Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1899-10-04


some current wee bearing them out |
to sea. But az they vanished i'm |
scores toward The Narrows there !
were hundreds more that swept |
down from up the harbor Then
there was the hTrying home of the
white-hoodcd st,am cutters from the
warships. The great boat cranes
amidships reached down their grip
ping hooks andRhisked the pinnaces
aboard. MegaphOne commands flnng |
across the wt5er brought the tor
pedo boats to the keel like the grey
hounds they were, MT the Olympia's
quarters. Thebrilliant cOlored flags
blossomed likefluwers on the Olym-
pia from bridg, to mnintup. II wHs
the order t. form in column. The
Brooklyn's peIhant soon answered
AYE, aye" from the signal yard,
and duplicate set Of flags passed
the order behind, whence it was
flung from slip to ship down the
squadron. Tlr black speed cones Of
the Olympia climbed slowly tn her
yards ~ the big cruiser GO under
way. The other vessels slow ly turned
like a cavalry squadron front toward
the Narrows, and then making u
graceful swceI, 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 100 yards interval
came the New York, the powerful!
Indiana. the Massachusetts, the ileet-
footed Brooklyn, the sturdy old
Texas, the Dolphin, the Lancaster, a
relic Of another naval age, the pow
erful Chicago and finally the little
Marietta, the rear guard of the fight
ing craft. Behind stretched the trans
ports, and further still, almost lost
in the distaIre, the ypchts and Mis-
cellaneous craft, hull down on the
horizon. Tie evolution began at |
O'Clock and 3 minutes after the fight
ing line was straight face up the har-
bor. Admiral Dewey was going to
his own at the head of squadron
that would have won, II need be,
three battles of Manila bay without
stopping for breakfast. The head of
the parade was like a broad arrow.
Six torpedo boats were spread out,
three on each side of the Olympia's
quarters. Outside of them flying
wedge Of police patrol boats formed
great V, whose apex was the Olym-
pia. Flanking them ahead and astern
were the harbor fire boats, spoutin
great columns of water that turned
threateningly toward the excursion
boats on either side when they at.
tempted to interfere with the line oI
march. But the pageant back of the
powerful vanguard was not limited
to single nor to a couple Of lines o
ships.
Up the Hudson pandemonlun
reigned supreme. Aerial bombs brok,
at intervals overhead and a featbery
canopy Of smoke hung over the fleet
as hundreds of steam whistles blew
continually. narrow throat of thu
river crowded the advance vessels to-
gether in an almost compact mass
The broad area drove the head of tn,
column Of the pageant here to dis
aster Of wind and rain which i'm
pended. S.orm clouds that had hoy
cred down from the bay followe,
close in the pageant's wake AsharI
wind turned the water into white
caps. The wind soon let up and th'
threatening sky relented. The SUI
came out and a rainbow stretche,
from Manhattan to the Jersey shore
1t seemed bit of natures art work
beggaring mans humble work oi
shore, and forming an arch of tri
umph under which the victorious al
miral sailed tn his triumph.
Up the river the paradep passed, an,
opposite Grants tomb tn" naval re
serve ship st. Marys. acting as TIN
stake boat, round the stake boat tn
Olympia turned smartly, her gum
throbbing a deep-throated salute t,
the resting place OF another nationa
hero. The other vessels Of the whit
squadron sailed around the st. Mary
in turn, each saluting the tomb, tn,
Mt the head of the line the sound q
further guns was lost in the noise o
steam whistles.
A brother and the widow of Capt
Gridley, who fought the Olympia il
Manila bay, Col. Franklin Bartlett
former representative in congress
from New York and m intimate per
sonal friend of the admiral's, togethe
with three newspaper men, were tn
only ones aboard. One OF the naya
visitors was the engineer who wa
on, fho oil. ~ min Al. ln,, .hl lnI fhn Lin