The San Francisco call., 1906-09-30
PRE- ES|DENT. DINE {
WITH JACkIES.

BARNSTABLE, Mass, Sept. 2s.-
President Roosevelt visited the North
Atlantic fleet on Cape Cod today and
left with enthusiastic praise for the
officers and crews OF the fleet The
crew of the battleship Missouri. on
which the President spent the day,
cheered themselves hoarse as he left
the ship at 1880, for they had had an
honor paid to them which no other
crew in the navy had ever received.
The President and his guests sat down
to dinner with the jackies. This fea-
ture of the trip was a surprise, both
to the officers and the men.
The Missouri left the target ground
and returned to her anchorage, and
the notes of the first mess call, sounded
on marines trumpet. had not ceased
echoing throughout the fleet when the
President called Admiral Evans to his
side and announced that he and his
guests would take dinner with the
sailors.
The necessary orders were imme-
diately issued and the sailors jumped
to their feet in surprise when they
saw President Roosevelt walk on the
after-gun deck and take his place at a
table, where he and his guests had
the same mess that was being served
to the sailors at the surrounding
tables.
One of the men, observing that there
were no napkins on the Presidents
table, rushed to the wardroom to pro-
cure the necessary table linen. When
he returned the President thanked him.
but said he was dining with the boys
today and would have no privileges
which they did not enjoy. The sailors.
pleased with the Presidents action,
took no further steps until the con-
clusion of the dinner, when they sent
to the Presidents table a box of cigars
which had been obtained by subscrip-
tion from the navy eanteen.
GUNNERs, AIM UNERRING.
President Roosevelt left for oyster
Bay this afternoon, after he had re-
ceived a long dispatch from Secretary
Taft dealing with the situation in
Cuba.
The President arrived at the entrance
of Cape Cod Bay at about 9 o'clock
this morning. Rear Admiral Evans
left the flagship Maine shortly after
ward and went to the Presidents
yacht. accompanied by Captain Lover
ing. At o'clock the President boarded
the Missouri. AT his request the usual
Presidential salute of twenty-one guns
was omitted.
Firing at the targets. anchored 1850
yards away, was begun almost imme-
diately. While the six-inch guns were
being fired the President stood behind
strong glass the admirable marksman-
ship displayed. Every shot fired found
the target, not a miss being recorded.
When the ship turned and went back
over the course President Roosevelt
went to the forward tGrret, where the
big twelve-inch guns were being pre-
pared. During the firing of these guns
he did not remain in the turret, the
mechanism having been explained to
him earlier in the Gay
When the ship returned to her
anchorage a newspaper photographer
asked the President to pose for a pic
ture, and he imm mediately gave his con-
sent on condition that his picture
should be taken with the victorious
gun crew
SOME HIGH SCORES.
Before the actual target practice be-
gan, in order to show the President the
value of team work in training, trials
were held from turrets and six-inch
guns, the maneuvers being the same
as in actual firing. except that dummy
charges were used instead of powder
This was followed by target practice
at 1850 yards with six-inch guns and
twelveinch turret gun, the speed of
the ship being ten knots and the size
of the targets seventeen to twenty -one
feet.
The forward turret. in charge of
Lieutenant T. E. Johnson. fred s
shots. making s hits, at the rate OF
Fps hits per turret per minute.
The six-inch guns were fired by
three pointers. each pointer firing
eight shots and making eight hits
3-23 hits per gun per minute; the Sec
ond pointer made 81 hits per gun per
minute and the last pointer made g.
hits per gun per minute.