The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-31
BIC BATTLESHIPS
ARE AT PENSACOLA
Dozens of Fakirs Have FIoCked
to the City
POLITICS GETTING WARM
Contest for Mayor of the Florida Port
Promises to Be Most Spirited
for Number of
Years.
POLITICS GETTING WARM

Pensacola, Fla. March s0.-(pecial)-
The vessels comprising the North Allan
tic and Caribbean squadrons of the navy
arrived off the mouth of the harbor last
Sunday night. Monday morning brought
the densest fog of the season, and the
fleet did not all cross the bar until nearly
noon. They presented a most imposing
and truly magnificent appearance as
they made their way up the bay and
dropped anchor in the finest and most
oommodious harbor on the American
coast, barring one.
The fleet aggregates nearly thirty ves-
sells Of all classes, composed as it is of
battleshps, cruisers, gunboats, torpedo
boat destroyers, dispatch boats, tenders
and golfers. The battleships Alabama and
Illinois remained outside to do target
practice. The vessels will take turns at
this, returning to port afterwards. The
Brooklyn has finished her work of powder
burning, made very fine record and
gone TO Guantanamo to relieve the New
ark. The latter will proceed to the tar
get range, after which she will go out
of commission for repairs.
notable feature of the naval rendez-
vous occurred during Sunday night, while
en- route to Pensacola. The torpedo boat
fotilla, comprising the destroyers Whip
pie, Worden Hull, McDonough and Trux-
ton, under the command of Lieut.. Mar
bury Johnson. left Key West thirty hours
after the combined squadrons, making
an average speed of twenty-four knots an
hour. They overlook and attacked the
thunder-makers about thirty miles from
the mouth of the harbor. Four of the five
destroyers succeeded in getting in stril<-
ing distance before being discovered.
The cruiser DesMolnes has gone to s..
Josephs bay for practice. The gulf out
side is sometimes too rough for the small
er vessels to obtain satisfactory results
with their guns. st. Joseph DAY Is land
locked to a considerable extent, the sur
rounding country is sparsely populated,
and there is comparatively little water
travel, hence that place is an ideal one
for the smaller vessels. The crews will be
given shore leave on return!tH; to Pen
sacola.
Politics is All-AbSorplnq.
Politics. next to the naval visitors, Is
rapidly becoming the all-absorbing topic
of the day. In fact the city pot is sim
mering, and will soon be boiling The
question of the primary was decided sew
eral years since, yet there are still some
in the democratic ranks who profess u
oppose it. The candidates for mayor in the
primary to be held April are only two
Reilly and Bliss. Mr.. Reilly is too well
known to require anything said in his
behalf; but Charles II. Bliss while he has
claimed Pensacola as his home for per-
haps a decade, has been a resident OF
Birmingham and other cities
Several months since Mr.. Bliss who is
an aIl-round newspaper man and force
full writer, began :. crusade through the
Daily Journal on the Pensacola Water
company, charging inefficient service, ex-
tortionate charges etc, and for this pub
lie service he was lauded to lie skies by
the many and consigned to the plutonian
realms by the few people. The Pensacola
water works is an out-of-date plant, with
out doubt, yet the owners were only walt
ing the fiotation of $4,000 of city bonds
to unload on the public at price many
times In excess of the actual value. Mr..
Bliss headed move to secure fran
chise from the city much more favorable
to the public than the old. This fran
chise was granted, and now Mr.. Bliss
offers himself as a candidate for mayor.
So much for the primary candidates.
The Daily News, the organ of GER
tain democracy ane the stauneh sup
porter of Mayor Welles dis mouthpiece,
t.,iffas my
ment. on last Monday night the antis
held meeting, and after considerable
spoutlng by his honor and Others, c. l..
Shine was nominated for mayor Mr..
Shine was warm supporter of Mr..
Welles two years since, and was reward
ed for his services by being appointed
city clerk He is a smooth-faced, chubby,
Pickwickian little lawyer who came here
from Tallahassee several years since. On
account OF his cherubis appearance during
the last campaign he received the eupho-
Nous appellation of THE I<atZenjamer
Kid" The title stuck, and it is barely
possible that the Katzenjammer Kid
may be the next mayor the q If City.
Many Faklrs In Town.
For several weeks prior to the arrival
of the fleet the fakirs, confidence men,
hoboes and disreputabes of every charac-
ter have been pouring into Pensacola, and
the devices planned and the traps set TO
beguile poor Jackie Of his hard-earned
pay are countless Lower Palafox and
parts of Main and Zarragosso are lined
with fleeing devices There have been
many complaints by the business men OF
the notorious violations of the license
ordinance, but without result. so far.
Conductor e. NJ. Wilson and Engineer
George Hoffman of the p. & A. railroad
found q human arm protruding from a
sand bank at River Junction a few days
since. The popularity about 1t was the
fact that the arm was petrified. They
broke 1t off, as they did not have time to
explore the sand bank further at that
time.
Service Is Bad.
Pensacola has had the poorest postoffiee
service for years that is to be found any
where The help is entirely inadequate
to the work done In the office both car
rier and clerical. Notwithstanding the
fact that the presence Of the vessels of
the navy has almost doubled the amount
of work. but three new clerks have been
allowed, and but one Of these will be re-
tanned after the departure of the fleet.
A. s. Leath of Birmingham was a re-
cent visitor to the city, the guest Of his
brother, j. II. Leath,
-.s.-
nHAIIT Ain