The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-12-16
THE TOWN SURPRISED

The first report was hardly credited.
No body expected the entire fleet to
arrive together. 1t had been expected
that the cruiser division accompanied
by the collier Pompey, would be the
first to make it's appearance and then
trailing several days later would be the
big battleships. But Holt was right.
The entire aggregation of warshlps
was passing Kaena Point and was ap-
preaching Honolulu harbor in complete
formation perfect feet-in-being;
every vessel keeping the line of forma-
ton perfectly and holding off equidis-
tant from the others, but all within
signalling distance of the rest of the
fleet.
AS soon as the news of the sighting
of the fleet was known, Captain Rod
man U. S. N. got up steam in the little
launch from the Iroquois and went out
to the mouth of the harbor to examine
the conditions at the entrance. He
felt certain that the big fleet would
be brought into the harbor by orders
of Admiral Bob Evans and he wanted
to see exactly how the mouth of the
channel was, as it was thought Rod
man would probably be called upon to
bring some of the fleet into the har-
bor.. rs
The pilots too began to liven up and
to bring out their full force. Captains
Macaulay, Saunders, LorenZen and
Cameron were at the pilot house al
most as the fleet came into view. There
is a difference of at least two hours In
the time from Makaha and Barber's
Point and not until $3.50 o'clock did
Diamond Head Charlie pick up the
fleet. When he did the whistle of the
electric light works began giving forth
Ctc hnt hn q
Immediately surmised that the fleet
and not the belated mail steamer Ven-
tura from San Francisco was being
signalled.
1t was hard to pick up all of the
boats the instant the fleet rounded the
Point. Some of the watchers at the
pilot house could not make out the
seven boats reported by Holt. Others
We're sure that they saw the seven ves-
sells. Captain Rodman came back in
to the harbor and stopped beneath the
pilot house with his launch to get a
line on the vessels.
How many of them are there" ex-
claimed Rodman to those on the look
out.
Seven, Sir" answered Captain Ma
caulay. I'VE think the battleships
are in the lead"
Look at the leading ship" said Rod
man land see If she is floating a blue
pennent with two white stars in 1t
and then see If one of the cruisers Is
showing a red pennent with white
star. Those will be the only signals
flying as they indicate the fiagships." "
Gradually as the vessels came nearer
and nearer these flags could be made
out. '"The leading vessel shows the
blue flag" shouted Captain Macaulay
"and the fourth vessel the red one"
| And this was correct AS the YES
sells came up in line the battleships
were in the lead. First rode the Ken
lucky the flagship of Admiral Evans
| then the Wisconsin, then the Oregon
then the new cruiser New Orleans on
which was Admiral Cooper and then
came the other cruisers. The view OF
the vessels was perfect. The air was
perfectly clear and the formation OF
the line as well as the outline of the
| boats could readily be seen as they
neared the land.
"They are hitting ii up claimed the
pilots. "They will be up in about ~
hour" In a few minutes all four Of
the pilots boarded their boats and
started out of the harbor to meet the
fleet. Captains Sanders ana Macaulay
went in the first boat and Captain
Lorenzen and Cameron in the other. Il
was twenty minutes past ocloci
when the Kentucky steamed up off th'
mouth of the harbor and came to {
stop, then rapidly followed the otheI
vessels at intervals of from five to tel
minutes.
The quarantine launch was among
the first to reach the side of the flag
ship. Then the Customs launch Wa