The Washington times., 1903-05-30
EUROPEAN SQUADRON
WILL Be SENT To KEEL
President Roosevelt Personally Orders
THIS Done.

| The Navy Department has decided to
! send the Kearsarge to join the European
| squadron and visit Kiel. instead of the
battleship Alabama. as was originally
announced. This change Is made nee
essary owing to the repairs which this
Alabama is now undergoing and which
Will not be completed by June 5, at
which time the vessel was scheduled
| TO sail.
The Kearsarge will probably join ths
| squadron at Lisbon and thence proceed
to Kiel, where the regatta is to occur
The Alabama will go with the battle
ship squadron 10 the Azores. The Chi
| cago and the Machias have left VILE
franche and arrived at Marseilles Oh
their way to Kiel.
| Acting under direct instructions from
| the President the European squadron
Will visit KieI next month to be present
at the maneuvers OF the German navy
at that port
The question OF sending our vessels
TO Kiel has been under discussion for
more than two months, and at one time
threatened to cause much fl feeling
The Emperor first, through Baron Won
Sternburg, extended q personal invita-
ton to the President asking him to send
| the North Atlantic squadron to Kiel TO
be there during regatta week II was
presumed he did so because the fact had
been published that the squadron was
to be sent TO Lisbon for maneuvers of
the coast OF Portugal.
When the Emperor's invitation was
received. however, the tentative plan of
sending the squadron to Lisbon had
been abandoned. and decision had been
reached that the ships should go 10 the
| Azores Therefore, 1t was found neces-
sary to decline the Emperor's invita-
tion-
This action caused much unfayorable
comment in the German newspapers. and
. then plan was suggested Of sending
the European squadron 10 Kiel. Admiral
Dewey and the members OF the general
board advised against this. as it inter-
| fered materially with the plans which
they were mapping out for the movement
OF the vessels this summer
It Is understood they are still op-
posed to ordering the ships to Kiel
recommendations. 1t is presumed the
President has done this in order to
| remove the unpleasant feeling which Is
supposed to exist between Germany and
the United States because of naval
1ealousies. It was regarded as proper
that the President should personally
direct the sending OF the squadron to
KEEL on account of the fact that the En-
| Deror personally extended the invitation
requesting the presence of the American
ships.
At presen. there are but two ships on
the European station. the Chicago. Rear
Admiral Cotton's flagship, and the
Machias- The Albany and the Cincin-
natl, which were until recently at
tached to the European squadron. have
been detached and are now en- route to
Asiatic waters TO form part OF
Rear Admiral Evans command. The
cruiser San Francisco. which has been
IN West Indian waters for several weeks,
Will soon join the Chicago and the
Machias, and special orders were
| issued by Secretary Moody and tele-
grsphed to the Navy Department, or
| 6ering the battleship Alabama to be
placed in readiness to join the squad
ror. Rear Admiral Cotton viii proceed
westward IN the Mediterranean. and will
probably meet the San Francisco and
the Kearsarge at Gibraltar or off Lis
| bon. The squadron VIII then proceed
10 Kiel, arriving there in tins for the
opening of the regatta on June %.
The Germans are making elaborate
preparations for the forthcoming re-
gatta, and the Americans will be shown
special courtesy Baron Won Sternburg
has been advised of the decision and
order OF the President, and has COM
rnunicated the fact 10 the German En-
peror.