Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-07-06
Splendid Armada, Under Rear Ad-
mPaI Evans, Goes Through
Straits Of HageI'an.
MAY START FROM HAMPTON ROADS
Route Through suez Canal Would
Not Be Feasible, Especially Be.
cause Such Movement Might be
Considered Menace by Japanese.
Vessels Making Up the Fleet.

Plans for the sending of great
fleet fwarships to the Pacific seem
1ieet OF warships to tho Pacific seem
department III advance. AS announc-
ed in these columns yesterday, the
fact that the ships are to be sent has
been officially confirmed, ana now
the department is giving out some of
the details.
The most powerful fleet of sen
fighters ever gathered Off the West
crn coast Of the United States. will
go through the straits of Magellan
under Rear Admiral Roblcy ID. Evans.
Following is an Associated Press
from Washington, roce' we'd last night
in which interesting details are Civ
en-:
Details Subject to Chnnge.
The details are necessarily subject
to constant change, resulting from
the Withdrawal of battleships from
4 active commiss on on account of hay
ing been declared antiquated or in
need of repairs, and the substitution
of other ships just going into com
mission and rushed from the builders
hand
that l'lt one route is feasible for the
big ships and that is by way of the
straits of Magellan. The routerfrom-
New York across the Atlantic and
through the Mediterranean and the
SueZ canal is open to the objection
that it would bring the big ships al
most into Japanese waters and the
mOevment might consequently be re-
garded as menace, which Secretary
Metcalf has stated has never been
contemplated. Tile Sucz route, too,
is longer, by thousand miles than
the Magellan route which is about
$4,000 miles in length.
Make Trip In Sixty Days.
The opinion is that under ordinary
cruisin gsoas, which for the big lat
tleships means about 10 10 IL knots
an hour, and allowing a reasonable
tine for coalns. enroute, the Allan
tic fleet can make the passage from
New York to San Francisco is less
than 60 days.
1t IS conceded that Rear Admiral
Robley Evans will command the fleet
In this great movement. He already
has had an extended period of sea
service in command ranll--longcr per
haps than any other admiral in re-
cent years-but it is known ly his
friends that he would like TO wind
up his active career by safely con
Quoting around the American CONT
nent the greatest fleet of warships
ever gotten together in these waters
and there is no disposition on the
part of the officials of the department,
VINO have implicit conf dence In his
ability, to deny the officer this re-
quest
Sailing Route.
1t is believed now that the sailing
route of the ships will be about as
follows: Leaving New York or
Hampton Roads, just which point to
tleships would probably steam
straight to Culebra, where coal would
be taken on The next stop would
be Rio de Jancrio and from that point
the vessels would not halt until they
reached some point in the straits of
Magellan Here again the coal sup
ply would be replenished for the run
to Calao, Peru. The next stage would
be from Calao to Panama, and from
that point the ships would proceed
without stop to San Francisco
Admiral Evans it Is said, will start
out with sixteen plttleships besides
the GOLFERS. which will move more or
less independently and indeed will
probably precede him considerably.
The armored cruisers Washington
and Tennessee, which are now in
French waters, are under orders to
return to the United States and after
refitting, to proceed to the Pacific
coast to form part of an armored
cruiser squadron to be assembled
there. 1t is possible that they WI
he detained and accompany the bat
tleships on the cruise.
NEBRASKA to Join.
When Admiral Evans arrives off
the Pacific coast his fleet will be in
creased by the addition of the bat
tleship Nebraska. soon to be commits
stoned and simply awaiting the round
ing out of her skeleton crew. The
hattleshlps Wisconsin and Oregon,
now at Bremerton navy yard. Puget
Sound will probably have completed
their extensive repairs by next March
so that they too may be added to the
fleet which will then comprise nine
teen battleships, besides the armored