The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-03

N-~S~N
Enviable War Record,
Boston, September 2 Nine grim war
riors of the navy in leadensswar paint
sailed up the harbor just after noon to-
day, accompanied by a tremendous feet
of every conceivable kind of craft, while
the entire voyage from Boston light, six
miles down thes bay, to the wharves was
attended by the shrieks Of the steam craft
and the cheers of the crowd along the
shore and at the sswharves, off which the
Massachusetts,. which led the fleet, finally
anchored and fired the customary salute to
Commodore Howison of the navy yard.
The fleet as it wound it's way up the mar
row channel was the object of instense in
terest on the part of thousands. Each
ship while not as easily distinctive as the
larger vessels of the navy were recognized
by many and their identity by them was
disclosed to many more. The little
Marietta recalled the voyage around the
Horn with the Oregon. The Wilmington
was reminder of the terrible morning
when with the Winslow she was the tar
get of the Spanish gunners who killed
Ensign Bagley. The Helena recalled
many a scrimmage with Spanish batter
les, and the Topeka, distinctly different
in lines from the Others, was thereby
shown to be a foreigner and purcnass of
the government.
Aside from the Massachusetts, the ships
were nearly all of the same class. Boston
saw no armored cruisers or torpedo boats
but she saw vessels that kept the block
ade of Cuba intact. The fleet left Prov
incetown early but owing to heavy fog
the run across the bay was necessarily
slow and it was not until nearly II
O'Clock that the Massachusetts, finally
below Boston light. The rest of the feet
was strung out three miles astern In
double column formation. the Machias
being pared with the Detroit, the Castine
with the Wilmington, the Helena with
the Marietta and the Bancroft with the
Topeka.
light one Of the mysterious signals fiut-
tered from the military masts of the Mas
sachusetts and gradually the ships swung
into single file, the Detroit behind the
Machias, the Wilmington behind the Gas.
tins, the Marietta behind the Helena and
the Topeka behind the Bancroft.
Quite number OF small yachts had
gone outside the bay to meet the squad
ron but as the Massachusetts came up
into th 10 light they fairly swarmed about
her and opened a terrific din with any
thing available for noisy demonstration.
For some reason, however, the big bat
tleship did not return the salute OF the
hundred of tugs, but the other boats OF the
feet gave back bioW Tor DloW from thelr
steam sirens.
When nearly abreast of the lighthouse
Capt. Higginson slowed the Massachu-
setts down to just storage way and at
1915 the tug bearing Gov. Wolcott and
his staff ran alongside and the state offic-
ials clambered aboard, where they were
cordially greeted and escorted to the chart
house, In the meantime the other snips
had closed in so that when the Massachu-
setts started off again less than an eighth
of mile separated each OF them.
BY this time the whole lower bay was
completely filled with craft, from big
side wheeler to a row boat, while the
narrows were fairly checked with small
yachts People in the excursion boats
cheered and the bands played the most
merry tunes at their command. The
noise reached the shore and was echoed
by thousands who stood on the bluf1s at
Point Allerton and the hills OF Hall.
Slowly the fleet threaded It's way through
the narrows and here the army greeted
the navy, for in the battlements OF Fort
Warren stood the soldiers Of the 1st Mas
sachusetts heavy artillery, who reinforced
by the regulars, cheered each ship as che
passed.
AT length the Massachusetts, poked her
leadened nose around Nix's Mate and
started up the harbor making straight for
tbesswharves.
IL took nearly two hours for the vessels
to steam from Boston light to their anch.
orage.s
The opportunity to welcome the ships
off GERS and men was recognized by the
city of Boston and vicinity when the an
nouncement was made several days ago
that several naval vessels were to be or
dered to this port for renovation, and the
interest grew steadily as the plans for to.
days spectacle progressed.
Although it was announced that the
warships would not reach Boston light
six miles down the harbor until noon
those who desired to get choice positions
in suburban headlands began to collect
long before that hour, many an eye was
trained down the bay watching for a
glimpse of the smoke of the feet, the