The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-26

| mand of the Atlantic fleet was trans
ferred yesterday, when Rear-Admiral
Charles S. Sperry stood on the quarter
deck of the Connecticut and read to
the officers of the fleet the orders from
Washington that place him at the head
of the fleet, and Rear-Admiral Charles
NJ. Thomas stepped down the gangway
in civilian clothes, retired officer. The
ceremonies marking the transfer yes
terday morning were simple. the sa-
luting of the ships of war as Admiral
| Sperry's two-starred red flag was bro
ken from the masthead, being the only
| indication that anything unusual was
transpiring aboard the flagship of the
great fleet.
| The blue Admiral's flag that had
fioated from the mast of the Connectf-
cut during her long cruise from the At
lantic to the Pacific, will not be hoisted
again until after the Pacific fleet leaves
the harbor. as Rear-Admira1 Dayton is
the senior Admiral in port, and, as
such, is the only one entitled to fly a
blue flag. His red flag was taken down
yesterday simultaneously with the
hauling down of Admiral Thomas flag,
and the same instant that saw the
breaking of Admiral Sperry's red flag
from the peak of the Connecticut saw
the unfolding of a blue flag from the
foremost of the West Virginia.
Yesterdays ceremony had been ar
ranged beforehand between Admiral
Thomas and Admiral Sperry, and the
entire ceremony consumed less than
two hours. Shortly before 10 o'clock
the commanding officers of the various
vessels in the Atlantic fleet began to
arrive on the Connecticut preparatory
to the transfer of command. Exactly
at 1920 o'clock Rear-Admiral Sperry's
barge from the Alabama came along
side the Connecticut and the new COM
handing officer of the fleet was piped
over the side of his future flagship.
ADMIRALS SHAKE HANDS.
All the officers of the fleet, the SAIL
ors and marines of the Connecticut
were drawn up at attention on the
quarterback and Admiral Thomas read
to them his orders from Washington
detaching him from the command of
the Atlantic fleet. Admiral Sperry then
read his orders placing him in COM
mand of the fleet, and the two Admfrals
shook hands with each other and the
officers of the fleet.
At 10:40 o'clock the Connecticut be-
gan to boom out the thirteen guns of
the final salute to Admiral Thomas
flag, and on the last gun the flag was
run down. Then the guns of the Ala
bama, Admiral Sperry's former flag
ship, began to boom out a salute of
thirteen guns, and on the last gun his
flag was lowered from the masthead Of
that vessel. simultaneously it was
raised on the Connecticut. and at the
same instant Admiral Dayton's blue
flag was flung to the breeze on the
West Virginia.
The Connecticut saluted Admiral
Dayton's flag with thirteen guns
which was answered by the flagship
of the commander of the Pacific fleet.
Then the training ship Pensacola, at
Goat island. doomed out a salute of
thirteen guns to Admiral Dayton's blue
flag, and the West Virginia answered
this with a salute of eight guns for
the commanding officer of the training
station Thus Admiral Dayton, by rea-
son of his being the ranking Admiral
in port, became the honored officer of
the occasion. although the ceremony of
the transfer of the command of the
Atlantic fleet was matter concerning
only the Atlantic fleet.
RAISES FLAG ON LOUISIANA
Admiral Emory's flag was lowered
from the Georgia, which has been his
flagship while he was in command of
the second division, and was raised
on the Louisiana at the same instant
that the other flags were being flung
Al tot INN ~SerJ1f
raised his plain blue triangular pen
nant on the Georgia as commanding
officer of the second division, and Cap
tain Schroeder raised a similar pen
nant on the Alabama at the same time.
These Captains will be elevated to the
rank of Rear Admiral within the next
two months.
After all the flag shifting had taken
place. which occupied less than five
minutes, Admiral Thomas left the Con-
necticut and the Atlantic fleet in a
barge. There was deep silence aboard
the battleship. and as the barge pulled
away from the side of the white war
ship the sailors on the deck and in the
turrets gave prolonged cheer.
Admiral Thomas stood up in his
barge with uncovered head and tears
COOFSSu upNn each Ci1eSh. Tor
he had been in command of the At
lantic fleet but since last Saturday
morning. he had been associated with
the officers and men of the fleet for
many years. and this was his official
and final leavetaking of the service to
which he had devoted his life.
Immediately after Admiral Thomas
had left the Connecticut the Admirals
and commanding officers of the fleet
arrived in their barges to pay their
respects to their new chief, who will
lead the fleet on an even more difficult
voyage than it had in coming here, the
trip around the world.
Admiral Sperry made but one change
in the staff that has acted for the
ranking Admiral of the fleet under
Admirals Evans and Thomas. He
brought his own Flag Lieutenant with
him from the Alabama, Admiral
Sperry's staff as it now stands follows:
Chief of staff. Captain r. r. Ingersoll;
rytN7 n.