The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-10-03

conqueror returned from his triumph
OF barbara splendors, no victorious
king or prince coming from a success
full war;, ever received such a magnif-
cent ovation as overwhelmed Admiral
Dewey today as he stood on the bridge
OF the Olympia at the cad of a mag
nif1cent fleet of steel thunderers of the
deep, followed by a thousand vessels of
peace, each TERED and coated black
with people, and sailed over the bright
kters of the upper bay and up the
"a pathway Of the sun-lit river,
wnose banks were gay with millions of
tags and streamers dancing in the
knd.
yfhe sky was blue, the water rippled
Under the fresh wind that held out
flags straight and jaunty and the
wharves and piers and rocky heights
and grassy knobs were black with
frantic, enthusiastic people who striv-
ed weakly to maxi their shouts heard
above the perfect bedlam of footing
whistles that accompanied the admiral,
ashore and afioat. AS the tomb of Gen
eral Grant, on Riverside drive, was
reached the fleet paid it's tributes to the
memory Of the great warrior with a
national salute of twenty-one roaring
guns. The fleet then and re-
viewed the almost endless procession
of craft that steamed past all so bur-
dened with humanity that they looked
as If they would turn turtle before they
got back to their piers. Toward the
end the parade became d~isorganized
and it took hours for the heterogene-
Gus fiotilla to get by. Darkness at last
brought relief to the tired admiral who
had stood on the bridge for six hours
bowling his acknowledgements to the
stentorian expression of homage.
New York has never witnessed be-
fore anything approaching this Won
derful, remarkable demonstration. The
Columbian naval parade, the dedica-
ton of Grants tomb and the reception
of the North Atlantic squadron last
fall, all pale before this gigantic ova-
ton to the sailor, who, in a single
morning, destroyed an enemy's fleet
without the loss of a man or a ship.
1t is not beyond the mark to say 3,O00,-
600 people viewed the pageant from
ashore, n that $50, 900 were afoat.
THE DISPLAY ON THE RIVER.
People who went down the bay were
in admiration of the display Of
~ofting along the water front. On the
hsast river from the bridge to the Bat
Dry, where the sailing craft lay in
groves, the spars were covered with
such a mass of color as might be COM
pared to a ma~ple-grown hillside in the
deep autumn. The tall spars of the
clippers were conspicuous for their en-
signs and signals. Every craft in the
harbor was decked out from stem tn
stern with all the grace and attractive
ness known to shippers. But the dis
play in the East river was not to be
compared with that Of the North river,
up which the procession was to pass.
From the peaks of every pier long
ropes strung with flags of every hue
were stretched to the snubbing post at
the corner, the fronts were decorated
.-.IL H. 1T
There were flags On the stats and lines
of flags above the ropes.
The vessels at their sides were dress
ed from stem to taffrail and some car
ried flags on their yards and had their
deck houses covered. The wind shook
the banners from windows, porticos
and even steeples, and never, perhaps
in this generation did hearts that love
it bound so quickly to the sight of the
flag. Up the river, far off on the Jer.
sey shore and high on the misty pail
sades it cleaned.
FROM THE DECK OF THE
OLYMPIA.
The best place from which to view
the great marine panorama was natu
rally from the deck of the Olympic
and by the courtesy of admiral Dewe!
an Associated Press representativ,
was permitted aboard Very early tn,
fleet of steamships, steamboats,, yacht
napd tugs which were to LAY a plac
the line began moving down tn
baSy to the allotted points where tn
e Aral divisions were to form, bu
nfany of them could not resist tn
temptation to first visit the anchoraS
of the men-of-war off Tompkinsville
and before II o'clock the Olympia wa
surrounded by a perfect mob of ever
known kind of craft, all swarming wit
people, circling around, or pushin
their noses close up under the ship t
get a glimpse of the admiral pacing tn
quarter deck. The bands aboard tn
excursion boats played n the whis
ties and sirens of the other cra1
made the air hideous by their shriek'
They kept coming, coming in pdl1
and half dozens. until they lay a doze
deep, resisting the charges of the pa
troll boats, in their determination I
get within shouting distance. The
recklessness was amazing. They ia
across each others bows, they rubbe
against one another, they pushed DO
on stern, until further movement seen
ed paralyzed by the ineXtricable col
fusion. 1t was with great difficult
that the police boats could clear a pa:
sage for the admirals launch when /
went off to return the official visit
the mayor at noon, and when he q
step into his launch the patriotic ski
perS af1Oat grabbed their whistle cor
and made the hills echo with such
blast as can only be heard when
yankee yacht crosses the finish first
a race with foreign mug hunters. Al
hat was simply the prelude to VIII
continued throughout the day-an q
most continuous roar of steam VIII;
ties.
Meantime the vessels to take pa
in the parade were massing over ne
khe Long Island shore, until that 81
the harbor became a tangle
sNAacks and flags and frame work as I
a1f5s the eye could reach.
1rhe warships lay spick and spa
eady for the start, their burnish
Metal flaming in the sun, their sic
white as virgin snow. tn
and the shore lay the low, long, lei
wicked looking torpedo boats, and S
inside of them the graceful nouila
revenue cutters.
Aboard the OIymDia the marines 8