The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-07

and was still lowering over the ships
as they got under way at IL o'clock this
morning. The cleft in the rocky coastal
range marking the harbor entrance
was not visible to the fleet as the navi-
gators laid their course toward the
waiting city. the thinning clouds and
the growing strength of the climbing
sun soon wiped the mist away, how
ever, and when four miles away in the
ocean the ships came into full view of
the thousands lining the shores. To the
north of the gateway MOUNT Tamal-
pias, raising its peak 2,Tf) feet above
the sea, was crowded 4 tn the early
risers, who had sought this place of
vantage to view the spectacle of the
fleet in miniature. Fort Baker, on the
Marin shore, with its fifty-ton guns
mounted higher than any weapons of
similar weight in the world, also was
thronged with slghtseers. Nearer the
entrance the sloping Marin shores, all
the way from the heights down TO Lime
Point, marking the north point of the
inner gate were fairly covered with en-
thusiastic thousands who had come
down the peninsula from Napa and the
redwood islands beyond.
Million Spectators.
To the south of the gateway from
the Preside to the site of the famous
old Cliff house, the Seal rocks. and for
other miles along the surf-eaten
beaches. the divisions of the crowd that
made up the estimated total of a mil
lion On-lOokers were gathered in great
black patches which could be seen
through the glasses eagerly trained by
officers and men on the incoming
ships.
The cannon of the Preside and of
Fort Baker doomed a national salute
of twenty-one guns as the Connecticut
passed within the headlands of the
gate. The compliment, never paid be-
fore between the two branches of the
service, was returned by the Connecti-
cut amid loud cheers from the people
on shore. The great white puffs of
smoke belching from the cliff hidden
guns of Fort Baker added another
wonderful touch to the days enduring
lecture.
OnIookers SpeIIbound.
AS the ships passed Fort and Lime
points and entered the bay the rolling
hills of the city lay TO their right On
all of these-On famed Telegraph Hill,
Mob Hill, Russian Hill and all the 9TH
ers of a hundred Tames-the people of
the city and their hundreds of thou
sands of visitors stood and stared. They
saw the splendid cruisers of the Pa
cific fleet lift their anchors from be-
hind Angel island and slip carefully
down to the line marked out for the
battleships, and then as the visitors
from the east had passed, the West
Virginia, flagship of Admiral Dayton,
in command of the Pacific fleet, turned
skilfully into perfect alignment just in
the of tho NiCnnnCin hn Ioc nf
the eighteen battleships stretching in a
long line before the city. The West
Virginia was followed by her seven sis
tiers, by the Charleston and by the tor
pedO craft of the western station. They
took their places 400 yards apart just
as the battleships formed their column,
and there was but one uneven break in
the far-f1ung column. The cruisers
never appeared to better advantage
than in contrast with the battleships.
Beautiful But of Less Worth.
The West Virginia lowered far above
the Wisconsin, and her 502 feet of wa
ter line made the 36S-foot battleship
look almost like pigmy. The long
cruisers, with their sky-reaching masts
and four buff tunnels are without doubt
the handsomest ships in the navy.
Their lines are grace itself, but their
eight and ten-inch guns would be of
little use against even ship as old as
the Wisconsin, which with her four
thirteen-inch turret weapons and six
teen inches of aTmOr could lie well
without the cruisers range and pour
destroying shot into her vitals.
The ships as they sailed into the bay
were dressed only at the mastheads.
big American flags flying at fore and
OF tY-Tro nj o. 4I,a l. Of ba
gaffs. The blue flag of Admiral Evans
on the Connecticut was followed by the
red flags of six subordinate rear adj
mirals, even Admiral Dayton himself
pulling down his blue flag as comman-
der-in- chief of the Pacific fleet and
substituting the ensign of red as Ad-
miral Evans ship came into view.
Secretary SaIuted.
Passing to anchor the ships steamed
in review before Secretary Metcalf and
the Connecticut fired a salute of seven
teen guns. When the last of the ships
had fallen into the four long anchorage
lines a signal from the flagship sent the
fiuttering lines of rainbow flags flying
to the mastheads and the ships were
at full dress during the remainder OF
the afternoon.
No class of citizens i'm the city We're
more interested in the coming of the
fleet than the Chinese. The new pa
goda-like buildings that mark the
present Chinatown were crowded with
the residents of that quarter during the
time the fleet was entering the harbor
and the streets are gay with lanterns
and decorations of lavish beauty. The
Japanese residents also gathered in
large numbers on the hiilsides to see
tho nj They nnafrihUtan nnGrly
$1,000 to the local reception fund, to
which the Chinese also were liberal
subscribers.
After the fleet had anchored the gov
eminent customs launch Hartly put of
from Mission street wharf. bearing
Mayor Taylor and the reception COM
mittee, to pay the city's official greet