Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-14
GREAT FLEET IS
NEAR SAN DIEGO
BATTLESHIPS WILL ANCHOR
TODAY
ARMADA DUE AT CORONADO AT
I O'CLOCK
Governor Gllett and Other State OFF,
claIs Are In the South to Pay
Respects to Admiral
Thomas
By Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
SAN DIEGO. April 13.-Fete days
for the American battleship fleet will
begin tomorrow afternoon when the
sixteen armored cruisers of the navy's
most notable cruise cast anchor in the
blue waters of the Pacific off Coronado
beach-two miles from San Diego as
the crow flies.
The hard days and nights Of work
at record target practice in Magdalena
bay, the many torrid hours spent In
engine rooms and stoke holds, the
wakeful watches on the bridge as the
fleet threaded its way through the dan
gerous reaches of Magellan straits, all
will be forgotten in the warmth of
welcome that awaits the officers and
men when they steam tomorrow into
their home waters of the Pacific coast.
San Diego is crowded with visitors
and sightseers and never before in the
history Of the city has there been such
an elaborate decoration of streets.
BY day the broad thoroughfares are
a mass Of waving colors, the red, white
and blue of the nation being mingled
with the yellow and white, typifying
the Golden state of California.
Arches Erected
Triumphant arches have been erected
at many of the street intersections and
immense signs that burn the hospitable
word welcome" through the darkness
of the night are among the many
features of the elaborate scheme of
decoration.
Governor J. N. Gillett of California,
accompanied by. his staff and a dis
tinguished party of guests, arrived to-
night in three special cars. Governor
Gillett arose from a sick bed in San
Francisco to come here where the Of
fetal welcome Of the state is to be ex-
tended. The governor was still quite
i'll tonight, but expressed the hope\ that
he would be much improved tomorrow
by a good nights rest If well enough
he will go out to the Connecticut to-
morrow afternoon at 4 o'clock to pay
his respects to Rear Admiral Charles
M. Thomas, the senior officer in COM
mand; late in the afternoon Admiral
Thomas will return the governors visit
at the Hotel del Coronado.
A feature of tomorrow's program,
which will undoubtedly prove enjoyable
to the men of the fleet, will be the dis
tribution during the afternoon of $4,000
oranges, the largest grown in this Sec
ton of the state This part of the well
come is truly Californian. The fleet
will cast anchor at l D. m. tomorrow
and will remain here until Saturday
morning at o'clock when 1t will pro-
ceed to the ports of Los Angeles.
Only 100 Miles Distant
The battleships were only 100 miles
to the south, according to wireless in
formation received late tonight, and
were steaming in Zine of squadron"
or two long lines of eight vessels each.
They were proceeding at nine knots
speed. This rate probably will be re-
duced during the forenoon tomorrow
so as not to bring the ships to the Cor
onado anchorage before the appointed
hour.
Many thousands of people will make
the short journey across San Diego bay
to Coronado beach to witness the ar
rival of the sixteen ships. 1t is ex-
pected that the double column forma-
ton will be maintained until Coronado
is sighted, when there will be a maneu-
yer to lines of divisions, bringing the
fleet to anchor in four lines of four
ships each. Today was payday on all
of the vessels, the crews receiving their
monthly allowances in gold.
Tomorrow's program consists of an
exchange of courtesies between the
state and city authorities and the flag
officers Of the fleet, the distribution of
oranges on all sixteen of the vessels, |
a private banquet to Rear Admiral
Thomas and the other flag and COM
manding officers in the banquet hall of
the Hotel Del Coronado, the illumina-
tion of the ships with thousands of
bulbs. a searchlight drill
during the early evening and the con-
tinual burning of red signal fires along
the Coronado shore.