Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-28
WARSHIPS
REACH PORT
CRUISER SQUADRON ARRIVES AT
SAN FRANCISCO
FORMS ADVANCE DIVISION OF
MIGHTY FLEET
Need Of coaIing Stations on Pacific
Coast Emphasized-commitfee
Welcomes Admiral
Dayton
By Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27.-The first
division of the Pacific fleet, foreguard .o1
the American navy which is to assemble
in Pacific coast waters by order of Presi-
dent Roosevelt, steamed through the
Golden Gate at sunrise this morning. The
four armored cruisers passed the heads in
file formation, led by the flagship West
Virginia, flying at her masthead the two
starred flag of the commander of the
fleet, Rear Admiral James H. Dayton
Five hundred yards to the rear came the
Colorado followed at like distance by the
Maryland and the Pennsylvania.
The arrival of the four big sister ships
marked the end of 36, ,000-mile cruise
which began at Newport, r. l., last Sep
tember.
The squadron was sighted outside the
heads at daylight, steaming at half speed
out of a coast fog. BY bringing his ships
to anchor off the city front, a few min
utes before 8 o'clock, Admiral Dayton
fulfilled his promise by wireless the night
before to "arrive some time in the early
forenoon ~
Greeted b. Thousands
Thousands anticipating the event were
gathered along the water front and on
the hill tops commanding view of the
bay. Oblivious of the fact that they
could not be distinguished from decks
they signaled their welcome to the huge
white and buff fighting machines by wav-
ing hats and handkerchiefs. AS feecy
puffs of smoke rose and drifted from the
mouths of the six-pounder saluting guns
of the West Virginia, they cheered.
San Francisco never greeted home
bound fleet with better weather. The
light fog outside the heads lifted and
blew away as the cruisers emerged into
the Golden Gate at o'clock AS the
squadron passed in under the guns OF
Fort Mason and Fort Baker the flagship
fred salute. Passing Goat island, the
West Virginia took on momentary holi-
day dress by running up successive
strings of bright colored signal flags
which were answered frdm the naval
training station there. Ferryboats
crowded to the rails with early morning
commuters saluted the squadron by triple
blasts of their whistles, the admiral's
ship responding in kind.
Opposite North beach the cruisers
slowed down to allow Chief Quarantine
officer Hobby to come aboard. In quick
succession the West Virginia, Colorado
Maryland and Pennsylvania submitted
their health certificates. and were giver
clean bills, and allowed to proceed to theil
anchorages a mile farther on, passing
some of the other cruisers of the fleet OF
the way.
Admiral Swinburne put of from his
flagship. the cruiser Charleston, as soor
as the West Virginia moored On board
the latter vessel the rails were manned
and the band struck up lively air as
Admiral Swinburne stepped TO the quar-
ter deck to gree the, commander-in-chiet
of the fleet. The brief formality over,
the two admirals shook hands warmly
and at once retired for an official confer
ence relative to the departure from this
port of the cruisers California, Charles
ton and st. Louis for target practice at
Magdalena bay. Captain j. B. Milton,
commanding the West Virginia, received
a score of nswspapermen who had been
waiting in launches for an hour to come
aboard.
Committee Welcomes Admiral
At o'clock this afternoon a joint com
mittee of about 100 men prominent in
POLITICAL, business and social life of San
Francisco and nearby cities boarded
the West Virginia to greet and welcome
Admiral Dayton and the officers of the
fleet. 1t had been arranged that United
States Senator Perkins make brief for
NAL address of welcome
San Francisco and California are keenly
alive to the Importance of the arrival of
Admiral Daytons squadron as signaliz-
ing the coming mobilization in these
waters of the greater part of the Amer
lean navy. 1t will be by way of an Of
fetal notification TO the world that the
central government recognizes as never
before the huge growth of the indus
trial and commercial life of the west
and the vast part of the Pacific coast
is destined to play in securing ara main
tairing for the country at large fair
share of the trade of the Orient.
1t is predicted that the assembling of
sixteen battleships and ten or twelve
cruisers in California Oregon and WASH
ington waters will do much to secure in
congress the enactment OF the long de-
ferred ship subsidy BILL for the lack of
which American commerce is carried
largely in foreign bottoms.
Need Coaling Stations
A serious problem to which immediate
and urgent attention will be called by
the mobilization here of the fleet Is the
right of the Pacific coast to have adj
ditional coaling stations shipyards, navy
repair shops and commodious drydocks.
The suggestion has been made that the
lack of coaling facilities in these waters
for such a naval Capitalization as is about
to be carried out under the orders of
the president, may give impetus to the
experiments already being made in the
conversion of war craft from coal burn
ers to OIL burners.
California is weak in her native coal
supply, but remarkably strong in her
capacity to supply crude oil in unlimited
quantities.
orders we're received at the Mare island
navy yard at Vallejo this morning to
place the cruisers Cincinnati and Raleigh
out of commission. These vessels arrived
from the Asiatic station during the past
month and are M need Of extensive re-
pairs. Their crews Will be transferred
to the cruiser California, which is now
short of men and any surplus will be re-
ceived on the South Dakota expected
here from the Union Iron works to be
commissioned.
The st. Louis will come here for coal
and provisions and will reJoin the ships
now a Gan Francisco.