The record-union., 1893-04-27
Special to the REcoRD-Us1oS.

Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
New YORK, April 26.-The day opened
with the unveiling of the heroic bronze
statue of John Ericsson, inventor of the
monitor, in Battery Park. The ceremo-
MES were simple. The statue was pre-
sented to the city by its Swedish citizens
and accepted by one of the park officials
IN behalf of the city, while the guns of the
double-turreted monitor Miantonomah,
lying near, fired salute.
The unveiling was preceded by pro-
cession of Swedish societies. Next came
the great pageant of warships moving up
in two columns from the Lower Bay to
their anchorage in the Hudson River,
opposite Upper and Manhattan Islands,
where the vessels will lie till President
Cleveland passes between the lines to re-
view them tomorrow, which will be the
gala day of the celebration.
The day opened bright and clear and
soon the whole harbor flocked with craft
of all sorts, loaded with sightseers.
The vessels which arrived at Graves
end Bay last night swung at anchors in
the beautiful sunlight, and not long after
sunrise everybody in the fleet and those
who had to do with getting ready for it's
reception were making final prepara-
tons for the parade upon the bay and
river to the anchorage. Extending south
and east two long lines of war vessels
were bedecked in holiday attire. The
ferry boats to Staten Island and to Brook
lyn were filled with sightseers, who were
bound to get as near to the start as they
could, and long before the time for the
parade the high banks along the Mar
rows and the bluffs at the forts, both on
Staten Island and Fort Hamilton, were
thronged with people, and the roads
filed with spectators hurrying toward
the shore to find good point of view.
The fleet made too imposing sight
for the spectators to cut any figure at all.
By all odds the American line made the
finest showing. The fleet anchored in
squadron formation, the powerful Blake,
with Vice-Admiral Sir John O. Hopkins
pennant standing out in the stiff wind,
being about five hundred yards below
Fort Lafayette, and the Philadelphia,
with Rear-Admiral Gherardps blue flag.
with two white stars, at the main, the
same distance below Fort Tompkins.
Strung behind each leader were the
ships which were to follow up the bay.
and all was in readiness for the start. AS
the Dimitri Donskol had not been in port
at Hampton Roads it was necessary for
the other Admirals to pay their respects,
and at half-past o'clock Sir John Hop
kins put off from the Blake and was sa-
luted by fifteen guns from the Russian as
he stepped on the quarter deck, the Brit
ish flag at the same time being hoisted.
Other Admirals followed in due course,
A minute or two afterward all attention
was directed to black specks up the Mar
rows, and with two streaks of foam di-
verging from the bows and a wide wake
of white water astern, the diabolical
Gushing rushed by at express-train speed.
She reached the Philadelphia in a short
time, wheeled around as if she was on a
pivot and ran up alongside the flagship
with dispatches to Admiral Gherardi.
Shortly after o'clock Admiral Che
rardi, from the flagship Philadelphia,
gave the signal to move. Then the inn
pressiveness of the naval strength of ten
column headed by the Philadelphia, talk
ing the New Jersey side, and the star
board column, headed by the British
cruiser Blake, taking the New York
shore, in the following order:
Port column: United States - The
Philadelphia, Newark, Atlanta, San
Francisco, Bancroft, Bennington, Balti-
more, Chicago, Yorktown, Charleston,
Vesuvius and Concord. Argentine Re-
public-The Neuvo de Julio. Holland
The Van Speyk. Germany-The Kaiserin
Augusta, Seeadler. United States-Tbe
Miantonomah.
Starboard column: Great Britain-The
Blake. Australia, Magicienne and Tartar.
Russia-The Dimitri Donskoi, General
Admiral and Rynda. France-The Are
thuse, Hussard and Jean Bart. Italy
Etna, Giovanni and Bausan. Spain
The Infanta Isabel, Reina Regente and
Nueva Espana. Brazil-The Aquidaban,
Tiradentes and Repu5lica.
AS the vessels got into line, with inter-
walls of 300 yards between the ships in
tween the columns, and moved forward
at speed between eight and nine knots
per hour, the forts in the harbor turned
their guns loose in grand salute, and all
the steam craft within hearing distance
added to the din with screeching whistles.
The contrast presented by the snow
white American vessels and the dark
hulled foreigners was very marked as
they moved side aud side, each highten-
ing the effect of the other. The two
schools of naval architecture-for nearly
all the ships in line not American were
OF English construction-were STRONGLY
marked, and every patriot felt, with a
glow of pride, that the new navy of the
United States did not suffer by compare
son.
Standing on the high Long Island
shore, midway between Owls Head and
Fort Hamilton, the view was a beautiful
one.
The fleet then proceeded at about eight
knots an hour, and in perfect formation.
The narrow channel had brought them
almost side by side, the 600 yards interval
between the columns being abandoned of
necessity. An interval of 800 yards be-
tween the vessels was maintained. and
they steamed along in company. Every
point of view along the Bay Ridge road
was packed with spectators, who eyed
the ships as they passed.
As the feet came out Of the Narrows