The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-12-17
GREAT FLEET SAILS.
Battleship Squadron Starts on
Long Trip to Pacific.
PRESIDENT VIEWS PAGEANT
Holds Reception on Board His Yacht
for the Commanding Officers of the
Fleet and Then Leads the Line of
Warships Into Chesapeake Bay,

'o' 1he COMMANDING ou'CeFS VI tne
Fleet and Then Leads the Line of
Warshps Into Chesapeake Bay.
Old Point Comfort, Va, Dec. IL
The backbone of the American navy,
sixteen first class battleships, under
command of Rear Admiral Robley ID.
Evans, has set sail for the Pacific
ocean-a 14,000-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, filmy, telltale columns Of
black coal smoke being the last WIS.,
ible 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 for
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 it's journey at
an end.
President Roosevelt, accompanied
by party Of guests, came down from
Washington on the naval yacht May
flower. His arrival in the roadstead
was signalized by a roar of salutes.
When the resulting veil of powder
had lifted from the ships the May
flower proceeded to anchor in the
very center of the throbbing fleet.
board, the president having a farewell
message for the four rear admirals
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 bade them official adieu
Just before Admiral Evans left the
Mayfiower 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 admiraPs head was
dipping affirmative mods as though
acknowledging instructions.
Then for a journey of nearly ten
miles the president, as commander-in-
chief of the American army and navy,
led the long line of battleships out
into Chesapeake bay. They followed
his flag to Thimble shoal light, just
five miles inside the capes, where the
Mayflower turned aside and dropped
her anchors for the formal review
Notable Naval Pageant.
AS a naval pageant the review and
departure of the heet 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 in
stances the great ships were lying
docile at the end of spreading anchor
passed up and down their lines. In
this instance the fleet was under way,
had cast oft from the shore and was
outward bound on a cruise, which, as
the president himself expressed it, mo
fleet of such size has ever before un-
dertaken." The guns which had voiced
a welcome to the president upon his
arrival in Hampton Roads uttered a
goodbye tribute as they passed the
Mayflower outward bound. The salute
of welcome had been paid in unison,
the farewell tribute was an individual
offering from each one of the sixteen
ships>,
The fleet passed out In single col
umn, the big government built Con-
necticut, flagship of Admiral Evans,
leading the way. The vessels were
400 yards apart and from the Connec-
ticut to the Kentucky, which brought
up the rear, the line reached dis
tance of more than four miles. A large
number of yachts and excursion boats
accompanied the feet down the bay
and gathered at the reviewing ground
President Roosevelt's party on the
Mayfiower 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 Comman-
der and Mrs. Simms.
The naval dispatch boat Dolphin
also came down from Washington with
party Of congressman on board to
witness the review.