The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-31
VISITING DAY ON THE FLEET.
,IrTLESHIPS SPICK AND SPAN,
DUT COMPANY SCARCE.

Every Jachy Ashore VINO Could Get Leave
-sub.Caliber PinE-Pong IL what In.
t.rests the Men Most Just at Present
Some Jealousy Of tho Japs Aboard.
The presence OF the strongest fleet Of
,mercan warships ever gathered In New
york harbor should have made yesterday
hammer visiting day In the annals OF the
roited States Navy. Here were eight
t.nleships, three quarters OF the navys
.ranrth in that arm OF the service. New
york may not see such display Of our sea
s,htins power again in this generation.
re ships were painted and scrubbed and
holystoned to their best Sunday appear
,nce in expectation OF big crowds. The boat
men along the west waterfront were out
| IN force. Yet not more than 800 or 400 visi-
nm. at the most, took advantage OF visit
h, day. These distributed themselves
.r,one the eight ships Of the squadron, and
h.re we're not more than dozen sighteers
4. any one ship at any one time.
The vessels themselves were rather
A.serted in the matter Of crews. Every
NAN who could get 1t was on shore leave.
N.ny OF the homestayers were those who
AVE Jumped their leave and are con-
damned to stay aboard ship, OF those who
M their all on the Bowery in the first riotous
nisht after the paymaster arrived and who
Nd. therefore, no good reason to 60 ashore.
1ns man Of experience could tell that the
,bole fleet was fat, dead broke. The jack
Va Law about the gun decks, playing seven
liotantpry IN vVoo1o nNhnlv
medtation to the music Of harmonious and
tws-harps. =,
A family from the middle West boarded
The Illinois early in the afternoon. There
yere father, mother and four daughters
They had never seen battleship before;
this fact they confded to every one they
met, from the officer who greeted them at
be rail to the apprentice who showed
them how to get upstairs from the gun
DICK to the bridge. While inspecting q
d1 inch gun they made friends with hand
some little gunner's mate. who escorted
them all the rest OF the way.
The chart table OF the Illinois Is made
IKE q showcase, with a glass top which
can be raised to accommodate a chart.
Under the glass yesterday, arranged like
the specimens in a museum, were a dirty
nwel, a 90 cent watch with broken crystal,
. smashed cartridge shell, a piece Of an old
loot and a ropes end.
What are those?" asked the father OF
he family.
'We don't often talk Of those said the
runners mate. But we always keep them
hero to remember our old shipmates.
That watch, now, belonged to Bill Barton.
! L vas all that was left Of Bill after he was
t by the shark. No, he wasn't swimming
h those tropical waters. The shark came
W and got him.
SEQ here said the father Of tho family.
Z think those things were put there just
b make visitors ask questions
They weren't responded the gunner g
mate, but they served that purpose, didn't
tbeyl=
To show that he appreciated the joke,
hther photographed the gunner's mate
h the midst Of a group Of his daughters
With q e-pounder in the background. They
took his name, promising to send him a print,
md assured him a. they parted that 1t
vas . nice ship.
Inc flagship Maine drew the most visitors.
partly because Of the name and partly
hause everyone hoped to get q sight Of
dappointed, for Fighting Bob is taking
Us leave ashore. Every one was introduced
10 the ships mascots, Terry the goat and
En Patterson the cat. Terry has mas
mtted for various ships these seven years,
md would be lost now in any other profess
don. A few months ago 1t was noted that
bis stomach was giving out. This was laid
o steady diet Of canvas and ropes, and
Terry got three weeks ashore in the hope
lhat old shoes and can labels would effect
1 cure. He came back In worse condition
than before, and yesterday, as he lay
Eliminating on a ropes end, he looked like
goat that will not lead the United States
son Is merely rather small gray cat that
adopted the ship in France and refused
TO be put ashore. She has collar with her
name engraved on it, an appetite for beans
and sad and beseeching voice.
There is considerable race prejudice on
the Maine, aimed at the Japanese. OF
ranging in rank from Rear Admiral Evans a
steward to a scullion. The story, recently
printed and promptly denied that Evans
found in the captain OF Japanese man-of-
war one of his former orderlies is generally
believed in the foreoastle. Here is the
version as told in the forecastle:
-. Those fellows are wise guys. Every
little while you'll see them take out a piece
Of paper and make note OF something or
other. OF course, nobody can tell what
they're writing, because nobody can read
It, And there you are.
Hear about the Admiral? Well, he
vas having dinner on a Jap ship. The
You don't remember me, do .you?'
The Admiral owned up that he didn't.
The Jap captain went out and came back
In his shirt sleeves with towel over his
arm. Then the Admiral remembered.
This Jap captain used to bring him his
coffee in 49, They're watching us. Wen
ind it out when we have to fight them
The Japanese are welcome for one rea-
son: Japanese wrestling gives diversity
70 the evening athletic sports, and the crew
Of the Maine is daffy over athletics just
now. The first thing they show visitors Is
the silver cup which their boat crew holds
and the pewter mug for the ships cham
Gionship, which is the prize Of q crew from
hght or welter or heavy weight cham
pon Of something or other. Boxing Is the
hng sport Of course.
OF course, also, it Is beneath the dignity
Of Fighting Bob Evans to be an Official
sspectator OF the nightly boxing bouts. 1t
Ia noticed aboard, however. that when the
men get out the gloves and go to boxing
at Of fine evening Fighting Bob Is usually
on the bridge, where an Admiral should be
FOR the proper navigation of the ship. The
bridge looks down on the after deck. SO
does the Admiral. When a bout is finished
with knot kout Rear ADMIRAL Evans Is
seen rubt ing his hands together as though
thoroughly satisfied with the navigation