The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-05-03

DARK Ruled Foreigners-The New Navy
of the United states Did Not suffer by
Comparison - The Review by President
Cleveland 49, The Round World Pays a
Splendid Tribute to the American Re-
public.
The international review in honor Of Co.
lumbus, which has been in active progress
at New York for nearly two weeks, culmi-
mated last Thursday in spectacular dem.
onstration the like of which has never been
recorded in modern history. The morning
broke cold and rainy, and chilly northeast
wind added to the discomfort, and some
hundred thousand people who had arranged
to view the grandest marine spectacle ever
presented in American waters IL not in the
world, were disappointed. The day was
made legal holiday by an act of the legis-
lature. There was a continuous stream of
people toward North river all the morning,
and hundreds Of excursion boats, steam
yachts tugs and other craft which had been
pressed into service were filled up with
sightseers whose patriotism and enthusiasm
carried them through the wet. Vantage
places under cover were in great dem and,
but thousands stood or sat in the open air
and watched the proceedings on the river.
The demonstration was one of sentiment,
not of force, notwithstanding the fact that
some of the heetest and most formidable
naval vessels in the world were there. The
post of honor in the parade was given to the
apparently unseaworthy reproductions of
tine Columbus caravels, the Santa Maria.
Pinta and Nina, which, with infinite care,
had been towed over from Cadiz to Cuba bv
our own Admiral Benham, and from Cuba
escorted to Hampton Roads and New York
by the Spanish warships. These pigmv
boats, high-pooped and lateen-rigged, cut
away amidships like Roman galley, were
anchored opposite Ninety-third street, and
formed practically the turning point Of the
of
naval development could not have been
more strongly and picturesqelylmark
The line of vessels reviewed was over
three miles in length and stretched in two
columns from the foot of Twenty-third
street to Ninety-tifth street, where the re-
viewing ship, the Dolphin, was anchored.
The embarkation of the presidential party
on board of the reviewing boat Dolphin was a
gorgeous affair. A handsome special landing
place had been erected for the purpose at the
foot of Twenty-third street, the approach to
which was carpeted and draped in bunting.
The president was escorted by his naval
aides and accompanied by Mrs. Cleveland
and members of the cabinet with their
wives. No representatives of the press or
of the general public were permitted on
board the presidential yacht Even the
Duke OF Neragua, the nations specially in
vited guest, the lineal descendant of Column
bus, was brought along in a separate vessel,
the army boat General Meigs. The Dol.
phn, John Roach's last achievement for the
government, long accused of structural
weakness" had been specially fortified for
the occasion by having a great cabin built
clean across the ship and covering one
fourth of her entire length, constituting
finer dining saloon than that possessed by
any yacht that rides the waters. The saloon
and the after cabin had been elegantly
decorated, carpeted and refurnished in
hand. carved mahogany, specially designed.
The members of the diplomatic corps had
previously gone on board the coast survey
steamer Blake, which was moored alongside
the Monmouth at the Thirty fourth street
dock.
The signal to start was given at two
o'clock. When the president stepped on
board the Dolphin she fired one gun as
signal. The response shook the city. The
double-turreted United States monitor
Miantonomoh, lying a. the rear of the port
column, fired for the first time in port one
of her huge ten.inch guns, charged with
nearly $50 pounds of powder. Almost be-
fore the reverberatons of this Twenty-Five
ton gun had died away in the distant echoes
the whole fleet was called to quarters, yards
were manned and every preparation made
to receive the president of the United States
with becoming respect Seen at this mo
ment and before the enveloping clouds OF
gunpowder smoke from the subsequent
| salutes had obscured the air, the scene was
as pretty as well could be imagined. As
| the Dolphin's bow came in line with each
man.of-war "present arms" was sounded
on the bugle: officers and crew sauted; the
| bands struck up the national air, and a
national salute of twenty-one guns was fired
! by each ship. During the halfho OF
more that the presidential progress lasted
| this cannOnading never ceased, until in all
more than 900 guns had been fired. Toward
the close of their booming separate identity
| had been merged in one Titanic roar, while
flashes of red flame and dense sulphurous
clouds of smoke were all the spectators on
! the shore could distinguish.
The Dolphin moved at a slow gait and
the salute of each ship was sharp and
distinct. Following close in the wake
of the Dolphin, and getting the full
benefit Of the sautes, came the army
steamer General Meigs, bearing the hon
ored foreign guest of the day, the Duke o
Veragua, attended by General SchCield Of
the army and Rear Admiral Belknap of the
navy. The only other steamer permitted
within the sacred limits during the brie
progress of the presidential review was the
Monmouth, upon which were senators ant
members of congress, governors of states
newspaper representatives and other in
vited guests.
The vessels that seemed most to excit,
| the interest of the visitors were the British
flagship Blake, with her sixty officers anC
crew of 525 men, the Brazilian battleshiI
| AQuidabam, the Argentine cruiser Ninth o
July, the two German warships, and tn
vicious, ugly-looking French ironclad, tn
Jean Bart.
The superb efficiency of the American
white fleet was fully recognized in compari
son with the foreign visitors. 1t was a mat
ter of amused surprise to many of the Wis
itors to be told that the immense masts O
the Jean Bart were hollow, with winding
staircase inside leading to a fighting towe
on top. Had the strict discipline main
tanned on naval review day permitted Wis
iting to any of the ships, these masts woul,
have been one of the first objects explored
AS the Dolphin approached the head o
the line she lessened her speed and Their
was an interval between the firing from thu
ships. Each vessel began saluting as tn
Dolphin's bow came abreast. Ten minute
after she had passed the jack tars CAM
down from their positions on the arms. /
was Just 10 as England's crack cruiser
the Blake, fred her first gun. There was
big puff of smoke and deep boom entirel
different from the sharp sounds OF the gun
of the smaller vessels. The Philadelphi
saluted as the Dolphin reached the head c
the line and came TO a stop just in the rea
of the caravels. At the same time all tn
steamboats,, tugs and pleasure crafts blew
their whistles and made a din almost a
deafening as the saluting. There wa
cheering and waving Of hats, handkerchief
and umbrellas, and the triumphal proce:
| tial ri did