The Mena weekly star., 1908-04-16


 San Diego, Cal, Apr. 14.-The At lantic fleet arrives here Tuesday and its stay will be marked by the most notable parade of bluejackets and marines ever landed from American vessels of war Five thousand enlist ed men and more than 200 officers will be in line. This force will outnumber that participating in the famous wei come to Admiral Dewey in New York City, when he returned from the battle of Manila bay to accept his commission as head Of the American navy. The assembling of the 16 first-class battleships for the voyage to the Pacific brought together the greatest power of fighting craft ever known in the navy and made possible the splendid land display which is to be held here and which will be repeated when the fleet reaches San Francisco.
 The San Diego parade will be held next Wednesday afternoon. beginning at 2 o'clock. It will be the initial step in the formal ceremonies of welcome which have been arranged here in behalf of the state and the city, Gov. Gillette and Mayor Forward being the principal speakers at the exercises to be held in the city park. In order to assemble this great marching force, 1t will be necessary for the sailors and marines to embark in small boats from their respective ships at 12 o'clock noon. The maneuvers of land ing the 5000 men after a journey of some 10 or 12 miles from the ocean into San Diego bay, will be a spectacle in itself and will be watched with keen interest as an evidence of small boat drill efficiency in the fleet. All of the men will be landed with arms and in light marching order. The small boats of each ship will be loaded to their utmost carrying capacity, the sailing launches, the largest of the boats now carried on the battleships, each containing from 60 to 70 men. The handling of these frail craft in divisional and flotilla formation and LOWlu5 lQOil lliLO lDC ildl DOl D1 nCduo of the stalwart little steam launches hooked up in tandem procession, will be fraught with many difficulties. But American paYai men are skillful at such things and 1t Is believed that the orders issued by Admiral Thomas will be carried out without the slight est hitch at any point The force to be landed at San Diego has been official ly designated as the fleet naval bri- gade" It's formation was a task of no mean proportions, the detail oc- cupying the attention of the staff off, cers during the large portion of the | journey from Magellan Straits to the northward. The fleet brigade has been divided into five divisional brigades, the first being the marine brigade and the others being known as first,
 second, third and fourth division bri- gades, the latter being composed of | bluejackets from the ships of the di- vision from which the numerical or der Is taken.
 Sixty-four separate companies of rines compose the total force. These figures quickly convey an idea of the extent of the parade and give to 1t history-making proportions. Each bat tleship will contribute four companies of bluejackets and one company of marines. All 16 bands of the fleet are to be combined and divided among the five divisions giving about 72 per sons to each organization. These feat ures to the display also have it's not able side to it.