Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-04-11
ADMlRAL'S FIRST QUESTION
Asked Lieut. Commander Why He
Had Not Appeared in
Proper Uniform.
No Untoward Incident MARRIED Long
Trip of Torpedoboat Destroyers
From Hampton Ronds.

Magdalena Say, Mexico. April 8,
via san Diego, Cal. April 1.-THE
torpedo-boat hotilla of six destroyers,
commanded by Lieut. Commander
Hutch I. Cone, arrived in Magdalena
bay from Acapulco Saturday evening
at o'clock The fotilla, following
the example of the feet, was one day
ahead of its schedule here. 1t re-
CURED three days to make the run
from Acapulco at an average speed of
10 knots.
The destroyers appeared in the en-
trance to the bay shortly after Z
o'clock, in a dense cloud of black
smoke. In the gathering darkness. the
low-lying, black hulls were not visible
from where the fleet lay at anchor. But
as they came on into the bay, steam
ing directly for the fleet at a rapid
speed, their identity was soon dis
closed. Immediately two bright sig
nal lights on the mainmast of each
battleship betokened the approach of
men of-war.
BY s o'clock they were at anchor,
lying here and there under the lee of
the big battleships. Commander Cone
went aboard the flagship Minnesota at
cnce to make his report to Admiral
Thomas.
Tall and thin and bronzed with the
heat of the tropical sun, he looked
fully the part Of the daring destroyer
fighter Admiral Thomas greeted him
in his cabin.
Young man, why are you not in
proper uniform" was one of the first
questions the admiral propounded as
he surveyed good naturedly the tall Of
iicer as the latter stood, cap in hand.
Cone was dressed in Che service uni
form of a lieutenant. He had been
promoted TO the rank oe EaHtenant-
commander since leavf1g hampton
lrROads,
II haven't had a canoe TO put on the
other stripes, admiral" he said in re-
ply.
II congratulate you upon your pro-
notion" concluded the admiral as he
grasped the officers hand and shook
it warmly.
FEATURES OF VOYAGE.
Commander Cone then began the
recounting of some Of the features of
his voyage The destroyers had had
no glimpse of the battleships since
shortly after leaving Punta Arenas,
when they separated. the destroyers
taking the inner course through the
narrow island channels. the battleships
sweeping far out TO sea. The trip of
the six small craft through the Pat
agonian passages was filled with adj
venture.
I'VE steamed for days through the
narrow channels, thousand miles
long" said Commander Cone the pas
sages being barely wide enough to let
fl., .trsaf
from the jutting glaciers and filled with
broken cakes OF ice The boats took
on all the ice we needed for days from
over the side.
"The precipitous cliffs of the snow
covered mountains rose beside us 20
height of thousands of feet seeming
sometimes TO almost close over us. We
threaded our way through these is
lands. the other destroyers following
the lead of the Whipple as we came
along in single column.
I'VE had ls a pilot a lieutenant con-
mander of the Chilean navy. He steer
ed us through the narrow defiles aad
over perilous places without the slight
est uishap. Frequently at night we
would come TO anchorage on n narrow
shelf OF rock where there would be
barely room enough for all the boats -
crowd together on It. This shelf would
be but a slender ledge, outside OF which
the bottom dnrpped sheer hundreds OF
fathoms beyond all possible anchor
age.
NATIVES COSTUMES scAMr.
1--WE went ashore in various plnces
end mingled with the natives. Although
the weather seemed cool TO us the cos
TUNES OF the natives were scant
ei ough. Somt times they were nothing
at all. Now then we had good hunting
ON nhore VIII. re hundreds OF wild ducks