The sun., 1908-01-10

F0CN-JAtAAHo
aanay.cr-oNlcIal Vistts-COsllnG bay.
ON BOARD U. S. S. LOUISIANA.
u. s. BATTLE FLEET.
PoRT OF SPAIN, Trinidad Dec. %.
The officers Of the battleship Minnesota
gave a reception Christmas Day on board
their shin 70 all the officers OF the other
.bins The visitors were received at the
Rangway by the officer Of the deck. who
had the usual side boys stationed thore for
the guests to pass by. The visitors were
srst presented TO Capt. Hubbard, after
which they paid their respects to Admiral
Thomas Then, turning around on the
beautifully decorated deck. they saw do
pending from the great I2 inch guns Of the
after turret board festOoned with greens.
and on il painted in large letters:
Peace on earth; good will to menl'
The first effect on the visitor was Ia
startle him. What place was there on a
warship. whose primary purpose 10 de-
atrlction, for such a motto and in such
place? Some of the more thoughtisss
visitors thought it was satire. or perhaps
q naval man 8 idea of grim joke.
Those who thought il a mockery.
satire or a joke were never more mistaken.
The sentiment was made the most prominent
decoration on the ship in all sincerity.
Scores Of naval officers pointed to il with
pTide and said it exemplified truly the
eririt Of the American Navy. All declared
that If there was one thing more than
Rry other which American naval officers
and all tr7Ie Americans wished for It vas
world wide peace and brotherly love. II
was declared that no better place outside
q Christian church could be found for
its display than on an American warship.
MANY an officer said he hoped it would
always be prominent on our warships at
ths Christmas season.
GOOD CHEER ON THE FI.EET.
Certainly good will to man was exempG-
ned at the Christmas celebration on this
feet. II was the most impressive Christ
mas festival that the nine civilians with the
neet ever saw. Here was a city Of la,OOO,
exclusively Of men, some rough. some
refined. some educated. some illiterate.
some Christian. some with no religion.
celebrating the season Of good cheer on
sixteen hatteships in a foreign port Eve
miles from shore. Port Of Spain might as
well have been 5000 miles away, so far as
the effect Of it's influence was concerned.
More than one-half Of the American Navy
own way, with none else TO look on. From
first to last its spirit was kindly; from colors
In the morning until the last serenading
party gliding over the smooth water in n
floating city that had a Venetian aspect.
singing songs to the accompaniment Of
guitars and mandolins. disappeared at mid
night. the celebration was in absolute keep
ing with the sentiment OF the day. All was
av,I IaIl
Perhaps a song sung by the Vermont's
officers who were towed about the feet at
night in a sailing launch al they called on
every warship best reveals the tone Of the
occasion. They came to the Louisiana on
their last call just before midnight. They
allowed none Of the I.ouisiana's officers who
had gone to bed to dress, and pajamas were
almost as common as dress clothes in the
company that assembled in the wardrOOm.
When the visitors were going away the last
song which came across the water. song
which they sang as they came up the gang
WV summing their instruments and lift
ing up their voices. was this
Merry Christmasl Merry Christmas
We're happy and well;
Here comes the Vermont.
Say, don't We look swell,
We're high rolling.
4 lob G dob crew,
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas,
Merry Christmas TO yOui
Probably that lob-e-dob crew sang that
song two hundred times that night Itwas
adapted from new Naval Academy song.
1t has a merry tune and the jingle and
the swing OF it were infectious. The crew
vas highrolling only in a naval sense. the
rolling wave sense, and in five minutes
after they first sang the song 10 their hosts
the hosts were joining in with them. II
meant merry Christmas to everybody Ger
tainly this fleet had one.
DECORATIONS OF THE SHIPS
For two days boating parties had gone
10 the heavily wooded shores Of this beauti-
ful island and had brought in greens for
Christmas. They we're mostly palms and
bamboo, with trailing vines in profusion.
When darkness came on Christmas eve
the work Of decoration began. Late into
the night some Of the men toiled When
daylight came every ship was dressed u
green's From truck to water line. on
signal yards, rigging. turrets. gangways.
there we're branches of trees and festoons
Of vines. Inside the ships the wardrooms
and cabins were elaborately decorated
Every wardroom had its Christmas tree
anu around IL were grouped glItS IOr all
No one was overlooked. Christmas boxes
brought from home with orders not to be
unsealed until Christmas Day. were broken
open in every part Of the ship
Then came a day OF visiting. OF sports
rowing in the morning. athletics aboard
ship in the afternoon and boxing in the
svening-Of the big reception on the Min
nssota and OF the merriest kind OF dinner
parties with the distribution Of Santa Claus
gifts in the evening. The gifts Were mostly
trinksts. but they had hits and grinds in
them, and the presentation ELECTED shouts
OF laughter. Although the matter OF rank
was not ignored. apparently the high and
low officers, from Admiral and Captain
down TO MidShipman, were seated on the
good fellowship basis and as equals. The
Fourth Ward at tho foot Of the table went
out Of business for one night. The mid
dies and ensigns could burst into song
when they chose. and II any one forgot to
say sir no one thought Il strange. Here
on tho Louisiana ten minutes after We
sat down 70 dinner came an instance Of
hs feeling that makes the whole world
hin on Christmas The youngsters had