Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-16

| their respects to the President. He re-
| ceived them on the quarterback and the
| exchange of greetings was more hearty
| than formal. Following the Connecticut S
lead. the launches from all of the other
| ships were soon swarminG about the May
| flower From the Minnesota came the
| steam barge of Rear Admiral G. NJ.
| Thomas. commander of the second squad
| ron: from the Georgia there was the
| barge of Rear Admiral William NJ. Emory,
| commander of the second division, and
from the Alabama came Rear Admiral Z.
| S. Sperry commanding the fourth divi-
sion. Each admiral was accompanied by
| his staff. The captains commanding the
sixteen ships followed the flag officers to
| the Mayfiower and with their arrival the
| reception reached its climax. There, cere-
monies were few. and within half an hour
after Admiral Evans had first stepped
upon the quarterback of the yacht all or
| the officers were once more in their dane
| ing launches, returning to their ships. The
| last good-byes had been said. the Presi-
dents last wishes of good luck had been
| uttered.
"They're Off,"
| Suddenly the signal yards of the Con-
| necticut flashed the message:
Get under way Immediately, following
the motions of the flagship"
| Orders volleyed from each vessels
bridge. They were conveyed by warming
bells to engine rooms. through the musical
notes of half a score of bugles. and the
Shrill whistle of the ''bO suns pipe,
Dressing lines were hauled in and as
they tumbIed to the deck the ships were
robbed Of gala attire. Everything was IN
cruising trim now and the time for play
was past.
With the departure of the fleet officers
the Mayfiower proceeded to get under
way almost at once so as to take her
place at the head of the formidable col
umn and lead the way to the reviewing
waters off Thimble Shoal lighthouse. ten
miles out in Chesapeake bay. or two
thirds of the way from Hampton roads to
the stretch of ocean outside the Virginia
capes, Henry and Charles. AS the May
flower retreated down the warship lane
each vessel she passed manned the rail
with blue jackets, al. of whom stood at at
tention.
Meantime he giant cranes on board the
war vessels were reaching out and picking
up the steam launches and running boats
and storing them snugly in their berths
high up in the superstructure and safe
from the crashing boom of storm waves
to be encountered on the trip.
Jockeyed With the Tide.
Next from the ships came the whir and
hiss of steam driven windlasses and the
grinding clank of lifting anchor chains
whose massive links were bent of six
inch steel. Sixty fathoms of chain had
been paid out on each ship. This is ten
times the depth of the roadstead chan
nell but necessary to keep the vessels free
from fouling in the swinging currents OF
the tide With the command to heaVe
'er up!'' the work of raising anchors had
begun almost simultaneously on each OF
the sixteen ships. Big streams of water
were played upon the climbing chain
links. stripping them of all sand and har-
Dor mud as they rose from the surface.
The Connecticut, head of the column,
and the other ships of the first division.
the Kansas, the Vermont and the LOUIS
lana. were the first to get their anchors
folded on their bows. Then came for each
navigator and captain bit OF d1fncuit
maneuvering at close quarters. The sweep
of the ebbing tide had turned every ships
stem to the west, and it was necessary to
swing each vessel around to take position
for the eastward start to the capes One
by one the other armorclads hoisted their
position remnants to the foretruck. signi-
flying that they were ready to get under
| way. The f1agships OF each of the three
divisions subordinate to the first did not
hoist their remnants until the last anchor
chains of the immediate command were
slowed. The beat of giant copper-oladed
twin propellers churned the roadstead
waters to milky white as they maneu-
vered for the start.
Out Through the Capes.
When at last all sixteen ships were in
position. in single column. natural order
and dfstance"-4OO yards apart-the en-
CINE room indicators, far down in the
depths of the steel-protected decks.
showed "ful speed ahead For the pur-
pose of this cruise full speed means an
easy Sace of ten knots an hour. and II
was on this basis that the ships bade
farewell TO the great crowds gathered on
the Old Point shore. and moved away
| from their familiar anchorage ground. AS
the big vessels gained Roadway they one
| after another picked up their bones"
| from the furrowed wake of the flagship.
The Presidents yacht was we'll down
| the bay when the battleship column be
| gan to move. Coming to anchor near the
| tail of the horseshoe as the water for
nation about Thimble Shoal Light is To-
| cally known. the Mayflower again let go
her anchor and stood by to review the
| Pacific bound parade.
There was little time to wait before the
wide girthed hull OF the Connecticut.
| ter rail. Coming toward the Mayhower
| almost bow on. at the head of the far
| flung line great clouds of curling black
| smoke leaping from her three towering
| funnels-buff- painted to coincide with the
| color Of the Observation-Disclosures rails
manned with half hundred sailors in
their nsttiest suits of blue. with marine
guard full-uniformed ana stiff at atten-
| ton on the quarterback. with band play
ing the national anthem. with Admiral
Evans on the after bridge high above
the deck. with the Union jack at the
stem, the two-starred rear admiral's
ensign of blue at the main truck
| huttering from Flagstaff at the stern, the
Connecticut presented q picture which