Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-05-08
He Saw he War Fleet.

He Saw the War Fleet.
r. III. Smith, an old friend of Pho
tographer Muma of this city and a
former schoolmate of Governor Craw-
ford, writes his Canton friend the
following letter from Los Angeles
telling how the big battieship fleet
looked as it entered the harbor:
Friend Muma: Your letter Of late
date at hand and am glad to learn
that you are all we'll and doing we'll.
Your pictures descriptive OF your 10
cality and also of your workmanship
do YOU credit. Your work is fine.
This is Easter Sunday but although
Sunday service here on Easter Sun
day is swell we did not go because we
were worn out by our days dissipa1
tion yesterday. We all went to the
beach to see the fleet come in. At 3
p. M, on schedule time, while we were
in a store in Long Beach, a cannon
was discharged being the signal that
the feet was sighted. Everybody
rushed for a vantage point and strain
ed their eyes and away out yonder on
the horizon to the south west could
be seen the long line of smoke and
the tall masts of the first vessel, o
another, and another till the whole
armada, sixteen in all, came into full
view, in a single line five hundred
yards apart and as the u rules the
day and the moon governs the night
SO they came in equal regularity. All,
Mnma, it was a grand sight. 1t vas
worth coming all the way from Can
ton to see it. The file moved north
west and the wind blew from the
north east and our view point was
north east from the vessels as they
came up. The wind blew the smoke
back and beyond the boats and formed
a beautiful back ground, while the
deep blue of the water between us
and the ships made a beautiful con-
trast to the white hulls as they
moved along. Every vessel seemed to
be set in a notch and the line Of pro-
cession was as accurate as if they all
were one moving mass. l don't often
get enthusiastic as you know but when
those ships came into full view sail
ing as majestically as swans, with the
starry banner waving from the masts,
the guns g%limmering in the sunlight,
with fifteen Thousand men, who do
the work behind the guns, on board,
I wanted to take off my hat and cheer.
The daylight procession was grand but
the climax came when at eight O'Clock
in the evening, as if by. a magictouch,
while those vessels were lying at an
Choir in line of procession in which
they came in and out Of sight in the
darkness, the electric lights were
turned on and every vessel stood out
in the darkness like a floating palace.
Every mast and all around the hull OF
every vessel was covered with electric
lights and then came the play with
search lights. The beach for miles
was crowded with people and at this
electric display a cheer went up all
along that you might nave heard IN
Canton. The search lights moving
from all the ships and four on each
were ali at work for the entertain
ment of the people and as the great
streams of light swept the sea and
shore and the sky above it looked like
the waves Of the aurora borealis. Thus
ended the day and all this week the
city of Los Angeles will entertain the
Jackies and officers in royal style, $50,
600. 90 having been raised by subscrip-
tion for that purpose.
1t is regretted that Admiral Evans
is not with the fleet as he had to be
brought to San Louis Obispo, about
three hundred miles north~of here for
treatment while the vessels were at
practice at Magdalina Bay. He is
Improving but he can't be here.
Aside from the festivities attendant
upon the fleets arrival here there is
nothing of unusual interest to speak
Of. The city is recovering from the
late money stringency and things are
about normal again.
My conscience how times f1es. Here
it is almost summer again and we
have had no winter. This climate is
like the climate of Florida that the
Irishman wrote to his sweetheart
about. He was poetical and put 1t
thus. "This southern climates queer
Biddy, a queer and beastly thing,
with winter absent all the year and
summer in the spring."
This leaves us all well and hope it
may find you and all the family en-.
joying the same state of affairs. With
best regards to you and all the family
I am as ever. Yours Truly.
r. FL. SMITH.