Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-12-20

apart, the engine room indicators showed
full speed ahead" For the purposes
Of this cruise full speed means an easy
pace of ten knots and it was On this
basis that the ships babe farewell to the
great crowds.
The Presidents yacht was well down
the bay by this time. There was little
time to wait before the wide girthed hull
of the Connecticut, glimmering white,
showed off the quarter rail. Coming to-
ward the Mayflower almost bow on, at
the head of the far flung line, great
clouds of curling black smoke leaping
from her three towering tunnels, her
rails manned with half a thousand sail
ors in their nattiest suits of blue, with
marine guard. full uniformed and stiff
at attention" on the quarterback, with
band playing the national anthem, with
Admiral Evans on the after-bridge high
above the main deck, with the union
jack at the stem, the two starred rear
admirals' ensign of blue at the main
truck and a spotless new American flag
futtering from the flagstaff at the stern,
the Connecticut presented a picture
which fairly thrilled those who saw, and
set patriotic pulses beating in quicken
ing rhythm.
The President lifted his hat and the
spontaneous cheer he voiced was quick
ly taken up by others in his party.
Final Boom of Farewell.
The Connecticut's men at the word
of command, raised right hands to caps
and held them there until the Mayf1ower
was cleared. On the forward bridge
Capt. Osterhaus and his staff came to
attention with a flourish of swords.
Admiral Evans and the members of his
staff sauted similarly. 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 Mayfower the salut-
ing cannon were brought into play and
with tWenty-One guns the flagship voiced
her farewell message.
Following in the wake of the Connec-
ticut and saluting in their turn, with
bands playing, drums ruft1ing 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 builders
could make them. They constituted the
Big Vessels Swing By.
Four hundred yards astern Of the
Louisiana came the Georgia, flying the
flag of Rear Admiral William FL. Emory
and leading the four ships of the second
division, first squadron. After the
Georgia came the New Jersey, the Rhode
Island and the Virginia. The passing OF
the Virginia completed the first squadron
under Evans.
Next came the eight ships of the sec
ond squadron. The big Minnesota, with
Rear Admiral Thomas, led. The Mime
sofa 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
three being of one type and representing
the third retrospective stage of American
naval architecture. Their tonnage is
1880 and their speed Is knots. The
fourth class of battleships, looking back
ward in American naval history, was
found in the Alabama and the Illinois,
the two leading ships in the fourth d.
vision, second squadron. Read Admiral
Sperry's flag flew at the main truck of
the Alabama. The Alabama and the
Illinois displace only 1852, but they
have a speed of more than IT knots.
Off Down the Coast.
The fifth and last class warships rep
resented in the parade were the Kear-
sarge and the Kentucky, the latter bring
ing up the rear of the line. The two
ships were launched in 1898, about the
the Alabama ond Illinois, they mount
13-inch guns and have armor belts
reaching a maximum of Is inches in
thickness or 515 inches thicker than the
main protection OF the modern Connect
cut.
When the echoes of the saIuting can
non of the Kentucky had died away
across the waters, the Connecticut at the
head of the column four miles away,
had almost reached the capes and the
history making journey had begun in
earnest. Gle lring the capes late the
Connecticut showed the way down the
coast
Stops to Be Made on Trip.
Fleet collieries and provision ships
have preceded the battleships to Trini-
dad, where the first stop will be made.
The stay at Trinidad, where the ships
will arrive on Christmas eve, is limited
to FIVE days. The second stage of the
journey will take the squadron to Rio
Janeiro, where they will make a ten
days stop from January II. The third
leg leads to the end of South America,
Punta Arenas, in the straits of Magel-
Ian, this port being reached January 81.
The 9th of February will see the feet
again under way picking it's course eau
tiously through the western end of the
straits and then heading north once
more for Callao. The Callao stop is
scheduled from February 10 to %, the
fleet sailing on the latter date for the
rented naval station at Magdalena bay,
southern California. They should reach
there not later than March Il. Their
stay there is indefinite, for the spring
target practice, planned on lavish
SCALE must be accomplished before the
fleet sets out on the final stage of it's
voyage to San Francisco.