Evening star., 1907-10-15
ADMIRAL EVANS HERE
Comes to Discuss the Cruise
to the Pacific.
Is IN EXCELLENT HEALTH
Laughs at the Report of His Inten'
ton to Retire.
MANY DETAILS TO BE SETTLED
Over Seven Hundred Charts to Be
Given to Each Warship for
the Long Trip.

Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans, COM
mander- -in-chief of the Atlantic fleet, ar
rived in Washington this morning and
went directly to the Navy Department.
Secretary Metcalf, being temporarily con-
fined to his home by a slight ailment,
the admiral spent some time in consul
tation with Acting Secretary Newberry
and Rear Admiral Brownson. chief of
the navigation bureau. Admiral Evans
is popular among his brother naval off,
GERS. and as soon as the word passed
around that he was in the department
a number of his fellow-officers dropped
into the navigation bureau to greet him
The admiral was looking in excellent
physical condition; in fact, single glance
at his weather-tanned face and his keen
eyes was sufficient to dismiss at once
any idea that he might be obliged to
apply for retirement on account of fall
ing health before the beginning of the
Pacific cruise. The admiral himself was
disposed to look upon the retirement ru-
NOR as a joke. for he referred to 1t vol
unfairly in jocular manner.
Purposes of His Visit.
The purpose of his visit to Washington.
he said. was twofold: in the first place
he wanted to have his teeth overhauled
by his own dentist. for all prudent sailors
make 1t a practice to have their teeth put
In thorough order before embarking on
long cruise or going to foreign countries.
where dentists equal in ability to those OF
the United States are hard to find. In the
second place the admiral wishes to spend
about a week or ten days in consultation
with the officials of the Navy Department
in relation to the approaching voyage of
his great feet. 1t Is true that the timer
airy has been worked out; that arrange
ments have been made to have all of the
coal needed delivered to the ships at speci
fed ports on the route; that all of the
necessary charts have been ordered. and
that arrangements have been made for re-
lieving and replacing all of the short-term
sailors on the f1eet-men whose enlistment
would expire before the vessels arrive at
their destination on the Pacific coast
Details to Be Settled.
With all this. much remains to be done
to prepare the ships for the cruise. not
the least of which is the change in the
personnel of some Of the officers Of the
feet below the grade of captain. in con-
formity with the decision OF the naviga-
ton bureau. to limit to a year and half
the tour Of duty Of such officers In the
course OF progress of the work now going
on upon the ships in the various navy
yards, 1t is also necessary for the COM
| mander Of the fleet to confer with the
bureaus on construction and steam engi-
neering. and. instead Of by correspondence.
Admiral Evans has decided to spend some
time at the department during the COM
ing week.
Admiral Evans has some very interest
ing stories to tell his sailor friends about
that remarkable white suuall that struck
the big feet of Provincetown fortnight
ago. and he also made some statements
relative to the results obtained at target
practice that caused his hearers to glow
with pride at the ability Of their blue
jackets, but details of that remarkable
practice are withheld from publication for
polite reasons. 1t Is sufficient to say
States navy stands in the front rank.
Over Seven Hundred Charts.
For the passage of Admiral Evans bat
tleship feet around the western hemis-
phere each vessel will be supplied with
more than 100 different charts relating
to the oceanic route to be traversed and
to the coasts and harbors which line the
| continental borders of that route. It will
be source Of congratulation to Ameri-
cans to learn that not a sin 'le chart in
this vast equipment Is procured from any
foreign source. The operations of the
United States photographic Office have
gradually made the United States free
and independent Of the rest Of the world
| in the production Of these Indispensable
| guides for shipping in the western hem
isphere. without which in some form
either domestic or foreign-this cruise
could not be executed. No argument is
| needed to convince the minds Of men Of
the vital function Of the chart in nayt-
cation. and in all those branches of hu-
man welfare which have developed from
successful oceanic transit. II they will re-
member that mankind has placed the seal
of sublime courage upon the acts Of the
discovererS wlo first ventured chartiess
over the seas.
1t is true that they crossed great oceans
without any fixed destination in contem-
plation. accomplishing the greatest
achievement in the most remarkable Pc
riod Of the worlds history, and paving
the way for the rapid development Of
modern civilization. But with what econ
omy? Blinded eyes could not find the
road with ease. strong hands could not
always push open the door leading to
wanderings too long drawn out on the
trackless ocean. human courage was often
unequal to the rough demands. With
the coming of the chart the night of
wandering ceased. and with the dawn 1t
became the cement of the foundation
upon which rests the prodigious fabric
Of commerce between distant parts OF
the world, and the conservator of un-
counted millions worth of the products
of mans intelligence and industry.
Coal for the Fleet.
The coa.ing and provisioning Of the fleet
for this cruise are vast and expensive un-
dertakings. Aside from the 1873 900 tons
of coal which is to be hauled In foreign
bottoms. 800 tons are to be transported
in navy coll ers. The total cost of coal
and transportation may be summarized
as follows.
Total cost OF transportation In foreign
Total cost Of coal to be hauled IN for
etSn bottoms. ........................3 300, 600
Total cost Of coal to be hauled in navy
coll1ers. ......................-. "A, 400
Total cost Of coal and transpertatio 229. $50
This does not include the estimated cost
Of operating the eight navy colliers. Three
GOLFERS. the Hannibal. Marcellus and
Leonidas. will meet the feet at Trinidad
with 5000 tons: five colliers. the Ajax.
Abarenda, Brutus, Caesar and Nero. will
meet the fleet at Rio with 16. 400 tons. 1t
is estimated that 1t would take feet of
fifty GOLFERS with the average capacity OF
the average of the five golfers engaged
to transport the entire amount Of fuel
needed for the sixteen battleships on the
journey.
prax,ia{opjn. ~. F1an<