The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1899-10-05

Jersey shores. and from the misty
palisades ii blew.
Very early the fleet of steamships.
steamboats,. yachts and tugs which
were to have a place in the line began
moving down the bay To the allotted
points where the several divisions were
TO form, but many of them could not
resist the temptation to first visit the
anchorage of the meli-of-wa" Off
Tompkinsville. and before IL o'clock
the Olympia was surrounded by per-
feet mob of every known kind Of craft.
all swarming with people. circling
around. or pushing their noses close up
to the ship to get a glimpse of the adj,
miral pacing the quarterback. The
bands on board the excursion boats
played stirring airs and whistles and
sirens of the other craft made the air
hideous by their shrieks They kept
coming. coming in pairs and half-doZ.
ems, until they lay a dozen deep, resist
ing the charges of the patrol boats in
their determination 90 get within
shouting distance. Their
ReckIessncss Was Amusing.
They ran across each others bows:
rubbed against each other. they pushed
boats Sterns until further movement
was impossible in the incEtrirabla can
fusion. Ii was with great difficulty
that the police boats could clear pass
age for the admiral's launch when he
went off to return the official visit Of
the mayor, and when lie did Setp in his
launch the patriotic shippers grabbed
their whistles and made the hills re-
vertebrate with such 4 5'ast as can only
be heard when a Yankee yacht crosses
the bniSh first in IL race with mug
hunters. And that was simply the pre-
I luGe To what continued throughout the
day-an almost continuous roar OF
steam whistles.
Meanwhile the vessels to take part in
the arade were massing over against
Long Island shore until that side of
the harhor. became n mass Of tangles,
sparS and framework as far as the eye
could reach. The grassy slopes Of Fort
Wadsworth and Fort Hamilton and
the shores of Staten Island were COW
cred with sightseers. The warships
lay spick and span. ready for the start,
their white sides as virgin snow. Be
tween them and the shore lay the low.
long, lean, wicked looking torpedo
boats and still inside of them the
graceful row of revenue cutters.
! Aboard the Olympia the marines and
sailors had been previously inspected
from the toe of the first marine to the
jaunty cap of the last sailor. All
seemed a little
Dnzed at the Prospect
before them and no doubt many would
have preferred programme involving
a duplication of the Manila fight to the
ordeal they were to 90 through.
The signal came for the feet to get
under way. The gangways were
hauled up and drums beat. A quarter
master hurried a small dark roll OF
! bunting to the main, hand over fist
1t hung there while the buglc sounded
the crew to quarters and the marines
were mustered aft. Then, just as the
sigral to weigh was given, pull OF
the halyards opened the roll and
spread the fourstarred flag which Far
ragut flew as he ran the fort in New
Orleans. 1t was the Dag which was
presented to Admiral Dewey. AS i
broke. sailors at their stations and ma
rines ut quarters greeted it with the
hip, hip, hurrah we got from our an
cesters. The flag fioated proudly al
through the pageant. 1t is the mos
precious possession of Farragut's pu
Pill, and when it is struck on Monday
it will probably be forever, as it is al
together unlikely that Admiral Dewey
will command another fleet. 1t was
exactly 1 o'clock. the hour fixed fol
the start. when the fleet. with anchors
hove, began to move When the ships
had Strengthened out for their journey
across the upper bay the spectacle
made will ever be treasured by thost