The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-17
serie. of salutes.

to caps and held them there until the Mayflower was cleared. On the for ward bridge Captain Hugo osterhaus and the fleet navigating oficer came to attention with a flourish of swords. Admiral Evans and the members Of his staff saluted similarly in turn from the after .byidge.. while the marine guard, with polished rifles, stood mo- tionlsss at p.present arms" Drums aboard the flagship were ruffling their tokens of respect when at last came the strains of "The Star Spangled Banner floating across the waves.
 Just beyond the Mayflower, the sa- luting cannon were brought into play and with twenty-one guns, the flag ship voiced her farewell message, the white globules of power smoke rising like filmy balloons from either bow to become lost in the deep huge coal vapor whirling from the glowing fires beneath hissing boilers.
 It was particularly fitting that the Connecticut should lead the greatest fleet ever sent from American shores. She Is the product from stem to stern, from keel plate to fighting top. of the American naval establishment
 Fiagship's Battery.
 The battery of the Connecticut stands as the increase in power over any, thing heretofore attempted on Amer. ican battleships. The latest pattern of e5 calibrs. 12 inch guns were mounted in the navy. Four of these, carried twin shape in barbett turrets forward and aft, there are eight 45.calibre S-inch guns In turrets on the broadside and an exceedingly powerful second- ary battery mounted in casemates on the main deck consisting of twelve q. inch of 50 caiibre. N5~..st .H necticut, and saluting in their turn, with bands playing. drums beating and guns booming. the Kansas, the Vermont and the Louisiana steamed by the May flower. These four ships are as nearly alike as the naval architects and build- CTS could make them. their only dif- ferences being in minor details which are lost to the untrained eye.
 They constituted the first division, first squadron of the fleet. Four hum dred yards astern of the Illinois came the Georgia, flying the flag of Rear Admiral Win. H Emery, and leading the four ships of the second division first squadron. Admiral Emery was on the aft bridge. The details of salute were the same as those set by the Con- necticut and followed by all the other ships as they came.
 The Georgia class of 'battieships, at a distance. appear very similar to the Connecticut type. except that they have double turrets for 12 and S-inch guns forward and aft. Their three tunnels and their displacement is only about 1000 tons under the 1e,ooo of the Con- necticut
 The Georgia's Speed.
 The Georgia class excels all of the American battleships in speed and horsepower. The passing of the Vir- ginfa completed the frst squadron un- der command of Admiral Evans.
 Next came the eight ships of the seo- ond squadron. divided into the third and fourth divisions of the fieet of four ships each. The second squadron presented the first break in the ho- mogenous composition of the various units of the fleet. The big Minnesota, with Rear Admiral c. NJ. Thomas on the bridge, Jed the squadron. The Minnesota belongs to the Connecticut class. making the fifth and last ship of that pattern. Following her came the Ohio, the Missouri. and the Maine. the latter being all of one type and representing the third retrospective stage of American naval architecture. Their tonnage is 12,500 and their speed eigh teen knots. In the same class the new high calibred I2-tnch guns first found their place in the navy.
 The fourth class of battleships, look ing backward in American naval his tory, was found today in the fourth division, second squadron. Rear Ad' miral Sperry's flag flew at the mair truck of the Alabama and he stood in his assigned place on the after bridge The Alabama and the Illinois arc | quite distinctive from the other ships | of the fleet. Their two tunnels arc 1 placed ath wart ship in Mississippi riv ' CT steamboat fashion. The Alabama and Illinois displace only 11.552 tons hut they have a speed of more than ii knots and are ranked as frst-class bat tleships in everything except date oi i construction.
 Kentucky in Rear.
 The fifth and last class of ships rep resented was the Kearsarge and the Kentucky, the latter bringing up the
 rear of the line. The two ships wer' launched in 1898, about the time of the Spanish American war. Like the Ala bama and Illinois. they mount 1S-inct
 s,,ns in their main turrets and hav' srmor belts reaching maximum O. sixtee ninches in thickness or five anc
 q half inches thicker than the protec tion of the modern Connecticut.
 When the echoes of the saluting can 1 non of the Kentucky had died away across the waters. the Connecticut,
 the head of the column four miles ava! had almost reached the capes and th'
 history making journey had begun il earnest. Clearing the capes later, thu | Connecticut showed the way down tho l coast. It is expected that at sea va rious maneuvers and different squad ron formations will be tried, but thu sneed will always remain the same, tel | knots an hour, unless some have to eX cAed that limit temporarily to caBr! out some order.
 Fleet Golfers Ahead.
 Fleet eolliers and provision ship have preceded the hattleships to Trin | idad. where the first stop for coalini , and the replenishing of larder supple
 The stay at Trinidad where the shi
 will arrive on Christmas eve, is limit ed to five days. The second stage 0
 the journey will take the battle-cla' souadrons to Rio de Janeiro. wher,
 they will make ten days stop iron
 January II to 21. The third leads t, the end of South America. Punta Are
 mas in tho straits of Magellan. thi
 port being reached January S1. Tn i fifth of February will set the flee
 again under way picking It's cours
 cautiously through the western end o
 the straits and then heading mort
 once more for Callao. The CalIao sto
 is scheduled from February IS to 2S
 the fleet sailing on the latter date fo
 Americas rented naval station a
 Magdalena Bay. Southern Cali1brnls
 The fleets should sight the sand dune
 and Indian huts of Magdalena not lat
 CT than March l4.