Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1907-12-26
SPLENDID SHOW
OF NAVAL POWER
BattIeshIp Fleet of Sixteen Vessels
Sails for Pacific.
Perfect Winter Day Favors the Great
Event-Every Ship is of the Most
Modern Type-veterans Of Sea
Are Filled With Admiration at the
Magnificent Spectacle.

Old Point Comfort, Va, Dec. H.
Sixteen hard hitting, steel belted Amer
lean battleships, guns bristling and
burly Of girth, but sparkling white in
their immaculate dressings of peace,
started away yesterday under the daz-
cling sun of cloudless winter sky, on
their famous twin sea expedition OF
IA 900 miles along foreign shores and
in changing climea to the west coast OF
the United States. President Rooee-
velt, on the bridge of his cruiser-yacht,
the Mayfower, personally led the mag
uifcent four-mile line OF fighting vea-
sells during first stage of the voyage.
From the anchorage grounds in Hamp-
ton Roads to the Horseshoe bend OF
Chesapeake bay his eagle-crested flag of
blue pointed the way to the fleets new
home at the Golden Gate. Then, when
the wide reaches of the sea were visible
through the wide-swung capes Of Vir-
ginia, he turned aside and, coming to
anchor again, reviewed the passing
pageant.
The blue Of the sky, the stretch Of
green sea miles, the glistening of spot
less hulls, the curl OF foam.crested bow
waves, the cheering OF sailors afloat and
friends ashore, the breeze-blown strains
of "Auld Lang syne," floating ACROSS
the waters, the blare of trumpets, tho
ruffle of drums, the fash Of signals and
the boom of saluting cannon marked
the departure Of the feet, presenting to
the people who watched it spectacle
they will never forget and to the world
at large the reality of the trimmest,
most homogeneous, most thoroughly
equipped, most mobile and selfreliant
assemblage OF first class battleships ever
gathered in one command.
There will not be ship in the line
old enough to have smelled powder OF
to have taken the shot OF Manila or
Santiago-stories written scarcely 10
years ago in the history OF nations. All
were modern of design, examples OF the
aggressive seagoing navy which the
president has declared to be SO essen
tial to the peace of the country.
Attaches Of foreign legations and en-
bassies at Washington and many cor
respondents who have seen war service
on foreign journals freely declared that
yesterdays naval display was the most
impressive they had ever seen. The
facility with which the big vessels were
handled, the manner in which they
were maneuvered into single column
formation, and the perfect alignment
which was mainta ned to the southwark
turn from the cape called out the warm
est admiration. The thrill of the beau
tiful marine picture was felt until the
last wind blown spiral of smoke was
lost on the horizon.
The first part of the fleets journey
will bril G it to Trinidad on Christmas
eve, and there, amid the heat of the
tropics, the Christmas celebrations will
be held. Hundreds of goodbye tele-
grams we're flashed to the ships by
wireless telegraph as they left the road
stead and had turned down the south
arn coast.
These vessels made up the feet which
'ailed yesterday under command Of
Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans:
Connecticut, l6, 900 tons; Louisiana,
e, 900 tons; Kansas, Is 900 tons; Ver-
mont, 16, 900 tons; Georgia, 14,948
ons; Virginia, 14,948 tons; New Jer-
ey, IA, 94s tons; Rhode Island, IA ,948
ons; Minnesota. 200 tons; Ohio,
$500 tons; Maine, 12,5O0 tons; Mis-
ouri, l2,500 tons; Alabama, 1l,525
ons; Illinois, 11,525 tons; Kearsarge,
1925 tons; Kentucky, l,525 tons;
,ulgoa, supply ship, 5,725 tons; Gla-
ier, supply ship, 1000 tons; Panther,
epair ship, $3.50 tons; Yankton,
ender, 975 tons.