Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-11-19
Powerful Fleet Is Prepar-
ing For Pacific Cruise
Ships Are Being Rapidly Ru
paired al Navy Yards.
Several Will Soon Enter the Big
Drydock ii Brooklyn.

New York, Nov. 49, Five of the II
big American battleships which neX'
month will start on one of the mos
notable cruises of the worlds nava
history, are at the Brooklyn navy yard
receiving their last work Of preparatio
for the long journey to the Pacific
ocean. The other II are at the Norfolk
Boston and League Island navy yards
receiving their tuning up, repairs. thell
ammunition and the heavie: of the
staple stores, Of which each snip VIII
carry q tonnage almost equal to that
OF the average commercial laden ocean
liner. Several of the battleships now
at other yards will come to Ne" York
during the next ten days to go INTO the
mammoth dry docks available at the
Brooklyn station. Eleven. and possibly
T. Of the fleet will rendezvous in New
York harbor prior to Dee. ]. and will
sail either on that day or December >,
TO Hampton Roads. from whence TIE
start to San Francisco will be made
on Dec. 16, after q review of the as
seInblel ships by President Roosevelt.
InsadditiOn to the five heavily armor-
ed lighting craft at the local yard. four
Vessels OF the auxiliary squadron of
suppIysand repair ships are also under
repair end will be ready in a few days
to receive their full cargo of supplies
The task of loading the foodstuffs is
BY no means one of the smallest of the
problems Involved in the setting out
OF the heaviest fighting squadron ever
assembled under the American flag, a
fact which is patent when Of potatoes
alone, the acquisitions now in the
hands of the pay corps officers cal for
$4,000 pounds.
The colossal government built Con-
necticut the flagship of Rear Admiral
Evans, which will head the battleship
column in its long hemisphere girdling
cruise, was taken out of dry dock late
yesterday. her white sides gliStening
brilliantly with the freshness of new
paint. The Connecticut is ready for the
journey. In dry dock her hull was
scraped free FROM all sea growth and
treated with an extra heavy coating of
lead. Rivets were frightened. rudder-
pest inspected. bilge keels were
Strengthened and the settings of the
giant copper bladed propellors We're
thoroughly gone over as it will be
many fnonthS before the red under
body of the Connecticut is again out
of the water The ability of Il fleet
sent out in best of cruising trim. to
withstand the Accommodations of sea
growth in the course of long cruise
will he one of the many valuable les
sons attending the projected transfer
of the battleships from the Atlantic to
the Pacific. m
The CornectiGpt cane out Of drydock
No, 3. the largest at the yard. The bat
tleship, Ohio Is 10 be docked tomorrow
for; final painting below the water-ine.
The Louisiana the sRhode Island and the
|sAlabaTp. Admiral Sperry's flagship OF
Ifhe Fourth pivistpn. are also undergoing
sspairs at Brooklyn. The repair ship
Panther. thestender Yankton. the supply
&iHsC tilgoa and the refrigerator ship
SlacisEs,arc the other units of the Pacifis-
Bound Meet gathered in local waters. The
bdttleship Virginia is expected shortly
from. Norfolk to be locked in No. 2 and
VIII be followed in that basin by the
MtrnesotAe which will also come fresh
rom thesdnechanics' hands at Norfolk.