Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-03-02
Roosevelt, as Commander in Chief
of Navy, Welcomes Admiral
Sperry's Squadron.
PANDEMoNIUM REIGNs ON SEA.
Nearly Ten Miles of Formidable War
Craft Steams Msjestically Past
the Presidents Yacht.


Banner and saluting cannon roaring
tribute to the President, the battle
ship feet of the American navy ended
its world cruise at Old Point Comfort.
Va, Monday. After steaming in review
before the President, whose eagle-crest-
ed flag of blue was at the main of the
cruiser yacht Mayfower. the sixteen
white battle ships cast anchor in the
fairway of Hampton Roads, from
which they started fourteen months
ago on their voyage of $4,000 miles.
The joy of homecoming was written
upon the face of every blue jacket and
officer on the vessels The long cruise
the visits to many of the most famous
ports of the world and the homage paid
to the fleet by every nation have been
sources of pleasure to everyone aboard
but there was no scene in all the world
to compare in beauty with the familiar
landmarks passed by the feet as it
steamed triumphant. self-reliant and
efficient force through the Virginia
capes and entered the hospitable waters
of Chesapeake Bay and Hampton
Roads. The flagship Connecticut steam
ed at the head of the returning squad
rons In the wake of the white ships
was a welcoming host in gray-four
battle ships and five powerful cruisers
being in this escorting celglnn sent
thousand miles TO sea to convey the
first word of welcome
President Receives Officers.
Foreign naval attaches. parties of
government officials and high officers of
the army and navy were aboard the
fleet which steamed out to greet the
incoming vessels and to see the review
by the President at the tail of the
horseshoe. The Mayfiower came down
from Washington with a distinguished
party, and cast her anchors In the
waters in which she took up a position
at the sailing of the fleet. Immediate
ly behind the Mayfiower, carrying the
President, lay convoy of vessels, each
loaded to the gunwales with humanity
Congressman, diplomats. navy wild
y
their decks. From every mathead was
ftuug the signal Welcome Home"
Now athwart the Mayfiower a black
muzzled gun belched forth puff of
white smoke ard a tremendous explo
sion woke the echoes along the shores
of historic Hampton Roads, covered
with people as far as the eye could
reach. Twenty-one guns fired from
both hroadsides in rapid succession
from the flagship Connecticut bearing
on its bridge Admiral Sperry, comman-
der of the fleet, saluted the President
Her streaming "Homeward bound"
pennant and the long lines of jackies
manning her yard arms and fighting
tops and dressing ship along the decks
were soon wreathed in smoke. From
every vessel in the welcoming fleet
rolled back a volume of cheers such as
was never heard in Hampton Roads
before. 1t was burst of patriotic en-
thusiasm in which the human voice
was matched against steel and gun
powder. Every sea captain grabbed
his WHISTLE line anu TORE loose at
rate that threatened to leave his yes
sci stranded on the shore for lack of
steam to get home.
After the ceremonial greeting of the
battle ships and their escort the May
flower steamed at the end of the long
column into Hampton Roads, and when
the homecoming craft had anchored
she took up a position in the center of
the fleet. Admiral Sperry ard the 9TH
er flag officers, together with captains
commanding We're received on board
and to them President Roosevelt ex-
tended the cordial thanks which he af-
terward expressed anew to the officers
and crews of the four divisional flag
ships-the Connecticut, the louisiana
the Georgia and the Wisconsin-which
he visited late in the afternoon.
Gala Day on Historic Waters.
The boom of the sunrise gun echoing
over the moat of picturesque old Fort
ress Monroe marked the beginning of
gala day on the waters of Hampton
Roads, first made famous by the battle
of the Monitor and the Merrimac It
required vivid Imagination to look
back over span Of forts-odd years to
picture the fury of that conflict and
compare the combatants with a modern
battle ship of the class of the Connect
lieut. In the battle ship and cruiser
squadrons which fled past the May
flower and saluted the Presidents flag
were represented 420.490 tons of water
displacement. Every battle ship in
commission in the navy had place in
the long line There were twenty of
the heavily belted vessels.