The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-20
PREPAR|NG TO
WELCOME FLEET
Australians and New Zealand
ers Will Show Appreciation
of the Visit.
BRITISH ESCORT PROVIDED
BEAUTIFUL CASkET WILL BE
PRESENTED TO SPERRY.

Melbourne, July 20.-The Stars and
Stripes have witnessed sights and
achievements in bygone years on that
wide and lonely ocean, the South Pa
cific, which will be readily revived i'm
the general mind by the cruise to the
Antipodes of the American battleship
fleet. American ships are growing more
and more infrequent in the southern
ocean, but something of the old nau-
tcal prestige remains and this decadent
rehown the big men-of-war will doubt
less reanimate.
Route of the Fleet.
The fleet will practically follow the
regular mail route from Honolulu TO
sydney. but Page Page. the harbor and
coaling station in the Samoan group. will
not be touched at by the battleships.
Only some of the fleet auxiliaries will
stop there. From Honolulu to Auckland
the distance is >. 164 miles; from Auckland
to Sydney, y. S. w, across the Tas-
manian sea. the distance is l2Sl miles
from Sydney to this city. the metropo-
lis of Victoria. through Bass strait, is
561 miles, and from Melbourne to Albany,
West Australia. across the Great Austria
liam bay, il is 1.340 miles. Admiral Sper-
rvs command is due at Auckland Aug
/. and is to spend four days with the
New Zealanders: il is due at Sydney.
Aug %. where it will stay at week: on
Aug. % it will reach here for another
weeks sojourH. and on Sept. it will
leave for Manila, stopping at Albany only
long enough to coal.
Escort for Warships.
On July 10 Vice Admiral Sir Richard
Poore, commander-in-chief of the Austria
liam station, will leave SYDNEY for Suva
with two battleships and officially greet
them prior to their reaching New Zea-
land. The third class cruisers Cambridge
and Prometheus have been detailed and
will accompany Admiral Sperrys ships
To Auckland. At Auckland the Ameri-
cans will be further welcomed by the
flagship of the Australian squadron, the
armored cruiser Powerful.
The New Zealanders have made elab-
crate preparations for entertaining the
Americans. short though their stay will
be. Auckland will be decorated with
flags and illuminated at night.
Parliament Will Adjourn.
Parliament will adjourn for ten days
so the members can participate in the
festivities. The government has arranged
for the entertainment of 5000 officers
and sailors. including the crews of the
three British warshipS. Six hundred and
fifty Americans and British will be guests
at an official banquet A beautiful cas-
ket will be presented to Admiral Sperry
containing addresses to himself and Pres
ident Roosevelt. A conspicuous part OF
the entertainment will be jaunt OF the
American officers TO Rotura. in the
heart of the famous thermal lake region
of New Zealand. There scores of Maoris
New Zealands big. strapping natives, will
go through their graceful dances for the
visitors.
At Auckland Admiral Sperry will meet
Thomas T. Ewing, minister of defense OF
the Australian commonwealth, who will
consult with him about the common
wealth's reception
1t is planned to have the American
warships enter Sydney Heads at Il
o'clock the morning of Aug. 20. This
will be followed by great aquatic dem
onstration. The program at Sydney in
| cludes a federal and state reception to
! Continued on Page 2.