The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-04-27

far cry Yet many of those who stood
on the shore and witnessed the naval
pageant in the roadstead wildly re-
called the historic time when the
wind-ripped waters which formed the
setting of the greatest international
rendezvous of war vessels of recent
years were splashing with the shot
and shell of the first great battle OF
steel-clad ships.
President Roosevelt from the
bridge of the trim little yacht cruiser
Mayfiower, whose decks were the
meeting place OF the peace plenipO-
tentiaries of Russia and Japan, less
than two years ago, reviewed the
great assemblage of f1ag-draped fight
ers gathered from the corners of the
world to make a notable opening day
of the jamestown ter-Cenfennial Elk
position commemorative the three
hmdredth anniversary of the first
English settlement in America.
Presidents Review.
Steaming down the long column of
dark-hulled foreigners, the president
was greeted by each vessel in turn
with salute of twenty-one guns.
The Mayflower then turned down the
lane of American hattleships and
cruisers, and again the roar of salut-
ing cannon swept across the waters.
The new American navy was in its
infancy fourteen years ago when the
brilliant rendezvous of 1898 was held
in Hampton Roads. Today the mag
nif1cent Atlantic fleet, under command
of Rear Admiral Robley d. Evans.
presented a picture of impressive
oh cfr ncr4h in, he
annals of the world.
The foreign vessels were given the
positions of honor in line stretching
nearest and parallel to the shores of
the exposition grounds. browning
and formidable in their dark drab col
oring, with tunnels as black as the
smoke which poured from their tops,
the SQuadronS sent by Great Britain,
by Austria, by Germany and the Ar
gentine Republic Ioomed in deep
shaded relief against the dazzling
background of American vessels
whose glistening white sides spanked
in the light rays reflected from the
water whose light-bu1 superstructure
and stacks lent a harmonious setting
to the many-hued flags floating from
mastheads and peaks from fighting
tops and flying trucks. The foreign
vessels were suggestive of the Ameri-
can ships during the days of the war
with Spain, when the traditional and
exclusive dressing of white gave way
to the sombre gray hue of war APP
parel.
American vessels at naval gather
ings abroad have always been an at
tractive center of interest because OF
their graceful lines and clean-cut APP
pearance. Today assembled in the
full strength of a home-prOtecting feet
they made an impression which will
live long in the memory of those who
looked with the president as the COM
mander-in-chlef, DOTTED his hat in &C
acknowledgements of each thunderous
salute which marked the progress OF
the review.
Foreign Officials.
Not the least impressed of those
who witnessed the inaugural ceremony
of the opening of the exposition were
the military and naval officers of thir-
ty-seven of the nations of the world.
The ambassadors. and ministers of all
these nations were also among those
who gaZed upon the beautiful naval
show. The foreign diplomatists and
officers, were on board the steamer
Newport News, which brought them
uOWn lIOIu w washington last night and
which was given a position of vantage
over the hundreds of excursion steam
ers and pleasure craft of every i'm
agineable description which formed a
frame about the anchorage ground of
the assembled fleets. None of the ex-
cursion or pleasure craft were allowed
to cruise between the war vessels |
and the shore, thus ensuring those on |
the exposition grounds an unobstruct- |
ed view of the impressive ceremonies |
pictured almost as in miniature sever |
al thousands of yards away in the !
blue waters waters of the rOadsted.
Back of the first line of foreign YES
sells was ranged the mightiest columns |
of American battleshipS the history of |
the nation has ever known. Stretch |
ing away in a curVing line up the |
broad channel way from the govern |
ment pier off Old Point Comfort, six !
teen mighty fortresses of the sea, !
wide-hulled, squat and heavy, fittingly /
formed the centre of the fleet ar |
ranged for the days review. In a |
third line, and all but hidden from the /
shore by the bulk of the heavy bat |
tleships, were the cruisers and spec /
tre-like torpedo boats attached to the |