The Opelousas courier., 1892-11-05
A GREAT NAVAL REVIEW
PREPARING FOR a BIG GATHER
ING AT HAMPTON ROADS,

The Different Governments That
will Send war Vessels-Grandest
Display of Modern Times.
N LREADY the naval authorities
~ are beginning to prepare LOT
"a i ,s ssss: sss'' he s'S s:;:p sss; j:
N honor of the Columbian year, next
April.
The appropriation made by Congress
$50, oGM will not cover the expenses oil
mobilizing the feet, let alone the OK.
oenses of maintaining it for several
months, on our coast, SO Secretary
Tracy will have to draw literally from
the regular naval appropriation for the
running expenses of the navy. Invita-
tions have been prepared for all the
countries of the world to be represented
at the international review. 1t is ex-
pected that all the maritime powers OF
the Southern Continent will accept.
"Over on the other side" the nations
will watch each other. OF course Rus
,ia and Germany will send a feet out of
good feeling toward the United States,
aud if Italy properly honors the mem
orv Of her son Columbus she will send
some of her ten-thousaud-to battle
ships. The English navy, large as it is,
is very we'll divided over the world, SO
it is not probable that she will send q
very large feet, and upon her action in
the matter depends largely the action OF
France. It is understood that Japan is
to send a cruiser, of which she has sonae
fine ones, across the Pacific and around
the horn to take part in the first interna-
tional review held in the country that
first visited Japan to secure a mercantile
treaty, and that Turkey will uubend
from her religious rigor enough to send
over one of her fine war ships. This
vessel will have a distinguishing feature
that may be new to many Americans. AS
an article of the Mohammedan religion
makes the bell sacred it cannot be used
on board Turkish ships, as it is upon
others, for striking the hours and sound
ing fog signals, and by a special suspen.
sion of the navigating rules a drum is
used instead.
a Of our own warships all the new steel
ships will be in the review except the lit
tie Petrol, which is out in China, probably
to spend the rest of her life there. Sew
eraT of the ships now under construction
will be in commission by that time, but
it is doubtful if the big cruiser New
York will be finished in time to partici-
pate. In case the Cramps do get her
completed by March she will probably
be Admiral Gherardi's flagship during
the review. The Montgomery, Detroit
and Machias will be in commission by
that time. The other ships taking part
will be the Baltimore, Philadelphia,
Charleston, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta,
Miantonomoh, Concord, Yorktown, Ben
nington, Vesuvius and Kearsarge. If
the regulation feet formation is con-
formed with the sixteen vessels will
form a feet, with Admiral Gherardi as
commander in chief; then there will be
advisor of the feet into two squadons,
with a commodore or rear admiral in
command of each; the subdivisions of
the squadrons go under technical name
of division and are composed of four ves-
sells, then the divlson is again divided
into two sections.
When all the ships anchor in Hampton
Roads next April it will be a grand
array, and the visiting and wining and
dining, the balls, parties and receptions
will be something for officers to remem-
ber and tell of for years, while the din
when all the ships salute some new
conner will dwarf a large-sized lombard
ment. And an ~s'oficer of the deck"
on any one of the ships will have to keep
his eyes open for commanding officers
p~ennants, signals and all the routine of
a warship if he does not wish to receive
the angry "benediction" of his captain.
After the mobilization of the fleets at
Hampton Roads they will proceed in
company to New York harbor. In
column at cruising distance, 400 yards,
fifty ships, which number seems quite
probable, will make a parade twelve
miles 1oug, and by the time the last one
has passed, the leader will be sshull
down" only a patch of smoke or a light
network of rigging. It isto be earnestly
hoped that the review will be the
grandest naval display of modern times,
all calculated to increase the friendsh:
Of the nations. Washington Star.