Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-04-16
Foreign Vessels Awaited by Sp|sn.
did Squadron Of Uncle
Sans Fighters
BACK FROM SOUTHERN CRUISE
Local Built Rattleship Louisiana
Steamed Past capes Yesterday At.
ternoon, Leading All the Rest-WiIl
Remain Here Until Some Time in
June.

Headed by the magnificent New
port News built battleship Louisiana,
known in the navy as president
ROosevelt's own" fourteen big battle.
ships and two immense armorcd
cruisers of Rear Admiral Robley d.
Evans Atlantic fleet steamed into
Hampton Roads about Sis o'clock
yesterday afternoon and dropped an
Choir on the anchorage assigned them
for the Exposition period between Old
Point Comfort and the Ivy avenue
pier.
Awaiting the arrival Of the vessels
were the hattleship Connecticut, az
mored cruiser Brooklyn and several
auxiliary craft. and the fleet that now
rides peacefully at anchor within
plain view of the jamestown EXPOSE
tion is the largest and most formida.
hle ever assembled under the Ameri-
can flag.
Back from Hard Cruise.
ships that arrived in the Roads bore
cruise through which they but recent.
~ passed in West Indian waters. but
before The arrival next week of the
foreign fleets that will attend the
opening of the Exposition the men.
'0-war will have keen put into the
hest possible shape by their crews.
A wireless message received Mt the
navy department from the battleship
Maine. Admiral Evans flagship. late
Sunday afternoon announced that the
fleet would reach Hampton Roads
within "a hours, and yesterday
morning the armored cruisers WASH
ington and Tennessee, which arrived
In the Roads from the League Island
navy yard last week, weighed anchor
and steamed out to Lynnhaven bay
to await the arrival of the fourteen
hattleships.
Louisiana In Lead.
1t was long after 8 O'clock when
the Louisiana, which was leading the
fleet up the coast, passed Cape Hen.
ry. Upon her arrival the Washing
ton and Tennessee weighed anchor
and joined the other ships of the fleet
that were following close on the heels
of the Louisiana.
In full fleet formation the sixteen
warships steamed slowly through
lower Chesapeake bay into Hampton
Roads and past the Old Point wharf
on which quite a crowd of people had
gathered, including the families of
many of the officers of the vessels.
The order of the vessels as they
entered the Roads was: Louisiana,
Maine, flying the flag of Rear Ad-
miral Evans, Missouri, Virginia. flag
ship of Rear Admiral Thomas, Rhode
Island, New Jersey, Georgia. Alaba-
ma flagship of Read Admiral Davis,
Illinois, Kearsarge. Kentucky, Ohio,
flying the flag of Rear Admiral En-.
DRY. Iowa and Indiana.
Families in Waiting.
After the warships dropped anchor
many Of the officers went ashore at
Old Point to greet their fanatics that
had been awaiting them at the Cham
berlin hotel for several days.
The present fleet will soon be aug
mented by the 16.000-ton battleships
Minnesota and Vermont, the protect
ed cruiser st. Louis, now in this har-
Dor, the battleship Texas, the mont
tors Florida, Arkansas. Nevada. Man
tonomoh and Canonicus and the tor
nedo boat destroyers Stringham,
Wilkes, Blakley, belong and Stock
ton.
Stay Until June.
This combined fleet of eighteen
hattleships, three armored cruisers,
five monitors. one protected cruiser,
and five torpedo boat destroyers will
remain in Hampton Roads until about
the first of June, when all of the
ships. except the Texas. Brooklyn.
Miantonomoh and Canoncius will go
sto the various navy yards along the
Atlantic coast for their regular sum
mer repairs and oyerhauling.