The bee., 1908-05-21
FLEET TO PUGET SOUND
LEAVES SAN FRANCISCO AFTER
TWELVE DAYS or MERRY
MAKING. n
SPERRY HOSTS HIS FLAG
Before the End Of the Month Play
Days VIII be over and Officers
and Men viii Resume
the Usual Routine.

San Francisco, May 1s.--The At
lantic fleet OF battleships, after ~
days or naval pageantry and merry
making in San Francisco harbor,
sails Monday for Puget sound. ar
irving of Seattle on May %. One
half OF the ships will dock at Bremen
ton navy yard while north and the
others will return here for repairs and
painting beneath the water line
Play days in Puget sound will be
over before the end OF the month
and then the officers and men will re-
sumo the usual routine Of man-of-war
life.
orders cali for the reassembling OF
the feet in san Francisco harbor not
later than July g.
on for Honolulu July 7.
On July the feet sails for Honolu-
IN and after a weeks stay there goes
direct TO Auckland
The Pacific fleet OF armored cruis-
ers, under command OF Rear Admiral
Dayton, sailed south Sunday morning
AZ O'Clock and Rear Admiral Sperry,
in command OF the Atlantic feet,
holsted for the first time his com
manding flag Of blue. Being junior
IN liEeal rank 20 Admiral Dayton,
Admiral sperry was compelled by
nacval regulations to ny a subordinate
fias OF red SO long as the Pacific feet
remained at this station. The long
line OF armored cruisers which sailed
for Santa Barbara was headed by the
flagship West Virginia and included
the Colorado. Maryland. Pennsylvania,
Tennessee. Washington and Call
fornia The protected cruiser Charles
ton. flagship Of Rear Admiral Swim.
burne also sailed with the fleet, but
her destination is Monterey. The
gunboat Yankton accompanied the
cruisers TO Santa Barbara.
The South Dakota. one OF the eight
armored cruisers composing the sec
ond squadron OF the Pacific fleet.
which returned late Saturday from
her official trip, did not sail with the
others
Catholics Provide Entertainment.
Last Of the official entertainments
provided here for the Atlantic and Pa
cine fleets was the banquet rendered
Saturday night at the Fairmont hotel
by San Francisco Council No. 615.
knights OF Columbus. to the petty
officers Of the two fleets. Arrange
ments for the AFFAIR were carried out
BY Rev. Father Gleason. chaplain OF
TIE aaeship Connecticut
Admiral sperry and Thomas both
spoke and there were in attendance
CApts. Switzerland OF the New Jersey
and Nicholson OF the Nebraska.
eperry Makes speech.
Many wives OF officers and petty
officers were also among the diners.
Admiral sperry made the FIRST speech
since assuming command Of the At
lantic feet. He spoke directly and
pointedly. He declared that the en-
listed men OF the navy were the bull
warks in the defense OF the navy.
Their training" he continued, sis
entirely in the hands Of the petty Of
Ulcers who stand between the men
and commanding officers. We have
now in the navy the most splendid
body OF young men that could be Sc
lected in all the world. Above every
thing else they are American gentle
men and their training should always
be along that line. And when they
salute a superior officer they should
remember II is no hard line of caste
that is drawn. but that ii is merely
the courtesy due and the salutation
OF one gentleman 10 another. They
are brave men and true, all OF them,
and am proud TO command such
force"