Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1907-12-20
GREAT ! FLEE 1. { SAILS
Bateship Squadron Starts On
Long Trip to Pacific.
PRESIDENT VIEWS PAGEANT
Holds Reception on Board His Yacht
and Then Leads Line Of War.
ships Into Chesapeake Bay.

Old Point Comfort, Va, Dec. 1e.-
The backbone of the American navy.
sixteen first class battleships, under
command of Rear Admiral Robley ..
Evans, has set sail for the Pacific
ocean--a 14,000-mile cruise, which has
set all the world to talking. Parading
in review before the president of the
United States and saluting as they
went the stately white vessels drew
anchors from the rendezvous ground
at Hampton Roads, steamed out Of
the famous old Virginia capes and
were lost to view on the southeastern
horizon, filmy, telltale columns Of
black coal smoke being the last Wis
ible vestige of the departing fleet. AT
| ten knots speed they went, turning
their backs on the coast which so long
? has been their home and headed fog
the eastern end of the West Indies.
| After threading their way among
the reefs Of those islands the feet will
bring up at Trinidad on Christmas
eve-the first stage Of its journey at
an end. 5
| President Roosevelt, accompanied
| by party Of guests, came down from
Washington on the naval yacht May
| flower. HIS arrival in the roadstea0
was signalized by roar Of salutes.
| When the resulting veil of powder
| had lifted from the ships the May
flower proceeded to anchor in the
very center Of the throbbing feet.
There followed a brief reception Oh
board, the president having a farewell
and the sixteen commanding officers
who are taking the ships through Ma
gellan straits to San Francisco. At
the conclusion Of the meeting on the
Mayhowers quarterback President
Roosevelt shook each officer cordially
by the hand and as they went over the
side he babe them official adieu.
! Just before Admiral Evans left the
Mayflower to give orders for the fleet
to get under way the president called
him aside and the two were in earnest
conversation for nearly five minutes,
during which the admiral's head was
dipping affirmative mods as Though
acknowledging instructions.
Then for Journey Of nearly ten
miles the president, as commander-jn-
chief Of the American army and navy,
led the long line Of battlesE1ps ont
into Chesareake bay. They followed
his flag to Thinble shoal light, Just
five miles inside the capes, where the
MayfoWer turned aside and dropped
her anchors for the formal review
Notable Naval Pageant.
AS a naval pageant the review and
departure of the feet was the most
notable in American history. There
have been several presidential reviews
of the Atlantic feet during the past
eighteen months, but in those i'll
stances the great ships were lying
docjle at the. end of spreading anchor
chains, while the reviewing yacht
passed up and down their lines. IN
this instance the fleet was under way
had cast off from the shore and was
outward bound On q, cruise, which. IS
the president himself expressed it, nc
feet Of such size has ever before un-
dertaken." Tie guns which had voiced
a welcome to the president upon his
arrival in Hampton Roads uttered q
goodbye tribute as they passed the
MaYflOwer outward bound. The salute
Of welcome had been paid in unison,
the farewell tribute was an individual
offering from each one of the sixteen
ships.
The fleet passed out in single col
unn< the big government built Con
nectAut, flagship of Admiral Evans.
leading the way The vessels were
400 yards apart and from the Gomez
ttcut to the Kentucky, which brought
up the rear, the line reached a. dis
lance of more than four miles. A large
number of yachts and excursion boats
accompanied the feet down the bay
and gathered at the reviewing ground.
President Roosevelt's party on the
Mayf!ower Included Mrs Roosevelt.
Miss Ethel Roosevelt. Secretary of the
Navy and Mrs. Metcalf, Assistant Sec
rotary of the Navy and Mrs, New
berry, Rear Admiral w. H. Brownson,
chief of the bureau Of navigation. and
Mrs. Brownson; Rear Admiral and
Mrs. Cowles and. Lieutenant Con1man-
der and Mrs. Simms.
The naval dispatch boat Dolphin
also came down from Washington with
party Of congressman on board to
witness the review