The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-07
ROAR OF CANNON MARKS
ENTRY TO GOLDEN GATE
Formal Welcome by Governor
Mayor and Citizens Committee.
Brilliant Events for OF
ficers and Men Make
Up First Nights
Program.
!. AN FRANCISCO. CAL, May g.
y Through the towering rocky

portals OF the Golden Gate.
~ heavyladen with the romance
OF centuries, into the harbor OF
the city OF a hundred hills, into new
San Francisco rising from the ruins OF
two years ago. the Atlantic battleship
fleet steamed to-day in review OF
multitude unnumbered. 1T was the
same imposing pageant of Immaculate
white ships that sailed from Hampton
Roads nearly five months ago in the
wake OF the Presidents flag. but with
the splendid accomplishments OF re-
cord breaking cruise of more than
$4,000 miles and three weeks OF Won
derful target work behind 1t.
To-day the wlite-anchored. four
starred blue flag of the Secretary of
1.-THE Navy. flying from the manmast of
the gunboat Yorktown, futtered the
welcome OF the navy. while the Gov
icrnor of California, the Mayor OF San
Francisco and the people OF a hundred
towns and cities voiced the greetings
tof the enthusiastic West.
Holiday in Fleets Honor.
san Francisco, Oakland and other
cities nearby all took a holiday to wit
ness the coming OF the fleet There
was complete cessation OF business,
and the streets downtown were abso-
lutely deserted. More people came into
the city last night and this morning
than left during the earthquake.
A welcome sign. spelled in letters
ffty feet high. topped the heights OF
Telegraph Hill. The sun. which all
morning long had been obscured by
heavy gray clouds, broke through just
as the ships were passing through the
Golden Gate.
Tonight the city i. gay with merry
making. and the long program OF en-
tertainu.ents In honor OF the fleet Is
Under way. Streets and buildings are
Illuminated, many OF the. giant sky
scrapers that have risen on the sizes
o. less imposing buildings destroyed
being outlined in fire OF electric
bulbs In the anchorage grounds the
tiluminations OF the heaviest fleet ever
assembled under any flag made brill
liant the waters of the bay.
Oficia. dinners. band concerts and
reception and ball at the Fairmount
Hotel were features OF the first eve
ming of the fleets stay.
Great Navy iu Hnrbor.
The feet threaded It's way through
the crowded harhor. past the islands
and ferry lanes and reaching far out
to the Oakland shore. turned at last
when opposite Hunters Point. and
pointing back toward Golden Gate, to
face the incoming tide. steamed into
anchorage formation.
The sixteen veterans OF the Atlantic
cruise. augmented by two battleships
recruited here for the remainder Of
the trip around the wor1d-the Me-
braska and Wisconsin-occupy the two
inside lines of the four columns Of
ships now in the harbor. The armored
Icruisers OF the Pacific fleet have the
lines nearest the Oakland hore, while
the little black destroyers OF both the:
Atlantic and Pacific fleets are berthed
close in toward the San Francisco wa
ter front. The excursion feet was
kept out OF the war-ships pathway by
Ia. patrol OF revenue cutters and all
s:ferry service was suspended during the
yparade.
Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans stood
hon the after bridge of the Connecticut
las the flagship led the way through
fthe harbor> gates. A fog was hover
Fang over the ships as they got under
fway at II o'clock this morning off
San Francisco lightship When four
fr1iles away the ships came into full
view Of the thousands lining the
fBhores.
To the north Of the gateway, Mount
RTamalpais, raising it's peak $500 feet
Eabove the sea, was crowded with the
early risers. Fort Baker. on the shore
lalso. was throgned, all the way from
a Nearer the entrance, all the way from
sthe heights down to Lime Point. mark
ling the north point of the inner gate,
were fairly covered with thousan nds.
tTo the south of the gateway from the
4 Preside to the site OF the famous
lCliff House. the seal rocks and for
miles along the beaches. the division
tof the crowd that made up the esti-
mated total of a million onlookers
were gathered In great black patches.
Greeted With Cannon's Roar.
The cannon of the Presidio and of
Fort Baker doomed salute of twenty
one guns as the Connecticut passed
3, within the headlands OF the gate. The
lcompliment was returned by the Con-
4 nectlcut amid loud cheers from the
people on shore.
The ships as they hled into the bay
were dressed only at the mastheads
big American flags flying at fore and
after trucks and at the peak OF the
gaffs.
Passing to anchor the ships steamed
In review before Secretary Metcalf, and
the Connecticut fired a salute OF sew
enteen guns.
Den into the four long anchora Sc lines
"a signal from the flagship sent the
futtering lines of rainbow flags fy-
I1ns to the mastheads. and the ships
were at full dress for the day. No
}class Of citizens In the city was more
interested In the coming Of the fleet
than the Chinese. The Japanese resi-
dents also gathered In large numbers
pn the hillsides to see the pageants.
Given Formel Welcome.
4 After the fleet had anchored the gov
ernment launch put off from Mission
Street wharf, hearing Mayor Is Taylor
snft1cial greetings and proclaim formal
welcome to Rear-Admiral Evans and
the fleet The launch reached the flag