Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-04-24

UP ANCHOR AND OFF
Ths Fleet VIII Sail fos New
voek Today.
PROVISIONING irHE SHIPS
Lass nay oe ehe WaaAessous was .
nssy oss ssA sssAay
wss RurOpssaa.
PROVISIONING irHE SHIPS


have swung the massive hulls. and III
sharp provs will 10 pointed toward th
ocean. This 10 matter of no small i'm
postance ~ IN attempt 10 tusn al tn
chips at once would bc . most danger
QUE experiment. There has been %,
rest for Admiral Ghersrdi today. sigma
hags have been running up and dow
from the yards of tho Phiisdelphia; blu
coated messengers have been hurryin,
in plunging Isunchcs from ship 20 shiI
and tho typewriter in tho admiral,
ofdce has been going at rapid pace
There 10 no question but that Admire
Gherardi feels the responsibility which
rests upon him a. the commander IL
chief Of tho squadron. Several times
today he has been upon the bridge ol
the Philadelphia viewing with snxious
eyes the gathering clouda Everybody
hero 10 naturally hoping that the
weather In New York will be fair. bu,
the seasoned old salts Who know all
about the weather shake their heads
dubioualy today. Tho wind has been
blowing from the northeast and il ID
bleak and cold. II whistled this morn.
ing most orainously through the rigging
OF the Chicago and stifiened the si9nsl
flags on tho Philsdelphia into . semb-
lance oe frozen cloths.
Taking Provisions Aboard.
la moro ways than one was the fact
that this was the last day Of the rendez.
vous emphasized. One Of the most in
teresting incidents was the preparations
for provisioning the ships for the cruise.
The steamers from the large cities this
morning were piled high with edible
freight. Tons and tons of beef were
brought from Baltimore and transferred
to tho ships cutters. which were dan.
cling on tho waves at the wharf. Hugo
crates of canned goods and mammoth
sacks of vegetables stood side by side
with food enough to stock store.
One pile OF bread contained by actual
count 1876 loavcs,and there were several
other mountains Of baked dough nearly
q large. American, English. German.
Russian. French. Spanish. Italian and
Dutch sailors hovered around the food
or transferred il amid Babel-like con-
fusion TO their boats. All this had 70
Be done today. There will Be no tine
Tor it tomorrow morning. Equally in
teresting. although q scene entirely dif-
ferent. was tho regulation Of the chrome
neters 1t noon today.
Getting the Time.
Shortly before l2 o'clock a company
OF officers filed through the long and
narrow passage to the room in which
the telegraphers were at work. Some
OF them carried little mahogany boxes
under their arms. which they placed
with moro than ordinary care upon the
small tables. A dozen instrumests were
busily. At ten minutes to II
the chief operator manipulated q key
board and the rattle IL one of the
ceased. Instantly the lids OF
the boxes were raised and disclosed the
glass covered faces OF the chronometerr.
Every officer stood with his watch in his
hand. Tick. tick" sounded the telc-
graph slowly beating 10 the pulsation Of
the great clock in the observatory at
An officer with table
was noting the movement of the chro-
Tick. tick" clicked the
lounder. tick for each second Of time.
One minute OF L. arrived. During this
minute there was no sound. Then a
short sharp decided click told the hour
of noon. A dozen observant eyes and
brains noted the second. the minute. and
the hour hands Of the ships timekeep-
ers. and then. with the chrmometers
again under their arms. the officers
went downstairs and carried the deli
cate mechanisms back to the vessel.
Guests Of the Fleet.
Thousands Of curious visitors made q
,ircuit of the fleet at quarter head in
steamers. II was the last day
II the rendezvous and therefore the last
lay for reaping the harvest of silver.
The fact that IL WAS Sunday might have
occurred Ia man IL he went out in the
woods and reckoned up the days OF the
seek, otherwise such remembrance
rouId hardly have impressed itself upon
lis mind.
Senators Butler. Gray and Gibson of
Maryland and Representative Benton
of Tennessee arrived today.
arrangements have been made for thee
'entleaen to go around with the feet 10
Scw York. They viii he quartcred on
he San Francisco along with ths repre-
entatiyes q! two New York papers.
Cultivate IL Ohio will
20 on the Philadelphia. Invitations had
lso been extended to a number IL other
enstors ani represent ia,iyes. out IA they
'sd not appeared up 10 this evening. the
II the ships at once began
o extend invitations 90 their fr.ends
Yearly every ship will have a numbe, u
ivilians and correspondents Tie LAT.
er will represent the United Press and
New lo.k. Boston aud Chi.
ago papers.
Tough on Correspondents.
IL was supposed sosne weeks ago that
% one would sail With the fee. except
yur representatives ~ the Prtxs associa.
Ions. but this limit although suggested /
y Secretary Herbert. has been totally /
,sregsrde,l. The voyage 10 likely to be |
,sde with considerable Discomfort. The /
have been Told that they |
Iill have Ia content themselves vith I
addresses under the ward room table. 4
Though friends u the commanding
ifcers. who have been invited 10 go. I
III not suffer any inconveniences IL /
1e weather continues 10 te rough there |
cure 90 he good deal - sickness
mong the landsmen on s,perd. hut tins
ccs not seeIn 90 deter any one from \
Iaking the trip.
Secrstsry Hert-st bas passed quiet
az ~ ihe banquet On the Dolphin
-, night he had Admiral Hopkins -
10 English man -os var Blake. ard m
fe course ~ the evening the samral
.ged the secretary e. sftrnd churcs
'rvfee cr the Blake fhss usotning Nr
erberi st onc- accepted. and tins
Iornins. Just before the church pr
ant sas Bown from the Blake. he