New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-22
PRICE THREE CENTS.
WARSHIPS DRAW THRONGS
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GO TO SEE THH
BIG SEA-FIGHTERS

How NewYork welcomed her returning naval
heroes Is now matter Of history. Yesterday q
good part of the city went down to the naval
anchorage off Tompknsville. Staten Island. to
take more deliberate look at the big. grim
ships. and thousands went even further than
that and got aboard the vessels, where they be-
seged the willing seamen with voleys OF ques-
tons and requests for souvenirs Of the fs NOUS
battle of Santiago.
AS on Saturday the Battery was filled with
people who had come there in order to catch q
glimpse Of the feet While the crowd was not
as large as on Saturday. It was one Of the
largest Sunday crowds that ever visited the Bat
terry. Many came there with the hopes that
they could get good view Of the warships. and
were disappointed when :hey found that the
ships with their fighting paint were almost
indistingushable from the Battery wall.
The crowd was not only made up OF people
from this city. but also Of hundreds who had
come from distance to see Saturdays parade.
Many who were the Battery had never before
seen warship or, In fact. any other large vessel.
and as a result easily satisfied when. after
asking one of the regular Battery loungers.
Where the warships?" to have the ounger
point out TO them a number of small merchant
steamers anchored of Liberty Island, and as
INFORMATION" FREELY GIVEN
One Of the men even went so far as to give
names to each one Of the vessels off Libe ty
Island, and he would point out the New-York.
the oregon and the Brooklyn. and describe each
vessel This plan worked to his financial bene-
fit. and 10 .he satisfaction OF many a stranger.
who went home satisfied that he had seen the
famous fighters
BY far the greatest interest and excitement
at the Battery at the public pier. where
excursion boats took passengers to see the fleet.
and at the staten Island ferry house. The fer
ryboats crowded all day long from early
In the morning until late night. While no
accurate figures could be obtained as to the
number Of people carried to Staten Island on
the ferry, 1t was estimated that from 1000 to
100000 crossed The waiting room at the ferry
house packed all day. and waiting crowds
stood IN the street ready 10 move UP and pur-
chase tickets as soon the house partially
cleared 10y the departure OF boat. This rush
outward was the greatest between 10 a. m. and
u p. m. and then the homeward rush began.
Boat after boat unloaded it, passengers at the
Battery, and then the rush for elevated trains
and surface cars began AS the gates
we're raised on the ferryboat and the passengers
were allowed TO land. there was wild rush
for the cars Every person the boat wanted
TO be the first off, and the first on the cars. As
a result there was no end Of ,ostnS and push
Ing in the crowd.
| While these scenes were going at the ferry
an equally lively. n nos liyelier.
! being enacted on the public pier at the end Of
| the Battery. Here varied collection OF ex-
cursion boats was busy carrying people down
to the warshps and bringing them back. From
fifteen to twenty excursion boats made this pier
their landing place, and as the people came on
and off 1t animated spot. With excur-
sion boats there is always barker" He is
as necessary TO the excursion boat a compass
is to an ocean going steamer. Without him the
owner of the steamer would feel that he could
do no business.
The barker reigncd supreme yesterday. and
he was there in all his glory With the fifteen
70 twenty rival boats with two "barkers" each
there was more noise than made by the
fleet saluting at Grants tomb Saturday.
Each barker" tried 10 "outNark' the other.
and the man with the strongest lungs and the
greatest endurance was the winner
Here you are for the last chance 10 see the
feet 1t will sail tomorrow"
The feet will leave for Spain this afternoon.
Now is your chance to see it get under way.'
These and other striking Inducements were
} offered
shouting Woe betide the young man who
with a pretty girl would stop for a moment to
lsten to the "barkers" Their eagle eyes would
seek him out OF the crowd and two or three
OF them with few bills gracefully held In the
right hand and hourlshed as 10 attract at
tention and a bunch of tickets in the LETT.
would surround him. and in their most persua-
sive ways convince him that it was duty he
owed his country TO take the pretty girl down
to see the fleet
ESTIMATES OF THE CROWD.
Several Of those managing the excursion boats
estimated the number OF people carried by them
az from twenty thousand to thirty thousand.
while others went even higher with their esti-
mates and said fifty thousand There Is no
ouestion however. that one hundred thousand
neope went from Manhattan Island to staten
Isiand Yesterday for the sole purpose OF seeing
the feet OF warships
The big fighters lay calmly at anchor or
Staten Island In two lines. First came the nag
shin New-York. which lay or St George. ana
only a hundred yards or so from the route fol-
loved by the Staten Island ferryboats. Behind
her a cable length or So lay the Iowa ard the
Ira,ara and the Texas In the second line were
the Brooklyn the Massachusetts and the oregon
IN the order named. From early in the forenoon
until mess call was sounded at > o'clock, the
ships simply swarmed with visitors, who we're
cordially received by the officers and the
tackles" The ferryboats were packed TO the
llmi, OF endurance and the boatmen at Tomp-
klnsvine who had monopoly OF the carrying
trade 10 the gangways of the vessels. simply
coined money all day long. Half dollar was
the ruling fare from the wharf to any one boat
with increases of from p. to 30 cents for
every additional vessel visited. But sometimes
II was more expensive to get back than to get
out.
DEPARTURE OF THE ST. PAUL.
So interested were the thousands in the ar
mor-clads and the cruisers that few OF them no.