Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-19

fornia passed today, who lived within
twenty miles of the coast, failed to
get a view of the great fleet.
In some of the small towns that line
the coast the beach was black with
people. Piers that jutted out into the
sea were jammed with sightseers, who
crowded and struggled for a nearer
view. The water front of villages were
filed to overflowing. Every door and
obtained was filled. Sidewalks were
crowded, porches and porticoes massed,
and in some instances even the house,
tops were occupied.
At Oceanside, where hundreds of peo-
pie were congregated, heliograph
flashed out the word Welcome to the
fleet and was read on every ship.
Whistles blew and guns were fired in
some places. The peop.e could be heard
cheering occasionally as favorable
winds carried the sound from shore to
ship.
Make Early Start
There was no tlrlo to be lost when
the Connecticut hoisted the signal to
weigh anchor in San Diego at o'clock
this morning. The standard speed was
set at ten knots, as the Connecticut
raised her anchor and passed to port
of the Kansas and the other ships of
the first division. Her speed cones
hung at the signal yards, indicating
that there was to be no reserve speed
this day.
The anchorage of Los Angeles was
over 100 miles distant and the flagship
was scheduled by orders of the COM
mander in chief to drop anchor at 3
o'clock, so the Connecticut set the pace.
Admiral Thomas was astir at 5
o'clock and stood upon the after bridge
al the hour of departure approached.
Every captain was at his post. The
sun was just rising over the city of
San Diego as four bells sounded. 1t
was cool and clear. a perfect California
day with the sound of the bell, a string
of fiuttering flags ran up the signal
halyardS of the Connecticut and imme-
diately the answering pennants came
back from the other ships. The wheel
fleet was under way in five minutes.
So rapidly did the flagship steer out
for the mouth of the harbor that the
other ships in their crowded formation
could not keep the pace. She made no
wide sweeping curve as she circled
around the ships to form the head OF
the line but passed by them so near
that it seemed they would scarcely
clear The bugle sounded attention
as the Connecticut went by, and every
man of the ships faced the flagship.
The other ships ste med up In her wake
as fast as possible, falling in by di-
visions.
The Connecticut was compelled to
slow her engines to give the remain
ing ships a chance to go their dis
tances. Finally with the column formed
and the auxiliarlea Culgoa and Relief
bringing up the rear, the fleet steamed
past Point Iona and headed north. A
Jingle saluting gun doomed ashore as
the fleet moved out. Passing by Point
Iona, the mist from the sea drifted In
with the gentle breeze and obscured
the water line at the shore.
Dotted with People
Even at that early hour the build
ings and beautiful gardens of the
institute on the promon-
tory high above the sea were dotted
with people looking down on the pass
ing armada. The sun shone brlghtlX
on the metal domes of the buildings
and reflected to the ships below. BY IL
o'clock the fleet was well without the
bay, heading straight north.
Columns Of black smoke streaming