New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-12-16
NAVY's SANTA CLAUS
Celtic to Meet Returning Atlantic
Fleet Off Gibraltar.

Celtic to Meet Returning Atlantic
Fleet OFF Gibraltar.
DOUBLE CHRISTMAS FEAsTs.
AZ Supply Ship Will Not Meet Fleet
Till February Home Bound Battle
ships Will Celebrate Twice, For Off
GERS and Men With Trees at Mast
heads Will Be Merry.
Somewhere between Colombo, Cey-
Ion, and Suez on Christmas day the
sixteen men-ofwar of the Atlantic
feet, with attendant Golfers and sup
ply ships, viii be bncking their way
home, fr trees dashed TO mastheads
and jollity unmitigated on every craft
But withal there will be something
missing.
It is not important how it happened,
but Uncle Sam slipped up In his holt
day calculations for the $4,000 jackies
who are on the beginning of the last
lap Of their world encircling voyage.
He forgot to allow sufficient time for
the Santa Claus ship of the navy to
reach its destination, says the New
York Post. The result Is that the sup
ply ship Celtic is lying at the Brook
lyn navy yard now taking on her
Christmas load, with the prospect of
not getting away from her dock until
Christmas is long past, perhaps not
even before Jan. 10. At that rate 1t
viii be impossible for the Celtic and
the battleships to come together until
Feb. 3.
And all those long weeks from
Christmas day to Feb. the bluejack-
cts must wait, wondering what on
| earth the folks at home have sent
them.
The United States navy regards
Christmas as feast of the first order,
an event to be celebrated along the
most joyous lines. No matter what
part Of the world ship may be in, it
is essential that details of the occasion
be fScrupulously observed. If Christ
mas trees are scarce in the quarter in
| which the vessel Is stationed fore
| thought Of senior officers, who have
spent many Yuletides adoat, will have
| provided stock in advance
No self respecting man-of-war flying
the stars and stripes would think of
| getting along on Christmas day with
ont trees at the mastheads You might
as well talk of going into action with
out your breechblocks. Those trees
| must be at every masthead to let the
world know, even If that world hap
pens to be an expanse Of watery hori-
zon and fifteen other floating ma
chimes of destruct ton, that spirit OF
good feeling and brotherhood prevails
aboard the 'U S. s. Thunder and
Lightning"
There must be decorations in the
wardroOms. Probably In the lower lat
itudes such things as holly and mistle-
toesare Injuries Impossible OF attain
ment unless an express from home ar
fives OPPORTUNITY, but many other
plants may be utilized. Among the en-
listed men every effort is made by the
onfcers to encourage the spirit Of Yule
/ II a group wish to have Christmas
tree and candles and distribute pres
ents they will find no more enthusiasts
tic advocates Of the idea than their
division officers
All this, however, is very far away
from the supply ship Celtic, hugging.
close to her berth at the old coal dock
in the navy yard, with East river
zephyrs nipping in through portfolio
and open hatch. Open matches are a
necessity because long lines of freight
cars have been run up beside the YES
sci, and from them stevedores are
hosting aboard in nets the 500 tons of
fresh beef in huge slabs which will go
to assuage the hunger Of the battle
ships crews. Later on will come the
turn of the turkeys to descend into the
Celtic's capacious holds = focks Of
them.
Lots of other eatables, too, are in
Guided in the cargo Of the supply ship
vegetables, fresh and dried; sweets,
everything, in short, that can aid in
satisfying the appetites of 1000 more
or less hungry men-not, Of course.
that the crews of the battleship feet
must wait until the Celtic arrives for
their Christmas dinner. Uncle Sam
was not quite so forgetful Another
supply ship left for the east some
time ago with the materials for the
spread, and it is expected that she will
connect with the fleet in ample time.
Claim of the Celtic to the honor of
being fleet Santa Claus is based on the
fact that she is to carry all the par
GELS and bundles Of presents from
friends and relatives which are too
large to go by mail. Many and many
a fond mother in Kalamazoo or Fire.
donia is spending loving care on a
fruit cake, a plum pudding, a jar of
mince meat or something eatable that
will keep. Besides. there are books,
handkerchiefs, neckties every thing, in