Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-05-09
5000 TARS IN A
MAMMOTH PARADE
LARGEST ARMED FORCE EVER
LANDED IN TIME OF PEACE
E TAKES PART IN SPECTACULAR
SAN FRANCISCO EVENT.


Admiral Robley D. Evans closed his
long career today when he went
aboard his flagship Connecticut for
the last time to be present at the re.
view of the combined Atlantic and
Pacific fleets by Secretary Metcalf
The review began at 10 o'clock this
morning when the little gunboat York.
town, with the secretarys white an.
| chored flag at it's main truck, and
| with the civilian head of the navy and
a party of guests aboard, put out
| from the Oakland shore and made
tour up and down the four lines oi
anchored battleships, armored cruiB
ers and torpedo boat destroyers. This
was the first review of the navy that
Roosevelt has not made in person
since he went into the White House
six years ago.
Event Unparalleled In History
| The fleets at anchor in the hill sur
rounded bay constitute the heaviest
| fighting force the navy has ever
known in a single command, and no
such force in all the history of the
lnavies of the world was ever before
4 assembled under a rear adniirals
flag. Evans expects to start for
i Washington tonight. He is relinquish-
ing the command of the fleet at this
time at his own request because OF
ill health. He will not be placed on the
retired list until August and will re
main on waiting orders till that time
at his home in Washington.
Rear Admiral Charles M. Thomas
will become commander in chief ol
/ the Atlantic fleet.
| Yesterdays Mammoth Parade.
Fighting Bob Evans and 5000 blue
Jackets and marines-the largest arm
ed force the American navy has ever
put ashore in time of peace or war
were landed yesterday from the com.
bined Atlantic and Pacific fleets, now
4 lying in the harbor and marched
through the streets of San Francisco
in the most notable parade the city
has ever known. For four and half
miles along streets lined and canopied
with colors and in review of never
ending crowd, the fighting men Of ths
fleets made their way to the martial
tunes Of their shipmatesr bands, to
the cheers that began with the first
command to march and ended only
when the sailormen had again en-
barked in the small boats that re-
turned them to the battle-ships and
armored cruisers in the roadstead.
Twenty-Five hundred soldiers of tho
regular army in full dress array acted
as an escort to the visiting men OF
the sea and were literally applauded.
Constant Cheers Greet Evans.
Rear Admiral Evans, commanding
the fleets, and the six other Rear Ad-
mirals in command of squadrons and
divisions rode in carriages. Admiral
Evans was quickly recognized by the
thousands in the immense reviewing
stands and succession of cheers
marked the slow progress of his car
riage at the front of the marching col
umns. Secretary of the Navy Met
calf, Governor Gillett of Californta,
and Mayor Taylor of San Francisco
rode in the parade and afterward re-
viewed it as 1t countermarched down
Van Ness avenue
In addition to the soldiers and sail
ors there were large representations
from the national guard and from
semi-military veteran and civic organ
izations. A battalion of natty little
high school cadets from Salt Lake
City acted as personal escort to Ad-
miral Evans in token of his having
been appointed to the naval academy
from Utah.
Landing Triumph Of Efficiency.
The landing of the great force OF
sailors and marines involved prob
lens of small workmanship and execu-
tive ability that was at once a test
and triumph of efficiency 1t was ac-
complished with dispatch that knew
of no confusion. Sailing launches,
gigs and whaleboats, appearing like
solid patches Of blue, SO thickly were
they filled, were formed by the vari
., Gus ships of the two fleets into divi
sions and flotillas, and under com
mand of specially designated small
boat captains and admirals were tow
ed tandem fashion by the sturdy little
steam launches to the landing barges
The bay swarmed with the tiny craft
and tnose who saw the maneuvers 0!
. landing marveled that ont Of these di
minutive boats, dancing over the har
: Dor waves, SO great a force as tina,
which appeared in the procession