The Washington herald., 1908-01-10

L. S. Battle Fleet,
Port Of Spain, Trinidad, Dec. Is.
The officers of the battle ship Minnesota
gave reception Christmas Day on board
/ ship to all the officers OF the other ships
| The visitors were received at the gang
way by the officer OF the deck, who had
| the usual side boys stationed there for
the guests to pass by. The visitors were
/ first presented TO Capt Hubbard, after
which they paid their respects 10 Admiral
Thomas Then, turning around on the
beautifully decorated deck. they saw de-
| pending from the great 12-inch guns of
the after turret board festooned with
greens, and on it painted In large letters:
Peace on EARTH good viii to men
The first effect on the visitor was to
startle him. What place was there on a
war ship, whose primary purpose is de
struction. for such motto and in such
place? Some of the more thoughtless
visitors thought 1t was satire, or perhaps
a naval mans idea of a grim joke
Those who thought Il a mockery, satire
or a joke were never more mistaken.
The sentiment was made the most promi-
nent decoration on the ship in all sin
CeTity. Scores Of naval officers pointed
to it with pride and said it exemplifed
truly the spirit of the American navy
All declared that If there was one thing
more than any other which American
naval officers and all true Americans
wished for. il was worldwide peace and
! brotherly love. 1t was declared that no
better place outside d Christian church
could be found for its display than on an
American war ship, Many an officer said
ne hoped it would always be prominent on
/ our war ships at the Christmas season.
Good Cheer on the Fleet.
| Certainly good will 10 man was exen-
Ipllfed at the Christmas celebration on
this fleet It was the most impressive
/ Christmas festival that the nine civilians
with the fleet ever saw. Here was a
city Of 1900, exclusively Of men, some
rough, some refined, some educated, some
ffffeeTate, some Christian, some with TO
religion. celebrating the season OF good
cheer on sixteen battle ships in a foreign
port five miles from shore Port of Spain
might as well have been 5000 miles away
so far as the effect of its influence was
concerned. More than one-half Of the
American navy was holding its Christ
mas festival in its own way, with uone
else to look on. From first to last its spirit
was kindly, and from colors in the morn
ing until the last serenading party, Gid
ing over the smooth water in a floating
city that had a Venetian aspect singing
no MI .e
and mandolIns, disappeared at midnight.
the celebration was in absolute keeping
with the sentiment OF the day. All was
merry and all were merry
Decorations of the Ships.
For two days boating parties had gone
TO the heavily wooded shores Of this beau
tiful island and had brought in greens for
Christmas They were mostly palms and
bamboo, with trailing vines in profusion
When darkness came on Christmas Eve.
the work Of decoration began. Late into
the night some of the men toiled. When
daylight came every ship was dressed in
greens. From truck to water line, on
signal yard, rigging, turrets, gangways.
there were branches Of trees and festoons
Of vines. Inside the ships the wardrooms
and cabins were elaborately decorated
Every wardroom had its Christmas tree.
and around it were grouped gifts for all
No one was overlooked. Christmas boxes
brought from home with orders not 10
be unsealed until Christmas Day, were
broken open in every part of the ship.
Then came day Of visiting. OF sports
rowing in the morning, athletics aboard
ship in the afternoon, and boxing in the
evening--of the big reception on the Min
nesota and of the merriest kind of dinner
parties. with the distribution of Santa
Claus gifts in the evening The gifts were
mostly tTinkets, but they had hits and
grnds in them, and the presentation ellie
tied shouts of laughter Although the
matter of rank was not ignored, appar-
entity the high and low officers, from ad-
miral and captain down to midshipman
were seated on the good fellowship basis
and as equals. The fourth ward at the
foot OF the table went out Of business
for one night The middies and ensigns
could burst into song when they chose
and if any one forgot to say sir no one
thought it strange Here on the Louis
lana ten minutes after we sat down to
dinner came an instance Of the feeling
that makes the whole world kin on Christ
mas. The youngsters had been singing
the Louisiana song, the chorus of which
runs;
Lou. Lou. / love you;
/ love you, that's true;
sig 6ou't qrv