The San Francisco call., 1908-05-17

then caught himself and regarded me
gravely. It's a lucky thing for you
that you are woman" he said.
never struck a woman in my life, but If
you were just little bigger Won't
you please call some man around here
and get him to say what you just saidE
"WhatT' I asked, naively That about
16 pretty fair SEQ His voice broke;
he could go no further,
One boy asked me if I hadn't been
reading something by that fellow Reu-
terdahl From his tone he didn't think
much OF that fellow" "As to armor
plate" they volunteered to inform me,
we've got the best in the world, made
in Philadelphia-better than Krupp.
And we've got Krupp, too, on some of
the ships, but Krupp is so hard 1t is
brittle and the Philadelphia make Is
more pliable and tougher"
What about this cruiser" I asked
them. Don't you think it's foolhardy,
this parading around the world, show
ing all the other fellows your hand?'
The navy again expressed It's unani-
nous opinion in language too varied
and picturesque to be repeated here that
whatever the purpose of the admins
tration was that purpose was good and
sufficient But what is the purpose
OF this cruiser I asked. About 60 per
cent were EEIlC6DI anu NO0AO cap
no theory, 35 per cent thought 1t was
merely to show the world the strength
and practicability of our fleet and
very small per cent thought 1t was
stately demonstration Of protection to
a threatened coast. No one advanced
the theory that ii was TO threaten war
or In anticipation Of war.
But when / asked how large feet
would remain in the Pacific. my an
swers were so many ana different that
/ lost all count and trail OF them. II
any two sailors advanced the Identical
theory / failed to make the tally.
Everybody agreed that the feet as q
whole would remain on the Pacific
coast until July :. and then Is battles
ships and auxiliaries would sail for
Honolulu. the Alabama and Maine to re-
main at Seattle, end the wisconsin and
Nebraska taking their places in the
feet. After the fleet reached Homo
lulu. opinion began 10 scatter. Some
took the fleet as whole to Sidney,
then to Manila. then to Hongkong and
Japan, then through the SueZ canal to
New York. leaving eight cruisers and
the two battleships mentioned above
on the Pacific. Others insisted that
these two ships would join the cruise
later, and Is ships would go through
the canal. A small percentage thought
the feet would separate at Manila, but
several intelligent boys. who seemed to
understand the subject very well in
sisted that the only detachment prob
able would be that OF four first class
battleships, which would be left at
Manila.
over so per cent OF those I inter
viewed emphatically expressed their
opinion that the 16 ships would COM
plete the cruise through the Suez canal,
and, after reaching New York, the first
squadron, consisting Of the Connecticut
Kansas, Louisiana. Vermont Georgia,
Rhode Island, New Jersey and Virginia
would make q return cruise around the
Horn again and remain permanently on
the Pacific. Whether this last theory
is probable or not, il seems to be the
most prevalent among the sailors. This
would place eight ships of the very
flower Of our navy or the Pacific coast
some time in the spring or summer of
1909, as the feet expects to reach the