Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-25
ABOARD THE SHIPS
Celebrating the Day in the
American Navy.
DEWEY'S MESSAGE
GALL TOGETHER FOR THE COUN-
TRY AND THE SERVICE"
Liberal Shore Leave Granted-Vessels
Kept in Port as Far as
Practicable.

Aboard the ships of the American navy.
scattered in foreign and home waters, today
was observed as a holiday. The Christmas
greetings sent around the world last night
by Admiral Dewey were communicated to
the officers and men of ali the vessels in the
service that could be reached.
Admiral Dewey had prepared the follow
ing Christmas message to the officers and
men of the United States navy throughout
the world:
My Christmas greetings TO the officers
and men of the navy. Let us have neither
clques nor grudges. but all stand together
for the good of the country and the service.
(Signed) GEORGE DEWEY
Christmas was celebrated by United States
men, ofwar in home and foreign ports with
the same enthusiasm that has always char
acterized the day aboard ship and ashore.
AS many warships be spared from
other duties have put in at home ports that
officers and men may celebrate the day in
the homeland.
In addition to the message of Admiral
Dewey, a Merry Christmas was flashed
late last night from every wireless station
under the control of the navy from Rear
Admiral Nancy, chief of the bureau OF
equipment, the greeting travelling far up
and down the coast and to the ships at sea.
Liberal Shore Leave.
On the ships the only work required today
Is the necessary cleaning, and by 0 o'clock
this morning most Of the officers and men
were left free to celebrate sthe day as they
chose. Liberal shore leave has been grant
ed, according to custom, and as many as
can be spared from a ship will celebrate
ashore. Thousands of pounds of turkey,
cranberres, plum pudding and other things
that make the Christmas dinner a hos rd
the vessel have been laid by and will be
dinner at noon and the officers in the even
ship. The men will have their Christmas
dinner at noon and the officers in the even
ing. On many ships the captain will be in
v1ted to dine In the ward room and Join the
officers in making merry.
OF the North Atlantic fleet the battle
ships Maine Ala bama, Iowa and Massa
chusetts are at New York; the armored
cruiser Brooklyn and the protected cruiser
Galveston are anchored not far away, at
Tompkinsville: the battleshps Illinois and
Missouri are at Boston; the armored cruis-
ers West Virginia, Maryland. Colorado and
Pennsylvania will spend Christmas at
Hampton Roads, together with the new
protected cruiser Charleston, which is cele-
brating her first Christmas at Charleston,
s. c. The officers and men of the battle
ship Texas and the monitors Arkansas,
Florida and Nevada. and the torpedo
fotilla will make merry on board and shore.
In the Far East
In the far east the largest naval celebra-
ton will take place at Cavtte, near Manila,
where the batteships Ohio and Oregon,
the protected cruisers Raleigh and Cincn
natl, the destroyers cambridge and Chaun-
cey have gone for the holidays. A different
Christmas will be that spent by the cruiser
Baltimore and the gunboat Villalobos at
Shanghai where. because of the condition
of unrest existing it is probable that no
shore leave will be granted, and the officers
and men will spend the day on board. The
battleship Wisconsin has gone to Hongkong
for Christmas.
In the West Indies the crews will decorate
the ships with great palm leaves, and Rear
Admiral Bradford has thus distributed his
ships for the holidays: Cruisers Olympia
al Culebra, Cleveland at Ponce. Yankee
at Monte Christi, Tacoma at San Juan and
Des Moines at St. Thomas, and gunbOats
Eagle at Sanchez, Dubuque at Puerto Plata
and Scorpion at San Domingo.
The Princeton will spend Christmas prob
ably at Panama, the cruiser Boston at Mare
Island gunboat Concord at Bremerton, tor
pedo boats Paul Jones at Mare Island and
Perry at San Diego and the supply ship
Supply at Mare Island.
The cruiser Minneapolis has returned
from its foreign cruise in time for its men
to spend Christmas at Newport News; the
cruiser Columbia made a record run from
Colon to League Island, where she brought
home the detachment of marines, who VIII
spend their first Christmas at home in two
years and the battleships Kearsarge and
Kentucky and the gunboat Paducah are at
Norfolk.
The DESTROYER fotilla is distributed be-
tween Norfolk and Pine Beach, the regular
rendezvous of the ftOtilIa.