Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-05

vessels would not halt until they reached
Sandy Point. in the Straits of Magellan.
plenished for the run to Callao, Peru. The
next stage would be from Callao to Pan
anna, and from that point the ships would
proceed without a stop to San Francisco.
1t is believed that after reaching Peruvian
waters the movements of the vessels will
be much more deliberate than up to that
point. Although the reason for this state
ment is not officially obtainable, 1t is APP
parent that the. explanation Is to be found
in the fact that the battleships win be
within easy reach of San Francisco; in
other words, they could in an emergency
arrive in that port before any other fleet
could.
Question of Coaling.
Naturally the question of coaling the fleet
is very serious one. Two methods of do
ing this have been provided for in the plans
of the general board, and it is not possible
at this moment to say which will be finally
selected. The first is to send with the bat
tleships a sufficient number of golfers to
enable them to repienish their coal supplies
without any dependence upon foreign coal
ing stations. In this case a fleet of no
less than twenty GOLFERS will be necessary
because something like u 900 tons of coal
will be burned on this cruise.
In the second case, the plans provide for
the free use of -merchantable coal along
the route. which, of course, would diminish
1t Is probable that the five golfers already
attached to the Atlantic feet will be sent
forward to Sandy Point: Coal at that point
is not only scarce. but it is extremely dear
at times selling a s14 ton, as against the
So coal which the golfers would carry.
Size of the Fleet.
Admiral Evans will, it is expected, start
out with sixteen battleships besides the COL
Tiers, which will move more or less indie
pendently, and, indeed, will probably pre-
cede him considerably. The armored cruis-
ers Washington and Tennessee, which are
now in French waters, are under orders to
return to the United States, and after re-
fitting, to proceed to the Pacific coast to
form part of an armcred cruiser squadron
to be assembled there. 1t is possible that
they will be detained and accompany the
battleships on the cruise: When Admiral
Evans arrives off the Pacific coast his fleet
will be increased by the addition of the
battleship Nebraska, newly commissioned
and simply awaiting the rounding out of
her skeleton crew. The battleships Wiscon-
sin and Oregon, now at Bremerton navy
yard, Puget sound, will probably have COM
pleted their extensive repairs by next March
SO that they, too, may be added to the fleet,
which will then comprise nineteen battle
ships. besides the armored and protected
cruisers Of the Pacific fleet.
Composition of the Fleet.
The composition of the fleet today is as
follows:
Battleships-Connecticut, Capt. Hugo Os-
terhaus, commanding; tonnage, 1900;
guns, "a; speed. is knots.
Maine, Capt. Nathan E. Niles; tonnage,
II, 800; guns, 20; speed, Is knots.
Louisiana, Capt. Richard Wainwright;
tonnage, 5000; guns, "a; speed, Is knots. :
Missouri, Capt. Greenlief A. Merriam;
Virginia Capt. seaton Schroeder; ton
mage, 14,94S; guns, "a; speed, 10 knots
Geargia, captain yet to be named; ton
mage, 14,94S; guns "a; speed, 10 knots.
tonnage, 14,94S; guns, "a; speed, 10 knots.
Rhode Island, captain yet to be as
signed); tonnage, 14,94s; guns, u; speed,
10 knots.
Alabama, Capt. Samuel P. Comfy: ton
mage, ll,525; guns, %; speed, 16 knots.
Illinois, Capt. Gottfried Blockhnger;
tonnage, 11,525; guns, IS; speed, Il knots.
mage, 1925; guns. %; speed, 16 knots
Kentucky, Capt. Edward B. Barry; ton
mage, 11,525; guns. %; speed, 16 knots
Ohio, Capt. Lewis c. Heilner; tonnage,
1880; guns 20; speed, 10 knots.
Minnesota, Capt. John Hubbard; ton
mage, 1860; guns, "a; speed, 10 knots
Vermont. Capt. William p. Potter; ton
mage, 1850; guns, "a; speed, Is knots.
Kansas Capt Charles E. Vreeland ton
mage, 1850; guns, "a; speed, IS knots.
Protected cruisers - Charleston, Com
mander Frank E. Beatty; tonnage. 970O;
guns, IA; speed, % knots.
Chicago, Commander Robert NJ. Doyle;
1900; guns, 10: speed. Is knots.
Milwaukee, Commander Charles A
Cove; tonnage, eco; guns, IA speed, ~
knots
ST Louis, Commander Nathaniel r.
Usher; tonnage, 300; guns, IA speed, 81
knots.
Gunboat Yorktown, Commander Rich
speed, 16 knots.
The armored cruiser squadron of the
Pacific fleet, which will have headquar-
tiers in Californian waters, will be COM
posed of the Washington, Capt. The odoric
Porter, and Tennessee Capt Albert G.
Berry (sister ships. 14,500 tons; guns, "a
speed, % knots), and the California and
South Dakota, 1860 tons eacn, %. 10