The age-herald., 1901-02-02
THE FLEET STRETCHED
 FROM PORTSMOUTH TO CONES

FROM PORTSMOUTH TO CONES
 The special trains took down the mem bers of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, the diplomats and other off, cials and the correspondents from the VIC toria Station to Portsmouth this morning.
 The fleet of battleships stretched from Portsmouth to Cowes, the turrets of Os- borne standing above the purple hills. Abreast were the battleships Ben Bow and ColHngwoed These emblems of Britain s imperial power were the policemen guarding the avenue, 10 miles long, through which the Queens body was to pass to the mainland of the kingdom. There were nineteen Brit ish battleships, eleven cruisers and eight gunboats, not even the full strength of the channel squadron. Eight naval ambassadors of friendly powers were ranged along the Portsmouth end, while gunbeats and steam with official spectators formed the re- mainder of the southern line The British ships were m imposing sight with their uni form decorations, coal black hulls, with a line of red just above the water, white up- per works and yellow smokestacks.
 The foreign ships attracted most of the attention of the English spectators. Giant of the whole fleet was the Japanese battle ship Hatsus the largest war machine afoat a fortress of Sclay-colored steel, with the scarlet on a white field hanging at her stern, the fighting emblem of the youngest world power.
 Emperor Williams navy was represented by Nymphe, Victoria, Louise, HagefE and Baden, all blue gray colered upper works.
 The Dupuy de Lome;- under Frances tri- color fine sight. She is built with prow-fronted long ram, high out of the water.
 Portugal was represented by the cruiser Don Carlosa The ill-fortune of Spain's navy asserted itself at the last moment for word came that the Emperador Carlos V. had turned back from her trip to the port with crippled engines
 The pathway between the warships was a quarter of a mile wide, avenue of clear water.
 Queens Weather Came at Noon.
 Queens weather came at noon in a burst of sunshine.
 Shortly before o'clock a puff of smoke broke from the Majestics side and second later report cracked over the harbor an- nouncing the starting of the Alberta from Trinity pier. From ship to ship the salute was passed down the line Each vessel of the fleet was firing minute guns. They all employed their shert side batteries, so on the channel sides were silbonettes of hulls, spars and iron work, before backgrounds of dense, gray smoke. The sound was that of a great battle.
 Eight torpedo boat destroyers crept ahead of the funeral ship moving in pairs like silent bearers marching before a hearse. They were the Portsmouth squad ron, of exactly the same size, every inch of hull and machinery painted a dull black with officer standing like a statue in it's bow, each of the crews aligned at ''at- tention," like sentries, on their decks. Then came the royal yacht Alberta, the vessel on which the eyes of the world may be said to have been centered She was a common place looking littlee vessel, lying low in the water, with a gilt trimmed hull and side wheels protected by yellow paddle boxes The afterdeck of the yacht was roofed with a white awning and beneath the awning through glasses, could be seen the catafalque, on which rested the coffin. As the funeral yacht moved slowly past, the decks of the warships were crowded with their crews. They were all manned to their full complement The sailors, in blue, with straw hats, formed a solid mass along the decks of each ship, standing with their arms at attention. A line Of scarlet coats, topped by showy, shiny helmets on the after decks showed where the marine were stationed The fighting tops and guns were also manned. The officers stood out in showy, full dress array. The band of each ship took up the funeral march when the Alberta came abreast of her and the spectators on all the other craft focused on the tiny looking, purple bier, the remains of Queen Victoria were car
 
 ried by.
 Royal Yachts TraiIed Behind.
 Following the Alberta trailed along five other yachts, the Victoria and Albert, car rying the royal mourners; Emperor Will liam's yacht Hohenzollern, large as a war ship and spotless white; the Osborne, the admiralty yacht Enchantress, and a little Trinity houseboat.
 Twenty minutes after the first pair of torpedo boat destroyers came abreast of the press boat, the historic parade had passed and was dwindlng smaller and smaller, toward the sunset, where the pur- ple clouds and volumes of smoke made an overpoweringly impressive stage spectacle
 Gradually the din of the minute guns les- sened as the batteries of ship after ship ceased firing, while the funeral parade swept around the end of the line and into the entrance of Portsmouth harbor.S When the Alberta entered with the minute guns in the forts sounding, the bells of all the churches in the city tolling, the ancient frigate Victory, moored there, fired sa- lute of muzzle-loaders.
 The crowd in Portsmouth is estimate at 100, 900. Every town along the channel con- tributed it's quota, and the railway com panies are helpless this afternoon before the rush of people going home after the parade. Thousands crawled into the sta- tions and literally fought their way into the trains. The special cars were at their mercy.
 Foreign officers, diplomats and members of Parliament mixed in the rush and took their chances with the mob. The cars go- ing toward London were packed to lsuffo- cation by all classes of people.
 M'kINLEY NOT WANTED.S