The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-10-02
DEWEY
MARINE PAGEANT A MARVEL.
A WONDERFUL SPECTACLE.

MARINE PAGEANT A MARVEL.
A WONDERFUL SPECTACLE.
The naval parade in New YORK
last Friday from the vantage point
of the warships was an immense ma
rIne picture-a water pageant WIN
so little of incident, compared WIN
It's great SIZE, that it appealed t. the
eye as painting, rather than
drama.
Tue vast gathering of water craft
maintained an average speed OF eight
knots. but so magnificent was ITS
area that the impression was one ot
exceedingly slow and stately move
ment The picture was continually
charging, but 1t melted so steadily
and in such measured ~ thm from
form to form, that the sense OF mo-
ton was largely lost. 1t started un
der a brilliant sky, passed at the
mouth OF the Hudson through the
threat Of su ugly storm, and emerged
through rainbow arch that stretch
ed from shore to shore into clear
and brilliant sunset of the Grant
tomb.
The night had been q busy one in
the feet warships of Tompkinsville.
/ The last details Of the days cete
mony we're hardly settled before the
day itself broke on a scene of greater
activity than the classic anchorage
had ever witnessed before.
A MODERN ARMADA.
The great vessels of the White
Squadron swung at their anchorage
as for the past two days, but the
crowd of neighbOriDg craft had been
swelled past counting. AS lar as
could be seen, the water was mass
~ mooring steamers from the Staple
ton. across the wide reach OF tue
hai Dor to the Erie Basin and from toe
Battery TO the Narrows the water was
alive.It was modern armada against
which the armada launched by Philip
of Spain would have seemed a child :
toy. Il was moving, shifting pie
ture of tugs, police boats, hrebeats
yachts. launches. torpedo boats,
tramp steamers and ocean liners and
sailing craft Of every rig. with big
ferry and excursion boats plougbiDg
their way through the ruck IN mys
terious paths that opened before then
and closed again behind them like
.Lo ;oo of an A rfiQ II Da
The only stable point in the scene
st that early hour were the warships
They lay like great white grounded
bergs, about which the pack LEI
turned and swirled, without movinl
them from their mOorDgs. 1t WAS
morning of repressed excitement OF
board the New York and the othe
ships behind the Olympia. Everythlr
had been cleaned aud FURNISHED iron
ram to rudder.
Noon was ushered in with a screar
] Of whistles that sounded like tel
t thousand craft. The serenade laste
Y fiye minutes, during which enoug
steam was wasted to have run a
ocean liner to Azores.
The last far away echo had hardl
drifted back from the Staten Islam
. hill when sudden impulse seemed
seize the far reaching mass OF tug
and other craft. Instead Of driftin
idly round and round the warship'
Ike ships in al eddy, they began
steam away to the the south IN pal
allel lines, as though some current
were bearing them out to sea. 81
AZ they vanished in scores towarC
| the Narrows there we're hundreds moi
= that swept down from up the harbo
Then there was a scurrying home
the white hooded steam cutters
y the warships. The great boat cran'
amidships reached down their graI
pline hooks and wbisked the pinnac
J, aboard. Megaphone comman'
!. aupg across the water brought Il
torpedo boats to keel, like the gre
= hounds they were, at the Olympia
quarter The brilliant code hAt
blossomed like flowers on the Olyr
pia from bride to maintop. 1t VI
the order to form in column. II
J. Brooklyn's pennsnt snapped LAY
ave. from the slgnal-yard and a d
plicate set of flags passed the order
the Indiana, whence it was huI
from ship TO ship down the squadro
The black speed comes Of the Oly'
n pia climbed slowly to her yards
: the big cruiser got under way. T
= other vessels slowly turned, like
troop OF cavalry squadron front,
ward the Narrows, and then, fetc
ing a graceful sweep, headed ba
M the harbor toward the Batter
the Olympia escorted by the Mayo
boat, the Sandy Hood, in the lee
Back of her, at 40O-yard interv
came the New York; then I
powerful Indiana and Msssachuset
the feet. footed Brooklyn. the stur
old Texas, the rakish, yseht-lI
Dolpbin, the old Lancaster, re
Of another naval age; the power.
Chicago, and, finally, the little N
r;etta. the rear guard of the fight
craft. Behind stretched the ira
v norts. and further still, almost lost
y the distance, the yachts and misc
laneous craft, hull down on
nn horizon.
'o' The evolution began at l o'clc
and in fifteen minutes the fight
line was Strengthened out up
harbor. Admiral Dewey was goi
TO his owu at the head of iquI
ron that would have won, at ne
three battles of Manila Bay with'