Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-04-25
IN SQUADRON FORMATION.
Vast Crowds Sought Points OF
Vantage Along High Bluffs
At Santa Monica.
Some Sailors and Marines Who Had
ovcrstaSed Their Shore Leave
We're Left Behind.

San Pedro, Cal, April 25-At 5.45 a.
m. this morning Rear Admiral Thomas
squadron, consisting of the flagship
Connecticut, the Kansas, Vermont and
Louisiana, weighed anchor and sailed
for Santa Barbara. the Connecticut
leading. The dispatch boat Yankton.
the supply ship Glacier and the repair
ship Panther accompanied the squad
ron. or the brealswater the squadron
was joined by the second division COM
manded by Rear Admiral Emory and
composed of the flagship Georgia, the
Rhode Island New Jersey and Virginia.
The two divisions proceeded in squad
ron formation to Redondo.
SECOND DIVISION.
Long Beach Cal, April 25.-.rhe ships
of the second division of the battle
snip fieet which have been anchored
! OF Long Beach since last Sunday,
weighed anchor at 4;30 this morning.
The departing gun was fired at tho
hour The ships at once steamed out
TO sea in southwesterly direction.
The Virginia at the extreme east Of the
| division as ii lay at anchor. took po-
| sition at the head of the division, fol-
| lowed by the Rhode Island, New Jer-
! sey and Georgia and the ships starting
| from Long Beach in the reverse order
|
| division laid about eight miles off shore
until about $3.50, when the first division
| left San Pedro and they then fell In he
| hind. The morning was clear and fine.
| There was cool breeze and the water
OF the bay was calm. But few people
| watched the departure. The ships We're
| seen disappearing around Point Firnin
at san Pedro at 5:45. few sailors and
marines who overstayed their shore
| leave in Los Angeles, came down this
morning to find the ships gone and they
then returned to Los Angeles to go by
| rail to Santa Barbara.
CROWDS ABOARD.
Santa Monica. Cal, April 25.--Before
daylight the crowds were abroad seek
Ing points of vantage along the high
| bluffs at Santa Monica, lining the walk
! extending along the waters edge be
| fore the three beach cities and taking
| their way to the summit of the sharp
| ridges back of the towns. AS day
broke the watchers on the shore were
| able to make out the four ships of tho
! third division, the Maine lying farthest
| off the shore and the Minnesota, MIS-
| souri, and Ohio close to the end of the
| pier. AS the sun rose, the haze of early
| morning cleared away from the shore,
| but hung in an inpenetrable mass
| across the mouth of the bay, hiding
| Point Vincent, where the warshiDs
| from the other ports would first be
| seen at POINT DufIlu DcyOnu winch THEY
would vanish. As If to clear the stage
| for the stirring spectacle soon to be
presented, the four battleships in the
| harbor weighed anchor and steamed
away In the direction of Redondo,
| where the fourth division lay ana
| where the is battleships would unite
for departure.
THIRD DIVISION.
The third division got under way at
| ego o'clock and the movement was the
signal for a gathering such as was
never before witnessed on the shores
of Santa Monica
To the thousands who arrived yester-
day and during the night there were
added new thousands who came by
train, In an unbroken procession of
electric cars, by automobiles and by
nearly every vehicle that could no
spared from the requirements of bust
ness. Where the crowds were thick be-
fore, they now became congested
Men and women climbed to roof tops,
mounted into the branches of trees, and
risfcd life and limb in an effort TO inn
prove their view point. Conspicuous
IN the great gathering were the faded
blue uniforms and the battered SLOUGH
hats OF the veterans OF the Soldiers
home TO whom the visit Of the fleet hus
been most notable occasion That
their patriotism IS undiminished is
shown by the fact that hundreds of tha
older soldiers remained at the beach
all night finding accommodations
where they could so that they might
miss no part OF the spectacle The
hour that elapsed after the departure
of the Third division was a tedious one.
Eyes never wavered from the grey fos
bank that oYorhung tho south portion
Of the crescent shaped bay. but tho mo-
mcnts passed slowly and the wait was
tresome one for the many who had
stood In their places since dayhreak
II was but few moments after
o'clock when a white spot fiickered for
an instant of Point Vincent and was
lost to view again II showed and again
there was only the fog bank. A mo- .
ment Of uncertainty ana there wera
two white spots and a cheer went up
as the fortunate possessor of strong
glasses announced that they could
make out the dim outlines OF the ships
SOUND OF CHEERING.
Scarcely 10 miles away at this time.
n was full five minutes before the
four ships Of the hrst division could be
distinguished an separate bodies From
Gar down the beach came the fains
sound OF cheering and the black, un-
broken line of people extending five
miles down the beach wayerod and
stirred uneaslly as the crowds surged
forward for a better View
When tho bur of the Connecticut's
superstructure showed. the fog appear
ed TO lift and one by one the battle
ships crept from the misty background
and became "a part Of the picture. 1t
Was II minutes before the spectators
could count the fun lG and by that time
the Connecticut WAS drawing abreast
81 Venice about four miles from sho.e.
Here occurred the one maueuVer OF tho
reunited leet Opposite Venice the
Connecticut turned sharply In shore,
creating the formation that showed
perfectly even al this remote distance
Reaching the same spot, the Kansas
followed and one by one, like a file OF
well drilled intantrymen tile big war
ships turned their ourVing stems to-
ward the beach, reducing their speed
as they came ana looming larger and
larger as they approached the white
line of the surf A mile on shore tho
Connecticut was barely under WAY rrha