Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-17
WELCOME TO THE RALEIGH
Thousands Of Enthusiastic Gothamites Cheer
the Cruiser from Manila,
NATIONAL SALUTE AT THE TOMB OF GRANT
citizens Committee Performs Its Ger.
cmony of Welcoming Commnndcr
CoRhlan Briefly ana Yelling
Multitudes DO the Rest.

NEW YORK, April 16.-The celebration
attending the return OF the United States
cruiser Raleigh from Manila. which had to
be postponed yesterday owing to the war
ships late arrival, occurred today
The Raleigh. accompanied by two small
war vessels captured from the Spaniards las;
summer. and fleet of about twenty-five
excursion steamers and tugboats. paraded
from Tompkinsville to Grants tomb and
from there back to anchorage in the North
river off Thirty fourth street. II would have
been difficult to have selected more inclem-
ent or disagreeable weather than that which
prevailed all the time that the Raleigh was
passing in review before the thousands of
enthusiastic people who lined the river
banks and gave 1t their hearty cheers OF
| welcome home.
off Tompkinsville for the parade up the
bay and the Hudson river until shortly be-
| fore noon. An hour before that time
/ drizzling rain commenced to fall, and this
soon turned into a steady downpour, which
| continued the remainder OF the day The
| air was raw and the officers and men of the
| Raleigh stood upon the decks three hours.
! drenched to the skin, and shiverng with
! cold. There were very few people along
! the river front in the lower part of the
city, owing partly to the weather and partly
/
are closed on Sundays. But great crowds
assembled in Riverside park. overlooking
| the Hudson, and men, women and children
| stood there for hours under umbrellas watch
| ing the vessels on their way up the river
and on their return.
At the Tomb of Grant.
BY far the greatest gathering OF people
was in the vicinity of Grants tomb, which
was the turning point of the parade. A
national salute was fired there by the
Raleigh and also by the captured Spanish
prizes, and the scene was rendered memor-
able one by the shrieking of a hundred
steam whistles FROM excursion boats and
locomotives and cheers from thousands OF
people on shore and on the vessels in the
river.
The Raleigh lay at anchor off Tompkins-
vile all the morning, and no special excite
ment attended it's presence there until about
10 o'clock, when several excursion steamers
arrived from the city, ran alongside of it
and cheered it time and again. Mrs Coghlan
the wife of the commander of the cruiser
arrived at Tompknsvle between 9 to 10
o'clock, where she took small boat and
went out to the Raleigh and welcomed her
husband. Captain Coghlan was apprised
early OF the intentions of the citizens re-
ception committee to visit the Raleigh and
HSSObipt%@Ay II oh sIt he ndu his
crew give the vessels hull fresh coat of
paint during the time between daybreak
and the hour set for the arrival of the COM
mittee and all the officers prepared for the
occasion by putting on full dress.
Rain commenced to fall soon after 10
o'clock and hour later the decks were
flooded and every one on the Raleigh was
seeking shelter wherever it could be found
Boats of all descriptions continued to ar
rive from the city, and each one ran up as
close to the Raleigh as possible and those
on board cheered for it. The two captured
Spanish gunboats, the Alvarado and the
Sandoval, arrived from the navy yard early,
both dressed gaily with flags and bunting,
and they created almost as much enthusiasm
as the Raleigh itself About II o'clock the
large steamer Glen Island arrived, carrying
the citizens reception committee, headed by
Mayor Van Wyck, and also having on board
a number of invited guests. delegation
from the committee, numbering not more
than score, went aboard the Raleigh All
hands on the cruiser were called to quarters
and Mayor Van Wyck and the other COM
mitteemen were received with naval for
mality
Welcomed to New York.
, Captain Coghlan stood at the gateway and
received the visitors and escorted them i'm
mediately to his cabin. The ceremonies
there were ve"v brief, consuming not more
than five miaI'es. The mayor, in a few
words, welcc cd he Raleigh to New York
extended tn, freedom of the city to the
officers and au. a. Ilogized for the dis
agreeable VT H.r md assured Captain
Coghlan of a h, welcome. Captain
Coghlan replied breuy.
The committee did not stop aboard mo-
ment after the formalities of the welcome
: were over There was no inspection of the
, vessel; in fact, that would have been almost
, impossible in the drenching rain that was
, falling at the time.
I The committee returned to the Glen Island
, at once, and as Mayor Van Wyck left the
, side OF the Raleigh he received a salute OF
, fifteen guns. Preparations were then made
TO get under way for the parade. The Raj
egh was headed down the stream the
| time, and when it raised its anchor and
swung around slowly the whistles on all the
crafts near shrieked a salute, and all the
people on the excursion steamers cheered
3 and waved handkerchiefs and flags The
Glen Island led the procession of vessels
and the Raleigh followed just astern OF it
| The Alvarado and Sandoval took position of
either bow of the cruiser and police boats
tugs and excursion boats followed in &
double column. There was no specia
t passed, when national salute was fired
) About this point the coast survey steamer
r Pathfinder, with Assistant Secretary OF thC
n Navy Allen aboard, joined the procession
y following just in the wake O
g the Raleigh From the time the
t Raleigh left the Battery until it reached
Grants tomb its whistle and fog siren blow
y ing almost constantly in response to thu
) sautes from vessels lying at their docks ol
e moving up and down the river, The ferry
e boats were crowded with people cheering
and waving handkerchiefs.
Captain COghlan was on the bridge nearl!
all the way up the river with the executive
> and navigating officers, All were bundled
up in rain coats and received the full force
e OF the storm in their faces. The captain wa
II obliged to bare his head to the rain a grea
{ part of the time in waving his cap in re-
sponse to the sautes and cheers OF pass
ing vessels. The officers paid little atten
q tion to the storm and waved their caps con
!. stantly, not appearing to mind the soaking
A which their dress uniforms and their bodie
A as well received.
a Didn't Mind the Wet.