Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-31
THE NAVAL REVIEW.
1t WIN Be the Greatest Pageant the world
Ever Saw.


vxssxLs THAT WILL BE SENT BIT YoHRraN ooy-
ERSnESTs-soME OF TIE BEsr sHIPs OF THE
NEW USrrED Stairs navy WILL NOT BE
READY, But TIE ExRIBIrIoS WILL BIZ CARD
| IrABLE.
/ One Of the most important and attractive
features In connection with the coming
quadro-centennial celebration OF the
discovery Of America is the proposed
grand review Of the navies OF the world
in Hampton Roads and New York Harbor
In Apnl and May ne1t The authority
/ for this naval demonstration intended for one
thing to exhibit the effective ships Of our navy,
/ lie embodied in section Of the act OF Congress
creating the worlds Columbian exposition,
| which provides,
THAT the President Is hereby employed and
directed to hold . naval review in New York
harbor In April, 1898, and to extend to foreign
nations an invitation TO send ships Of war TO
Join the United States navy in rendezvous at
Hampton Roads and proceed thence to said
review"
MORE MONET WANTED.
The Secretary Of the Navy estimated that it
would cost e25o, 900 to properly execute this
provision Of law, and at the same time sustain
the dignity Of the United States as the host of
! the occasion. All that has so far been ap-
propriated Is $50, 900 and this amount has been
already practically exhausted in making the
preliminary arrangements for the participat ton
OF the foreign navies, &c. Congress will be
e20o 900 more In order that the
plans already entered into shall be moderately
successful and that foreign visitors may have
| no just cause to complain Of their reception and
entertainment
The Invitations sent to all the maritime ma
tfr>v,u ~ h.
cepted and a pageant is promised such has
seldom been witnessed in the history Of all the
world.
SHIPS OF FOREIGN NATIoSs
France will be represented by At least six
ships Of the 6rst-class, headed by the Admiral
Baudin OF IL $50 tons. Great Britain will send
about ten vessels but they will hardly be of
the same type and strength as the French con-
tingent, for the reason that her best ships are
not available for this purpose.
Germany will have six warships in the review;
Russia probably as many; Italy, four Spain,
four; Chill, two, including possibly the famous
Esmeraida; Austria, two; Brazil, two, and ia
pan, one. Portugal Greece and Sweden and
Norway will also be represented.
The United States as the host of the occasion
will make the best possible showing and to this
end will concentrate in the roads its entire
available naval force. Naval officers are far
from enthusiastic about the review, however,
and nearly all Of them are free to say that il is
to be held too early for proper showing Of
our naval strength.
oUR BEST SHIPS NOT AVAILABLE
They admit that this country will have plenty
OF vessels On hand, but say that they will be
merely cruisers and gunboats that will COM
pare rather unfavorably with the formula
BILE battle ships that will represent many
OF our foreign neighbors. As one officer
put it; Our new vessels are undoubtedly
the best Of their kind, but the type is far from
being frst-class as fighting machines. Then,
again, the best Of the ships we expected to
display will not be ready In time for the
review, and some Of them will
be present in shamefully unfinished
high-speed cruiser which was to have been our
star ship for this occasion, will not be there at
all and the armored cruiser New York Of $3.50
tons displacement, which is to be the flag
ship Of the American squadron will not
be altogether complete in time and will appear
2ooo-ton cruisers Detroit and Montgomery,
neither Of which will be finished in time for the
review.
ITS pity we did not have more time to get
ready. As the thing looks to me now we have
merely invited the great nations to come over
and see how really Insignificant our new navy
is when compared with theirs"
While it is time that several of the vessels
which were expected to exhibit our fighting
strength to the best advantage, will not be
ready for the coming event and if
present :. will show their incomplete
from the preparations being made, that the
people OF this country will have no just cause
for shame at their representatives on the occa-
sion. To make up for the entire absence Of first
class sea-going battleships and coast line
battleships of the second class and in
fact battle ships OF all classes, the American
navy will present a most formidable fleet Of the
lighter and different class Of warships such as
cruisers, gnnboats, harbor defense vessel,
dynamite vessel and a torpedo boat, number
ing nineteen in all. These are the steel cruisers,
New York. Baltimore, San Francisco. Charles
ton, Newark, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta,
Detroit and Montgomery, ten in all;
the gunboats Bennington, Concord, York
town and Machias four in ALL the
dynamite cruiser Vesnvius the Dispatch,
boat Dolphin, the torpedo boat Cushing the
defense monitor Miantonomoh and the prac-
tice cruiser Bancroft. Nearly all the above
named vessels are now in American waters or
close at hand. The only ones at any dis
lance are the Baltimore. Charleston, San
Francisco and Yorktown now on their
way here from Chile and the Newark
and the Bennington now in the Mediterranean
with orders to start for home not later than
February Is. Secretary Tracy has promised
that all available ships will be concen-
trated for the review and that stren-
uous efforts will be made to hasten the
completion and Commission Of the new
vessels which it is hoped to have ready for that
occasion. All the vessels mentioned in the
above list are modern steel vessels. It is not
expected that any Of our wooden vessels will
participate in the review.
MORE THAN MERE DISPLAY.
This gathering Of war vessels will be more
than a mere display. 1t will also include Q
series Of maneuvres Of the utmost tactical
value, and altogether will be an attraction both
rare and instructive to all who take an interest
in the worlds naval development.
Among the thousands Of people sure to be in
attendance the majority of course of The for
eign visitors will avail themselves of the oppor-
tunity Of visiting the seat of the government
The proposed visit of so many foreign naval
vessels has given rise to all sorts of suggestions
One is that during the progress Of the ex-
position they might be induced to
visit and accept the Inequalities Of
the citizens Of Boston, Portland, Newport,
Bar Harbor, Baltimore, Washington, the ports
OF tine South Atlantic and Gulf, such as Charles
ton, Savannah, Mobile, Pensacola. Galveston,
New Orleans. and also the island where Column
bus first discovered the new world.
MAY VISIT WASHINGTON.
Ono Of the gentlemen concerned in the man.