The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-07-08
EVANS TO COMMAND
Fighting \ Bob Will Take Bat.
tleships to the Pacific.
WILL G0,AR0UND CAPE HORN
Greatest Fleet Of WarshIps Ever As
sembled Expected to Leave the At.
Iantio Coast Early In the Fall, Reach.
Ing San Francisco In Sixty Days.

Washington, July "Details of the
vast movement of the Atlantic feet
to Pacific waters have been theoret-
ically worked out weeks in advance
by the naval general board. But these
details are necessarily subject to con-
slant change resulting from the with.
drawal of battleships from active
commission on account of having been
declared Anticipated or in need of re-
pairs and the substitution of other
ships Just going into commission and
fresh from the builders hands. In
the opinion Of officials here the only
route feasible for the big ships is by
way of the straits of Magellan, trip
Of $4,000 miles. Allowing reason
able time for coaling en- route the At
lantic feet can make the passage
from New York to San Francisco in
less than sixty days.
It is conceded that Rear Admiral
Robley D. Evans will command the
feet in this great movement. He al
ready has had an extended period Of
sea service in command rank and it
10 known by his friends that he would
ltke to wind up his active career by
safely conducting around the Amer
toan continent the greatest fleet Of
warships ever gotten together.
Admiral Evans will, it is expected,
start out with sixteen battleships, be-
sides twenty golfers, which will move
more or less independently and, in.
deed, will precede him considerably.
Tho armored cruisers Washington and
Tennessee, which are now in French
waters, are under orders to return to
the United States and after reftting to
proceed to the Pacific coast to form a
part Of an armored cruiser squadron
to be assembled there. 1t Is possible
that they will be detained and =
Accompany the BattIeships.
When Admiral Evans arrives off the
Pacific coast his fleet will be in
creased by the addition OF the battle
ship Nebraska, newly commissioned
and simply awaiting the rounding out
of her skeleton crew. The battleships
Wisconsin and Oregon, now at Bremen
ton maynard, Puget sound, will~prob-
ably have completed their extensive
repairs by next March so that they too
may be added to the feet, which will
then comprise nineteen battleships,
besides the armored and protected
cruisers Of the Pacific fleet. ,...-
It is believed now that the sailing
route of the ships will be about az
follows: Leaving New York or Hamp-
ton Roads in the early fall the battle
ships would probably steam straight
to Culahra- where ~nnal would ha taken
on. The next stop will be Rio de
Janeiro and from that point the YES
sells would not halt until they reached
Sandy Point, in the straits of Magel-
Ian. Here again the coal supply
would be replenished for the run to
Callao, Peru. The next stage would
be from Callao to Panama and from
that point the ships would proceed
without stop to San Francisco, After
reaching Peruvian waters the move
ments of the vessels will be more de-
liberate. Although the reason for
this statement is not officially obtain
able it is apparent that the explana-
ton is to be found in the fact that the
battleships will be within easy reach
Of San Francisco, in other words they
could in an emergency arrive at that
port before any other feet could. -