Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-04-14
FINE WELCOME
AWAITS FLEET
At SAN DIEGO
Within the Next Twenty-Four
Hours the BattIeShip Fleet
viii Be Safely Anchored In
Beautiful Harbor.

SAN DIEGO, Cal, April 1s.-with-
in the next twenty-four hours the
United States battleship feet will
drop anchor in the beautiful bay of
San Diego, after a voyage unprece-
dented in naval annals. The ships
will rest in United States waters for
the first time in four months. during
which time they have Travelled a dis
lance of approximately 1S,400 miles.
The ships are TO remain here until
Saturday, according to the plans map
ped out by the navy department at
Washington. The people of San
Diego have completed elaborate ar
rangements for the entertainment OF
the officers and men. The main
streets are gay with bunting, and the
indications are that the decorations
tomorrow will be among the most
elaborate ever seen on the Pacific
coast. Thousands of visitors are ex-
pected here to view the fleet.
Coronado. "the gem of the Pacific
coast" viii join with San Diego In
furnishing entertainment for the ma
val visitors. 1t is intended to give
the officers and men the time OF their
lives, and there win doubtless be such
an outburst of genuine California nos
pitality rs has never before oeen
seen
Whea the ships enter the land
locked bay of San Diego, a magnif-
cent panorama hundreds of miles in
extent will unroll befor the eyes of
the men. A high range of mountains
forms the eastern horizon. In the
foreground is the city of San Diego,
with its beautiful enyirons, its semi
tropical vegetation. Situated on a
plain but little raised above the level
of the sea, nearly the whole OF the
city may be seen from the decks of
the vessels. Tall buildings, spires OF
churches and, overlapping all, the
Bennington monument, are the con-
spicuous features of the scene.
The bay or harbor of San Diego is
thirteen miles long and has enough
deep anchorage to float all the navies
of the world at ope time. The harbor
is acknowledged to be one of the
best in the world.
To the west is the high promontory
of Point Iona, the top of which is
nearly 500 feet above the level OF the
ocean. From the harbor entrance,
continuing to the south and forming
the western boundary of San Diego
bay, is the long and narrow Coronado
peninsula, with its famous hotel and
city Of tents. The bar at the en-
trance to the harbor has been dredged
to a depth of thirty feet at mean low
tide, so that the largest ships can
enter at all times, and there are no
reefs, no sunken rocks, no treacher-
Gus currents. 1t is a matter of record
that no vessel has ever been wrecked
in San Diego bay. No matter how
severe a storm may be raging on the
ocean outside, the waters Of the bay
are hardly more than ruffled.
One reason why San Diego bay is a
favorite resort with the officers of
the Pacific feet is because of the fine
opportunities it affords to the men
for drills both on land and water. For
this purpose there is said to be no
place so well adapted on the whole
American coast, east or west, as San
Diego bay. Both in summer and in
winter the weather is ideal, and there
is never a day throughout the year
when the men cannot practice on the
water with comfort. So many advan-
tages does San Diego bay offer in this
respect that many of the highest Off
GERS of the navy have expressed them
selves strongly in favor of the estab-
lishmeht of q naval traing station
here.
The city of San Diego is laid out
with fine broad streets and avenues.
and besides there are magnificent
boulevards extending into the coun-
try, A coast road from San Diego to
Los Angeles is very popular with au-
tomobilists Within the heart of the
city is the Plaza, lined on all sides
by tall palms. At the eastern end or
the city is a beautiful park of 400
acres, planted with trees and shrubs
and intersected with drives and
walks.