The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-11-03
President Experienced Fierce
Storm at Sea
HAD TO CHANGE HIS PLANS
Twill Transfer to the Dolphin at the
Mouth Of the Potomac.

IOf Hatteras the Waves Were Running
Dangerously High. Though No Fears
Were Entertained for the Big War
Vessels-The West Virginia Was i'm
Communication All Day With the
Cape Henry Station and About Forty
Wireless Messages Were Exchanged.
North Atlantic Fleet on the Way to
Annapolis t Join i'm Reception to
the British SQUADRON.
Norfolk, Va. October 30.--After
fighting a northeast gale up the coast
for "a Lours. the fierceness of the wind
and sea causing q wide divergence FROM
the usual route. the armored cruiser
West Virginia, bearing President Roos-
evelt from New Orleans passed In
Cape Henry tonight, conveyed by the
armored cruisers Maryland, Pennsyi-
vania and Colorado.
Owing to the choppy sea that pre-
walls off Cape Henry and in Lynn Ha-
ven inlet. the plan to tranship Presi-
dent Roosevelt from the West Virginia
to the dispatch boat Dolphin for the
remainder of his journey to Washing
ton was abandoned long before the
squadron reached the capes. Early in
the afternoon Admiral Brownson Cor-
municated with the Cape Henry sta
ton by wireless, and instructed that a
pilot for the Maryland waters be ready
to board the West Virginia off the CAPE
at Z o'clock this evening.
The admiral expected his squadron
would reach the entrance to the Ches-
apeake by that time. but the heavy
wind and sea prevented the vessels
from coming in until half past nine.
Then it was announced by wire that
the President would transfer to tina
Dolphin off Smiths Point, at the mouth
Of Potomac river. The Dolphin had
started up the bay for this point sew
eral hours before.
About half past eight o'clock The
search lights of the approaching war.
ships could be seen on the horizon
from the Cape Henry observation sta.
ton, and an hour later the outlines
Of the cruisers were observable. All
four were in column, but during the
earlier part of the day the Colorado
had been separated from the other
ships In the storm, and efforts to reach
her by wireless were unsuccessful for
some time.
No stop was made at Cape Henri
The vessels passed into the bay, and
took the bay channel which runs to
the north from the course into Hamp-
ton Roads. All during the day the
West Virginia had been in communica-
ton with the Cape Henry station.
about forty messages being exchanged
Some Of these were official dispatches
in cipher, others personal messages to
the President and the officers of :he
squadron, while others directed the
movements Of the Dolphin and made
arrangements for the change in the
programme of the Presidents trans
fer.
The voyage of the squadron from the
South Carolina coast to the capes was
a rough one.
The northeast gale pitched up a mas.
ty sea and off Hatteras the waves were
AuhAAAS uduSSi o:tSIy u1SA, Uul, Wl11lc
no fears were entertained for vessels
Of the West Virginia's class, it was
evidently deemed wiser to give the
t~reacherous shoa.s il. that vicinity a
wide sweep ana the cruisers went out
to sea. This caused the delay of tie
presidential squadron reaching the
capes On schedule time.
Some idea Of the roughness of The
waters around Cape Henry and the
impracticability of the President trans
shipping there is given by the fact that
when a Maryland pilov was asked for
by Admiral Brownson to take the West
Virginia up the bay, it was necessary
for the pilot boat to go into the shell
tered waters of Hampton Roads, TWEEN
ty miles inland 10 pick up a pilot, when
there were pilots ashore at Henry who
could not get out to the boat.
The wireless telegraph station at the
Norfolk navy yard reported the receipt
OF a message from President Roosegel
to Governor Myron T. Herrick. of Ohio
in which the President thanked the
governor for his message congratulate
ing him upon his escape from injury in
the collision accident as he was leav-
Ing New Orleans. The message from
the President to Governor HerTick
said:
Many thanks | warmly recip-o-
cate your good wishes"
The two battIeship divisions of he
North Atlantic feet under command OF
Rear Admiral Robiey D. Evans sailed
from Hampton Roads at 6 o'clock tnis
morning, and at $40 o'clock were re-
n0rfed hy fho Tinted States waarhar
observer at Cape Henry as proceeding
up Chesapeake bay for Annapolis
where they go to prepare for a re-
ception to the British North Atlantic
squadron under command of Prince
Louis Of Battenburg, which are due at
Annapolis in the next few days.
The vessels which proceeded TO An
napolis were the ~battIeships Kentucky
Kearsarge. Alabama, Illinois, Missouri
Iowa, Maine and Massachusetts, and the
gunboats Mayflower and Yankton-
United States Armored Cruiser West