Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-06-25
FLEET ASSEMBLING
BATTLEsHIPs PREPARING &c
LEAVE GAN FRANCISCO ON
THEIR LONG VOYAGE.
TO MAKE THE START JULY |
Auxiliary Vessels Already Busy TAX
Ing on Supplies for the Trip
TO Celebrate the
Fourth.

! San Francisco. June 22.--Assem
bling Of the Atlantic feet Of 16 war
ships and six auxiliaries In this har
Dor, for the start ON, July on the
voyage around two-thirds Of the world
from San Francisco to Hampton
Roads, already has begun. Seven OF
the battleships, including the flagship
Of Rear Admiral Charles s Sperry.
the Connecticut, are here and all OF
the auxiliaries are in this vicinity.
Besides the Connecticut, the battle
ships now in the harbor are the
Louisiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Kansas,
Vermont and the Georgia. The West
Virginia is at Mare Island.
Supplies are already being taken
aboard the supply ship Culgoa and the
refrigerator supply ship Glacier, and
the Ajax, GOLFERS; the Panther, re-
pair slip; the Relief, hospital ship
and the Yorktown, dispatch boat, are
being put in readiness for the long
voyage.
BY July 8. at the latest, all Of the
warships of the Atlantic fleet will be
In this port and the ships of the Pa
cific fleet also will be assembled here
before that date, to remain until at.
ter the departure of the Atlantic
feet. The Virginia, which is-now at
Rremerton navy yard, will arrive here
the latter part of the month. The Ne
braskan, New Jersey and Rhole Island
are now at Bremerton, and will arrive
here together June 80. The Wiscon-
sin, now on Puget Sound is due the
26th, the Illinois the oath, the Kear-
sarge the 23d, and the Kentucky July
Q. Either at Bremerton of the dry.
docks at Mare Island or Hunters point
the battleships have been hauled out
and cleaned or have yet to undergo
that operation.
July 4 the combined fleets of the
Atlantic and the Pacific will take part
in the celebration here, and three
days later the battleships of the At
lantic fleet will depart for Honolulu,
where they are scheduled to arrive
July IA. The auxiliaries will have pre-.
ceded them by one week and will
have unloaded supplies for the feet
and steamed away from Honolulu be-
fore the battleships arrive.
The entire Pacific feet, under the
command of Admiral Swinburne, who
will succeed Admiral Dayton soon,
will start August for a summer
cruise to Samoa and the Philippines.
The cruisers will take in tow on the
cruise the little black vessels compris-
Ing the Atlantic and Pacific torpedo
flotillas. Previous to the start the
torpedo craft will be taken in tow by
the cruisers on trip down the coast
as far as San Diego and possibly to
Bay as an experiment.
At Honolulu plans for the entertain.
ment Of the officers and men of the
American feet are assuming definite
shape. One of the features Of the
program will be an old fashioned
Hawaiian hookup. This is a cere-
nonial bestowal Of gifts. These may
be of various kinds. but in the present
Instance it will be gifts Of fruits. From
III over the islands fruits of every
Iort which grow there and are ripe
It this season will be sent to Homo
ulu to arrive at the time the feet
loes.
Very great interest is taken in this
'art Of the plans by the native Ha.
vaiians all over the islands. I