The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-11-01
|CRU|SER IN GALE
Bears President to Mouth
of the Potomac.
Seas Were So Rough OFF Hatteras
That the Warships Made Detour
TO Avoid Dangers Lurking
There.
(By the Associated Press.)

Norfolk, Va, oct. 30.-After nght-
ing a northeast gale up the coast for
"a hours, the fierceness of the wind
and sea causing Il wide divergence
from the usual route, the armored
cruiser West Virginia, bearing Pres
ident Roosevelt from New Orleans,
passed in Cape Henry tonight convoy
ed by the armored cruisers Mary
land, Pennsylvania and Colorado.
Owing to the choppy sea that pre-
walls off Cape Henry and in Lynn Ha-
ven Inlet, the plan to tranship Pres
ident Roosevelt from the West Vir-
ginia to the dispatch boat Dolphin
for the remainder of his journey to
Washington was abandoned long be-
fore the squadron reached the cape.
Early in the afternoon Admiral
Erownson communicated with the
Cape Henry station by wireless and
instructed that a pilot for the Mary
land waters be ready to board the
West Virginia off the cape at o'clock
tonight. The admiral expected his
squadron would reach the entrance
to the Chesapeake by that time. but
the heavy wind and sea prevented the
vessels from coming in until half
past nine.
Then it was announced by wireless
that the President would transfer to
the Dolphin off Smiths Point at the
mouth of the Potomac river. The
Dolphin had started up the bay for
this point several hours before.
The ScarchlightsN Flash Out.
About half past eight o'clock the
searchlights of the approaching war
ships could be seen on the horizon
from the Cape Henry observation
station, and an hour later the out
lines of the cruisers were descerni-
BILE. 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 Henry.
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 commu-
nication with the Cape Henry station,
about fortv messages being eXchang-
ed. Some of these were official dis
patches in cipher; others personal
messages to the President and the
officers of the squadron, while others
directed the movements Of the Dol
phin. aud made arrangements for
the change in the program of the
Presidents transfer
The voyage of the squadron from
the South Carolina coast to the capes
was a rough one. The northeast gale
pitched up a nasty sea, and off Hat
teras the waves were running dan
gerously high; but, while no fears
were entertained for vessels of the
West Nirginia'S class, it was eeVidentiy
deemed wiser to give the treacherouS
shoals in that vicinity a wide sweep,
and the cruisers went out to sea. This
caused the delay of the Presidential
squadron reaching the capes OH sched
ule time.
ROughncsS of the Seas.
Some idea of the rougnness of the
waters around Cape Henry and the
impracticabilty of the President
transhipping there is given by the fact
that when a pilot was asked for
by Admiral Brownson to take the
West Virginia up the bay it was neces-
sary for the pilot boat to go into the
sheltered waters of Hampton Roads,
twenty miles inland, to pick up IL
pilot. when there were pilots ashore
at Cape Henry, who could not get out
to the boat. The wireless station at
the Norfolk navy yard reported the
receipt of message from President
Roosevelt to Governor Myron f. Her
rick, of Ohio, in which the President
tlldIlhCu IONcInOI I1cIIICh IOI HIS
message, congratulating him upon his
escape from injury in the collision ac-
cident as he was leaving New Orleans.
The message from the President to
Governor Herr ok said:
Many thanks. I warmly rec;pro-
cate your good wishes
The two battleship divisions of the
North Atlantic fleet under command
of Rear Admiral Robley d. Evans,
sailed from Hampton Roads at six
o'clock this morning. and at $40
o'clock were reported by the United
States Weather Observer at Cape
Henry as proceeding up Chesapeake
Bay for Annapolis. where they go 20
prepare for a reception to the Brit
ish North Atlantic squadron, under
command Of Prince Louis OF Batten-
burg, which is due at Annapolis
early in the next week.
President Roosevelt transferred TO
the United States dispatch boat
Dolphin and aboard that vessel left
Wolftrap Light on the last leg of his
journey to Washington at 1910
O'Clock this morning.