The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-06
ATLANTIC FLEET
GOES TO PACIFIC.
Greatest Naval Movement in
the History of the Ma
ton Planned.
DETAILS OF THE CRUISE
COMMANDERS FORESEE MANY
CoALING DIFFICULTIES.

| Washington. July "Details of the
vast movement of the Atlantic fleet to
Pacific waters have been theoretically
! worked out weeks in advance by the
naval general board. But these details
are necessarily subject to constant
change resulting from the withdrawal
| of battleships from active commission
on account of having been declared an
| tiquated or in need of repairs and the
substitution of other ships just going
| into commission and fresh from the
| builders hands. There is in the navy
| department today scarcely any one au-
thOrized to afford any information as
/ to the contemplated feet movement.
| Secretary Metcalf is in California: As
sistant Secretary NewberTy IS at
/ Watch Hill, Z. l.; Admiral BToWnson,
chief of the navigation bureau. who is
next in line, has gone to New York.
and the acting secretary of the navy
is Rear Admiral Mason, chief of the
bureau of ordnance.
The opinion of the officers on duty
today is that the route most feasible
for the big ships is by way of the
Straits of Magellan. The route across
the Atlantic and through the Mediter-
ranean and Suez canal is open to the
objection that it would bring the big
ships. almost into Japanese waters and
the movement might consequently be
regarded as a menace, which Secretary
Metcalf has stated was never contem-
plated The SHez canal route, too, is
/ longer by 1000 miles than the Magellan
route. This. according TO the best cal
cuIations and allowing for short visits
to ports not upon the nearest sailing
route, is about 10000 miles in length.
oregon's Great Run.
The battleship Oregon covered the
distance from San Francisco to Jupiter
( Inlet, Florida, in 1898 in sixty-three
days. But she was handicapped by
/ the company of the little gunbOat Ma
rietta, which was scarcely able to
make more than eight knots an hour.
and also by the fact that as a precau-
tionary measure the Oregon was sent
around the West Indies sensibly
lengthening her route. So the opinion
, now is that under ordinary cruising
speed, (Which for the big battleships
means about ten or twelve knots an
hour. and allowing a reasonable time
/ for cOaling on route, the Atlantic fleet
can make the passage from New York
/ to San Francisco in less than sixty
days.
! IL is conceded that Rear Admiral
Evans will have the honor of COM
manding the fleet 1t 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
J TO Culebra. where coal would be taken
! on. The next stop will be Rio De ia
Metro, and from that point the vessels
would not halt until they reached Sand
| Point in the Straits of Magellan. Here
lao ~nTT fl1n
/ plenished for the run to Callao. Peru.
| The next stage would be from Callao
to Panama. and from that point the
ships would proceed without a stoD to
! San Francisco.
1t is believed that after reaching Pc
ruVian waters the movements of the
vessels Will be much more deliberate
than UP to that point. Although the
reason for this statement is not Off
| c1ally ohtainable. it is apparent that
| the explanation is to be found in the
| fact that the battleships will be within
easy reach of San Francisco; i'm other
words, they could in an emergency.
arrive at that point before any other
| fleet could
Naturally, the coming of the feet
/ is very serious one. Two methods of
doing this have been provided for in
the plans of the general board The
IlfSI Is TO send with the battle ShiDS a
sufficient number of GOLFERS to ena BILE
them to replenish their coal supplies
without any dependence upon foreign
coaling stations. In this case a fleet of
no less than twenty Golfers will be nee
| essary because something like 1000
tons of coal will be burned on this
cruise
In. the second case.5 the plans pro-
vide for the free use of merchants Bile
/ coal along the route which. of course.
would diminish the need of golfers.
Sixteen BattIeships.
Under the latter plan it is probable
that the five Golfers already attached
to the Atlantic fleet will be sent for
ward to Sandy Point. Coal at that point
/ is scarce and extremely bad.
Admiral Evans, it is expected. will
start with sixteen battle ships besides
as many Golfers. The armored cruisers
Washington and Tennessee, which are
now in French waters. are under orders
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