The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1907-12-21
SPLENDID SHOW
OF NAVAL POWER
BaiIIeshlp Fleet of Sixteen Vessels
Sails for Pacific.
Perfect Winter Day Favors me Great
Event-svery ship is of TIE Most
Modern Type-veterans Of Sea
Are Filled With Admiration at the
Magnificent Spectacle.

Old Point Comfort, Va, Dec. ~
Sixteen hard hitting, steel belted Amer
lean sbattleships, guns bristling and
burly Of girth, but sparkling white in
their immaculate dressings of peace,
started away yesterday under the daz-
cling sun Of cloudless winter sky, on
their famous twin sea expedition OF
IA 900 miles along foreign shores and
in changing chimes to the west coast Of
the United States. President Roose-
welt, on the bridge Of his cruiser yacht,
the Mayhower, personally led the mag
uifcent four-mile line OF fighting YES
sells during first stage of the voyage.
From the anchorage grounds in Hamp-
ton Roads to the Horseshoe bend OF
Chesapeake bay his eagle-crested flag of
blue pointed the way to the fleets new
home at the Golden Gate. Then, when
the wide reaches of the sea were visible
through the wide-swung capes Of Vir-
ginia, he turned aside and, coming to
anchor again, reviewed the passing
pageant.
The blue of the sky, the stretch of
green sea miles, the glistenine of spot
less bulls, the curl OF foam-crested bow
waves, the cheering Of sailors afioat and
friends ashore, the breeze blown strains
OF "Auld Lang Syne," floating across
the waters, the blare of trumpets, the
ruffie of drums, the flash of signals and
| . -. - l.rt orka cd
the departure OF the feet, presenting 10
the people who watched it spectacle
they will never forget and to the world
at large the reality of the trimmest,
most homogeneous, most thoroughly
equipped, most mobile and selfreliant
assemblage OF first class battleships ever
gathered in one command.
There will not be ship in the line
old enough to have smelled powder OF
. to have taken the shot of Manila OIL
Santiago-stories written scarcely 1C
years ago in the history of nations. All
were modern of design, examples OF the
aggressive seagoing navy which the
president has declared to be so essen
-, tial to the peace of the country.
Attaches of foreign legations and EN-
bassies at Washington and many cor
: respondents who have seen war servic'
/ on foreign journals freely declared tina
yesterdays naval display was the mos
impressive they had ever seen. Tit
facility with which the big vessels wer
handled, the manner in which the.
were Unanswered into single column
formation, and the perfect alignmen
which was maintained to the southwar
turn from the cape called out the warm
est admiration. The thrill of the beau
tiful marine picture was felt until tn
last wind blown spiral of smoke wa
lost on the horizon.
The first part of the fleets journe,
will bring it to Trinidad on Christina
eve, and there, amid the heat of tn
tropics, the CT stmas celebration wi
be held. Hundreds of goodbye tele
grams were flashed to the slips b
| wireless telegraph as they left the road
! stead and ha turned down the south
/ ern coast.
! These vessels made up the feet whic
| sailed yesterday under command {
I Rear Admiral Rohley D Evans:
| Connecticut. is, 900 tons; Louisiana
! Is, 900 tone; Kansas, 10000 tons; Vel
I mont, 10000 tons; Georgia, 4,94
! tons; Virginia, IA 948 tons; New Jel
I sey. IA, 94s tons; Rhode Island, 14.94
4 tons: Minnesota, 10000 tons; Ohi'
= IL, 500 tons; Maine, 1880 tons; Mi
= souri,, 1880 tons; Alabama, 1852
| tons: Illinois, IL ,525 tons; Kearsarg'
f11.525 tons; Kentucky, 1l,525 toni
/ Culgoa, supply ship, 5,725 tons; Gil
cier, supply ship, 1000 tons; Panthe
repair ship, $3.50 tons; YanktoI
tender, 975 tons.