The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-15
BATTLESHIPS
NEARING HOME
AFTER CRUISE
Details of One of the Most Re-
markabIe Trips of a Mod
ern Fleet.
VESSELS RETURN FIT
FOR "FR0LIC OR FIGHT"
TASKS HERETOFORE DEEMED
IMPOSSIBLE PROVED EASY
or ACCOMPLISHMENT.

old Point Comfort. Va, Feb. 14.-Hsh
nav across the Atlantic ocean on the
Isl long reach of their spectacular
.ruise around the world, the sixteen
battleships of the United States Attain
tic fleet are stearing today in leisurely
sssbiou toward the anchorage grounds
~ Hampton Roads, from whence they
esiIed lust fourteen months ago. Dur
i,g these months of record steaming,
he heavily armored fighting vessels
have travelled approximately $1,000
miles. and are returning in condition
still fit for "a frolic OF a fight" The
-ruise has been A veritable expedition
of the seven seas and tasks heretofore
deemed impossible for the modern iron
clad have been accomplished with an
ease bordering on the commonplace.
The stories of the cruise have been
succeeding chapters of receptions, ban
uuets. balls and merTymaking, but back
Of all this relaxation and entertaining
in the hOspitable ports of the two hem
ispheres has been a test of men ana
material which has placed the Ameri-
can navy in an enviable position before
all the world. The engine room eff
cheney in the longer legs OF the journey
developing a new and unexpectedly
wide steaming radius for a battleship;
the facility in following the motions of
The flagship of the fleet, squadron and
divisional maneuveTs which came with
constant experience at sea, and above
all, the marvellous records made at the
targets in Magdalena and Manila bays,
tell of the real work and the substan-
tial accomplishments that have marked
this most notable of peace demonstra-
tons among the navies of the world.
Schedule Adhered To.
The previously arranged schedule Of
the journeys from port to port had
been adhered to in remarkable manner
except in two instances when violent
storms made fun speed too dangerous
and uncomfortable To offset these
lapses from punetuaiity. the fleet has
made some of its longest runs two
whole days ahead of time. None of the
undertakings imposed ypon the ships
or the men has been too difficult. The
cruise. however, was not inaugurated
without serious mi5givings at home and
abroad. Victor NJ Metcaf of Califor-
MIA was secretary of the navy when the
cruise began. After the ships had set
sail from Manila with homeward bound
pennsnts flying, Mr.. Metcalf said:
When the purpose Of giving this as
semblage of battleships the privileges
and advantages of a practical cruise
was announced. criticisms from high
technical quarters were heard. It was
suggested that the undertaking was too
monumental. that a battieship is too
vast and complicated a piece of mech
anism to send around the globe on any
ordinary occasion. that dangers more
than multiplied with numbers in such
a case; that disaster lurked on every
submerged ledge and was borne on
every unknown tidal current: that the
skeleton Of some of the ships would
doubtless be left in the Straits Of Ma
gellan; that. il the fleet should succeed
In rounding South America it was rea-
SoDably certain that the individual
ships would. one by one. arrive with
machineries loose and almost unser-
Viceable witt crews rejecting the de-
moratzed condition of the materiel. and
that woeful spectacle of failure would
thus be presented
AS to the materiel. the cold facts
are that the ships have practically
taken care of their own repairs on this
cruise. The repair lists turned in at
the Cavire naval station were negiigi-
hlo"
Benefit to Be Derived.
That the experience gained on the
cruise viii be Of unending benefit to
the navy is indicated from the fact
That probably One-half of the entire
Personnel of the nava! establishment
Participated in the epOch-making trip.
Three of the sixteen captains -rho
sailed in command of vessels are re-
turning home as rear admirals. Eight
other captains are returning in COM
mand of the same ships on which they
uegan the journey of the world. From
Continued on Page 5.