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

Welt shook each officer cordially by the
hand and as they went over the side he
babe them official adieu.
Admiral Evans was first over the May
flowers side. There was an exchange OF
formal salutes. then the President grasped
the admirsrs hSpd and gave it hearty
Just before Admiral Evans left the
Atayf1ow7r to give orders for the Meet TO
sat under way. the President called him
aside and the two were in earnest con-
versation for nearly five minutes. during
which the admirars head was dipping az
hrrlativa mods as though acknowledging
instructions.
Goodbye and Good Luck.
During thte reception the President sent
for Seaman William Chandler. coxswatn
of the Lousana's launch, and told him
to convey to the men of the louisiana
his special greetings. The LOUISIANA Is
the ship on which the President and Mrs.
Roosevelt made their return trip from
the Jsthmus of Panama. The sailor was
presented by the Pre- sident to Mrs.
Roosevelt. and then. after the embar-
raised coxswain had taken his leave, the
President said;
Il tell you. our enlisted men are every
thing: they are perfectly bully. and they
are always up to everything required or
them"
Each departing admiral and captain was
wished the best of luck, old fellow, and
goodbye"
The feet sailed from its anchorage
shortly fter 10 O'Clock. There was not
the slightest hitch in any detail of the
carefully planned program.
As the Connecticut steamed past the
crowded government pier at Old Point
the band on the quarter deck played THE
Cir | Left Behind Me- and Aud Lang
Sync.' There were great cheers from
the shore and lively screening of whis
ties from the excursion fleet
Down the Chesapeake.
Then. for journey of nearly ten miles.
the President, as commander-in-chief of
the American army and navy, led the
long line of battlcships out into Chesa-
peake bay. They followed his flag to
Thimble Shoal light. just five miles inside
the capes, where the Mayfower turned
aside and dropped her anchors for the for
NAL review. AS naval pageant, the
view and departure of the fleet today was
the most notable in American history.
There have been several presidential re-
views of the Atlantic fleet during the past
eighteen months. but in those instances
the great ships were lying docile at the
end of spreading anchor chains, while
the reviewing yacht passed up and down
their lines.
Today the fleet was under way. had
east off from the shore and was outward
bound on cruise which. as the President
himself expressed it, no fleet of such size
has ever before undertaken" The guns
which had voiced a welcome to the Presi-
dent upon his arrival in Hampton roads
uttered a goodbye tribute as they passed
the Mayfiower outward bound. The sa
lutte of welcome had been paid in unison:
The farewell tribute was an individual Of
ferinS from eactaone of the sixteen ships
Full Steam Ahead.
The fleet passed out in single column
the big government-built Connecticut,
flagship of Admiral Evans leading the
way. The vessels were 400 yards apart,
and from, the Connecticut to the Ken
rucky. which brought up the rear. the line
reached a distance of more than four
miles. In space of time there was the
stretch of a decade between the 10000
ions of the Connecticut to the little more
than j 900 of the Kentucky. Five stages
of American battleship construction were
represented in the line, and as an object
lesson in the growth of the American
navy the spectacle found one of its most
striking features.
4 large number of yachts and excur-
sion boats accompanied the fleet down the
hay and gathered at the reviewing
ground.
Presidents Roosevelts party on the
Mayfower included Mrs. Roosevelt, Miss
Ethel Roosevelt, Secretary of the Navy
of the Navy and Mrs. Newberry, Rear
Admiral W. II. Brownson. chief of the
bureau of navigation. and Mrs. Brown
son, Rear, Admiral and Mrs. Cowles and
Lieut. Commander and Mrs Smms.
The naval dispatch boat Dolphin also
came down from Washington with a par
~ of congressman on board to witness the
review.