The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-27

strength ever witnessed occurred off
Spithead today, the occasion being the
grand naval review in honor of the
completion of the Goth year Of the reign
of Queen Victoria. The prince of
Wales, representing her majesty, re-
viewed a fine feet of foreign war
ships, representing all the maritime
nations of the world. proudest, strong
est and swiftest of these craft being
the United States armored cruiser
Brooklyn, carrying the flag Of Rear
admiral Miller, and the heir apparent
also Inspected about % miles of
British warships, in which were 1865
fighting ships of different classes, car
rying about 800 heavy guns, manned
by over $4,000 men, and of about 600,
900 tons in all. The British ships We're
worked in lines of FIVE miles each
The IA foreign warships formed the
sixth line.
Each maritime nation sent an ad-
nliral in his flagship to witness the
review. They formed a line abreast of
the British battleships, where they
were favorably placed to compare
their own naval architecture with that
of other nations. Each nation sent its
best available ship, and a magnificent
display resulted.
An interesting feature of the British
fleet was the training ships, which
comprised three of the early ironcladS,
a squadron Of cruisers which usually
winters with a training crew on
board, in the West Indies, or in some
other warm latitude, and fleet of
training briggs which cruise in the
neighboThood of the British ports.
Following the precedent of former
naval reviews, there was free access to
the review ground up to the hour
named for the official inspection,
when all vessels with visitors anchored
in their assigned positions, and the
tour of the feet was commenced by
the prince of Wales.
After luncheon on board at 2:30,
the Victoria and Albert, with the prin-
cipal royalties, left the harbor for
Spithead. She was followed by the
yacht Irene, by the Pando, the
Carthage and the Elm, an admiralty
yacht with Hon. George ]. Goschen,
her the admiralty yacht Wildfire, with
MI. Chamberlain, the secretary of
state for the colonies, and the colonial
premiers. She was followed by the
Eldorado, carrying the ambassadors
and special ENJOYS, including White
law Reid. Then came the Danube,
with the members Of the house of
hers Of the house Of commons, and the
Fire Queen, the yacht of the COM
mander-in-c chief at Portsmouth
The battleships Jupiter, Victorious
and RenOwn also made their first ap-
pearance in the commissioned feet.
These four ships, as well as the
Majestic and Magnificent, are armed
with the new 12-inch wire guns, of
which each ship carries four mounted
en- barbette, two forward and two aft.
These guns have a range of about 10
miles. In addition they carry II 6-inch
quick-firers, is 12-peunder qUick-fierers
and y 3-Dounder Hotchkiss. and are
fitted with five torpedo discharge tubes.
Another important addition to the
fleet seen in the two cruisers Powerful
and Terrible. the former commits
stoned for the China station vessels of
., 600 horse power and a speed of -
knots. Thew include in their arma-
ment two s12-inch guns and a number
of quick firers and Maxims.
AS the Albert and Victoria was seen
approaching. the fleet led by the
Renown and echoed by the foreign
vessels present, hred a deafening
royal salute Of q guns. Simultane-
ously the blue jackets and marines
manned ship" standing on the iron
clads in solid lines around their
outer edge and filing their tops. While
on vessels of the older type the wards
were quickly dotted. 1t was very the
atrical and interesting. The Victoria
and Albert, followed by the other
yachts, then steamed through the lines,
the sailors heartily cheering, the bands
playing God Save the Queen" The
Victoria and Albert afterward anchored
between the Renown and the foreign
war vessels. Immedi9 tely the steam
launches of the foreign commanders left
Z II, cid e i, Ia n;
for the Victoria and Albert, on the
quarter deck Of which the commanding
officers were received by the prince of
Wales.
This ended the review.
The royal yachts then returned TO
Portsmouth.
on the occasion of the visit Of the
Italian squadron TO Spithead in 1885,
when they were welcomed by a feet
of English ships, the electric illumina-
tons formed one of the prettiest fea-
lures of the fetes.
The naval guests include Rear Ad-
miral H. R. II. Prince Henry of Prus-
STA, K. G. Vice-Admiral II. r. II. the
duke of Genoa, Rear Admiral Miller. L.
5. N. and other distinguished flag Of
fcers.
Banquets, balls, garden parties. dock
yard visits and athletic sports will be
included in the programme which it is
supposed viii fill the week subsequent
TO the review.
International exhibitions have be-
come common occurrences, and the
Spithead review of 1897 may be re-
garded as a great International naval |
exhibition from which, doubtless. the
seamen and constructors OF the various |
nations viii carry away much valuable |
The waters of the Solent have pre-
yiously witnessed many magnificent re- |
views of the naval forces of England
On April 49, 1856. at the close OF the /
Crimean war, a great review was held |
there when there We're columns of |
screw lineup battleships-at that per-
iod the latest development of naval |
screw frigates and corVettes |
a fleet of side-wheel vessels, and of 1
floating batteries" of the Merrimac !
type, while four squadrons of 100 gun I
boats brought up the total number of /
Ships 10 240.
II 1851 horsepower. Admiral Sir /
George Seymour was in chief command 1
of this fine fleet, which was reviewed /
by her majesty on board the royal |
yacht Victoria and Albert. The changes +
in naval architecture which have taken I
place during the last 90 years have !
swept away all these wooden vessels. (
the classes 10 which they belong no /
longer exist, the sole remaining vessel I
which still takes the seas being the /
royal yacht Victoria and Albert, which /
today flies the standard of the Prince !
Of Wales at the naval review. Prob I
ably a more beautiful vessel of her
class has never been launched and the {
recent announcement that the model I
u a new steel yacht 10 replace her has
been submitted TO the queen was not (