Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-10-06


the greyhounds they were at the Olym-
pa's quarter. The brilliant code flags
blossomcd like flowers on the Olympia
from bridge to main top. 1t was the or
der to form in column. The Brooklyn's
pennant snapped AYE. aye" from the
signal yard and duplicate set of flags
passed the order to the Indiana, whence
it was flung from ship to ship down the
squadron. 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 Il troop of cav
airy, squadron front toward the Narrows,
and then. fetching a graceful sweep.
headed back up the harbor toward the
Battery the Olympia, escorted by the
mayors boat, the Sandy Hook, in the
lead. Back of her ut 400 yard interval
came the New York. then the powerful In
diana and Massachusetts, the fleet footed
Brooklyn, the sturdy old Texas, whose
critics had been routed by her success
full war record; the rakish, yachtlike Dol
phin, the old Lancaster, IA relic of anoth
er naval age: the powerful Chicago. her
ancient top hamper gone, trimmed down
to modern fighting compass, and finally
the little Marietta, the rear guard of the
fighting craft. Behind stretched the trans
ports, and farther still, almost lost in
the distance, the yachts and mscella
neous craft hull down on the horizon.
The evolution began at 1 o'clock, and
in 10 minutes the fighting line was
Strengthened out up the harbor. Admiral
Dewey was going to his own at the head
of squadron that would have won, at
need, three battles of Manila bay with
out stopping for breakfast.
N 1inr Of ha 10 OF inf cd
gives any idea of the formation. The
head of the column was broad arrow.
Six torpedo boats spread out ms the barb,
three on side, from the Olympia's quar-
ter. Outside of them flying wedge of
police patrol boats formed great V,
whose apex was the Olympia. Thanking
them ahead and astern. were the harbor
fire boats, spouting great columns of wa
ter that were turned threatenngly to.
ward the excursion boats on either side
when they attempted to crowd the line of
march.
But the pageant back of this powerful
vanguard was not limited to a single nor
to a sextuple line of ships. 1t was ii sin
uous marine monster half n mile wide,
whose vertebrate were the white squadron
and whose ribs were rows upon rows of
every style of floating thing that had
ever run by steam in New York harbor.
Thousands viewed the spectacle as it
moved up past Staten Island thousands
more watched it from the anchored sail
ing craft that crowded the Erie basin
and whose spars rose in Il forest about
the foot of Liberty statue. But they
were forgotten in the mass of humanity
that crowded the water front of Manhat-
tan island and filled every point of van
tage along the Jersey coast.
This feature of the scene first broke on
the view as Castle Williams roarcd an add
miral's salute to the Olympia off the Bat
terry. BY this time the answering smoke
had died away from the wake of the flag
ship, and the immensely of the watching
crowd dawncd on the crews of the squad
ron. Every foot of the city water front
was n mass of humanity. The wharfs,
the ferry slips, the roofs of ferry .and
ware houses rose one above anOthA in
solid blocks of people. Above the lower
structures of the water front every roof
bore its living freight. Stores, old office
buildings and modern skyscrapers were
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 majestically in
to the Hudson ii was seen that the crowd
still lined the water front and house tops.
thicker if possible than ever and stretch
ing up the river along the whole line of
parade.
Yesterdays great spectacle will ever be
treasured in the memory of those who
saw it. In advance of the Olympia was
a =, 4, IL. Of Il