The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-31
'RAH FOR NAVAL MILITIA.
RoosEVELr TELLS ITEM THEY'LL BE
OUR RELIANCE IN WAR,

Down tho nay or Our TIVE Bstteions By
the Assistant Secretary sr the Nnvy-worid
Noser Seat 10 Fort Hnmiiten GuaFdheuse.
The FirAt and Second battalions OF the New
York Naval Reserve we're reviewed and In.
spected yesterday by Assistant Secretary Of the
Navy Theodore Roosevelt, and on land and
water the noighborhood Of Fort Hamilton was
gay all day with tho panoply OF war. Cannon
doomed. flags nuttored, and amateur sailormen
showed themselves proudly and exhibited their
skill In many Of tho various drills In which their
nultltarious duties require them TO DO proficient.
The day was magnificent In itA clearness and
bracing air. Dawn found the Brooklyn men, tho
Second Battalion, In camp on q grassy lawn b.
longing to q villa Just south Of Fort Hamilton,
at Bath Beach and at the head OF Fifteenth
avenue dock. They had arrived the day
before In q flotlla Of thirteen cutters
and whaleboats borrowed from the navy
yard and escorted by q nsvy yard steam
launch. They had been rowing, owing
and sailing down Long Island Sound the whole
Of the week before in the same hotilla, except
when they were stormbound and camped along
The coasts. Their dozen tents shono white In
yesterdays sun. Their uniforms were dry, IL
still marked with the mud gathered In some parts
Of their journey, and their flag, mounted on n
tripod.footed tent pole. blew out radiantly upon
the blufr in q park Of half q dozen machine guns
and boat howitzers with muscles pointing bay
ward.
In the oflne lay the First Battalion, the New
York men. aboard the two white battleships
Massachusetts, and Texas. in which they had
just completed Q practice cruise to Fishers
Island and back. The fagship Massachusetts
lay NE Iurtner up stream, a mile, of shore,
t wi.A , Sss nose " si.I1I opposite Is ., shs For. Hap ri:
Nsrrows Was more Of t tfRSe w iihS'' ae sae
lying of stapleton, and down into this az.
ABOUT io:ao; O'clock, a iorSs low sns Streak ssm 81
black, which drew a line through the eiittering
% SsSins Ike \ ! r; That Of foS a CHARGED s.ayons ard ie3t
smoke. It was the torpedo boat Porter,
cutting down the bay at the rate Of
Bay at ? o'clock with M. Roos welt I board,
stopped and taken aboard Capt. Jacob VI. Nil.
Naval Militigi his chief Of stan. s. Dana Greene;
Inspector,G eneral Hoffman. Capt. II. o. Satter.
LEG Of Gov. Blacks stan. snd four friends OF
expected to DO Of the party and h1d come 70 the
found himself III and unable to 60.
setis. 4 steam launch took Mr.. Roosevelt and
his party Of, and as they stepped aboard the
thunIerod until she had sredd tie onei s1G salute ane
Of fifteen shots, to which the Assistant secre-
s Sal t 8. s s9s s " AVE- Is : snsl'ls sslut rs'' wS Tss
Bueles had already sounded the. call for
sS Sasr ofiisor and sna man Nj IF the h Sssssesu,a sesn ID
his place as Y ready to give battle to an enemy.
o aSspsd the w Mss'e ca%Sande as f paae al the sn sshi SPis
statf Of the Naval Militia, Lieut.. Dimock and
his ofieers and men OF the Second Division.
Third Division. and the hospital corps. Ea b
man an officer took the place of q regular. and
passed throughout the whole ship.
pa Mse R. ,nts to ins sBs Teas was M finished koos ,s ss Gfi ss,
the Naval Reserves on tho Tex 8, and with him
the Fourth Division under Lieut.. Eyer. and tho
drum and ffe corps. Each man was at quarters
speeted the amt as aboard the Massachusetts
The Porter meantime had streaked back up the
bay. II was dinner time when the Inspections
turned to the Massachusetts, and dined there.
Aboard ship and in the camp ashore prepare.
Moons dol nss. and people We're sathsping In
large plumbers to look on;
over the sides Of their ships, and manning a
hotilla OF the boats. were soon in tow for shore.
In one string were six boats from the Massachu-
gent from the Texas aboard. Every man OF the
First Battalion carried a navy carbine. and his
and shoulder belts OF his cartridge and bayonet
equipment. They clambered ashore and formed
AZ the Fort Hamilton wharf. Mr.. Roosevelt and
ahead Of th. M. and by the time they were ready
to march the guns of the fort were belching
R e.: oe Ssaa 1Sn Hero ee con hssraa &Il sidr ka Hsss;
and accompanied him f to the "ss fio ID below 5eHoset the
dSy were to be held. The second Battalion was
pear as infantry, the Second was to appear as
artillery. and the men brought along their half
The review ground was a field back Of the old
stone farm house ON the newly acquired land Of
The The F asIa r1 aSpoY1b III. Ih ns tT ;arS bodies an,rd alsd i into
asia. III The Post band came to Do honor tS The
Of NJ; Roosevelt. and the parade iins
on the left Of line. Mr., Roosevelt Inspected the
line, going down its face and back along the
rear, The battalions formed in division fronts
and marched in review, and then reformed on
the parade line on three sides of a hollow
square. Mr.. Roosevelt and his party stepped
to the battalions:
Il am more than pleased" he said. ito have
had the chance to see you at work. because I
look upon the Naval Militia as an element that
trouble with any foreign power or In the event
Of any domestic disturbance.
~ iast Wy rs q peopie are OfRlnninR 10 wake
up TO a realization that II we would DO re-.
spected abroad we should be a great naval
power. The numbers OF our warshlps and tor
pedo boats must be doubled before we stop. We
want more ships. and more men and officers
10 man them. We, have now as fine ships
as any in the world, but We must have more
than this. We must have mon who are trained
TO handle them. You are the men that we can
fall hack upon In an emergency. War 10 decided
quickly In these DAYS, and II will not do to de.
pend upon men who can be trained. but we need
bodies like this which are already In training.
some OF you are already SO proficient in
naval duties that l should not hesitate TO trust
one of our warships in your sole charge. / hall
try to do this next year. but such a trust will
the country"
Mr.. Roosevelt explained afterward that his
Idea was to draw q ship 9 company from the
older battaliOnB Of the naval militia from all
over the country and to make up an entire crew
from them, with the exception OF the officer In
comlnand OF the vessel and. probably. the CHIEF
engineer.
He finished his speech with encouraging words
10 the men OF the younger Second Battalion
ana then he was cheered heartily.- -.
have seen the men on land" Mr.. Roosevelt
said. when the Inspection was, finished; "now
want to see their webbed feet"
he proce, ded TO the camp OF the Second Bat
talon, 10 which the men had preceded him. He
MIN IA ma 90 Hunn NAa