The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-04-26
A PAGEANT ON THE SEA.
Trip Of the Combined Fleets From
Hampton Roads to New
York.
A Scene Calculated to Charm the
Eye and Stir the Imagi-
nation.
At Night 1t Seemed ms Though Myriad Of
Gigantic Planets Had Been =
Born.

QUARANTINE, N. y. April 25.-Promptly
ON time. with every prearranged detail car
ried ont with marvellous exactness, the
combined naval squadrons of the old and
now world took possession OF the lower bay
OF New York harbor this afternoon. Shortly
before one O'Clock the lookout in the crows
nest OF the double -turretted monitor, Mian-
tonomah. which is an nohored midway between
Sandy Hook point and Scotland liRhtship.
siRnalled that the feet was in sight. A
tug with an Associated press flag at the
fore, promptly put out to sea and joined
the fleet. moving along at the rate of fully
ten knots an hour. The big white flagship
of Admiral Gherardi, the Philadelphia,
headed the port column. The huge black
British cruiser Blake, Admiral Hopkins
flagship, led the starboard column. all ac-
cordinG to programme. The other vessels
were following in regular order.
Despite the obscurity of the weather
| the procession up the bay WAS exceedingly
beautiful. When Gravesend was reached
tho Philadelphia opened the salutes by
firing fifteen guns in honor of the Russian
admiral and the flagship Dlnitri Donskoi,
the baud on board the Philadelphia playing
|the Russian national air. The Russian
promptly acknowledged the salute, came to
| nchor, and the Newark passed the signal
to the other vessels Of the squadron, which
instantly hove to. The instant the Phila-
delphia let 20 anchor the Associated press
representative on board the flagship trans
ferred to his colleagues on the tug the story
of the trip.
The voyage of 27O miles from Fort Mon
roe to anchor age was a most delightful one.
the predictions of rough weather happily
failed to be realized. No accident oc-
CURED. and there was no hitch in the pro-
Rramme at any point save in the ability of
some foreign vessels to maintain the even
moderate speed set by the Philadelphia.
The vessels after leaving Fort Monroe
sailed with some formation till evening,
when they doubled up. In the bright sun
| shine the men of.War presented a scene to
charm the eye and stir the imagination.
This was especially true ofesthe United
Sta -as vessels. which kept In SEce!lent line
and position. eF'
The starboard column became demoral-
lied soon after Cape Henry disappeared
from sight. The Brazilians were speedily
left in the rear. and presently the gap in
between tho Aretheuse and uussard grew
wider and wider. The Italians also were
but specks upon the horizon. All of this
time it WAS most interesting to observe the
English squadron. The Blake kept abreast
the Philadelphia and Australia. The
MaRicienne and Tartar followed SO evenly
that an iron bar connecting them could not
have secured greater precision of move
ment.
The night scene at sea was brilliant.
Numerous masthead ana red and green
lights of the men.of-war studded the sky
as if an array of gigantic planets had been
sprung into being. while the red and white
electric lanterns of the Arrois signal flashed
bathed the ocean and ships in soft radiance,
while curling ribbons Of yeasty foam broke
gently from each vessels bow.
AT 1O O'Clock this morning the American
and foreign vessels were siRnalled f. ON the
philadelphia to fall into line similar to
Hampton Roads. The evolution was ac-
complished most oreditably and in this
formation the procession headed for Sandy
Hook. just outside the liahtship the Ar
Rentine cruiser Nueve de Julio made her
presence known by a salute of fifteen guns
to the admiraps flag. Az soon as the salute
was returned the fleet was sianalled to
push into bay in single column.
The Spanish warships arrived last night
with tho Columbus caravels, Santa Maria,
Nina and Pinta, and anchored in tho lower
bay. Early this morning tugs cut these
queer. primitive vessels loose from the war
ships and towed them up North river to the
accom- apartment OF booming guns from the
monitor Miantonomah and the forts along
the way, and the screaming of whistles
from all sorts of craft. Arriving at Ninety
sixth street they dropped anchor. to re-
main till the time for them to take part in
the great international naval pageant.
As to the great land pageant IL is now
estimated that there will be 5000 United
States sailors and marines in line and like
number from foreign vessels. together with
1000 United States troops and naval re-
serves.
On the peak of the Navesink Highlands
at noon a significant ceremony took placs.
Some time ago VIM. .. Mcdowell
of Newark, N. j., returning from
Europe. had his attention called TO
the fact that when vessels first came
in sight of land, no United States flag was
visible. and he deter mined to remedy the
defect. As u result q national liberty Iole
was erected on the spot mentioned to catch
the eye of the returning traveller and ap-
preaching tou, ist simultaneously with the
sight of land, and he secured an order from
the governments to the keepers of the light
house at that point to keep "Old Glory"
always floating from tho peak.
Among the company who assembled to
witness the first flag raising on this staff
was Mrs. H. X. =. Stafford. of Rhode
Island, a descendant of Lieut.. Stafford, of
the navy, who. during the engagement be-
tween Paul JONES' of the Bon Homme
Richard, and the British ship Serapls
jumped into the sea and rescued the flag
which was shot away by a ball from the
Scraps. Mrs. Stafford Inherited the flag
from him. She il now so years of
age. She came to-day with the
precious relic and amid tho booming of the
- , h,,io at lha
peak for moment. Then Mrs. Steven
son, wife OF the vice president OF tho
United States, as president general OF the
Daughters OF the American Revolution, as
sisted by Capt. Cnulpns, raised the stan
dard United States flag to the top. and the
eannons doomed again. Subsequent oers-
monies included IN address by Assistant
Secretary OF the Navy McAdoo aud the
reading of a poem.
Zulus Create u Sen nsntion.
CHICAGO, April 2b.-Two hundred Zulus