New-York tribune., 1907-12-13
FLEET IN READINESS.
WATTS SAILING ORDERS.
Completeness of Preparation Leads
to Rumors of Longer Cruise

Old Point Comfort, Va. Dec. 12.-Final word
of Ready was flashed from every vessel in
the batteship fleet to-day. The care "ilh
which the sixteen ships have been groomed lor
their forthcoming voyage and the completeness
with which they have been stored with all the
necessities of a hattleships usefulness in peace
war leave no doubt of the mobility and self
reliance of the great armed force. If the ships
were destined for immediate conflict little more
could be done to make them ready
Now that al! IS II order officers and men
alike are anxious to get away The tour is to
be anything but a junket and it means long
hours and hard work for everybody in the fleet.
One of the points of complete readiness mark
ing the present status of the feet is to be found
in the chart houses of the navigating officers.
When the fleet was first ordered to prepare for
the Pacific voyage the navigators of each ship
were supplied with specially prepared charts
leading down the South Atlantic coast through
the treacherous waters of Magellan and along
the Pacific Coast to San Francisco. Several
weeks ago these charts supplemented by
others showing the way 10 Manila. Then more
recently have come lately revised charts capable
of guiding the fleet all the way TO Gibraltar.
The furnishing OF those charts has given rise
TO gossip that the fleet is destined eventually
10 circle the globe and that there may be some-
thing more beyond Magdalena Bay than San
Francisco.
The ordnance officers attached to the sixteen
ships have probably accomplished the most
difficult duties in preparing for the cruise. They
have had to see to the storage Of more than
two million pounds of ammunition in the care
fully protected magazines and to the installation
Of the new and secret fire control system. The
magazines recently emptied of all old pow
der and shell to make room for supply fresh
from the naval arsenals- Armor piercing pro-
jeCtiles filed with explosive D, said to be the
most powerful and effective of ali the secret
formulas in the possession OF the navy's experts.
have been placed aboard the ships. and the vast
supplies of smokeless powder charges have been
slowed away under the double protection of
sken bags and copper lined cylindrical tanks
Extra gears for the big guns have also been
taken aboard several of the ships.
One of the greatest problems which con-
fronted the ordnance experts had to do with
the storage of the heavy charges OF guncdtton
taken along to load the score of harbor mines
which each batteship carries. The solution has
been found in the distribution of the deadly ex-
plOsive in small portions throughout the Of
fcers' quarters. Little wooden boxes. eighteen
inches long and six inches in depth and breadth.
containing several bottles of guncotton have
been placed about five feet apart in the ward
room and Steerage dining rooms and even the
officers state rooms have been invaded. The
effort has been to keep the delicate explosive
far as possible from the magazines and from
the shock of the big guns AT the same time it
Is believed that the system of distribution
adopted is such that should portion of the
gun cotton accidentally explode it would not set
off the general supply.
The fire control which has been installed
the ships is visual and audible system Of
directing the fire of all guns in the first and
secondary batteries. From the forward fighting
ton the ordnance officer of a ship by squeezing
q bulb gives a buzzing signal to each gun crew
whose piece he wishes brought into action. The
range of the enemy is also flashed upon an in
dicator The system was recently tried by the
Maine at target practice and a broadside was
fred with the roar of single gun. The rapid
itv of American fire is such that the entire sup
nIy of ammunition carried by the larger ships
would he exhausted in from twenty to twenty
five minutes.
Plans for the review of the fleet and its sub
saouent departure on Monday morning have
been completed. The Mayflower will arrive
soon after a. m. and after being saluted with
twenty-one guns will anchor near the centre of
the fleet Flag and commanding officers will
renair on board and be received by the Presi
oreceded to the Horseshoe in Chesapeake Bay
bv the Mayfower. which will anchor The fleet
then Will pass in review at ten knots and in
ships will proceed to sea- A searchlight drill
tonight by all the vessels a brilliant spec
tace.