St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-27
IN LINE FOR REVIEW.
GrandeSt Marine View Ever
Witnessed in the New
York HaPbOP.
Two Majestic Lines Of War
Ships Move UP to the
Anchorage Ground.
Regulation Distance Between
Vessels Maintained With
Absolute Precision.
By All Odds the American
Line Made the Finest
Showing.

New YORK, April 26.-At daylight
this morning when the sun arose over
the hills it looked down in the lower
bay on the grandest marine view that
has ever been seen in the waters of
New York. The vessels which arrived
at Grayesend bay last night swung at
their anchors in the beautiful sunlight
of this April morning, and not long
after sunrise everybody in the fleet, and
those who had to do with getting ready
for the reception, were making the final
preparations for the parade upon the
bay and river to the anchorage. Extend
ing south and east were two long lines
OF war vessels, badecked in holiday at
tire. AS ihe sun advanced higher
in the heavens, the wind, which was
blowing stiffly from the northwest,
aided by the ebb tide. swung the ships
in the fleet about with sterns out to sea,
with their bows pointed straight up the
bay in the direction of the city. The
fussy little tugs flying the blue cross of
guard duty were putting about the Far
rows, and the patrol fleet was
Ready to DO Its Duty.
The ferry boats to Staten island and
to Brooklyn 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 NarrOwS and the bluffs at the
forts, both on Staten island and Fort
Hamilton, were thronged with people.
and the roads were filled with specta-
tors hurrying towards the shore to lnd
a good point of view.
The colorS aboard the vessels were
blown out by the wind till they resem-
bled so many painted boards. rendering
the work of reading the Philadelphia's
sign an easy task compared with that of
last night, when the mist ana fog made
it hard work to distinguish flag signals.
Early in the morning the low-hulled
and aggressive looking MiantOnomah left
the fleet and went up the bay to point
off the Battery, where she prepared to
give the visitors an American salute.
When the MiantOnOmah left it seemed
to be signal for every ship in the fleet
to start up, and in short space of time
rolls of black smoke were ruff1ing out of
black and white hulls alike. NOtWith-
standing the fact that the ships were all
On an Errand of Peace.
they wore particularly warlike ap-
pearance, for many of the foreigners
have bows which are curved most az
greSsively, and the hulls are rugged in
fashion so foreign and strange 10 mer-
chantmen that they take on naturally
pugnacious look. The sun, which was
strong, made the sides of every white
vessel in the fleet fash, and the brass
WORK Of the decks gliStened like patches
of burning gold.
From the bluff of Fort Wadsworth 1t
did not require a field glass to dis
tinguish signs of activity aboard the
white squadron. There was huStling
and buSineSS-like air aboard them all,
but there seemed to be no cOnfuSlon,' at
all events, in getting ready. At 9:1S
the Philadelphia fired single gun, and
a good many of the sightseeing pleasure
craft bent on curiosity blew their
whistles, but no noise could be heard,
so strong was the wind. They gave it
up in despair, for those abO ,rd seemed
to appreciate that they were out of it.
The fleet made too imposing sight for
the spectators to cut any figure at all.
The feelings of more than one man
were echoed by New Yorker who was
one of the many who fringed the green
hills Of Fort WadswOrth. He said:
Grandest of All.
81 have seen the marine parade in
New York harbor on Evacuation day,
the fine statue of Liberty celebration,
the magnificent scenes which accom-
panied the finishes of the international
yacht races we had here several years
ago, and the marine display of few
months ago, but l never saw SO grand
sight as l am now looking at, and l
never expect to see it again in these
waters"
BY all odds the American line made
the finest showing. That was the Opin-
ion of every one. But, then, every one
who witnessed the picture from land
was actuated by feeling of patriotism.
Certainly the Americans, and they num-
bered thousands, who looked down
upon the Philadelphia, Newark, At
lanta, San Francisco, Bancroft. Ben
nington, Baltimore, Chicago, Yorktown,
Charleston, VeSuviuS and Concord had
reason to feel proud.
Just such day was given to the fleet
on its start from Hampton Roads, and,
while the harbor room in New York is
by no means as great as that of the
Southern port, there was plenty Of
room for the war ships to move in, and
surely the high banks of the Narrows
gave plenty of room for visitors, thou
sands taking advantage Of the Opportu-
mites. Nearly every one was furnished
with glass of some kind, and closely
watched
The Beautiful Fleet
at anchor, waiting for Admiral Gherardi
to give the signal from the flagship
Philadelphia. The fleet was an
chored in squadron formation, the poW-
erful Blake, with Vice Admiral Sir John
o. Hopkins pennant standing out stiff
in the wind, being about five hundred
yards below Fort Lafayette, and het
Philadelphia, with Rear Admiral Cher
ardI's blue flag with two white stars at
her main, the same distance below Fort
Tompkins. Strung behind each leader
were the ships which were to follow up
the bay, and all were in readiness for
the start. The Dimitri Donskoi was in
the position in which she anchored last
night, and the crew had been kept busy
getting her Into trim for the review. AS
she had not been In port at Hampton
Roads, it was necessary for the other
admirals to pay their respects, and at
half-past 8 o'clock Sir John Hopkins
put off from the Blake, and was saluted
by fifteen guns from the Russian as he
afnnnod nf, tho ri AooIr fto nrit tiei.