The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-10-23
FLEET LEAVES
THIS MORNING
tFrom Thursday.s Advertlser.

Honolulu will witness the departure
of the Pacific fleet this forenoon en-
route to Magdalena bay where the war
ships, augmented by all the available
vessels on the Pacific coast, will have
target practise and then proceed south
to Panama and South America. The
flagship West Virginia with AdmirAi
Swinburne aboard, will be the last vesA
sci of the fleet to leave the harbor.(
This will take place at s o clock this
morning and when outside, all the cruis.
ers will pick up their destroyer tows
and go ahead.
Solace Remains Behind
The auxiliary Solace will remain here
until tomorrow awaiting the arrival Of
fleet mail on the Alameda. AS soou as
the mail is aboard. the Solace will sail
for San Diego, where the mails will
be transferred to Pacific coast steam
er for Panama. OFF Magdalena bay the
passenger liner will be met by dis
patch boat and the mails again trans
ferred and delivered aboard the respec.
tive vessels.
A Long Trip.
The distance from Honolulu to Mag
dalena bay is roughly estimated at 1865
miles and the voyage will take about
eleven days, it being the purpose of the
Admiral to maintain an average speed
of ten and half knots. On arrival at
Magdalena bay the cruisers will get rid
of their lows which will then be al
together detached from the big vessels.
When the latter go south they will not
be accompanied by the destroyers.
Admiral Swinburne will have COM
mand of an assembled feet of about
thirty-fve war vessels, large and small,
exclusive of golfers, when the target
practise begins. In addition to the
present feet of fourteen cruiser, all the
torpedoboats and torpedoboat destroy
ers along the coast will join the feet.
The cruisers Milwaukee, st. Louis and
Albany, and the gunboat Yorktown will
figure in the target practise.
One Month of Shooting.
The fleet will remain at Magdalena
about a month, after which the war
ships will proceed south to Panama.
Then they will go to South American
ports and return to Magdalena about
March 10, for additional target practise.
Two Flagships in Port.
Last night only the two flagships, The
West Virginia and Tennessee, were lin
port, the other cruisers having gone 10
the outside anchorage. The crew$
ashore were rounded up and were)
aboard by clock last evening whenl
all liberty for the men ceased. The
patrol remained on duty picking up the
strays. This morning about Gas, the
destroyers will steam out of the harbor
/ followed at O'Clock by the Tennessee,
and at s o. clock the West Virginia will
cast off from the Alakea wharf.
Took All Reading Matter.
The stationery stores were about
cleaned out of their stock of reading
matter, and all the current publications
were sold with the exception of ladies'
fashion books, etc. Paper bound novels,
magazines, and every dime novel in
town went aboard the feet. Postal
cards by thousands were bought and for
warded through the mails. Shoe stores,
clothing stores, hardware shops and
tailor shops, in fact it is hard to say
what line of business was not given
attention by the bluejackets, had good
trade, and of course, the livery men
made fortune, more or less. The
hotels and lodging houses reaped har-
vest. Every place that had rooms to
rent had it's accommodations all taken.
The gents furnishing stores report
rushing business especially with the Of
ficers, for Honolulu will be the last
American port they will visit until next
April or May and they had to replenish
their wardrobes here.
Last Day Ashore.
Being the last day ashore yesterday
was a lively one all over town. Blue
jackets on horses and in buggies were
everywhere and many of the men
decorated their buggies and horses with
leis and ribbons. Squads returned to
their ships carrying Japanese parasoIs
and covered with leis. Long lines OF
men carried galvanized buckets, for
Jack on board is his own washerwoman.
No oficial Thanks.
Admiral Swinburne had not sent out
any official letters yesterday afternoon
to any of the local organizations which
participated in the entertainment of
the fleet, but these may come to hand
II