The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-28
FIRST DIVISION
SAFE IN HARBOR
Arrival of Rear Admiral Day.
ton at San Francisco With
Four Big Cruisers.
CRUISE OF $4,000 MILES
THOUSANDS.
CRUISE OF $4,000 MILES

San Francisco. Sept. 27.-The first divi-
sion of the Pacific fleet, vanguard of
the American navy, which is TO assemble
in Pacific coast waters by order of the
president, steamed through the Golden
Gate at sunrise this morning. The four
armored cruisers passed the Heads in file
formation, led by the flagship West Vir-
ginia. flying at her masthead the two
starred flag of the commander of the
fleet. Rear Admiral James H Dayton
Five hundred yards to the rear came the
Colorado. followed at like distances by
the Maryland and the Pennsylvania The
arrival of the four big sister ships marked
the end of a 36,O00-mile cruise which be-
gan at Newport, r. L, last September.
Sighted at Daybreak.
The squadron was sighted outside the
Heads at daybreak, steaming at half speed
out of a coast fog BY bringing his ships
to anchor off the city front few min
utes before o'clock, Admiral Dayton full
filled his promise by wireless the night
before, to ARRIVE some time in the early
forenoon Thousands of people. antic
ipating the event, were gathered along the
water front and on the hilltOps COM
handing a view of the bay. Obvious Of
the fact that they could not be diStin-
guished from the decks, they signalled
their welcome to the huge white-and-bu
fighting machines by waving their hats
and handkerchiefs: and as fleecy puffs
of smoke arose and drifted from the
mouths of the six-pounder saluting guns
of the West Virginia, they cheered.
Salute of Flagship.
San Francisco never greeted a home
bound fleet with prettier weather The
light fog outside the Heads lifted and
blew away as the cruisers emerged into
the Golden Gate at s o'clock. As the
squadron passed in under the guns of Fl.
Mason and FIT. Baker, the flagship fired
salute Passing Goat island, the West
Virginia took a mOmentary holiday
dress by running up successive strings of
bright cOlOred signal flags, which were
answered from the naval training sta
ton here Ferry-bOats crowded to the
rails with early morning commuters, sa-
lUted the squadron by triple blasts Of
their whistles. the admiraIs ship respond
ing in kind.
Opposite North beach, the cruisers
slowed down 10 allow Chief Quarantine
Officer Hobby to come aboard. In quick
succession the West Virginia, Colorado,
Maryland and Pennsylvania submitted
their health certificates and were given
clean bills and allowed to proceed to their
RpchOrages a mile farther on, passing
Some of the other cruisers of the fleet on
the way.
Meeting Of Admiras.
Admiral Swinburne put off from his
flagship. the cruiser Charleston, as soon
the latter vessel, the rails were manned
and the band struck up lively air as
Admiral Swinburne stepped onto the quar-
ter deck to greet the commandments
of the fleet. The brief fOrmaity over, the
two admirals shook hands warmly and at
once retired for an official conference rel
alive to the departure from this port of
the cruisers California, Charleston and St
Louis for target practice at Magdalena
bay. Capt J. 3. Milton, commanding the
West Virginia, received a score of news
paper men who had been waiting in
launches for an hour to come aboard.
At 1 o'clock this afternoon, a joint com
mittee of about 100 men prominent in pO-
iitical. business and social life of San
Francisco and nearby cities, boarded the
West Virginia to greet and welcome Ad
miral DAYTON and the officers of the fleet.
United States Senator Perkins made
brief formal address of welcome.
Greater Event In Store.
San Francisco and California are keen
" alive to the importance of the arri-
val of Admiral DaytOn's squadron, as sig
nalizing the coming mobilization in these
waters of the greater part of the Amer
lean navy. 1t is regarded as an off
cial notification to the world that the
central government recognizes as never
before the huge growth of the industrial
and commercial life of the west and the
vast part the Pacific coast Is destined TO
play in securing and maintaining for the
country at large a fair share of trade Of
the orient. 1t is predicted further that
the assembling Of sixteen battleships and
ten or twelve cruisers in California, Ore
gon and Washington waters, Will do much
to secure IN congress the enactment of the
long-deferTed ship subsidy BILL for lack
of which American commerce is carried
largely in foreign bottoms.