Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1907-10-03
FIRST DIVISION
PACIFIC FLEET
FoREouARp or AMERICAN NAVY
10 BROUGHT TO ANCHOR
OFF SAN FRANCISCO.
ENDS $4,000 MILE CRUISE
The Arrival Of the -Four Big Fighting
Machines Marks the End Of
the Trip They Started
on . Year Ago.

San Francisco-The FIRST division Of
the Pacific feet, the foreguard OF the
American navy. which Is to assemble
In Pacific coast waters by order OF
President Roosevelt. has steamed
through the Golden Gate. The
four armored cruisers passed the
heads In hle formation. led by
the flagship West Virginia. flying at
her masthead the twostArred flag of
the commander Of the feet, Rear Ad-
miral James II. Dayton. Five hun
dred yards to the rear came the Colo.
RADIO. followed at a like distance by
the Maryland and the Pennsylvania.
The arrival of the four big sister ships
marked the end OF a sG,O00-mile cruise,
which began at Newport. II, l.. last
September.
Admiral FulfIils Promise,
The squadron was sighted outside
the heads at daybreak. steaming at
half speed out OF a coast fog. BY
bringing his ships to anchor of the
city front a few minutes before 8
o'clock, Admiral Dayton fulfilled his
promise by wireless the night before
TO arrive some time in the early fore.
noon"
Thousands of people anticipating the
event, were gathered along the water
front and on the hilltops commanding
a view Of the bay. Obvious of the
fact that they could not be distin.
guished from the decks. they signalled
welcome to the huge whiteand.buff
fighting machines by waving hats and
handkerchiefs, and as fieecy puffs O.
smoke rose and drifted from the
mouths OF the slx.pounder saluting
guns of the West Virginia, they
cheered.
Flagship Fires Salute.
San Francisco never greeted n
homebouhd feet with prettier wealth.
err. The light fog outside the heads
lifted and blew away as the cruisers
emerged into the Golden Gate at 6
o'clock. AS the squadron passed In
under the guns OF Fort Mason and
Fort Baker. the flagship fred a salute.
Passing Goat Island, the West Vir.
ginia took on momentary holiday
dress By running up successive strings
Of bright colored signal flags. which
were answered from the naval train
ing station there. Ferryboats crowd
ed to the rails with early morning
commuters. Baluted the squadron by
triple blasts of their whistles, the
admiral's ship responding in kind.
Health Of Men Satisfactory.
Opposite North Beach the cruisers
slowed down to allow Chief Quaran.
tine Officer Dolby to come aboard. In
quick succession. the West Virginia,
the Colorado. Maryland and Pennsyl.
vania submitted their health certifi.
Gates and were given clean bills and
allowed to proceed to their anchorages
a mile further on. passing some OF the
other cruisers OF the feet on the way.
Admiral swinburne put of from his
flagship the cruiser Charleston as soon
as the West Virginia moored.
On board the latter vessel the rails
we're manned and the band struck 10
lively air as Admiral Swinburne
stepped on the quarterback to greet
the commander-ln-chlef Of the floS;.
The brief formallty over, the two ad-
mirals shook hands warmly and at
once retired for an official conference
relative to the departure from this
port of the cruisers California. Chales-
ton and st. Louis 70 target practice
at MagdalenR Bay. Capt. ]. d. NIL.
ton, commanding the West Virginia,
received score OF newspaper men.
who had been waiting In launches for
an hour to come aboard.