Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-06-21
AT OLD POINT COMFORT
An Impromptu Rcc~pttou-Thc Conn
mi'teeS OF tho tonvcnion-Di,cuss
sions OF Topics, q; on, ting OF Reno q.
Well Advnncrd-Eiectio OF OFF
GERS To Dny-Atinmsic city WORKS
ing For the Meeting in 1000.

yesterday bright and cool and with o
large attendance OF members in the
auditorium OF the Chamberlin Hotel.
President Quayle briefly called the
convention to order at 10 o'clock a. m.
and with a few remarks introduced
Captain Roblcy d. Evans, who had
consented to address the association.
"FIGHTING BOB'S" SPEECH.
The news that Captain Robley D
Evans. more Familiarity known as
Fighting Bob" Evans. was TO address
the Master Mechanics yesterday morn
ing drew forth an immense crowd to
the spacious auditorium of the Cham
berlin Hotel Long before he arose
standing room only was available, and
as he faced the large audience his ris-
ing was the signal for prolonged cheers
captain Evans opened by speaking
OF the Importance of mechanics in oui
modern life and emphasized it's import
ance in our oDerations of war. The
hugh, modern battleshp he said is a
machine shop filled with complicated
machinery. He paid a splendid tribute
TO the men in the ranks of the machin-
lists and dwelt on the Importance of
their work.
PEACE AND WAR FOOTINGS.
Passing on the speaker referred to
our navy on a peace footing and on Il
war footing. He said that on peace
footing a battleship could get ready for
action in three minutes. and on a war
footing 1t could be ready for the fray
IN two minutes and half. AS an
illustration of rapid preparation for
battle he told how, on April 2lSt 1895,
our navy was on a peace footing. Our
large fleet was then in rendezvous off
,\ey West. In the evening the officers
had dinner and were sitting smoking
their iirSt cigars. AT ll:00 O'Clock thci,
cigars were not quite finished and the
navy was still on a peace footing.
Then the fleet received orders to pre-
pare at once to blockade the Cuban
coast. ana at 1880 they were on wal
roofing. AT O'Clock in the morning
they sailed for Cuba and at o'clock
IN the afternoon Havana was block
AIDED. There were many vessels on the
blockade and, Notwithstanding the fact
mat the vessels showed no lights at
| night, not a single collision occurred.
This immunity from accident was not
expected generally. he said. as the
newspapers had predicted all sorts o,
disasters from collisions of our own
boats with each other.
PLENTY OF WAR SHIPS
iheh ne warned MS hearers not to
repeat the experience or 1852 and allow
our navy to go back. but to give il
plenty of war ships. In reference to the
'hi!ippines. he said that if we wanted
10 hoid them. to say so and the navy
would do it. Then he said:
There Is very large watermelon in
the East waiting to be cut If you wan,
slice OF that watermelon we will gel
it for You"
BY this the speaker probably meant
that the possession of territory there
will give us a n large SHIRE
OF the great and valuable trade of the
Orient.
TAKES TIME TO CREATE.
Then he said that no navy nor sailors
could be made in n week The con-
Struction of a suitable navy REQUIRED
Time and so did il to make sailors az
raw fighting recruits. Here he told :,
good story of thirty-six raw recruit,
from Detroit. Mich. who came to him.
ihey were big. husky fellows anxious
Ior fight but green on all connected
with battleships. Just after they had
been assigned their stations n Spanish
torpedo boat came out. One Of the re-
cruits slipped UP 10 Captain Evans ana
said: Say. mister, | came out here
to fight and want a place where l can
light"
The Captain looked at the man. saw
nc meant what he said and then asked
hm to what station he was ass .,ned
The man said he was ASSIGNED 10 q
certain turret aft. This was near The
po!nt where they stood and Captain
evans said: We'll. there's your turret
right there
The man replied: 81 know 1t. but how
the hi do you get into it,"
Captain Evans said: I'VE not only
want men who are ready to fight. but
men who know how to get into tho
'urret when they get there"
AMERICANS IN THE NAVY.
In concluding Captain Evans said
that I'm the fleet before Santiago o. nor
'ent or the men were Americans and
- per cent. were native born Ameri-
ans. AS to the result of that enooro.
nent. he said. it would have ben tho
same If the enemy had been six wa1
Ships or any other nation than Spain
u was shot that told, ard he did NOT
ioubt that one shot would have been
iust rs good as many. just as we'll fired
anu Just as destructive If the shins
had been other than Spanish warships
With few more words Cantain
evans concluded and sat down amid n
Whirlwind of applause such ne ner.
haps, the Chamberlin has never heard
before. One of the members men
jumped from his chair and proposc6
Three cheers for Fighting Fob.
Evans" They We're given with n will
and tiger. and then President Ouayle
proposed Chautauqua salute for the
'aiiaht nshter. so that the lad es might
oin. This salute. the waving of hand
l<erchicfs. wassgivcn and the air for n
moment was white with 'kerchiefs
waved by fair hands
AN INFORMAL RECEPTION.
President $laylc then rose. quiet was
restored an short recess taken, when
the great alA fence pressed forward and