The San Francisco call., 1908-08-20
HALF MILLION
SYDNEY PEOPLE
GREET FLEET
Arrival of American Battieships
Made Occasion of Great
Demonstration
Thousands Line Hills and House
tops to Welcome the Vis=
iting Seamen
London Paper Says Serious
Hitch Arises in Connection
With Big Street Parade

SYDNEY, N. S.W., Aug. 2o.-Early
this morning thin veil of smoke on
the horizon signaled to watchers on
the coast the approach of the Ameri-
can warships, and at 5:35 o'clock Off
cial notification was sent out that the
feet had been sighted. 1t was still
20~miles out of Sydney harhor, but
this word, which had been awaited
eagerly by tens of thousands, stirred
the Australians like a call to arms,
and almost instantly those who had
not left the city to take up points OF
vantage along the bays We're moving
in dEoves to line the quays, roof tops
and other places on the I1arbor front
TO watch the coming of the guardships
from the new world, The day broke
bright and clear, and so great was the
interest in the fleet that half of the
popUlace remained half of the night,
and thousands and thousands of them
before night was over were on their
way to the hill tops outside of the city
limits where they congregated seem
ingly in unbroken lines along the coast
from BOndl beach to Manly.
HALF 4 MILLION ASSEMBLE
It is estimated that hardly less than
half a million people assembled TO give
the visitors royal welcome sgd
ney harbor, with its innnmerable bays
and coves, never looked moro beautiful
nor did the American sailors ever wit
ness more inspiring sight than that
which met their eyes as the white ships
came through the channel past the
great headlards into Port Jackson.
A hundred thousand people, the
greatest single Assem- blage of all, gath
cred on the south heads, where a mag
nifieent view OF the whole scene was
to be had. Hundreds of craft of all
kinds moved up and down even at that
early hour, all the waters, with the
exception of the fairway and the an
chorages, being dotted with little and
big vessels decorated in every cOnceiv-
able manner with flags and bunting.
The fleet left Auckland at SIS Sat
urday morning, and with the exception
of one day had fair weather all the
way to Sydney. Tuesday the warships
encountered heavy winds, which threw
up stiff head sea, greatly retarding
their progress. Throughout Tuesday
night the high seas caused the larger
of the ships to roll at least 20 degrees,
while the auxiliaries suffered even
more severely. There was considerable
discomfort for all the men, and the
intervals between the vessels We're in
creased to 500 yards. The formation,
however, was not changed. No evolu-
tions We're INDUCED in on account of
the heavy weather during this period
but this abated the following day,
when the ships were about 160 miles
from port.
Speed was then increased to II knots,
and although the hospital ship Relief
was left behind, the others reached the
coast on schedule time, the Americans
as anxious as the Australians to par
ticipate in the reception and the fetes
which the latter have prepared for
them.
ARRIVE IN ALIGNMENT
In perfect alignment the flagship
Connecticut leading, with Rear Ad-
ships came out of the horizon, first a
little smoke showing, and then the
hulls, low down in the distance.
Passing in through the Sydney heads
lin double column, at intervals of 400
yards, the ships looked to have world
of speed and power under their glisten-
ing sides. The fleet was attended by
convoy steamers and was greeted with
roar of salutes from the forts as 1t
steamed slowly along. The thousands
ashore and afloat added their cheers
to swell the noisy welcome and count
less British and American flags were
flung TO the breeze and We're still wav-
ing long after the anchors had been
swung from the sides.
The American ships doomed forth a
salute to the port, and as soon as they
were safely moored at their anchorages
official visits were exchanged