The Portland daily press., 1893-04-22
THE SHIPS OF COLUMBUS.
They Are Among the Modern Fleet After
Stormy Passage

FORTRESS MONROE, Va. April 21.-The
Spanish caravels arrived at Hampton
roads at 1890 this morning and received
tremendous reception. The caravels
were in tow of the Spanish warships Reina
Regenta, Infanta Isabel and Nueva Es-
pana. The Santa Maria, after being
towed up to the last ship, sailed back to
the head of the line before fresh breeze
from the southwest. The usual salute
was fired.
The flag of Rear-Admiral Ignacio
Gomez Lono file from the main truck of
the Infanta Isabel. Capt. by Garca de
La Vega said: ''We arrived off Cape
Henry at 4.3o yesterday afternoon, but
on account of fog we were unable to come
into the harbor until this morning.
The scene was very impressive as they
came down the roads, decorated from lib.
boom to taffrail with the flags of CASTLE
and Aragon and Queen Isabella standing
out and futtering in the gentle breeze.
The little fleet were tumbl ed about off
the Virginia coast, yesterday, in lively
fashion, by the northeast wind that blew
all DAY, but they managed to make the
capes early this morning, and after taking
pilots aboard proceeded in. At the head
OF the fleet was the unprotected cruiser
lnfanta Isabel, towing the flagship Santa
Maria, which displayed the flag of an
admiral. Behind and mile astern came
the torpedo vessel Nueva Espana, with
the Nina as her charge, and In the latter's
wake was the big black protected cruiser
Reina Regenta with the Pinta. Admiral
Gherardi expects to be ready to sail with
the combined squadron at o'clock Mon
day morning on the flood tide. He has
severeral ships yet to receive. Argentina
and Brazil are not yet represented, and
the fleets now here are not all full. The
Italian cruiser Dogali is still to come.
The longer Admiral Hopkins stays
here. the better he is liked. Before the
parade at New York is over he may car
ry off high honors and win prodigious
popularity His way of becoming pop
ular is simple. He is as unaffected as
the plainest lieutenant on the Blake, and
as hearty as boy. Indeed, lie enjoys
boys sports here like an Englishman.
The wisdom of the suggestion made to
Congress during the winter Of brevettings
Rear-Admiral Gherardi as a vice-admiral
Z has become very apparent in connection
with the salutings and other ceremonies.
One ship adops the plan of saluting the
English admiral first, and another takes
Admiral Gherardi. All apparently are
eager to do the proper thing by each,
other and to carry out the spirit of the
celebration.
The San Francisco is SO popular with
her crew and she has shown herself to be
such swell ship, that the greater num-
Der of her men re-enlist for service
aboard her whenever their terms expire.
just now they are more than ever proud
OF her and her crew, as their boats were
victorious in all classes in which they
were entered at the Norfolk races.
The scene on the water is imposing.
The scenes on shore are amusing. At
the hotel, to stand in the Railways and
parlors and see the heart-happy men and
women lettering along arm in arm be-
tween the dances, has been to have the
eye confused by the sight of so many ma
tionalities and the mind staggered by the
sound Of so many languages. The lovely
women have been trying hard to speak
one language during polka. another
through the succeeding waltz, and half a
dozen as they swing the corners in the
lancers.
AS the couples swing by one may hear
the stalwalt Englishmen with their "Only
farncy it, don't you know the mild
hammered dreamy Hollander's ''My fren
fon Dam is sixty-tree years old;'' the gilt
fronted Frenchmen saying, II ware cen
New York one time before. and has much
good time zaire." Next would come an
Italian frankly asserting that our 'white
a squadron maker de finer sight" and he
would be closely followed by a Russian
in the full tide of explaing that he 'knew
much people here and hat had great
man finn already >,