Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-07-06
FLEET TO PACIFIC
Sixteen Bsttleships Will Be Sent Into
Western Waters.
BOB EVANS WILL COMMAND
Several Armored Cruisers and Golfers
to Accompany Expedition.
INTENDED AS PRACTICE CRUISE
Trip from New York to Golden Gate
to Take Sixty Days.
MAGELLAN ROUTE Is PREFERRED
Thousand Miles shorter Than by Sues
Canal and Does Not Place
Ships tn Japanese
Waters.
MAGELLAN ROUTE Is PREFERREl

WASHINGTON. July 5-Detans Of the
vast movement of the Atlantic feet to
Pacinc water have been theoretically
Z worked out weeks in advance by the naval
general board. But these details are neces-
Sariiy subject TO constant change resulting
from the Withdrawal OF battleships from
aotfve 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
Ehere is in the Navy department today
essrcely any one authorized to afrord any
mformation as to the contemplated fleet
movement, Secretary Metcalf is in Cali
fornia, Assistant Secretary Newberry is at
Watch Hin, r. l.; Admiral Brownson, chief
of the navigation bureau. who is next in
| line, has gone to New York, and the act-
| ing secretary OF the navy today is Rear
Admiral Mason, chief Of the bureau OF
! ordinance.
The opinion OF the oficers on duty today
IL 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 Mediterranean and suez canal is open
to the objection that 1t would bring the
big ships almost In Japanese waters and
I garded 40 a menace. which Secretary Met
I calf has stated has never been contem-
plated The Suez route. too. is longer by .
thousand niles than tho Magellan route
This according 10 the best calculations and
allowing for short visits to ports not on
the nearest sailing route is about la,OOo
miles in length.
Trip of the Oregon.
The battleship Oregon covered the dis
: tance from San Francisco to Jupiter inlet
; Fla. in 1898 in sixty-three days. But
! she was Handicapped by the company of
I the little gunboat Marietta. which was
scarcely able to make more than eight
knots an hour, and also by the fact that
as precautionary measure the Oregon
was sent around the West Indies. SEN
Iyaibly lengthening her route. So the opinion
NNlow is that under ordinary cruising speed.
which for big battleships means about ten
or twelve knots an hour, and allowing a
reasonable time for coaiing enroute the
Atlantic feet can make the passage from
New York TO San Francisco in less than
sixty days
It is conceded that Rear Admiral Evans
viii have the honor OF commanding the
fleet II Is believed now that the route
viii be about as follows: Leaving New
York or Hampton Roads in the early
fall the battleships would probably steam
straight to Culebra. where coal would be
| taken on The next stop win bo Rio
! Janeiro and from that point the vessels
! would not halt until they reached Sandy
1 Point IN the straits OF Magellan. Here
aguin the coal supply would be replenished
| for the run to Callaos Peru. Tho next
stage would be from Cailao to Panama
and from that point the ships would pro-
ceed without a stop to San Francisco.
1t is believed that after reaching Peru
Wan waters the movements of the vessels
| win be much more deliberate than up to
that point
Although the reason for this statement
Sc not officially obtainable. Il IL apparent
that the explanation is to be found IN the
i fact that tho battSeships win be within
easy reach Of San Francisco; in other
words. they could in emergency ar
could.
Question OF CoaliaE Fleet.
Naturally the question of coaling the
foet is a very serious one Two methods
Of doing this has been provided for IN
the plans OF the general board The nrst
I Is to send with the battleships a suf-
fclent number OF Golfers to enable them
60 replenish their coal supplies. In this
case a eeet of no less than twenty coIliera
win be necessary because something like
T7eOo tons OF coal win bs burned on this
course
In the second case the plans provide for
= free use OF merchantable coal along
She route. which Of course would diminish
the need OF eoiiiers
Under the latter plan It is probable that
tho nve colliera already attached to the
kiAtiantic feet Will be sent forward to Sandy
NnaH 81 inf a. ~
extremely bad.
Amirai Evans VIII. Il u expected. star
with sixteen bsttisships besides the col
tiera- me armored cruisers Warrington
and Tennsssee which are now In Freheh
waters are under orders TO return. rent ana
prooesd to the Pacific coast to form par
1 o. an arrnored cruiser squadron to be as,
samhied there. II Is possible that they viii
d BE detained and accompany the battleshipl
on the cruise. When Admiral Evans ar
rivss on the coast his neet viii be IN
creased by the addition of the battieshiT
Nebraska. newly commissioned and simply
awaiting the rounding out OF her sksletcr
crew. The battieships Wisconsin and Ore.
son. new at Bremsrton navy yard. Puget
sound. win probably have completed theil
extensive repairs by next March 50 that
they too may be added TO the feet which
viii then comprise nineteen battieships
{ besides the arrnored and protected cruiser.
OF the Paeinc neet.
Composition Of the Fleet.
The composition Of the neet today Is Al
follows.
Battleships Connecticut Captain Hugo
Osterhaus, commanding; tonnage. 1900
guns, "a speed. - knots
Asine. Captain Nathan Niles; tonnage
1etooo; guns. %; speed. rs knots.
Louisiana. Captain Richard Wainright
tonnage i6oO9; gums. =; speed, IS knots.
missouri Captain Greenliaf Merriam
tonnage 1850; guns, 81; speed, Is knots.
virginia, Captain seaton s.;hrOdor; ton
naae. u s2; guns. ~ speed. 10 knota
Georgia, Captain Henry Mccrea. ton.
mage. lA9eo; guns, "A; speed, le knots
New Jersey Captain William Kimball
eonna9e, l98: guns. - speed. - knots
Rhode Island. captain yet TO be assigned
tonnage, lAsH; 9ana. a. speed IS knots
Aabama, Capfaln Samuel y. Comfy; ton,
maze. lls8i gun1. is; speed II knota
Illinois. Captain 0ottfriad nlonklinEer,
tonnage, LIZ guna, is; speed III knofa. :
koafaa9A CAutain Herbert lElnaloWl ton.