The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-07
Hundreds of Thousands Assem- bIe To Welcome Warships
 To San Francisco
GRAND SPECTACLE SEEN
 AS WARSHIPS ENTER BAY
Official Welcome Is Rendered. Admiral Evans, Who Is Again In Command
 of the Fleet, and Hospital
 ity Is Unbounded.

San Francisco, May 6.-Through the towering rock portals of the Golden Gate, heavy laden with the romance of cen turies, into the harbor of the city of hundred hills, into a new San Francisco, in ruins only two years ago, the Atlantic battleship fleet steamed today in review of multitude unnumbered. It was the same imposing pageant of immaculate white ships that sailed from Hampton Roads nearly five months ago in the wake of the Presidents flag, but with the splen- did accomplishments of record-break- ing cruise of more than 140G0 miles and three weeks of wonderful target work behind it. Today the white anchored, four-starred blue flag of the Secretary of the Navy flying from the mainmast of the gunboat Yorktown, hut- tered the welcome of the navy, while the governor of California, the mayor of / San Francisco and the people of a hun dred towns and cities voiced the greetings of the enthusiastic west
 San Francisco, Oakland and other cities nearby all took a holiday to witness the coming of the fleet. There was com plete cessation of business, and the streets downtown were absolutely deserted. More people came into the city last night and this morning than left during the earth- quake.
 A welcome sign spelled in letters 50 feet high topped the heights ot Telegraph Hill. The sun, which all morning long lad been obscured by heavy gray clouds. broke through just as the ships were passing through the.zGsidsp assate.
 Flood of Entertainments.
 Tonight the city is gay with merry making, nd the long programme of en- tertainme kts in honor of the fleet is under way. s,rats and buildings are ilumi- natedg man 9of the giant skyscrapers that havC risen upon the sites of less impos- ing buildings destroyed being outlined in fire of electric bulbs. In the anchorage grounds the illuminations of the heaviest fleet ever assembled under any flag made brilliant the waters of the bay.
 Officially banners, band concerts and reception and ball at the Fairmont hotel are features of the first evening of the fleets stay. The fleet threaded it's way through the crowded harbor, past the islands and ferry landings and reaching far out to the Oakland shore, turned at last when opposite Hunters Point, and pointing back toward Golden Gate to face the incoming tide. steamed into anchorage formation.
 The 16 ships of the Atlantic fleet, aug mented by two battleshps recruited here for the remainder of the trip around the world-the Nebraska and Wisconsin, oc- cupy the two inside lines of the four columns of ships now in the harbor. The armored cruisers of the Pacific fleet have the lines nearest the Oakland shores, while the little black destroyers of both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets are berthed close in toward the San Francisco water front.
 Patrol of Cutters.
 The excursion fleet was kept out of the warships' pathway by a patrol of reve- nue cutters and all ferry service was sus- pended during the parade.
 Rear Admiral Robey D. Evans stood on the bridge of the Connecticut as the flagship led the way through the harbor gate. A fog was lowering over the ships as they got under way a. Il o'clock this morning off San Francisco lightship.
 When four miles away the ships came into full view of the thousands lining the shores To the north of the gateway Mount Tamalpais, raising it's peak 250O feet above the sea, was crowded with the early risers.
 Fort Baker. on the shore also was thronged with sightseers Near the entrance the sloping marine shores, all the way from the heights down to Lime Point. marking the north point of the inner gate was fairly covered with thousands. To the south of the gateway from the Presidio to the site of the famous cliff house, the seal rocks and for miles along the beaches, the division of the crowd that made up the estimated total of million looners were gathered in great black patches.
 Cannon Boom Salute.
 The cannon of the Presidio and of Fort Baker boomed salute of 21 guns as the Connecticut passed within the headlands of the gate. The com- pliment was returned by the Connecti- cut amid loud cheers from the people on shore. The ships as tn ey sailed into the bay were dressed only at the mast head, and the peak of the gaffs.
 Passing to anchor the ships steamed in review before Secretary Metcalf and the Connecticut fired salute of IF guns. When the last of the ships had fallen into the four long anchorage lines signal from the flagship sent the nuttering lines of rainbow flying to the masth eads and the ships were at full dress for the day.
 No class of citizens was more in- terested in the coming of the fleet than the Chinese. The Japanese also gath I cred in large numbers on the hills to see the pagent. After the fleet had anchored the governors launch put off from Mission street wharf, bearing Mayor Taylor and the reception com mittee to spay the city officials greet ings and proclaim formal welcome to Rear Admiral Evans and the steamers. The launch reached the flagship at 8 o'clock and the mayor and the commit tee were received by the admiral. Hear ty greetings were exchanged between the admiral mayor and members of the reception committee.
 Following the official call, Admiral Evans came ashore and was taken to the St. Francis hotel to meet his wife md daughter.