The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-05-07
ADMIRAL EVANS
AGAIN ON DECK
BOARDS HIS FLAGSHIP AND LEADS
THE FLEET.
FOR SAN FRANCISCO
Rattleshlps Sail from Santa Cruz
for the Golden Gate, Fol-
lowed by the Torpedo
FlotiIia.
United Press Dispatch.

| United PreSs Dispatch.
San Francisco, May 6.-Gathered to-
gether in San Francisco Bay, within
full view of million people who Gov
cred the surrounding hills to witness
| the sight, lies the greatest fleet of
| fighting craft ever assembled under the
flag of the United States. 1t made a
neyerto-be-forgotten sight and one Tor
which many have travelled the length
of the land to witness. The fleet con.
tains eighteen battleships, nine armor-
ed cruisers. destroyer fiotilla and sup
ply ships making total of almost
fifty fighting craft. The great event
was an auspicious crowning of the
great career of Admiral Fighting Bob
Evans, the end of the long journey
from the Atlantic to the Pacific and
practically the end of the service of
the gallant warrior.
A thick fog clung to the sea as the
great ships came steaming through
the golden gate. All of the ships were
gaily attired The Wisconsin and the
Nebraska assumed positions during
the night and joinid the fleet imme-
diately upon its arrival at the light
ship. Admiral Evans was in command
of sixteen battleships and the joining
of the Wisconsin and Nebraska, which
were in the harbor, made il a fleet of
eighteen ships that slowly steamed
| through the Golden Gate and anchored
making along the southern front OF
the city.
The marriage OF the Atlantic and the
Pacific fleets made an imposing spec
tacle, such as is not given to every
generation to witness.
1t was about nine O'Clock when the
Connecticut came abreast of the light
ship marking the outer limit of the
| channel and came to anchor At
noon, with the Connecticut in the lead,
the sixteen ships Of the Atlantic pass
| ed in single file through the Golden
Gate. They saluted as they passed
Fort Winfield Scott, which guards the
| narrowest part of the channel on the
southern side. Twenty-one guns wer'
| fired slowly from the east side as the
ships in file passed on to their ancor-
| age and the nine ships of the Pacific
fleet which has been, in the harbor
joined the ranks of the boats from
the Atlantic. ..
Santa Cruz, CAL, May 6.-The At
lantic battleship feet saeed at three
p. m. Tuesday for San Francisco with
Rear Admiral Robley d. Evans in
command, followed by the torpedo flo-
tilla.
At $3.50 o'clock In the morning the
| Connecticut went to Monterey, 20
which point Admiral Evans had come
| by train. He was met at the wharf
| by launch from the flagship. Four
picked seamen lifted the admiral from
the train and placed him In an inva.
lid chair and rolled him to the launch
waiting at the end of the wharf He
walked down the ladler to the launch,
leaning on a crutch and aided by the
seamen, who assisted him at every
| step. The moment he was on board
the launch showed OFF and in few
minutes was alongside the Connecti-
cut. Everything on the flagship was
in readiness and the moment the
launch came alongside ropes were
lowered, attached to a chair, and the
admiral was hoisted into the air and
| gently deposited on the deck of his old
ship. At the same instant the blue
flag with the two white stars was
broke out at the masthead.
Fleet of fer Frisco.
The combined Atlantic fleet COM
menced tie final leg of its cruise from
Hampton Roads to San Francisco. 1t
weighed anchor in Santa Cruz bay late
| Tuesday afternoon and formed in fleet
column for the cruise along the coast
to San Francisco lightship, where 1t
anchored at nine o'clock Tuesday
night. Wednesday it will again get
under way, and soon will be well with.
in the Golden Gate. When the day
dawned at Santa Cruz the Connect.
J cut was missing from the line of the
ships before the city. While a dense
fog enveloped the bay she had quietly
slipped anchor and got under way for
Monterey, where Rear Admiral Evans
waited ready to board her and resume
active command of the fleet AS the
anchors of the flagship were raised
Tuesday the blue and starspangle1
flag of Rear Admiral Thomas was
run down from the maintop.
Crowd Awaits Fleet.
San Francisco, May 6.-Probably
the largest crowd in the history Of
San Francisco assembled around the
| shores of the bay to witness the ar
rival of the Atlantic feet Thou
sands of people arrived daily by train
and boat from all parts of the Pa
cific coast, and many came fpsm as far
east as Chicago. Special trains ar
rived every hour. and all were crowd
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