The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-03-24
EVANS HERE; SAYS
COAST WILL GET
BATTLESHIPS
Noted Admiral Is Guest
of Tacoma Today =
Charmed With This
Country.
Declares Pacific Needs
Better Protection and
Will Get It.

Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans,
known around the world as
Fighting Bob" the greatest ma
val authority on either hemis-
phere. is the guest of the city of
Tacoma today.
With Mrs, Evans and her maid
and his business manager, James
A. Cruikshank, he arrived this
morning from Victoria and he
wonders now why he did not come
here long ago.
Charmed With Tacoma.
Admiral Evans is charmed with
Tacoma and the whole Puget
Sound country.
1T is like the whole of Switzer-
land put down in the China sea-"
was his terse and expressive de-
scription of this section with its
great mountain scenery looming
up out of the salt water.
AFTER seeing this I wonder why
anybody lives East. If the Mis-
sissippi valley had been settled
first the people would have come
West and discovered the great ma
tural resources here. The East
would now be a bowling wilder
ness"
Admiral Evans is probably the
best known naval hero In the
world. His campaigns have TAX
en- him wherever a boat can sail
and his service has not been of
the pink tea order, as the scars on
his body testify. He is thorough
ly imbued with the ieda of the
Importance of great navy and
especially on the Pacific coast.
Favors Western Fleet.
You ought to have three naval
stations, one in Puget Sound, at
Bremerton If that is suitable. one
at Mare Island or some other
place in the vicinity of San Fran
cisco, and another at San Diego
or some other point in that To-
cality, and then a feet of "a bat
tleships for the Pacific coast"
said the admiral.
What chance do you think
there is of getting them" he was
asked.
Bound to Get Them.
Get them! You are bound to
get them. What could stand
against the great West, this en-
pire of the coast, If It goes after
them? The whole navy is for it.
but of course we do not count in
that. But let the people demand
1t. Let the naval leagues be
formed and the congressman and
senator's from the West demand
1t and they will get 1t. If the
people act these things come. I
believe in doing things and then
talking about it afterward."
Every Sentence Hits Home.
The statement is typical of the
admiral. He Is a little fellow in
stature but every line In his face
shows that determination and
dogged persistency which knows
no defeat. He Is very approach
able and agreeable in CONVERSE
tion but every sentence counts for
something. He does not talk nor
shoot at random.
But he is thoroughly imbued
with the Importance of the Pa
cific coast and Is especially de-
lighted with Puget Sound. He
was probably as enthusiastic in his
admiration for this country as he
ever gets and there were few ad-
1ectives in his descriptions of his
impressions here. Everything
was right to the point. He likes
IL and says so. And everybody
understands 1t just like the sur
geon did who was going to cut OF
his legs when they were riddled
with lead in a battle and the adj
miral drew his revolver and told
the doctor he would shoot him II
he dared to amputate.
Greeted by Shriners.
Fighting Bobf' was greeted by
committees from ,he Shriners and
commercial organizations in the
Tacoma hotel this morning, and
this afternoon was given q tour
over the city in an automobile.
He returned to the hotel for q
sleep and this evening will speak
at the Tacoma theater ON his
Campaign In the West Indies" !"
when he was on the battleship
Iowa.
Admiral Evans and party viii
be in Tacoma until tomorrow aft
ernoon. He will leave at 2:40 to-
morrow for Bellingham where he
win speak IN the evening.
Fair tonight and