Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1906-09-06
REVIEWS FLEET
MORE wARsHIPs THAN EVER BE.
FORE ASSEMBLED OFF COAST.
GRIM ARRAY OF FIGHTING CRAFT
Ships of All Sizes and Character Pres
ent When President Passes Through
Fleet on the Mayflower-ProIonaed
Boom for Roosevelt,

Boom for Roosevelt.
Oyster Bay, N. Y, Sept. A salute
OF twenty-one guns, fired simultane-
ously by every fighting craft in a
mighty fleet of two score warships.
greeted President Roosevelt when he
stepped on board the naval yacht May
flower to review what is believed to
be the largest war fleet ever assem-
bled in American waters. When the
president stepped on board the May
flower the great fleet lay in three col
umns, each about two miles in length.
with battleships and monitors in the
center column, the cruisers and sew.
eral other battleships in the off-shore
column and a long line of torpedo
boat destroyers outstretched between
the remainder of the fleet and the
shore. Encircling the entire fleet was
a Gordon of cutters, making a picket
line for the exclusion of the excursion
boats.
A large number of guests of the
president and Mrs. Roosevelt were on
board the Doliphan. Followed by the
cruiser Des Moines, which was de-
voted to the service of the foreign
naval attaches, and by the Dolphin,
the Mayflower proceeded out of Oyster
Bay to where the battleship Maine,
with Rear Admiral Robley d. Evans
on board, lay in the central position at
the head of the feet.
The Dolphin and Des Moines took
up their positions respectively at the
head of the third and first columns
and the Mayfower passed down be-
tween the long lines of warships
while the roar Of the presidents sa-
lutte OF twenty-one guns each burst
from the three-inch guns of each war
ship as the Mayfower swept majestic
ally past. Each ship in turn, with
sailors manning Its yards, sounded its
tribute Of honor to the commander-ia-
chief as the yacht passed up and
down through the two lanes made by
the formation of the feet, and then
having circled entirely about the fleet,
anchored at the position Of honor at
IL.
There was ship Of war for every
state, forty-five in all. ranging in size
from the big 10000 ton Louisiana,
just completed, to the fleets little tor
pedo boats and the submarines, and
including one troopship and GOLFERS.
AS the Mayfower dropped her an
Choir at the head of the fleet on the
completion of the review, the presi-
dent descended from the bridge, his
face wreathed in smiles and enthusiast
tically throwing his arms around the
shoulders of group of senators and
representatives, exclaimed:
ANY man who fails to be inspired
periodically by such a sight as this
is mighty poor American, and every
American who has seen 1t ought to be
a better American for It,"
The sentiment was echoed enthusl-
astically by the group around tho
president.
And you. gentlemen" he said, ad-
dressing the naval committee "are
responsible for it. 1t is your handi-
work and it has all been done within
the last ten years. Every one of these
ships is a fighter and ready to go into
action at a moments notice. Again
you have shown your wisdom in the
appropriations for the target practice,
for there is where the American navy
excels. Our men can shoot and shoot
straight. and therein lies our naval
strength and our superiority"