The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1899-10-11

COluuNl Inc hiNoNNhS FN"H's'
snapped aye! ayer from the signal
yard. and duplicate set OF iags pass
ed the order TO the Indiana, when It
was fung from ship TO ship down the
The black speed cones Of
the Olympia climbed slowly TO her
yards as the big cruiser got under
way
The other vessels slowly turned like
a troop Of cavalry. squadron front
toward the Narows, and then, in a
graceful sweep, headed back up the
harbor toward the Battery. the olym-
pia, escorted by the mayors boat, the
Sandy Nook. in the lead. Back OF her
at 100 yard interval came the New
York. then the powerful Indiana and
Massachusetts,. the fieet-tcoted Brook
lyn. the sturdy old Texas, whose crit
les had been routed by her successful
war record, the rakish, yacht-like Dol
phin. the old Lancaster, a relic Of an
other naval age; the powerful Chicago,
her ancient top hamper gone, trimmed
down to modern lighting compass and
finally the little Marietta, the rear
guard Of the lighting craft. Behind
stretched the transports and further
still, almost lost In the distance. the
yachts and miscellaneous craft huh
down on the horizon
The evolution began at o'clock and
in fifteen minutes the fighting line was
Strengthened out up the harbor, The
head OF the column was broad arrow.
Siy torpedo boats spread out formed
the barb, three on a side from the
olympia's quarter outside Of them
a flying wedge Of police patrol boats
formed a great V. whose apex was the
Olympia. Flanking them, ahead and
astern were harbor fire boats, spoutlng
great columns Of water that turned
threatingly toward the excursion
boats on either side when they at
tempted to crowd the line OF march.
But the pageant hack Of this power
ful vanguard was not limited to a
single nor to a sextuple line Of ships.
It was a sinuous marine monster half
a mile wide. whose spine was the
White Squadron and whose ribs were
rows upon rows Of every sort Of float
ing thing that had ever run by steam
In New York harbOr.
Thousands viewed the spectacle as
1t moved up past Staten island:
thousands more watched It from the
anchored sailing craft that crowded the
Erin basin. and whose spars rose in a
forest about the foot If the Liberty
statute, But hey were forgotten in,
the mass Of humanity that crowded
the waterfront OF Manhattan island
and filed every point Of vantage along
the Jersey shore.
This feature Of the scene first broke
on the view as Castle William roared
an admiral salute for the Olympia of
the Battery. By the time the answer
ing smoke had died away from the
wake Of the flagship the lmmensity OF
the watching crowd dawned on the
crews Of the squadron. Every foot Of
the city waterfront was a mass Of hu-
manjty. The wharves. the ferry slips,
the roofs of ferry and warehouses rose
one above another in solid blocks Of
people. Above the lower structures Of
the waterfront every roof bore its llv-
ing freight. Stores, old office buildings
and modern slyscrapers wera crowded
with stands, TIERS upon tiers Of seats.
like an immense theater. whose roof
was the sky, whose walls were the sur
rounding hills and whose back drop was
the horizon Of the lower bay.
As the pageant moved maiestically
into the Hudson It was seen that the
crowd still lined the waterfront and
housetops thicker, II possible. than
ever. and stretching up the river along.
the whole line Of parade. The heights
Of the Jersey side we're also crowded
with parti-colored masses Of people.
They were not such an unbroken rank
rs stretched along the wharves OF the
New York side, but wherever the wood |
ed slopes broke into clearing the slope
was blanketed with people from crest
to water line. There was no possible
way Of estimating the crowd. It had
been declared that there were 1,5OO. 900
visitors in the city. The impression
by the crowded shores was
that It would have taken fully so many
in addition to the local population to
form the concourse that watched the