The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1899-10-05

steamed past, all so burdened with hu-
manity that they looked as if they would
turn turtle before they got back to their
piers. Toward the end the parade be-
came disorganized, and it took hours for
the heterogeneous 1otilla to get by.
Darkness at last brought relief to the
tired admiral who had stood on the
bridge for six hours bowling his acknowl-
edgments to the stentOrian expression Of
homage.
New York has never witnessed before
anything approaching this wonderful re-
markable demonstration. The Columbian
naval parade, the dedication of Grants
tomb and the reception of the north At
lantic squadron last fall all pale before
this gigantic ovation to the sailor who in
single morning destroyed an enemy's
feet without the loss of a man or a ship.
1t is not beyond the mark to say that
100000 people viewed the pageant
nom ashore and that quarter of a nil
lion were ahoat.
The night had been busy one in the
Feet of warships off Tompkinsville. The
last details of the coming days ceremony
were hardly settled before the day itself
broke on scene of greater activity than
the classic anchorage had ever witnessed
before.
In the forenoon Admiral Dewey was
formally extended the freedom of the
city Of New York, and so was every man
jack aboard his flagship. Not that this
ceremony was necessary at all-the citi-
zens would have seen to all that-but il
is customary for the mayor of munich
pality to do that sort of thing, and Mayor
Van Wyck did it very gracefully.
After brief conversation the party
returned to the Sandy Hook, and u min
utes later the admiral, attended by his
staff, returned the call.
The evolution began at l o'clock and
in IL minutes the fighting line was
Strengthened out up the harbor. Admiral
Dewey was going to his own ut the head
of squadron that would have won, at
need three battles of Manila bay with
out stopping for breakfast.
No diagram of the parade vet printed
gives any idea of the formation. The
head of the column was a broad arrow.
Six torpedo boats spread out as the barb,
three on n side, from the Olympa's quar-
ter Outside of them flying wedge Of
police patrol boats formed great V,
whose apex was the Olympia. Flanking
them, ahead and astern, Were the harbor
ter that were turned threateningly 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 single nor
to sextuple line of ships. 1t was sin
uous marine monster half n mile wide,
whose vertebrae We're 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.
Yesterdays great spectacle will ever be
treasured in the memory of those who
saw 1t. In advance of the Olympia was
double line of patrol and fire boats, a
lilliputian fleet to clear the way of unoffi.
cial trespassers. 1t did not require much
persuasion either, as the shippers had q
wholesome respect for the steel ram of
the mighty sea monsters. On the port
beam of the Olympia was the escorting
ship Sandy Hook, with the mayor ant
other a;gaitaries aboard and in her wax,
we're the great towering warships, tn,
armered cruiser New York, the battle
ships INDIANA and Massachusetts,, tn,