Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-12-03


hauled and the Minnesota was open to
inspection We went aboard this new,
first-class battleship, climbed onto the
bridge, viewed her twelve-inch, 8 six
inch, and II seven-inch as we'll as her
quick-fire guns, and descended to her
lower stories. 1t was spectacle that
made war seem the hideous ogre that it
is, and no amount of reading can give
one an adequate conception of the de-
structive energy which these huge bat
tle-dog bloodhounds of war possess,
until he actually visits aud studies
them. Japanese spies had been inter
cepted, and the tons upon tons of
ammunition going into the capacious
holds of these fighting ships were
proof enough that your Uncle Sam is
not to be caught mapping. A feet of
40 to 90 torpedo boats and destroyers-
terrible swift-looking panthers and
floating lazily like school of ferocious
sharks, were the Adder, Dolphin and
other submarines.
The exposition, so long incomplete,
had been finished in readiness for our
anticipated arrival. 1t is perfectly
appointed little fairyland. The Colon
ial idea has been carried out in every
thing. Except for this. it is not differ
ent from other expos. We noticed a
plate that belonged to Pocahontas a
pipe which some careless smoker had
lost in the harbor, with two bivalves
fastened to it and sticking out of the
bowl-those oysters showed bad taste
and at the cycloramic battle between
the Monitor and the Merrimac. lady
whose uncle was on the first Minnesota
which was rammed and sunk, broke
down and cried as she saw the gallant
wooden craft settle beneath the waters
and rest on the bottom, with her masts
in sight and her colors still flying.
There are splendid open-air concerts,
the illumination was magnificent and
the war-path bad boys Paradise.
One lady was positive she heard the
minister talking, but it turned out to be
only the megaphone barking at Hell
gate, +" for the people to come in.
The soil of Virginia seems to unpro-
ductive to a tourist from the alluvial
prairies, but the sea is gold mine of
health, wealth and enjoyment. At Vir-
ginia beach the white-caps were rolling
merrily and the breakers dashed
pell-mell upon the glistening sand. We
where full-rigged schooners were sail
ing by like white-winged birds and a
battleship flying the stars and stripes
cut bold line across the picture. and
we thought of Europe on the other side
with its checkered history and un-
enviable traditions-and it seemed that
we could almost see the searchlight
from the past as it streamed from the
tighting-top of that grim ironclad and
focused upon three phantom ships that
were making their way up the James
river and in which were contained the
hopes of little colony and share in
the purposes and destinies of the white
race in new world. At Cape Henry
we waded the sandd dunes and climbed
the lighthouse tower. Here the colony
first landed, April 26, 1907, had two of the
party wounded and was driven to the
boats by Indians, who attacked them
fiercely. We crossed to Old Point Com
fort-the tidiest spot in the southland,
and inspected the parade grounds, bar
racks and part of the defences of Fort
ress Monroe
Our voyage up Chesapeake (mother
of waters) and Potomac, to Washington,
was full of incident. 1t would hardly
have been correct to say, with the poet,
"All's quiet along the Potomac, for the
boat rolled perceptibly and some of the
voyageurs were considerably disturbed.
1t is related that once, when the deck
hard shouted, ga i cut" a passenger,
who stood leaning against the rail, re
piled, "Yes sir, most all /" That is
how they felt. Myriads of oy&er craft
were on the bay. The river is wide,
with low-lying banks. 1t was Sunday
and we preached aboard the Newport
News" to an audience of 800, not 20 of
whom we had ever met. But they were
Americans-good people all-mes to-
gether, and happy, as they passed upon
life's Journey
Washington is everybody's city; it is
also everybody's play ground. In
few yearsH will have out classed Paris,
and be setting the fashions, and with
out peer in regal beauty. Each new
building now erected exceis every other.
The Congressional library is dream
in marble, the most fascinatingly beau
tiful edifice in the western hemisphere.
The new union depot is the finest ever,
and now there is talk of replacing the
white house With palace such as king
or potentate never before possessed.
The subway, now building from the
depot to the capitol, will permit officials
to come and go beneath the ground and
in electric cars at that. And the capi-
tol arnexes, nov in process of construc-
ton will enable each senator and repre-
sentative to have an office where, by
the trick of the telephone, he can hear
the speeches of his colleagues and reply
in turn without entering the main cor
ridors and chambers except to ratify
treaties or record legislation by vote.
The environs of Washington are in
tensely interesting. Across the Potomac