The morning call., 1893-04-27

arated one ship from another. and this dis
tance was maintained with close precision
The contrast presented by the snow
white American feet and the dark-hulled
foreigners was very perceptible as they
moved along side by side. each heghtening
the effect of the other. The two sch ools of
naval architecture, for nearly all the ships
in the fleet not American built were Of
English construction, were strongly
marked. and every patriot felt glow of
pride that the new navy OF the United
States did not suffer from the comparison.
When the ships were opposite Forts
Hamilton and Wadswortb the forts fred
santes, and for ten minutes their guns
spured flashes and banks OF white smoke
were blown toward the sea. The Phiadel-
phia and Blake dipped their c5lors in
answering the salute and came up the bay,
proud of the positions they held at the
head Of the feet. Their straight up and
down prows glided through the waves
without so much as a suspicion OF q bone In
the teeth of either one, although it was
blowing hard. Had the wind been from
any other quarter it would have been ex-
tremely rough between The Narrows and
quarantine.
The Philadelphia and Blake seemed to be
about the same size.
The time occupied In passing the forts
was exactly half an hour. After the naval
ships had passed the Narrows and entered
the upper bay fleet OF excursion steamers
and yachts and big boats fell in and be-
came a volunteer escort. The scene then
became one Of combined grace, animation
and beauty. never to be forgotten.
The cannonading left the air clear, and
rF 81, e l..
out in silhouette against the cloudless sky.
The flags of the different notionalites and
even the names of the ships were clearly
discerni5le from the shore.
Every ship in the harbor was flying every
bit Of bunting it could get together. steam
whistles were screeching, and the Battery
wall and all the housetops aud other places
from which the river could be seen were
black with sightseers.
When the leaders in the parade met
opposite Governors Island the battery in
the old fort began to salute and the fleet
steamed along half hidden for few min
utes in the smoke from the cannon. The
ships dipped their flags in answer, but did
not return the salute with cannon.
When the prows of the warships we're
turned Into the river at a quarter before
II o'clock on the straight course to tile
anchorage between Thirty-fourth and
Ninety-eighth streets an attempt was made
to bring them into review formation, but the
slowness of the three Brazilians prevented
this, and while the others were in good liue
they were far behind.
Patrol tugs had cleared the river of the
boats which usually throng the waters. and
the ships had practically clear field 20
their destination.
Looking up the river as the ships pro-
ceeded 1t was pretty sight. The big
steamships had thrown to the smart morn
ing breeze nearly all the bunting and flags
they could muster, and the buildings on the
shore were decorated, the coors of the
United States, Spain and Italy predominant
ing.
Every point of vantage was taken by
sightseers. and they waved anything which
came handy TO the ships. As they passed in
procession up North River there was an
almost continuous salute from the thou
sands Of Onlo0kers and the cheering of the
crowds was continuous.
While the crowd on the buildings in the
streets and on the piers was dense in the low
er part of the city, 1t was not unit the streets
along the anchorage was reached that it
seFmed as IL the whole OF New York City
was down on the river front. The people
stretched far up the streets, and on the
housetops was sea of heads wherever The
river could be seen.
In the tenement districts on the west side
oil the city each family in the houses near
the river had invited enough of their friends
to fiji the housetop and when all were
assembled this morning it made a compact
mass on each house, Judging from the sight
from the river as the fleet passed up.
Over on the Jersey shore people were
massed at many points. The high bluffs Mt
Gutenberg and above aud below it con-
tained many thousands of people, and there
was room for everybody. In fact, the war
ships steamed up to their anchorage in view
OF crowd such as had probably not been
seen aloi the La ks o. the river before and