The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-12-16
OUT OF THE SEA
CAME The SHIPS

CONTINUED from Page H.
whole town. The Kentucky flying the
flag Of Admiral Bob Evans, anchor
ed nearest TO the channel. on her Wal
l<ild side the Wisconsin dropped her
hook and the Oregon lay on the other
side. The line of cruisers was headed
by the New Orleans, bearing the Junior
Admirals flag, with Admiral Cooper on
board. Soon after the arrivals Il was
decided that the Oregon should stay
outside, for the present at least. while
the other two battleships prepared to
enter the harbor The New Or
leans, Raleigh, Albany and Gin
cinnati made up the rest of the
fleet. The collier Pompey was left be-
hind after the cruisers lef. Midway
The coming Of the fleet was watched
from the roofs of scores Of buildings all
over Honolulu. The towers of the Cap
itol and Judiciary buildings had many
people on them, also the roofs of the
Alexander Young Hotel. From the
time when the vessels appeared only as
bits of smoke on the horizon until they
lined up and dropped anchors off the
! harbor they were watched by hun,
dreds.
The arrival of the battleships with
the cruiser fleet was unexpected and
led to mistaken reports. The four
cruisers and the Pompey were at first
announced, Then as the steamers came
nearer 1t was seen that there were
seven of them. The three battleshps
in the lead were first recognized. Their
trip from Yokohama had been a quick
one. Leaving five days after the cruis-
ers they had caught the latter setting
Ia pta
! across. The cruisers after leaving Mid
way increased slightly their speed Of
: the earlier part of the trip.
Among the many launches and other
craft to go out to the vessels at anchor
was the Water Witch, having on board
! Governor Carter. Secretary Atkinson,
| Collector Stackable and superintendent
of Public Works Holloway. She left
the Inter-Island wharf just as the fleet
We're taking up their positions and
went directly to the Kentucky, lying
just outside the channel. The L. S.
Quarantine launch, which was having
a busy morning of it, the Young
launches, the tug Eleu and all sorts of
private craft among them being one
with a large advertisement of Lewis
Bros, were in and outside the channel.
The Kentucky was seen to the best
outside. There was a heavy ocean
swell, and it made the little vessel bob
up and down and roll back and forth so
! that holding on was a constant heces-
| sity. The great battleship slowly rose
and fell in the moving mounds of wa
| ter, like a heavy floating fortress, ris-
! ing and falling with a motion so slow
| and heavy that only her red water
| mark made it easily perceptible. This
contrast to the bobbing of the launch
| made the massiveness of the man-of-
war all the more impressive. From the
bridge, signals We're being wig-wagged
| to the rest of the fleet, while from the
masts We're signals ashore.
From the Kentucky the launch SHOW
ed her way through the waves to the
Wisconsin, which presented a much
similar appearance. Drill was going on
on one of the aft decks. The little
launch made a circuit round her and
then visited the Oregon. The Oregon
was here not long ago on her way -
the Orient. She looked longer than the
other two and was deeper in the water.
Like the others she lay almost notion
less in the waves.
The Water Witch made a second visit
to the Kentucky, and might have land
ed some of her party, but for a sudden
warning that she was about to salute.
The little launch was close up under a
heavy broadside of guns, when one of
Young's launches yelled that he had
been ordered away from the guns, as a
salute was to be fired.
The governor said he didn't care
about being in the line of fire. The
rest of those on board, while willing tc
stand being wet and to risk seasick-
ness, had not come out with any inten.
ton of getting near the wrong end OF
the kentucky's guns when they were
in action, and so the Water Witch re.
versed her engines and backed off
Young appeared to be really alarmed
for the safety of the craft and her oc.
cupants, and yelled repeated warnings
but they were not very badly needed
for no firing was done for some time
while the launch stood by and WATCHED
} What the threatened salute was To-
was not known, unless those on tn,
vessel had seen Governor Carter anC
decided to give him salute in honor
of mis- call. Carter, however, had no
come to make a call, but to enjoy
trip outside and look at the fleet, anC
it was well worth the trouble.
1T is the greatest sight Honolulu
has seen since the arrival of the frs
transports bringing troops for the
Philippines" said the governor.
On the return trip the Water Witch
gave tow to a boat of marines from
the Kentucky. who were pulling ashor,
to the naval station. The tug Elel
started out for another trip and tho
launches generally kept busy taking
people out. In addition to the sight.
seers there We're men who had bust.
ness, representing local firms which ex-
Dect to sell SllnnliaS n tho tiaar
Captain Niblack was met at the nava
station and received the boat from the
Kentucky. He had already received
word that the Kentucky and Wiscon.
sin We're coming in. Governor Garter
presented his compliments to Admira
Evans, through the captain, expressing
! H0n0lmlm.s MelCnme 20 the lnnt