The Oakes times., 1907-12-19
GREAT FLEET SAILS
Rattleship Squadron Starts on
Long Trip to Pacific.
PRESIDENT VIEWS PAGEANT

Holds Reception on Board His Yacht
for the Commanding Officers Of the
Fleet and Then Leads the Line Of
Warshps Into Chesapeake Bay.
Old Point Comfort, Va, Dec. H.
The backbone of the American navy,
sixteen first class battleships, under
command of Rear Admiral Robley D..
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 for
the eastern end of the West Indies.
After threading their way among
the reefs of those islands the fleet will
bring up at Trinidad on Christmas
eve-the first stage of it's journey at
an end.
President Roosevelt, accompanied
by party of guests. came down from
Washington on the naval yacht May
flower. His arrival in the roadstead
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 on
board, the president having a farewell
message for the four rear admirals
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
Mayflower's quarterback President
Roosevelt shook each officer cordially
by the hand and as they went over the
side he bade them official adieu.
Just before Admiral Evans left the
Mayflower to give orders for the feet
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 a journey of nearly ten
miles the president, as commander-in.
chief of the American army and navy
led the long line of battleships out
into Chesapeake bay. They followed
his flag to Thimble 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 in
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,
mad cast oft from the shore and was
outward bound on cruise, which, as
the president himself expressed it, mo
feet of such size has ever before un-
dertaken." The guns which had voiced
a welcome to the president upon his
arrival in Hampton Roads uttered a
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
umn, the big government built Con.
necticut, flagship of Admiral Evans,
leading the way. The vessels were
400 yards apart and from the Connec-
ticut to the Kentucky, which brought
up the rear, the line reached a dis
tance of more than four miles. A large
number of yachts and excursion boats
accompanied the fleet down the bay
and gathered at the reviewing ground.
President Roosevelt's party on the
Mayflower included Mrs. Roosevelt,
Miss Ethel Roosevelt, Secretary of the
Navy and Mrs. Metcalf, Assistant Sec
retary 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 Comman-
der and Mrs. Simms.
The naval dispatch boat Dolphin
also came down from Washington with
a party of congressman on board to
witness the review.
Pneumonia Heads the List.
Chicago, Dec. II. - Pneumonia
climbed to the head of the list of
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