The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-02-25
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Fleet Returns After the Longest
Cruise Ever Taken
BY "A WAR SQUADRON

day in Battle Line Ten Miles in
Length-The< Greatest Navel Dis
play Ever Witnessed at Any Time.
Old Point Comfort, Feb. 22.-
When the globe encircling battle
ship fleet cast anchor today in the
immense watery triangle, bounded
by Newport News, Norfolk and the
gray old walls of Fortress Monroe,
there ended one of the most spec
tacular and successful cruises in the
history of the world. The fleet an
chorged after the review at the place
where it started more than a year
ago and it is home in almost as good
condition as when it began its AZ
600 mile journey, more than twice
the distance ever sailed by any fleet
in the history of the world.
For a week the cities bounding
Hampton Grads have been fleet mad
and the elimination of the enthusi-
asm and excitement was reached this
morning when the great battleships
steamed majestically into the roads,
with the flagship Connecticut lead
ing the procession and Admiral
Sperry on the bridge. With the
| sixteen battleships was the third
squadron, commanded by Admiral
Arnold, which had been sent out to
sea last week to meet and escort
it home. When the ships cast anchor
in the roads there were twenty-siX
in all, of which twenty were bat
| tleships.
Saturday and Sunday every incom-
ing train and steamship brought an
immense multitude Of people into the
cities around Hampton Roads and
| the number of sightseers has never
before been witnessed in these wa
ters. It is estimated that between
10000 and $4,000 visitors lined
| the shores or were in the scores of
pleasure crafts atloat in the roads.
The crowd was even larger than the
great throngs which saw the fleet
depart. People are here from every
State in the union.
The marine spectacle and review
| today was something extraordinary,
an event which will live in the men,
| ory of every beholder. Early in the
morning the day promised to be
ideal, but about 10 o'clock the sky
became overcast and light driz-
zling rain began to fall, which con-
tinued throughout the review. This
marred somewhat the great pano-
rama.
The ships filed past the Mayfower,
under lowering gray sky, and at
times the rain and the mist almost
obscured the tail of the fleet, while
the saluting guns sounded muffied
in the fog. Otherwise the marine
picture was perfect. The review oc-
Cured at the tail of the Horse Shoe.
which lies between Cape Charles and
Cape Henry, eleven miles from Old
Point Comfort.
When the ships were first sighted
coming up through the Virginia
capes, grim and gray looking, they
begs to fire the presidential salute
of twenty-one guns, and a vast pail
of smoke hung over the scene. Then
as they filed past the presidents
yacht, each ship fired twenty-one
guns. Again at IL o'clock each YES
sci fired twenty-one guns. the nation
al salute in honor of Washington's S
birthday.
At 9 o'clock this morning fifty or
more excursion steamers, private and
small pleasure crafts of various kinds
left Norfolk and Old Point Comfort
and raced down the bay to meet the
fleet. They were black with people
and covered with immense signs Of
Welcome Home"
w uSu Tic dlllNSu up
posite the Mayfower, the excursion
fleets sirens screamed, whistles blew
and the bands played the Star Spang-
led Banner.
The Mayfower, having on board
President Roosevelt, Secretary of the
Navy Newberry and Mrs. Newberry,
the Roosevelt family and Represen-
tative and Mrs. Longworth. and sew
eral friends, arrived at Hampton
Roads early this morning, having
come down the Potomac from Wash
ington Sunday afternoon.
The Mayflower was in its position
at II a. M, at the Horse Shoe tail,
and the battleship fleet, ship by
ship, headed by the flagship, steamed
slowly past in review.
The ships amid the thunder Of
their guns were in line which eX
tended for almost ten miles and from
the time that the Connecticut pass
ed the Mayfower until the last ves-
sci dipped it's flag and the last salute
has been fired, more than two hours
elapsed.
The vessels steamed four hundred
yards apart and the division eight
hundred yards apart.
After the review they dropped an
chor in two-column formation and
the barges of the admiral's fleet