The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-05-10
SPECTACULAR MARINE PAGEANT OF ALL NATIONS AT NORFOL
In SpotIess Array Uncle Sans Great Armada Await
in Hampton Roads the Foreign Guests Of the
Jamestown Tar-Centennial Exposition

Norfolk, Va. 49, Americans have
turned from thoughts Of the Interna-
tOnal Peace Conference to the most
splendid international war spectacle
this country and probably the world
has ever seen. The jamestown Ter
Centennial Exposition, the newest
worlds fair, will be "a military, ma
wal, marine and historic exhibition -
according TO the official statements
History will be given its due at the
Exposition as we'll as the arts of
peace, but the distinctive feature will
be the sight of Hampton ROads-al-
ready a famous naval arena-aliye
with the fighting craft of many ma
tions, the shores glittering with sol
diers in friendly rendezvous.
The remarkable naval display is
made possible by the fact that the
jamestown Exposition is the first
great American fair held on a deep
water harbOr Practically all the civ
ilized nations have accepted the Pres
ident's invitation to send sections Of
their navies. As the summer adj
vances the varying types of fighting
craft, from saucy torpedo boats to the
largest war vessel aAoat. will pass
through the harbor in endless process
sion. The United States Government
will have an extensive display. show
ing the evolution Of guns and fighting
ships from the early days of the Ma
tion TO the present There will also
be a large encampment of militia,
regular army and foreign troops
There are twenty-five battleships
and cruisers in the line headed by the
Connecticut just off the Government
pier at Fortress Monroe, which trails
away up the broad channel leading to
Norfolk The vessels are anchored
several thousand yards off the Expo
sition shore, and, arranged in a huge
semicirCle, are visible from every part
of the grounds.
Every type of fighting craft in the
American navy is represented in the
present rendezvous. The battleships
range from the 10000 ton Connect
cut and Louisiana down to the all but
abandoned Texas, the oldest Ameri-
can battleship and sister of the Maine,
which was wrecked i'm Havana harbor.
The Texas was built at the Norfolk
navy yard many years ago, and, being
a local product, is to remain at the
Exposition as a permanent feature of
the naval exhibit. With her sight
guns and paltry 6315 tons of weight
the Texas, when ranged alongside the
mammoth Connecticut, which mounts
twenty-four guns and displaces 49,
600 tons of water, offers striking
example of the progress Of the Ameri-
can navy since the days of 1886, when
the Texas and the first Maine were
authorized by Congress.
The Brooklyn, bearing on her after
turret the memorial plate simply and
eloquently inscribed July 3, 1898" ="
will also remain a permanent naval
exhibit during the seven months of
the life of the Exposition.
The cruisers of the fleet are all
modern craft, though the variance in
size between the largest and the
smallest is as great as that which
marks the heavier vessels of the bat
tie class.
The armored cruisers Tennessee
and Washington, each of 14,500 tons
and mounting twenty guns apiece,
are the heaviest of the cruisers. The
smallest cruisers are the Denver and
the Cleveland 800 tons .each-the
third class OF the protected vessels of
the navy. In the cruiser class the
most interesting vessel is perhaps the
Brooklyn, the flagship of Rear-Ad
miral Schley in the battle with Ger
vera's squadron off Santiago. Cuba. .
The fleet has been arranged so as
| TO give the visitors To the Exposition
the best possible opportunity for
viewing the fighting strength OF the
! American navy. The glistening white
| hulls, spotless in their new coats oil
! paint, and the bun superstructures oil
the two and three piped line-of-battle
ships and armored and protected
| cruisers. form marine panorama as
| viewed from the water front esplan-
ade of the Exposition grounds such
as has seldom. If ever. before been
! presented TO the American public.
The Navy Department has pre-
| pared a list OF the foreign vessels to
| be i'm Hampton Roads.