The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-04-18
MANY MARINE MONSTERS
Arrival Of John Bulls Fleet at
Hampton Roads.
A POWERFUL ARMoRED CRUISER.

The Pride OF tho British Navy, Vessel
Whose Guns Can Throw 500 Pound
Shot in a Straight Line for Twenty-four
Miles.
FORTRESS MONROE, April 18.-The ar
rival Of the entire British feet with o
titled officer in command followed by
another French vessel and the antiquated,
but formidable looking, Dutch frigate
Vanspeyk has added to the already brill
liant scene and increased the interest and
animation which pervades the multitude
now gathered here from every section OF
the country to witness the grandest naval
pageant never before seen in American
waters.
The early watchers on the long wharf
that projects out from the sandy beach Of
Old Point Comfort saw the English fleet
Of five ships creeping up the entrance to
the roads, and were not slow in spreading
the news The Blake, the fastest and best
Of the modern crafts that the British have
added to their navy, was in the van. Be-
hind her was the Magicienne, then came
the Tartar, then the formidable Australia,
and in the rear the tiny Partridge that
rocks like cradle with every passing
swell When abreast of the Atlanta, and
before she had come to anchor, the Blake
blazed away with a salute to "old glory"
which fioated at the main. The gunners
in the fort, scarcely waiting for the smoke
to drift away, responded with twenty-one
guns.
AS soon as the Blake came to anchor the
uniformed representatives of the several
commanding officers of the various fleets
boarded her. These ceremonies of well
h. ~ l,., had
their hands full in receiving the corps of
correspondents and other visitors.
Standing on the after deck was Admiral
Hopkins. He looked a typical mariner
His frame, not large but compactly built,
was we'll outlinedin closely fitting Prince
Albert coat, with the insignia of his rank
upon the standing collar, and the colored
ribbon of decoration pined on his left
breast.
The Blake deserves more than passing
mention. She is today the largest, the
fastest and the most heavily armored
cruiser in existence. She is an ideal of
naval architecture. with a displacement
of 1900 tons and engines of 20,000horse
power to propel her through the water
with twin screws at the rate of abou
twenty-five miles an hour She is float
ing battery, capable of throwing nearly a
bhouSduu pOuluS VI Inttdl VIII tttCu
broadsde of her double row of guns, each
weighing twenty tons and mounted on
such massive gun carriages that man
can stand on the deck beneath the muz-
zle without bending. These guns can
fire a shot Of 800 pounds in a dead straight
line for twenty-four miles. Directly in
front of the forward mast is the firing
tower, protected by forged steel three feet
thick.
AS soon as the barge of the Philadelphia
was sighted approaching the ship the
guard was hurried to the after deck. As
the American admiral stepped upon the
landing steps the band played the first
eight bars of the opening chorus from
Norma" and Admiral Hopkins, now in
full uniform, walked forward to greet his
visitor. He was surrounded by gorgeous
staff. After few words on deck the Off
GERS went below, where informal toasts
were drunk to the president and the queen.
After twenty minutes Admiral Gherardi
retired, his departure being acc ccompanied
by as much state and ceremony as his
arrival. Admiral Hopkins returned the
visit later in the day.
The other ships of the English squadron,
while not so interesting as the Blake,
possess many points of attraction. The
Australia is the best and most powerful
cruiser of the Mediterranean fleet. The
Magicienne is the next in size, while the
Tartar is remarkable for the fact that her
bow and her lines under water are almost
counterpart OF the celebrated yacht
Volunteer. The Partridge is pretty little
gun boat.
Admiral Hopkins, after paying his
formal call upon Admiral Gherardi came
ashore in the afternoon and visited the
fort. He was received there with the
honors due his rank, a salute of fifteen
guns being fired.
Latter arrivals to the fleet were the Van
Speyk, Holland man-of-war, and the
Hnssard, small French gunboat, and the
first of the foreign ships TO wear coat of
white paint. The Dutchman is very sim
liar to the old ships of the United States
navy, such us the Lancaster, and presents
in the very antiquity of her makeup some
interest. As she happens to lie next to the
Blake the contrast is very marked.
Admiral Hopkins and all the command
ing officers of the men-ofwar in port were
dined by Admiral Gherardi on board the
Dolphin today.