The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-15
BIG AMERICAN FLEET
 IS AT HOME AGAIN.
A BEAUTIFUL SIGHz
EMPHASIZES PRESENTED INsF>
 ING SPECTACLE ON ARRIvAs
A Sandy Beach Was Crowded q Yith Enthusiastic Patriots to Wer ne
 the Navy to California
 Much Merrymaking.

San Diego, Cal, April 14.--1s Amer ican battieship fleet sailed SSIay on a summer sea. Waters. refiecting the deep blue of cloudless southern sky; tropical islands Jutting boldly out of the ocean in the path of the western horizon, a mile of sandy beach crowded with enthusiastic patriots, proud to welcome the navy to California. and the green lawns and towering gar dens of Coronadot formed the setting for the most notable marine spectacle the west coast of the United States has ever known.
 Tn four regularly intervaled columns with hagships leading abreast and pointing the way to the first home an- chorage. the fleet has found in It's four months of cruising around the south ernmost end of the Western Hemi- sphere, the sixteen ships swept into the
 sh heltered cove of the sea behind the
 towering headlands of Point Loma and halted for four days of merrymaking for men and officers.
 Governors James N. Gillett was here
 officially to welcome the fleet. Local committees also went to the Connecti-
 cut to tell Admiral Thomas. and
 through him, all the men of the meet;
 how glad the people of California are to see such splendid representation of the American navy as the battle
 ship fleet constitutes. Tonight Admirals
 Tn omas. Sperry, Emery and the com
 manding officers and members of the various staffs. were entertained at an elaborate, but informal dinner at the
 Hotel Fl Coronado.
 The beauty of the days spectacle. when the flashing signals and wonder | fully executed maneuvers, the ships were brought to anchor in the rolling Pacific waters, was rivaled tonight when, for three hours, every vessel
 was outlined in fire. Thousands of in- candescent bulbs were strung along decklines, up masts. far out on the sig
 nal yard arms, up and down the huge l tunnels and down to the waters edge at stem and stern. Tn fairy-lake form, | the ships stood out against the night and letters six feet high the name of each vessel was spelled across it's for ward bridge. The glow of the lights | flooded the sea for thousands Of yards away, the gleam;ng outlines shimrner- 1 ing in phantomlike reflections.
 | During half an hour of the period | of Illuminating. a searchlight display
 was made. adding infinitely to the won- derful effect. The flashing shafts of l nowerful light, while lights were dane l ing over the waves, playing now and | then on the crowded beach of the bril- | liantiy iiluminated hotel. then reaching | far away to the south to eonjnre from the night the peaks ot the 4eoPst3 3l rans se l of mountains which mark the boun- K dary line between Mexico and the 1 United States, sts .5.ss. -
 On shores scofes 6f rcd signal flrei I were maintained throughout the even | ing as a welcome sign.
 1 The fleet let go its anchors-all | spIashing in the water with precision | at l3:47-just thirteen minutes before the anchoring hour arrived. For two hours the ships had been in sight and the;r coming hadN been watched with wonder by the waiting throngs. So enerossed were they in the beauty of the scene that they forgot to cheer.