The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-09-03
BIG FOUR
SQUADRON
(con tinued rrem Pare one,.

| to reach San Francisco by October /,
they will, in all likelihood, take the
opportunity of staying over here for
as long time as possible.
The men will be allowed shore leave
while here and will be paid off. The
payroll for each of the four vessels
will amount to between $4,000 and
$14, 900, so they will have enough to
have good time while here. The way
in which they worked was a pleasure
to see. In handling the launches and
the ropes of the vessels they hurried
through everything as if they really
like to work for the men over them.
/ The spirit on all three of the boats
which came in last night was of the
kind which makes the American navy
what it is. The "Man Behind the
Gun" was certainly in evidence.
While here the fleet will bring a
great deal of money into the city
through the provisions and supplies
which will be needed. 1t is estimated
that 5000 pounds of meat per day will
be needed, while bread, fresh vegeta-
bles, fruits, ETC., will also be needed
in very large quantities. If the fleet
stays for the full two weeks it will
consume 10000 pounds of meat while
here and will need over half as much
again for the supplies for the vessels
on their way to the Coast. From this
it will be seen that the visit will place
many thousand dollars in circulation
here.
Already many plans are being made
to entertain the visitors. Two dances
at the hotels have been announced and
the courtesies of the local clubs have
been extended to the officers of the
fleets. Other events which will tend
to entertain the officers and also the
enlisted men will be announced shortly.
The vessels are all green around
the waterllne from cruising in warm
waters, and will probably be placed in
dry dock soon after they reach the
Coast. They all look trim and neat
and present the same spectacle in this
respect that the American war yes
sells are famed for all over, the world.
The Colorado did not come in last
night but remained outside the harbor.
The Pennsylvania was the second boat
to come in, taking her place at naval
dock No. l. The Maryland came in
last and was placed at the new Terri
torial dock at the foot of Alakea street.
This wharf is not yet completed and1
there may be some little difficulty in
eoaling her there. The Colorado will
probably be placed on the other side
of the same dock this morning.
The vessels of the big Four" are
all of the California Glass; which in
cludes the cruisers California, Penn
sylvania, West Virginia, Colorado,
Maryland and South Dakota. Each has
a complement of eight hundred and
twenty-five men and are heavily ar
mored and armed. All the vessels of
this class have the same hull measure
ments, a length of five hundred and
two feet, seventy-foot beam and
twenty-six and a half feet draught.
OF S-inch guns each cruiser carries
four, fourteen 6-inch guns, eighteen
3-inch rapid firers, twelve 3-pounders.
eight 1-pounders, two gatlings and six
colts. Each vessel is also equipped
with two submerged torpedo tubes.
All are fast steamers, being fitted
out with two sets of four-cylinder,
triple-expansion engines and two
screws. Their trial speed was to have
been twenty-five knots, but each of
the vessels passed this mark on it's
trial trip. The Colorado, for instance,
in September, 1905, reeled off what was
until then the fastest time ever made
by an American war vessel, in a four |
hours run to sea off Rockland, Maine, !
and when manned by a naval crew, |
showing 22.22 knots The Maryland,
on her trial trip in January, 1906 made
22.95 knots.
The Pennsylvania and Maryland |
were launched in 1903, the former hav-
ing been the largest vessel ever launch-
ed at the famous Cramps shipyard, in
Philadelphia. The heavy armor belt,
seven feet wide and extending the en-
tire length of the vessel on both sides,
a feature of all these cruisers, was
commented OH at the time of the first
launching as most notable feature of
the equipment.