Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1907-07-12
DEFEND THE PACIFIC
ATLANTIC FLEET COMES WEST
To SH0W'EM.
Nineteen BattIeships, Besides a Num-
Der of Armored Cruisers Are to Go
to Pacific Waters From the Allan
tic-WiIl Help Quiet This Jap War
Talk-President to Have Peace.

Details of the vast Movement of the
Atlantic fleet to Pacific waters have
been theoretically worked out by the
naval general board. But these de
tails are necessarily subject to con
slant change resulting from the with.
drawal of battleships from active com.
mission on account of having been
declared Anticipated or in need of re
pairs and the substitution of other
ships just going into commission and
fresh from the builders hands.
The opinion of the officers on duty
today is that the route most feasible
for the big ships is by way of the
Straits of Magellan.
1t is BELOVED now that the route will
be about as follows:
Leaving New York or Hampton
Roads in the early fall, the fleet would
probably steam straight to Culebra,
| where coal would be taken on. The
! next stop will be Rio de Janeiro, and
from that point the vessels would not
halt until they reached Sand Point
in the Straits of Magellan. Here
again the coal supply would be re-
newed for the run to Callao, Peru. The
next stage would be from Callao to
Panama and from that point the ships
would proceed without a stop to San
Francisco. 1t is belived that after
reaching Peruvian waters the move
ments of the vessels would be much
more deliberate than up to that point.
Although the reason for this state
ment is not officially obtainable, it is
apparent that the explanation is to
be found in the fact that the battle
ships will be within easy reach of
San Francisco; in other words, they
could, in an emergency, arrive at that
port before any other fleet could.
Admiral Evans, it is expected, will
start with 16 battleships, besides as
many GOLFERS. The armored cruisers
Washington and Tennessee, which are
now in French waters, are under or
ders to Immediately refit and proceed
to the Pacific coast to form part of
the armored cruiser squadron to be
assembled there. 1t is possible that
they will be detained and accompany
the battleships on the cruise.
When Admiral Evans arrives off
the coast his fleet will be increased by
the addition of the battleship Ne
braska, newly completed and simply
waiting the rounding out of her skele-
ton crew. The battleships Wisconsin
and Oregon, now at Bremerton navy
yard, Seattle, will probably have COM
pleted their extensive repairs by next
March, so that they too may be added
to the fleet, which will comprise 10
battleships, besides the armored and
protected cruisers of the Pacific fleet
The Pacific Fleet
The armored cruiser squadron of
the Pacific fleet, which will have
head quarters in California waters,
will be composed of the Washington
and the Tennessee, sister ships, 14,50O
tons, "a guns, speed % knots, and
the California and South Dakota,
1850 tons each, 22.5 knots, IS guns,
almost complete. with officers yet to
be assigned.
Rear Admiral Charles H. Stockton
will command the armored cruiser
squadron, the Tennessee being his
flagship.
1t is expected within a few days
President Roosevelt will announce
Just what his preferences are in the
carrying out of the plan OF the navy
department for sending a monster bat
tleship fleet to the Pacific.
1t is said that the president told
Root and his other cabinet advisers
that he would not permit a Japanese
to force this government to a position
irritable to them both.
Professor Grosvenor Talks.
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