The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-04


the Commander In thIeG-Am Oyster
Ray and the Sound Thereabout Alive
with Cran Like a Hundred Thunder
storms at Once when the General
salute was Given ROOseVeIt Praises
Marines and Thanks COnEressmen.
OYSTER BAY, Sept. S.-More b one
third Of the fighting and floating force
OF the navy saluted its commander in
chief, Theodore Roosevelt. President OF
the United States, in the Sound on here
to-day. 1t was a stately but simple show.
Its dominant note was of great dignity.
II was the most imposing pageant the
Western Hemisphere had ever witnessed.
1t marked the advent Of the United States
into third rank among the nations Of the
world as a fighting but peace loving Power.
A combined feet OF sixty-one naval YES
sells, representing every type Of ship in use in
the navy except a hospital ship and a ma
chine ship, greeted the President and a
vast throng Of sightseers on hundreds OF
yachts, excursion boats, launches and row.
boats in "a dramatic a stage setting as old
Neptune ever arranged. When the Presi-
dent reached his yacht, the Mayhower,
in an open launch, a drenching rain was
falling upon him. The band had not fin
ished playing The Star ~spangled Banner
after he bad stepped upon the deck and the
Presidential salute had scarcely begun
when the weather god became . wizard me
tore aside the clouds in an instant, flooding
the ships with glorious sunlight. II was
almost as il some unseen power had torn
the azure robe OF night" or a dreary day
that practically approached the gloom Of
night, to battle the stars OF the national
flag with a rare ~brilliance. 1t was like a
stage setting. The lights were down, the
star Of the occasion came upon the stage,
the music began, the curtains parted and
there stood out revealed the visible sign of
a great nations physical strength. And
every vessel seemed to jump into the lime
light at once.
Up TO that time the assembled feet in
the darkened mist and rain resembled in
the distance the appearance Of factories
painted white, with big yellow smoke pipes,
and decorated for a holiday. They looked
as il they might be trying to give a repre-
sentation Of Spotless Town afioat. But
when the sun burst through and the bright
colors OF the dressed ships, the cleaning
sides, their beautiful alignment in three
lines reaching for nearly three miles to the
westward, with a green setting Of the Long
Island hills and bluffs for a background,
were revealed. cheers upon cheers arose
from the multitude afoat. and just at the
moment when the President was officially
in command. Then was fully disclosed bat
'leships, armored cruisers, protected
cruisers, monitors, gunboats, torpedo boat
d~estroyers, torpedo boats, submarines,
despatch boats and the Presidents yacht,
besides auxiliary vessels that included
golfers, a provision ship, a water ship and
a cruiser laden with marines.
With this brave show, for those who
had ears to hear, there was one noise that
rose high, and vibrant above the roar Of
the cannon, the blare OF bands, the footing
OF whistles and the cheers OF the multitude.
1t was the scream Of the American Eagle.
Il 10 bin " EAOpOOAA 5AAARly OtShON SNb
his neck and let 'er 90. II was not his
Fourth Of July scream, which every Ameri-
can recognizes as soon as he hears it; not
a scream OF victory over an enemy in war,
such as the Eagle more than once has ut
tered; IL was a scream OF pride because
the United States had finally arrived as a
first class naval power, tangible evidence
OF which existed before the eye OF all who
had come to see. 1t was a new kind OF
scream, but it was the real feature Of the
day. The President at once caught the
spirit OF the occasion and was de-lited
(~spelling not yet approved officially, and
said 40 repeatedly.
THE woNDER OF THE SHIPS.
The naval men took a more professional
view Of the occasion. They said the navy
represented the strong right arm Of the
nation, and many OF them insisted that IL
was far more than a display OF mere brute
strength, az the cynics, pessimists n
peace advocates had declared that IL meant.
They said il was more than an imposing
holiday spectacle gotten up to amuse q
strenuous President, "a the carpers have
asserted, at a cost Of hundreds OF thou
sands Of dollars, when the actual cost was
probably not more than $500 for condemned
powder that was burned. The naval men
pointed out hat the feet represented the
highest achievements in mechanical con-
struction that man has yet reached. They
pointed out that these ships were the prod
ucts Of mines and Eorges and laboratories
andNwere the output Of a score Of industries.
They declared that the vessels were the
most complex, the most powerful and at
the same time the most delicate things that
human ingenuity has yet devised, and.
more than that they were built ~ much