The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-07
Beautiful to the Sight.

Beautiful to the Sight.
For after all, whatever may be the
elaborate festivities planned ashore in
welcome of the feet, the ships them
selves, steaming along in varying for
nations, really present the picture that
is most beautiful to see. No black
hulled navies of other nations can ever
match the wOndrous impressions the
white ships of the Atlantic fleet have
created at home and abroad.
San Francisco, Oakland and other
cities nearby all took a holiday 70
witness the coming of the fleet. There
was a complete cessation of business,
and the streets in the downtown sec
tons were absolutely deserted. Banks
and business houses were closed for the
day, and everybody fiocked to the hill
sides overlooking the gateway and the
harbOr. More people came into the city
last night and this morning than left
during the terror and homeless days
following the fire. IL probably is diff
ficult for the people of the central and
eastern states to realize the enthusiasm
of the residents of this coast over the
presence of the battleships in Pacific
waters. All other subjects are lost to
view. A few remaining scars of city
shaken and burned appeared rose-tint-
ed today in the joy of the general cele-
bratiOn. A welcome sign, spelled in
letters fifty feet high. topped the
heights of Telegraph hill
Flood of Sunshine.
The sun, which all morning long had
been obscured by heavy gray clouds,
broke through just as the ships were
passing by the gateway and shone in
MONDAY brilliance on the paseantry Of
fighting craft.
Tonight the city is gay with merry
making, and the long program of en-
tertainments planned in honor of the
fleet is well under way. Streets and
buildings are illuminated for the first
time in the history of the new city,
many of the giant skyscrapers that
have risen upon the sites of less i'm
posing buildings destroyed being out
lined in a fire of electric bulbs. The
still crowded hills of the city are flood
ed now and then in the flash and play
of scores of searchlights trained from
fighting tops ard flying bridges. Be
low them in the anchorage grounds the
Nominations of the heaviest fleet ever
assembled under any flag make bril-
liant the waters of the bay for thou
sands of yards around.
Officials dinners, band concerts and a
reception and ball at the Paramount
hotel with 5000 invited guests, are fea-
lures of the first evening of the fleets
stay. The days that are TO come will
be crowded with a variety of entertain
ing for the men and officers of the Wis
iting SquadrOns.
Warships at Anchor.
The fleet threaded its way through
the crowded harbor. past the islands
and ferry lanes and, reaching far over
to the Oakland shore, turned at last
when opposite Hunters Point and,
pointing back toward the Golden Gate
to face the incoming tide, steamed
slowly into anchorage formation. The
battleships, having the right of line,
were first to let their anchors go. The
sixteen veterans of the Atlantic cruise,
augmented by two battieships recruit
ed here for the remainder of the trip
around the world-the Nebraska and
the Wisconsin-occupy the two in
side lines of the four columns of ships
now in the harbor. The armored crUi-
sers of the Pacific fleet have the line
nearest the Oakland shore, while the
little black destrOyers of both the At
lantic and Pacific flotillas are berthed
close in toward the San Francisco
waterfront. The parade and the ma
neuvers were made without the slight
est hitch anywhere or the suggestion OF
an accident The excursion fleet was
kept out of the warships' pathway by
a patrol of revenue cutters, and all
ferry service was suspended during the
parade.
Evans in Command.
Rear Admiral RoEey ID. Evans,
cOmmander-in-chief of the Atlantic
fleet, and Just now in command of the
assembled ships of both oceans, stood
on the after bridge of the Connecticut
as the famous flagship led the way
through the harbor's gate and until she
came to anchor at the head of the bat
tleship columns. His presence gave a
fitting touch to the close of the first
great stage of the cruise. His active
naval career is to close on Sunday next.
when he formally will be relieved from
command. Both because of illness and
the death of a favorite grandchild, Ad-
miral Evans will be unable TO partici-
pate in any of the functions planned in
honor of the officers. He probably will
ride at the head of the great land dis
play which is TO be made tomorrow
with more than 5000 blue jackets and
marines in line.
Always a harbOT of picturesque beau
ty, San Francisco bay today provided
wonderful setting for the most re-
splendent of the many marine pictures
the white feet has ever painted. The
fash of sun from behind the forbidding
clouds of the misty morning gave the
finishing touch of sparkle and color to
the scene. The Atlantic ships lay at
anchor all last night off the San Fran
cisco lightship with the twinkling
lights of the FarallOn islands plainly
in view.