The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-07-02
WAS A FAIRY SCENE AT NIGHT.
illumination of the Fleet-Royal Salute
Fired in the Dark.

Fired in the Dark.
Ryde, Isle of Wight, June 2S.-The
illumination of the fleet at Spithead Sat-
urday was one of the most charming Of
week Of delightful spectacles The night
was pleasantly dark; no moon dimmed
the effect of mortal creation; the waters
of the Solent were reposefully quiet;
everything contributed to enhance the
success of the programme. 1t was all
ghostly, fantastic, suggestive of fairy
land and the world of magic; a fitting
termination to a day Of imposing leali-
ties and iron facts. The brutal grim
ness Of all the enginery of destruction
-savage-looking guns, venomous tor
pedoes, the veritable teeth of war-was
lost in peaceful shadow and softening
gloom. The spectator knew it was all
there, but it was not relentlessly thrust
upon the mind, as it had been the day
long from every angle of vision.
Rocket Lights the illumination.
A minute before the miles of waters
showed only such lights as are usually
associated with shipping, reds and
greens of port and starboard, white
lights at mastheads: CLEANS that, like
tiny rows of diamonds showed the ports
OF passenger craft, with here and there
some parti-colored lights that had been
lit on private vessels before the time.
At o'clock there was a flash, a rocket
from the Renown ripped into the dark
blue and, bursting with a shower Of
splendid stars, signaled the lighting up
Of the fleet. The stick of the rocket had
not turned toward the water ere the
mighty fleet was suddenly skeletoned
in brilliant yellow light hulls, smoke
stacks, spars and cordage being thrown
into strong relief. Lines of light ran
in graceful curves along the sweep Of
the monsters, now ghostly gray in the
sudden glare, and from bow to stern
over the mastheads were garlands cf
incandescent light like "jeweled neck
laces hung upon the horns Of night
Searchlights Pierce the Darkness.
A few minutes later they vanished
with the suddenness Of their appear
ance, leaving the spectator staring at
the place where they had been. Then
the darkness was broken again, this
time by numberless searchlights which,
with uncanny glare, like the eyes of a
, hundred cyclops, patterned the heavens
as a checker board with radiant ban,ls.
Later these "eyes'' slowly swept the
gathered craft and the shores beyond,
as II seeking something to discover or
devour. Then they were all shut off,
leaving the darkness more visible than
ever.
Rockets Again and Salute.
A pause and the darkness was pierced
by hundredsof signal rockets, ambitious
ly soaring into the blue with messages
of jubilation, not disasters; delivering
nd "a h,t, nd
| less, into the waste of waters. Then
signal leaped from the Renown and
| there was provided an exhibition of what
war would be like if ever an immense
fleet of battle ships and cruisers should
| engage at night. A royal salute Of six
| ty guns was fired from every ship capa-
bic of firing it. Great guns and small
guns answered each other in one pro-
| longed roar, rising and falling in In
| tensity as more or less of them fired
| together. 1t was truly awful. Even
the certain knowledge that there were
| no deadly missiles in the guns did not
prevent chill feeling from creeping
| over many Of the civilian spectators.
"Fairy Lines of Lightness."
Then the angry roaring ceased, much
| to the relief of thousands who were
| stopping their ears. AS the panoply Of
unpleasant smoke slowly drifted away
| the fleet again stood revealed In fairy
| lines of lightness. The signs of the war
were dimming and disappearing in the
shadow. The gentler side of things was
| again put to the front to instill into the
minds of departing thousands that while
| the dogs Of war were Ready, aye
Ready" after all what the people came
out to see was the triumph Of peace
and the glory of the queen"
| No Currency Legislation This Con ,ress.
| New York, June 2s.-In an interview
with a newspaper man here Secretary
| Sherman, after declaring his oppC sition
| to trusts, which he said was thu nest i'm
| portant question of the day. added that
the currency question could not he de-
cided at this session of congress; that
nobody is ready to decide II.
| Boat Race Won by Cornell.
| Poughkeepsie, N. Y. June 26.-Cornell
won; time, 20:34. Yale was second by
three lengths and a half; TINE, c0:44.
| Harvard came in third, FIVE lengths