New-York tribune., 1908-09-01
ADMIRALS WELCOMED
Landing at Melbourne e-Accidents
IN Enormous CrOWds.


Melbourne. Aug 31.-The streets of Melbourne
late tonight were filled with surgng, good
humored crowds. numbering hundreds of thou
sands all out to do honor to the visiting Ameri
cans. and the scene challenged comparison with
that of an election night in New York. though.
happily, there were no "tickers" horns. The
crush in the principal thoroughfares was so
great that many women tainted and several
persons injured.
The federal government gave dinner to-
night for the admirals and senior officers of the
visiting warshps at Parliament House. at
which Lord Northcote, Governor General Of the
commonwealth, and Prime Minister Deakin
made speeches. in which prominence was given
to the friendly feeling between the common
wealth and the United States. Rear Admiral
Sperry, commander in chief of the American
fleet. replying. said that rupture between
English speaking nations would not only be
loss but crime.
GREAT ELECTRICAL DISPLAY.
All the public buildings ablaze with cleo
trio lights. the finest display being at the Com
monwealth State Building and at Princes
Bridge, of the Central Railway. where rep
resentation of the battleships shown. The
iliuminations on shore were supplemented by an
electric and searchlight display On board the
warships In the harbor.
Earlier in the evening torchlight procession
was held, in which the metropolitan and coun-
try fire brigades, numbering about two thousand
men, took part. The parade started at the
headquarters of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade
and was disbanded over Princes Bridge
Rain began to fall at late hour and caused
a hasty retreat homeward The dense crowds
converging toward the railway station forced
the women and children into perilous positions,
the ~;ofi,sh a11d uHIIuteu r--- a.
and many were extracted with difficulty. after
being considerably bruised. Two persons were
seriously and several others slightly injured.
All records for passenger traffic on the rail-
ways have been broken since the arrival Of the
fleet
In the race to- day for the Battenberg Cup.
which is held by the Louisiana. the defending
crew easily defeated the challenging crew
The enormous crowd which turned out to see
the formal entry Of the American sailors this
morning proved too much for the Princes
Bridge which spans the Yara River and forms
the main approach to the city proper The
bridge barriers were broken and several per-
sons were slightly injured.
OFFICIAL GREETING TO AMERICANS.
When Admiral Sperry and his officers landed
at ST. Kda's pier amid salutes from battery
of the Royal Australian Artillery on the Es-
planade they formally received by Alfred
Deakin the Commonwealth Prime Minister; Sir
Thomas Bent the Victorian Premier, and their
colleagues and the Lord Mayor, who presented
an address behalf Of the municipality In
his speech of welcome the Premier said:
I'VE can offer you nothing better in the way
of friendship than a hearty Australian vel
come"
In his reply Admiral Sperry said that the re-
ception given to the fleet in New Zealand seemed
unsurpassabe in Sydney II even better. but
the climax had been reached in Melbourne.
The American visitors. escorted by a squad
of light horse drove to the city, the suburban
mayors presenting addresses of welcome at their
respective boundaries. Sir Thomas Gibson
Carmichael, the Governor, and Sir John Mad
den the Lieutenant Governor. Joined the process
sion at Princes Bridge which was reached
shortly after noon. Here the Lord Mayor and
the c. 1ncillors welcomed the Americans and
the Governor entered Admiral Sperry's carriage.
The route of the procession lined by a
Dense cheering crowd. public reception was
held at the Exhibition Building by Lord North
cote, the Governor General of Australia. and
afterward the federal government enter tanned
the officers and men at luncheon. Admiral
Sperry and the senior officers of the fleet took
luncheon at Parliament House. Admiral Sperry
also received addresses from both houses of
Parliament.
Admiral Sperry made an official call this af-
ternoon on Premier Bent and the Lord Mayor.
who returned the courtesy at offices placed at
the admiraIs disposal in the Treasury Build
ed as a guard of honor.