Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-08-24
PASSING THE BATTERY.
Crowds Went Wild at the Sight of the
Passing Ships.

New York, Aug. 20-Amid a discord
which has never been equaled here, and
with the great acclamations of the null
titudes along the Battery wall, the flag
ship New York passed the Battery at
1915 o'clock. 1t seemed as if every pos
sible contrivance for making noise had
started up at once in one tremendous
sound. Whistles footed, men howled
themselves hoarse, fOghorns, bells and
every conceivable kind of ear-splitting
instruments started off. There was no
salute by the forts, but when the New
York passed Governors island, the same
guns that belched forth at Santiago
sounded again.
Then the Brooklyn, the flagship of
RearAdmiral Schley, saluted and the
multitudes cheered and cheered. Each
warship as she passed Governors island
gave the salute, but in the din that en-
sued it was almost impossible to distin-
guish the salutes from the Battery.
The Texas got an ovation as she passed
the Battery. The crowd Surged around
towards the north side of the park as the
ships passed, but although there was a
tremendous crash, no one was injured
The citizens committee ship the Glen Isl
and was abreast the New York, as the
Battery was passed. From the Warships
officers and sailors waved their handker-
chiefs to the enthusiastic spectators.
Over 5000 men, women and children
shouted, cheered and then sang the Star
Spangled Banner" in one mighty chorus
as the fleet passed the Christopher street
pier at IL O'Clock 1t was an inspiring
scene with all the whistles footing, the
bands on the boats playing, and the thou
sands of people singing on the pier.
There was an internal din from both
the New York side and the Weehawken
and Shady Side banks of the river when
the New York passed Forty-second street,
at 11:1S O'Clock. The piers along the
New York side were literally packed with
people who cheered Justify. The lofty
cliffs of Weehawken seemed to act as a
mighty sounding board and sent back III
vibrations and reverberations the din and
clatter and the shouts of the people.
1t was n picturesque sight to see the
crest of the Weehawken heights fringed
with people who stood out in sharp outline
against the sky. And when they shouted
and cavOrted they looked like Il lot Of
marionettes. When the fleet passed this
point, the long row of factories from For
ty-second street up the river let off the
pent-up steam reserved for this purpose.
The whistles of the factories drowned ev-
erything else. The windows of the fac
tories were filled with people who added
TO the din. Howard Gould's yacht Nj
agara was off the shore at this point, and
and other yachts.
The noise of the acclamations down
stream notified the people at the lower END
of Riverside park that the fleet was COM
ing The New York was abreast of the
sloping, grassy banks of the park at II %
O'Clock. Then Lieut.. Kohler of the Sec
ond battery gave the signal and two field
guns doomed. They kept booming until
the feet had passed.
A large number OF people thought that
the parade would be delayed and the side
streets leading to the southern end of the
park from Eighty eighth street down
were crowded with people leisurely walk
ing along. When they heard the guns
boom there was mad scramble of men,
women and children toward the river
front 1t looked like vast army on the
double quick. The booming of the guns
was signal for Il great outburst of en-
thusiasm from the crowds along the
shore.
By 11:3O o'clock, the time the fleet hove
in sight just below Grants tomb, fully
125 200 people were seated upon the APP
proaches to the lawns and hills near the
tomb Every inch of land almost was
occupied and even the side of the steep
hill running down to the railroad track
was black with human beings, who were
obliged to hold onto the sod to keep frem
falling TO the bottom