Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-18
FLEET DUE
HERETODAY
WILL ANCHOR Az SAN PEDRO
AT 3 O'CLOCK
NIGHT ILLUMINATION ORDERED
BY METcALF
Brilliant Spectacle Saved 1t Last
Minute by Appeal to Secretary.
Mayor Harper to Well
como Thomas
ARRIVAL IN NUTSHELL

o ARRIVAL IN NUTSHELL g
% Fleet anchors in San Pedro harbor .
o Mayor Harper will board Connecticut @
| @ $3.50 p. m. g
| @ No visiting Saturday. No shore @
| % leave. 9
| % Ships go to Redondo. Long Beach @
| @ and Santa Monica a. m. Sunday; be @
| 9 at anchor 8 a. m.j open to visitors to @
g o'clock. %
3 g
%%@%1~@~%~@@@@@~@@@~@<3@@@@
In squadron formation the Atlantic
battleship fleet, with the fagships lead
| ing, will steam into San Pedro harbor
this afternoon and drop anchor. The
| arrival is scheduled for o'clock and
every precedent of the long cruise has
| been that the schedules Of arrival have
been faithfully adhered to. The fleet
was due at San Diego bay at 1 o'clock
and every ship was anchored thirteen
| minutes before that time. They will
| anchor four inside breakwater and the
rest reaching out to sea.
While the details of the maneuvering
on arrival at the harbor are not known
here it is believed that the fleet will
| leave it's single file order, which 1t will
maintain from Balboa northward and
enter the harbor in about the same
| formation that 1t entered the bay of
! San Diego. If it does the spectators
who will be along the harbor beach and
shores to welcome it will witness a
magnificent spectacle.
| In addition to the arrival at the bay
as fleet the people of Los Angeles
will know that the fleet comes not to
merely show itself and then divide into
four parts, but will remain in the har-
Dor until s o'clock Sunday morning.
This program. the result of work yes
terday by the chamber of commerce
and Senator Flint, means that the six
| teen ships will be Illuminated Saturday
| night and the greatest spectacle of the
whole cruise, unless it would be the tar
get practice, will be visible here.
Those who saw the illumination at
| San Diego know what a beautiful
scene is presented. With every hull
| and turret, every mast, spar and arm,
every point of prominence on board out
lined in incandescent lamps; with the
searchlights Of gigantic rays playing on
the water, the land and the skies. the
sight is one that suggests the necro-
NANCY of some genie. The broadsides
sometimes present the appearance of
| tolden lace figures and the appearance
seems to change as the optical sense
receives new impressions. That this
| spectacle is to be for one night is a
change in the plans as altered after the
protest of the Church federation
against the intended Sunday parade.
Illumination of Ships
| The illumination of the ships will be
from until IL o'clock and the search
| lights will be in use from 8 to $3.50
O'Clock, unless the commander decides
| on longer time for the searchlights
as there is only one night illumination.
According to the program as altered
by order of Secretary Metcalf yester-
day, the ships will leave San Diego at
6 o'clock this morning and are to steam
directly to San Pedro harbor. That
they will enter without separation and
remain inside the harbor over night is
due to the appeal to Secretary Metcalf
that the original program be adhered to-
| The chamber of commerce sent a tele-
gram yesterday to Admiral Thomas
uring him to abandon the plan to sepa-
rate the fleet before it entered the har-
Dor, thus bringing but the four ships
of the first division inside, and to an
| chor the whole fleet until Sunday morn
| ing. To this appeal Admiral Thomas
J responded as follows:
"The Church federation of Los An
| geles and vicinity having protested
against movement of the fleet on Sun
| day, it becomes necessary for the COM
mander in chief to direct the abandon
ment of the plan of anchoring fleet in
San Pedro harbor over Saturday night
and to have the divisions to separate
| and go to the several ports on Saturday
evening; regret cannot comply with
your wishes. THOMAS"
Appeal to Flint
| Not daunted by the reply of Admiral
| Thomas, which was really expected
President George H. Stewart wired
Senator Flint yesterday morning as fol-
| lows:
"If fleet fails anchor San Pedro har-
| Dor and illuminate en- n asse Saturday
evening, 18th. 100000 people who have
made arrangements to see illumination
will be greatly disappointed; besides
Los Angeles will lose the moral effect
of Iaving feet anchor San Pedro har-
Dor. Is 1t not possible use your influ-
ence to secure order from navy DEPART
ment or president, have feet anchor
San Pedro Saturday evening and dis
perse o'clock Sunday morning?
Church federation have blocked our
plans and people greatly disappointed.
GEORGE II. STEWART, Pres"
Senator Flint also had a wire from
/ his brother, Motley H. Flint, postmas-
ter of Los Angeles, urging him to use
his influence to change the program TO
a stay over night.
| In answer to the wires Senator Flint
sent the following cheering answer.
duplicates of which were sent to all the
clubs and public places, in order that
| the news could be quickly transmitted:
Secretary navy has wired admiral
commanding fleet to carry out original
Continued on Page Five)