The Washington times., 1902-01-05
HOW THEY SAW
THE LAUNCH.
Mrs. Roosevelt and Children
Were Far Away.
In SPITE OF PRESS DISPATCHES.
officer Who Was on Board Says the
Youngsters Arc Regular Rough
Riders. and That Miss Ethel Is the
Captain OF Them AII-IIcr Particu-
lar Achievement on the Cruise.

Of course, We all know how Mrs
Roosevelt and her children saw the
launching Of the battleship Missouri at
Newport News. They left Washington on
board the U. s. s. Dolphin, and the night
before the launching the Dolphin was
anchored off the Hotel Chamberlin, ac-
cording to the Associated Press despatch
fs, and, according to the same dispatches.
the Dolphin had trouble the next day
dodsing the great hulk of the battleship.
when, after being christened by Miss
Marion Cockrell, the huge hull slid into
the water.
But the funny part about all of it is
that neither Mrs. Roosevelt, her children,
nor the officers and crew of the Dolphin
got anywhere near Newport News, and
really and truly nothing of the launch
Ing. In point of fact, the trip was made
but for the purpose Of letting young
Teddy" and DR.. Rixie go ashore and
have some shooting. Quantico is approx
inately eighty miles from Washington,
anu the farthest place the Dolphin reached
from this city was Cedar Point. eighteen
miles below Quantico, which is far. far
frcm where the Missouri slid into the
water.
The Shooting Was Poor
The Dolphin left Washington ON Thurs
day afternoon at 1:iO. The ship anchored
off Quantico, and young Teddy and DR..
Rixic went ashore to shoot. but they did
not shoot anything. They had very bad
luck. Friday they proceeded 10 lower
Cedar Point, and that afternoon the same
shooting party went ashore. On the way
ashore in the launch they shot a sea gull
ana duck, but there was very bad shoot
Ing again. outside OF the game mentioned,
and the hunters returned aboard
But Saturday morning, All. that was
the hunting day, They made an all-day
trip OF ii that time and got six ducks
gre or thereabOuts-some squirrels and
some rabbits. The hunters. however. pur-
chased S6 worth of wild turkeys. which
were, when the party reached Washing
ton, formally sent to the White House in
an express wagon as part of the bagged
game.
Sunday morning quick trip was plan
ned back to Washington, but the fog in
tervened, and the Dolphin anchored off
Quantico. The ship was held there most
of Sunday, and, in fact, did not get well
under way until Monday morning The
next stop was made off Mount Vernon on
Monday. when Mrs Roosevelt and the en-
tire party went ashore in the President
barge. The Dolphin got back to Wash
ington Monday night.
Juvenile Rough Riders.
But" said an officer on board the shin.
which was under command of Lieutenant
Commander Albert Gleaves. what a time
W had -taT trfh nF
these Roosevelt children are. We left
here after having had the ship newly
vanished and painted. 1t came back with
ell the varnish and paint ripped of.
and the crew, most OF whom were suf-
fering with some lucid intervals when we
started, got back feeling like inmates Of
G madhouse.
Besides young Teddy there was
Archie. Ethel, and Quentin aboard The
last three made most of the rough
house Archie, for instance. said that he
had been aboard the 'Sylph,' and didn't
like the boat because they wouldn't let
him carve his name on the deckhouse. He
also told one OF the jackies that he wished
his father were not President of the
United States, because he and his sisters
and brothers could not find time to play
bear with him 1t is the greatest crowd
Of children | ever saw"
Miss EthcEs Feat.
sailor lad who was aboard says that
Miss Ethel fell about twenty feet out Of
the rigging, and sat upon the deck, with
tears rolling down her cheeks.
But what did she do" he continued,
''but dare her Two brothers to take the
same fall; and what did the two lads do
but refused to take the dare, and tumbled