Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1907-07-11
ROUTE TO PACIFIC
Fleet Of Battleships VIM Go to the
Wet Coast ~ way Of Straits
Of Magellan.
IS 1900 NILES N LENGTH


M ~----- Aa
Washington, July "Details Of the
vast movement Of the Atlantic fleet
to Pacific waters have been theoreti.
caiiy worked out weeks In advance
BY the naval general board but these
details are necessarily subject to CON
slant change. resulting from the
withdrawal Of battle ships from ac-
tive commission on account Of having
been declared antiquated or in need
Of repairs and the substitution OF
other ships Just going into commission
and fresh from the builders hands.
The opinion Of the officers on duty
is that the route most feasible for the
big ships Is by way Of the straits Of
Magellan. The route across the At
lantic and Suez canal Is open to the
objection that 1t would bring the big
ships almost into japanese waters,
and the movement might, consequent
ly be regarded as a menace, which
Secretary Metcalf has stated has
never been contemplated. The Suez
route, too. Is longer by q thousand
miles than the Magellan route. This,
according to the best calculations, and
allowing for short visits to ports not
on the nearest sailing route, Is about
1900 miles in length.
The battle ship Oregon covered the
distance from San Francisco to Jupi-
ter inlet, Fla, IN 1898, In 6S days. But
she was handicapped by the company
Of the little gunboat Marietta, which
was scarcely able to make more than
eight knots an hour. and also by the
fact that as a precautionary measure
the Oregon was sent around the West
Indies, sensibly lengthening her route.
So the opinion now is that under ordi-
nary cruising speed. which for the
big battleships means about 10 or Il
knots an hour; and allowing reason
able time for coaling en- route. the AT
lantic fleet can make the passage
from New York to San Francisco ii
less than 60 days
It is conceded that Rear Admiral
Evans will have the honor Of com
handing the fleet. It is believed now
that the route will be about as fol
lows: Leaving New York or Hamp-
ton Roads in the early fall the battle
ships would probably steam straight
to Culebra, where coal would be taken
on. The next stop will be Rio de
Janeiro and from that point the yes
sells would not halt until they reached
in the straits of Magellan.
Here again the coal supply would be
replenished for the run to Callao,
Peru. The next stage would be from
Callao to Panama, and from that
point the ships would proceed without
= stop to San Francisco.
Admiral Evans will, It Is expected,
start with 16 battleships besides the
golfers. The armored cruisers WASH
Ington and Tennessee. which are now
n French waters, are under orders to
return, refit and proceed to the Pa
cific coast to form part Of an ar
nored cruiser squadron to be assem-
Dled there Il is possible that they
will be detained and accompany the
on the cruise. When Ad-
niral Evans arrives off the coast his
leet will be Increased by the addition
Il the battlesrip Nebraska, newly
and simply awaiting the
out Of her. skeleton crew.
rhe battIeships Wisconsin and Oregon
low at Bremerton navy yard, Puget
sound, will probably have completed |
heir extensive repairs by next March
% that they, too, may be added to
he fleet which will then comprise 10
besides the armored and
protected cruisers Of the Pacific
leet.
New York, July 6.-Rear Admiral
sobley D. Evans, commanderin-chief
4 the Atlantic fleet. and who will, 1t
5 expected, be In command when the
,reat array Of battleships rounds
APE Horn for an excursion into the
N