The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-13
BIG FLEET IN
SHELTERED BAY
american WarshipS Complete
a Trip of More Than
$4,000 Miles.
WORK AT TARGETS Is NEXT
THEN A HOLIDAY VISIT UP THE
CALIFORNIA COAST.

San Diego, Cal, March lZ.-W men the
I American battleship fleet under COM
mand of Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans
steamed into Magdalena bay, passing
/ through the rocky gateway marked by
Sail rock on the north and Redondo
point on the south and dropped anchors
| behind the high peninsula promontory
which stretches a protecting arm down
| from the mainland and makes Man o
war Cove the most sheltered harbor
of the lower Pacific coast, the history
making naval cruise of more than 10
| 600 miles begun at Hampton Roads less
than three months ago. practically came
to an end Magdalena is the present
naval base of the Pacific for American
target work and battle practice drills.
and by right of temporary ownership
through government lease the vessels,
if not the men of the fleet, may feel
that they are again in home waters.
Holiday Trip Next.
There yet remains to be made the trip
from Magdalena bay to San Francisco,
the destination originally announced,
and a matter of some LOO miles, but 1t
will not be begun until after target
practice is concluded and fleet drills are
done. g This last stage of the journey
will be a tour of holiday making. with
stops at San Diego, Los Angeles. Santa
Barbara and Santa Cruz. where recep-
ton committees are planning all man
ner of entertainments for officers and
men, the latter especially coming in for
the greatest amount of attention. The
sailors will find themselves heroes. ev-
cry one, i'm the eyes of their western
admirers and are promised esries of
fetes which include features ranging
from gala balls under the patronage of
exclusive social sets TO prize fights ref
creed by Champion James J. Jeffries
himself.
The California committee announce
that the uniform of the enlisted man,
far from being a bar to any place of
amusement as has sometimes been the
case in other places, win be mark of
hospitable welcome all along the Pa
cific coast.
Work to Be Done First.
There is serious work to be done at
Magdalena, however, before the sailors
thoughts can turn TO the happy days of
home coming. Target ranges are to
be established off the coast of Lower
California at once. according to the
wireless dispatches from Admiral Ev-
ans, and the divisions of the fleet will
be sent out with big guns booming as
soon as they are ready. Long before the
fleet passed through the Straits of
Magellan, the ordnance officers of the
sixteen ships, the turret captains and
heads of the various gun crews were
busy with the details of the coming
practice. and in the run from CaIlao to
Magdalena they completed the final ar
engagements.
Two target practices are held each
year in the navy. The spring practice
which has been completed by practi-
cally all of the vessels of the Pacific
fleet, and which is about to be under
taken by the feet from the Atlantic.
is known as the record practice" as
the result Of which four trophies an
nually are awarded.
Much Prize Money.
Prize money in large sums also is dis
tributed among the gun crews that
make the best scores at the targets. AT
the fall practice, the prize money is
the one reward held out. There are
feet awards of money. class awards
for the best work of ships in a given
class, and individual ship awards. so
that some money is available for all
good work, even if it be not the best
in fleet or class.
The four trophies are bronze
PLAQUES, which are carried by the
winning ships in four different classes
until other ships wrest the same away
at the spring practice. The trophies
were provided by order of President
Roosevelt. and are highly priced by the
winning crews.
Four Glasses in Competition.
The four classes are:
Battleships, cruisers, gunboats and
torpedo boat destroyers. In the battle
ship class are included the state-named
aTmored cruisers of the West Virginia
AMI Maryland type, of which there are
now eight in commission in the Pacific
feet. The battleship trophy is at pres
ent in possession of the Illinois of the
Atlantic feet, one of the four of Adj
miTal Evans fleet which still! carry
thirteen-inch guns in their main bat
teries as against the high-calibred
twelve-inch rifles of the more modern
ships. The Maryland has just made
record of 1889 per cent of hits at the
targets, and the naval enthusiasts
ing her the winner of the trophy in
advance of the work of any of the
ships of the big battle fleet
WIN NStulH tHc trophy.
The cruiser trophy is now in posses
sion of the crew of the protected cruis-
er Albany. which is in San Diego har-
Dor and has just returned from Magda-
lena with what is believed to be
worlds record for rapid and accurate
fire. The trophy was won last year by
the Albany's crew while they were on
the Boston, which now is out of COM
mission. There seems little doubt that
the Albany will retain the trophy and
the crew already is celebrating.
The gunboat trophy is possessed by
the Princeton, and the destroyer tro-
ply by the Preble. On each of the
trophy PLAQUES which bear designs of
naval vessels in heavy seas or gun
crews in action, is the inscription:
Trophy for excellence in naval gun
merry Presented by direction of the
president of the United States to the