The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-04-24
WELCOME TOFLEET
BATTLESHIPS RIDE AT ANGLO
AT SAN DIEGO AFTER
LONG CRUISE.
ON A CALM SUMMER SEA
Gov Gillette Was There to Official.
ly Receive Them-Arrived 13
Minutes Ahead of An
nounced Time.

San Diego, Cal, Apr. 16.-The
American battleship fleet sailed Tues
day on summer sea. Sapphire
waters, rejecting the deep blue of
cloudless southern sky; tropical
Islands jutting boldly out of the ocean
in the path Of the western horizon. a
mile of sandy beach crowded with en-
thusiastic patriots proud to welcome
the navy to California and the green
lawns and Towering gardens of Coro-
nado formed the setting for the most
notable marine spectacle the west
coast of the United States has ever
known. In four regularly-intervaled
columns, with flagships leading
abreast and pointing the way to the
first home anchorage, the fleet has
found in its four months of cruising
around the southern-most end of the
western hemisphere, the 16 ships,
swept into the sheltered cove of the
sea behind the towering headlands of
Point Iona and halted for four days
of merry-making for men and officers.
Gov. James N. Gillett~ was here Of
ficially to welcome the fleet and his
call upon Rear Admiral Thomas, COM
handing in the absence of Rear Adj
miral Robley d. Evans, who took the
fleet out of Hampton Roads last De.
cember, was repaid during the after
noon. Local committees also went to
the Connecticut to tell Admiral Thorn
as and through him all the men of
the fleet how glad the people of Cali
fornia are to see such a splendid repre-
sentation of the American navy as the
battle fleet" constitutes. Tuesday
Admirals Thomas, Sperry and Emory
and the commanding officers and men,
bers of the various staffs were enter
tanned at an elaborate but informal
dinner at the Hotel Del Coronado. 1t
was their first taste of the hospitable
functions which have been planned in
their honor all the way to San Fran
cisco and beyond. Coming after the
decidedly limited fare offered by the
desolate country surrounding Magda-
lena bay, the dainties furnished were
rarely relished. The beauty of the
day spectacle when with flashing sig
nails and wonderfully executed maneu.
vers the ships were brought to anchor
in the lazy rolling Pacific waters was
rivaled Tuesday night when for three
hours every vessel was outlined in
fire. Thousands of incandescent bulbs
were strung along deck lines, up mill
tary masts, far out on the signal yard
arms, up and down the huge tunnels
and down to the waters edge at stem
and stern. In fairy-like form the
Ups stood out against the night and
letters six feet high the name of
Very vessel was spelled across it's
forward bridge. The glow of the lights
flooded the sea for thousands of yards
away, the cleaning outlines simmer
ing in phantom-like reflections.
During half an hour of the period of
illumination a searchlight display was
made, Kidding infinitely to the wonder
full effect The flashing shafts of pow
erful white lights were sent dancing
over the waves, playing now and then
on the crowded beach of the brilliant
ly illuminated hotel, then reaching far
away to the south to conjure from the
night the peaks of the coastal range
of mountains which mark the boun-
Diary line between Mexico and the
United States.
During all this radiant display the
old lighthouse marking the ruonding
point to the north-Point Loma's
lonely beacon-fashed its alternating
red and white signals in democratic
simplicity and wholly unmindful of
the spectacle the coming of the ships
and their illumination afforded. On
shore scores of red signal fires were
throughout the evening as
a welcome sign and above all, high in
the reaches of the sky, shone brill
liant southern moon, hurrying its way
to romantic fullness. The thousands
who journeyed from San Diego to the
beaches of Coronado to witness the
arrival of the fleet, remained to view
the beauties offered by the night.
The fleet let go its anchors-all
splashing in the water with precision
at 12:47 p. m. just 10 minutes before
the announced hour of arrival.