The times., 1898-08-01
BArTLESHIP TEXAS ARRIVES
New York Bay Gives the Noble
Crnft 81 Big Welcome

New York, July 31.-The United States
battleship Texas, first to get here of the
fleet which destroyed Cerveras squadron
off Santiago on Sunday, July 3. arrived
early this morning. She lost her hoo
doo'' in the Caribbean but brought a
first-ciass halo with her and fine col
lection of sea grass and Darnacles as well.
She was hailed by hundreds of steam
whistles as she came slowly up the lower
bay, and from docks along the water
front the decks of ferryboats and from
the bridge thousands of people waved
greetings to her.
New Workers have been looking for the
Texas since Friday. 1t was announced in
Washington that she had been ordered
here to go into dry dock Captains of
harbor craft have kept plenty of steam
on so as to spare some for the racket
when the battleship hove in sight BY
coming here on a Sunday. though, the
Texas lost a large part of the greeting
that had been prepared for her. But she
got royal welcome as 1t was.
The battleship left Santiago on Monday
last and passed in at Sandy Hook at
DO
she was boarded by Health Officer Doty.
but having no sick aboard, was allowed
10 pass. She went on UP TO Tompkins-
vile and anchored there Almost i'm
medic ely she was surrounded by all
kinds of craft and cheer after cheer. for
her and her men, came from the boats.
Every tugboat within three miles footed
vigorously and ferryboats and other steam
craft did likewise. At 8 o'clock an ex-
cursion steamer went up alongside OF the
Texas and the people Jon" her cheered
themselves hoarse Here some one on the
excursion steamer began singing The
Star Spangled Banner and hundreds of
others took il up the boys-on the Texas
waving their hats at their entertainers,
The early Coney Island boats and the fish
ing steamers all ran close up TO the Texas
and cheers came from the people on them.
Shortly before II o'clock the Texas left
Tompkinsville for Brooklyn navy yard.
She made a magnificent sight coming up
the East River. In response 10 the en-
thusiastic greetings that she got from all
| sides the Texas grunted several times
with her big whistles as she came on.
From a long pier in Brooklyn, below the
navy yard several hundred people waved
| handkerchiefs and umbrellas at the Tex
as and shouted at her. Three excursion
| barges which were towing up the river
ahead of the Texas were allowed to drift
back when the battleship hove in sight.
| When they were within hundred yards
| the people on them set up a terrific
| cheering.
Then band on each barge struck up
| THE Star Spangled Banner" and the peo-
| pie all along the Brooklyn shore began
10 sing at the top of their lungs, all the
steam craft for a mile around footing
| their best as a sort of accompaniment.
| The sailors on the Texas cheered back
! and waved their hats and all was halcyon
| and vociferous. rTo
1t required a pretty close look at the
| battleship as she came up to discover
wherein she was not as good as when she
was last in this port One could see that
her war paint was rubbed off in spots.
| but it was hard to believe that she had
| been standing the fire of the forts at Glen
fuegos and Santiago and had been in the
| heart of the greatest sea fight of mod
/ ern days. People who expected to see
| her superstructure twisted picturesquely
awry and showing other signs of the hard
| knocks she has had will be disappointed
| when they see how really spick and span
| she looks under the circumstances. Not
/ that she has not had the hard knocks.
| for she has. and a close examination of
her will give a very fair idea of what
the modern shell can do.
But as she poked her nose around the
corner of the navy yard wall and began
to turn in she did not look much other
wise than when she sailed away from
| here about three months ago.