The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-21

Aihed the Banks and Cheered tbe
| 'e Sailors and Ships That
'anqufshed the Spanish FIeet NJ
| santfaSO-SaIute at the Tomb -,
zen. Grant an Impressive Feature
of the Demonstration-P,
the Ships Lasted Two Hour. and
| Thirty-Ffve Minutes.
| NEW YORK, Aug. 20.-Hundreds of
'"ousailos OF people along the banks
VI '"e huoson, and thousands Of all
Styles OF river craft blended their
etiouls IN royal welcome to the re-
.ufheo North Atlantic squadron. IN
oef command of Rear Admiral Sanon.
sun, ana as fine an August dav ga
could be desired was natures tribute
10 the return Of the victors. For al
most three solid hours steam whistles
OF all sizes. steam sirens and small
guns along the shores shriekad en,1
doomed in the effort to dtn1av tba
neartlest enthusiasm for the honoe-
coming Of the naval heroes with tbai,
pattle-scarred ships.
| -A 'io forming The several big
| sHips, the New York, Iowa. Indiana
BROOKLYN Massachusetts, Oregon and
| 1eAas lay In New York bay. lust Off
Iompkinsville, S. I. There was no idea
| WITH Admiral Sampson that New Yorx
was prepared for a. rousing recenttoo
out the news was brought shortly bv
a tug from the navy yard, and all the
| SHIPS OF the squadron were irnmediata-
~ put under preparations for dress re-
view. By 9 o'clock the big. dull-
| looking Hghting ships, looming high
| ABOVE the picturesque confusion Of
smaller craft, which had come down
| 10 get glimpse of the ships. were
| ready for movement. Strung out along
.helr oecks, in long, regular lines. were
'ne "hlte, uniformed jackies, with hera
eifo tnere blue-coated officer: oil
strongly contrasted against the SOM
Der Iead-colored armor Of the ships.
HARBOR JAAIMED
When the hour for the start c.ro
=. iooheo as II 1t would be impossible
por the great ships to make their wav
|Arough the perfect jam of river craft
vessels of all descriptions, from the
smallest steam launch to the great
ocean liner, We're banked around the
| squadron. Cheers and shouts of vel
| come rose from every deck. and the
ooats whistles all joined II the shouts
| of welcome
suddenly there was a movement on
the New York, as the big shin started
forward with a slow, stately glide She
was Immediately followed by the other
SIX vessels in the following order; Iowa
lnd1ana, Brooklyn, Massachusetts Ore
gon and Texas. D was some time before
the ships could get into review forna-
ton, but by the time the New York's
prov came in line with Governors ISL
and, the other ships had formed I'm a
regular line
Ihe start was made accompanied
by tremendous cheering, screeching
voices and booming cannon. From cas-
Tie William came the first salute It
was merely flash of bright red.
which was Immediately smothered in
sheet OF smoke, but the detonation
was heard. Then came the roar across
the waters, and the ships headed right
In the river on the way to Gen Grants
tomb.
EVERYBODY CHEERED.
houses and every possible point of van
tage people were packed The river
craft, crowding the warships close.
were jammed with passengers. sinking
the sides OF the vessels almost to their
guard rails on one side, giving the i'm
preston that even the ships themselves
bowed in conscious salute to the re-
turned naval heroes. The width of the
Hudson river was a struggling futter-
ing, darting mass of color, confusion
and cheers.
AS the vessels moved further up the
river, the water, which had been calm
at the battery, was churned by the ac-
ton of the hundreds Of steamers and
waves dashed over the small boats. and
sheets of spray dampened the passen-
gers on the lower decks of the larger
steamers.
AS the grim-looking battleships NOV
ed up the river the crowds became
denser and the enthusiasm was more
and more marked. AT Riverside drive,
with its steep, grassy slope, the scene
was like vast amphitheater. Tens
of thousands of people covered the
green slope and as the battlesnips ap-
preached a mighty cheer arose that
reverberated back and forth across the
Hudson.
At the bottom of the slope an OBJ
servation train crawled lazily along.
keeping even with the ships, above
this, the vast sea of humanity and
crowning this Gen. Grants tomb,
which was to mark the beginning OF
the return of the squadron, where a
national salute of twenty-one guns was
fired. The tomb, standing high, white
and solemn, far above the waters of
the river, looked to be built upon a
foundation of faces.
ROAR OF THE SALUTE.
For the first time in the parade the
ibattleships drew together Just at the
point of return there was a momentary
lull. as If expectant of ths climax.
Suddenly, from the sides and turrets
of the battleships, there was vivid
flash. following this a tremendous roar
announced the first gun Of the national
salute. The heavy smoke curled and
tunbled down towards the water ana
up into the air until the ships had been
almost hidden, but the roar, coming
again and again, seemed to rock the
waters themselves. 1t was an Imposing
spectacle as the battleships doomed a
salute to the nation; as the warships
saluted the final resting place OF ien.