The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-29
LIKE SCENE OF WAR
FORMIDABLE NORTH ATLANTIC
 SQUADRON IN PENsACOLA BAY.
Nine Battleships, seven Cruisers, Five Gunboats and Seven Torpedo Boat DestreyeRs Anchored
 at Florada Port.

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 Pensacola. Fla. March 2s.-(speciaL) I--One of the most formidable fleets of battleships that has ever anchored at any American port in time of peace is that which is laxily tugging at the great cables in Pensacola bay today. This consists of the battleships of the North Atlantic Squadron. the cruisers making up the Caribbean Squadron, some of the training ship squadron. and also a few of the Coast Sqaudron. al- together making up . fleet of twenty first and second -class naval ships to be taken in at . single effort of the vision from either of the docks of this Icity.
 of the vessels shine out with great brilliancy in the sunlight. and the hur- rying steam launches. in many cases two from & single fighting ship. make up scene in Pensacola bay that Is not possible at many of the ports on either the gulf O. the Atlantic coasts. The merchant ships are very plentiful just now all making up scene of splendor that hundreds of persons will possibly come many miles to see.
 quite unexpectedly. the fleet of bat | tleships showed up of the bar on Sum day afternoon and the larger vessels
 
 bor until Monday afternoon. The beauty about the thing Is that many of the navigating officers on the ships refused the services of the pilots, and this is accounted for only by the fact that there was not the least particle of danger in either of the vessels cross- ing at full speed bar that has been much maligned by the press of the Ineighboring seaports. especially on the | gulf coast.
 Rear Admiral Albert S. Barker is in supreme command. Under him as d. visional officer is Rear Admiral Charles H. Davis. who last year commanded the battleship Alabama. and who well comed a great party from the State his ship was named after during last win ter. There are many changes in the roster of the ships. but this consists mostly in the transfer of officers from ship to ship, so that really the officers who have been here on more than one occasion are here again, though on different vessels.
 The sailors were released last night by the hundreds. It was stated on the various vessels that 700 were granted | twenty four-hour shore liberty, which would impel them to get back on board the ships by noon today. Out of the several hundred thus favored, there was but single bluejacket who trans ST essed the law to the extent of being arrested. This was a sailor named Snowden who. while walking along Palafox Street, ran his face into a bunch of shoestrings which were ex- thibited for sale. The jolly tar grabbed the entire bunch and threw them in the street. This precipitated riot almost, for the Greek proprietor of the store rushed to Jack and then ensued a fight. An officer standing near placed both of them under arrest and they were fined this morning. The presence of the fleet has already had the effect of Iattracting many strangers here, and 1t Is diffiuclt to get a room anywhere in the city that has any attraction to 1t Wives and sisters mothers and sweet hearts are here to greet the sailors and officers. and the fashionable boarding houses of the town are filled with them. The merry house parties have great tunes in the afternoon and in the even ling the entertainment Is invariably re- lciprocated aboardship.
 In this connection 1t Is not improper to say that the grafter is here in large punches. Tent after tent, containing high-class and other type of attrac- tions, have been set up. and last night, like tonight, did f1ourishing business | attractions, but the sailor Is easily gulled and spends his money with a freedom that is delightful to the peo- pie who are dubbed as grafters. The Authorities have been condemned in some quarters for allowing to be set up in prominent places games which are nothing more than a form of gamb- ling. and which can be found in almost any part of the city. All this Is neces- sary to make up a lifetime, is the an- swer given when protest is made, land that ends 1t.
 | The battleships Alabama and Illinois are on the gulf today testing their huge rifles The target practicing will be indulged in by this pair of ships for the better part of next week, and then they Twill come into the harbor. Two others Twill go out and perform the practic- ling, all or them to go out and prac- tice alternately for the next sixty days. It is now the opinion that the entire fleet will be here until about the mid dle of June, this opinion coming from one in authority.
 The best excursion boats in the bay are being prepared to handle the local and visiting people to and from the hattleships. It Is the general rule that one or more of these vessels act in Iconjunction with one another, and the competition of the small boats Is so sharp that there Is nothing like an lovercharge
 This afternoon GOO sailors were given shore liberty. these being equally di- vided among the ships. There has been but a slight increase in the police force. and the sailor is allowed more general privilege this year than any previous one. So long as they keep within the bounds of responsibility there will be nothing in the way of police interference, but when any az gression is shown then the officers of the law step in. Nominal fines are ex- Iacted.
 l The ships which are in the harhor | or will be in the next few days are: Battleships, Kearsarge Alabama, Illi- nois, Kentucky, Maine. Massachusetts,