St. Paul daily globe., 1893-04-19
NOT A GUN WAS HEARD.
Admiral Gherardi Visits Seven
teen Vessels Without a Salute
Being Fired.
Emperor Williams Squadron
Joins the War Vessels Assem-
bled in Hampton Roads.

FORTRESS MoNRoE, Va, April 49,
A strange thing happened today. Ad-
miral Gherardi visited seventeen ships
and not a gun was fired. Ordinarily
such a round of visits would have
been the occasion for filling
this beautiful atmosphere with sui
phurOus smoke, but when he left his
own ships the admiral ordered that no
salute be fired. and Of the foreigners he
made request that the same noisy
honor be omitted. This afternoon he
went to pay the visit to the American
ships. but lie was carried around with
silence that was more impressive
very novelty. This morning the
admiral had allowed his private
barge to be used by the crack crew OF
his vessel for a race with the crew of
the Chicago, which the ChIcagOs Won.
With Ali the visits that he had TO pay,
this was no time to waste in ceremony,
and so he ordered out the steam launch
and went scurrying across the water in
Gouble-Quick time, with the spray dash
ing all over his gold embroidered cap.
These official visits. by the way, have
become so numerous that they tax to
the utmost not only the already busy
hardly less leisure moments of the Off
GERS who are lover in rank. Even with
eleven more men-0f-War to arrive
the naval rendezvous has already
assumed proportions which entltle
it 10 rank as one of the greatest aggre-
cations of floating batteries which the
world has ever witnessed. Admiral
Gherardi paused moment as he stood
upon the deck Of the Philadelphia this
afternoon when your correspondent
asked him how many million dollars
would be represented upon the water
when all of the ships were assembled.
Ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five"
said he, making mental calculation,
''yes. fully twenty-five million; and. do
you know" he added, 'how many men
there will be on board the ships? No;
well, there will be 5000 men. There
are 3,000 men upon my own ships"
Then the admiral expressed his pleas
ure at the interest displayed by the
newspapers i'll the rendezvous. and re-
marked the number and popularity Of
the questions addressed to him by cOrre-
spondents He said he supposed your
correspondent would like to know how
much money was wasted in firing Sa-
lutes, and, receiving reply in the
affirmative. the admiral threw aside his
dignity and actually chuckled.
well" he said. ''aS matter of fact,
all the powder we use has been con-
demned. and 1t is really no good for
anything else"
The crowd here continues to increase.
It has long since filed up every build
ing at Old Point, and now is
spilIing over into the boarding
houses and country hotels of the vi
cinity. Prices are high in proportion.
In thousand and one ways the friend
ship of the American and the English
is shown since the arrival of the Blake
and her sister ships. a notable in
stance happened today on the flagship
Philadelphia. Your correspondent hap
pened to mention to Admiral Gherardi
the fact that Admiral Hopkins had eX-
pressed desire TO see the Texas and
the Raleigh, now building at the Nor
folk navy yard.
"Ah,;' said the admiral, II am glad to
hear it. Orderly" he added, speaking
to his messenger, ''go at once to that flag
yonder. give Commander Porter lily
compliments and tell him that l would
like to see him as soon as possible. The
English admiral wants to see the yard,
and l want to have every courtesy
shown him for making the visit"
The arrival of the German ships to-
night added to the constantly increaS-
ing excitement. The big Argentine
cruiser left New York yesterday and
was expected today, but is probably Iy-
ing tonight outside the capeS in COM
pany with the two German ships.
The German squadron steamed
into the harbor so late in
the afternoon that if the kaiserin
Augusta had not begun to boom her
cannons some distance down the roads,
she would have slipped into her anchor
age officially unnoticed until s o'clock
tomorrow morning. She saluted nrst
the United States flagship and the
flags of the American and English ad-
mirals as she steamed slowly %
a place near the Russians. Behind her
came the Seeadler. small gunbOat OF
500 tons. The kaiserin Augusta Is
the most modern war ship now in the
feet, and presents many points of in
terest. Tonight the American officers
are playing the part of hosts. Our
senior rear admiral entertained the
commanding officers. and the junior Of
ficerS did the honors to the fellow Off
GERS OH the visiting ships.