Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1907-12-20
GREAT |! FLEET SAILS.
Battleship Squadron Starts on
Long Trip to Pacific.
PRESIDENT VIEWS PAGEANT
Holds Reception on Board His Yacht
and Then Leads Line Of War.
ships Into Chesapeake Bay.

Old Point Comfort, Va, Dec. 1e.-
The backbone of the American navy.
sixteen first class battlesh1ps, under
command Of Rear Admiral Robley ..
Evans, has set sail for the Pacific
ocean--a 14,o00-mile cruise, which has
set all the world to talking. Parading
in review before the president of the
United States and saluting as they
went the stately white vessels drew
anchors from the rendezvous ground
at Hampton Roads, steamed out Of
the famous old Virginia capes and
were lost to view On the southeastern
horizon, fluly, telltale columns Of
black coal smoke being the last vjs-
ib]e vestige Of the departing feet; AT
ten knots speed they went, turning
their backs on the coast which so long
has been their home and headed fCs,
the eastern end Of the. West Indies
! After threading their way among
the reefs Of those islands the feet will
bring up at Trinidad on Christmas
! eve-the first stage Of its journey at
an end.
! Ivy a party Of guests, came down from
| Washington on the naval yacht May
| flower. His arrival in the roadsteaG
was signaiized by roar Of salutes,
! When the resulting veil Of powder
| had lifted from the ships the May
flower proceeded tc anchor in the
very center CT the throbbing feet.
There followed a brief reception Oh
! board, the president having farewell
message for the four rear admlTals
| and the sixteen commanding officers
who are taking the ships through Ma
! gellan straits to San Francisco. At
| the conclusion Of the meeting on the
| Mayflower's quarterback President
Roosevelt shook each officer cordially
! by the hand and as they went over the
! side he babe them official adieu.
! Just before Admiral Evans left the
Mayflower to give orders for the fleet
| to get under way the president called
| him aside and the two were in earnest
conversation for nearly five minutes.
during which. the admirals head was
dipping affirmative mods as Though
acknoWled ging instructions.
| Then fer journey Of nearly Ten
miles the president, as commanders
chief Of the American army and navy,
! led the long line OF battleshire rr,t
into Chesapeake bay. They followed
his flag to Tllimble shoal light Just
five miles inside the capes, where the
MayfOWer turned aside and droppcj
her anchors for the formal review
Notable Naval Pageant.
AS a naval pageant the review and
departure of the feet was the most
notable in American history. There
have been several presidential reviews
of the Atlantic feet during the past
eighteen months, but in those III
stances the great ships were lying
docjle at the end Of spreading anchor
chains, while the reviewing yacht
passed up and down their lines. n
this instance the fleet was under way
had cast Off from the shore and was
outward bound On 6 cruise, whicE. rs
the president himself expressed it, nc
feet Of such size has ever before IN
dertaken." TIE guns which had voiced
a welcome to the president upon his
arrival in Hampton Roads uttered &
goodbye tribute as they passed the
MayflOWer outward bound. The sa111te
Of welcome had been paid in unison.
the farewell tribute was an Individual
offering from each enc of the sixteen
ships.
The fleet passed cut in single col
unin~s the big government built Con.
nectAut, flagship of Admiral Evans,
leading the way. The vessels were
400 yards apart and from the Comes
ticut to the Kentucky, which brought
up the rear, the line reached a dis
lance Of more than four miles. A large
number Of yachts and excursion boats
accompanied the fleet down the bay
and gathered at the reviewing ground.
President Roosevelt's party on the
MayfOWer Included Mrs. Roosevelt.
Miss Ethel Roosevelt. Secretary of the
Navy and Mrs Metcalf, Assistant Sec
retary of the Navy and Mrs. New
berry, Rear Admiral w. H Brownson,
chief of the bureau Of navigation, and
Mrs. BroWnson; Rear Admiral and
Mrs. Cowles and Lieutenant Ccn1u1an~
der and Mrs. Simms.
The naval dispatch boat Dolphin
also came down from Washington with
a party Of congressman on board to
witness the review /.