committee of one hum
dred. Behind them came the men of
war in three lines the four foreign ships
being one behind the other in the center
with four American vessels on either
side of them.
The naval display was rather disap
pointing 1t was not to be compared
with recent navalsparades at Portsmouth,
England, or at Genoa. There was no
ship of the first class in the fleet and of
the eight American ships but three could
be classed as men-of-war. The American
squadron was not in fact as powerful as
the squadron that was in Portland har-
Dor in 1891 and whereas at the parade in
1889 the remnants of four American rear
admirals were flying in New York har-
Dor, at this parade the senior American
naval officer af1oat was a commodore.
He by courtesy commanded the COM
bined squadron although the senior
French officer was rear-admiral. The
philadelphia was the flagship. She is
said to be the least successful of the new
cruisers and seemed unnecessarily high
sided. Quite different in appearance
was the double turreted monitor 'Mian-
tonomah" which with her low free board
and tall military mast looked like
floating derrick. She has thick armor
and heavy guns and although she is said
to be lacking in speed and coal endurance
was without doubt the most powerful
ship in the squadron. Between and
slightly in the rear of these two ships
was the French flagship "Arethuse."
She was tall ship with black hull, a
ram shaped bow and high top-gallant
forecastle and poop. She had lofty spars
was ship rugged and was a very stately
vessel but quite old fashioned in iappear-
ance. The next two American ships
were the brig rugged Atlanta with raised
superstructure amidships and the yacht
like Dolphin. Between them was the
white "Hussard'' recently in our harbor.
Next in line were the coast survey steam
er ''Blake" carrying no armament and
the non-descript so-called.
Dynamite Cruiser, vesuvius
which has never fired dynamite from
her guns, and probably never will. Be
tween them was the powerful looking
italian ship, Giovanni Baussan. She sat
low in the water, had raised superstruc-
ture amidships, in which were mounted
guns of moderate size, and forward and
aft of this on the open deck were two
very heavy guns. She was painted black,
had two military masts, and was fine
looking vessel. Next in order came
the two revenue steamers, "Grant" and
Dexter having the Spanish corvette,
"Infanta Isabel" between them. She
40, noipta6 white