The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-25
ICLERMONT SMASHES
 INTO HALF MOON
 AT NAVAL PARADE 
Demonstration of Warshps at Hudson Fulton Celebration Biggest Pageant of Fighting Graft Ever
 Gathered at Any Port
Five Times Greater Than that of Ten Years Ago When Admiral George Dewey Was Welcomed in New
 York Harbof on His Return from Manila
Special from United Press.)

Special from United Press.)
 New York, Sept. 25.-The Hudson
 Fulton celebration narrowly missed
 lstrilxing a real snag this morning wheI
 Ithe replica of Robert Fulton's f1rs1 steamboat, the Clermont. smashed in
 Ito the duplicate of the Half Moon, of
 fSt. George. s. I. Fortunately little damage was done excepting to the lpaint on the side of the Dutchman
 but the episode gave the crowd on the fexcursion boats nearby their first
 thrill.
 At II o'clock this morning when the I chimes of historic Trinity Church lsounded a warning signal to the pull lsing city under its venerable spire there came out from the Kill Won Kull lin the upper harbor. two outland1sh Hooking craft. a noisy puffy huttering Iof a steamboat called the Clermont and tiny high popped ship with sails, named the Half Moon.
 As these two vessels. like wraiths
 of by-gone centuries with people at ttired in the costumes of the past ages, issued from the mouth of the rfver, lten thousand steam whistles tried to burst their brazen gullets: cannon lboomed: cheers that grew into ,hur- fricane of sound sprang up from the
 threats of millions of people. massed lin solid acres along miles of water lfront-and the great Hudson-Fulton .lcelebration was on.
 Down the bay the greatest peace fleet that ever gathered in this hemis- tphere was waiting to escort the two Idiminutive craft; up the Hudson for g miles the greatest war fleet with one
 exception that was ever gathered,
 waited to burst into the music of can
 non fire as they saluted their pre- ldecesSOrs. Nsis 1 Slowly, impressively. the Clermont innd the Half Moon made their way down the bay. the din abating none. OM Stapleton they were joined by the cornmanding officers of the fleet, Cap tain J. W. Miller of the New. York
 Naval Militia.
 Then they made their way over to lthe Bay Ridge shore of Brooklyn where ed looking torpedo boats and destroy CTS, dumpy looking submarines. rakish yachts representing millions of dollars. powerful tugs, big excursion steamers that carried thousands, steam lighters. lpulsing motor boats-two thousand power craft of every description. wait ed in the great line to escort and pay tribute to the first ship that navigated the mighty Hudson and the first steamboat that ruffled it's waters. The signal was given and the great peace fleet fell into line and followed the sClermont and Half Moon. Back up the bay they came. impressive in their greatness For miles they stretched boats they escorted had turned north into the mouth of the Hudson, the tail end of the peace fleet had not gotten under way.
 ed and saluted on every hand. Off Fiftieth street the Clermont and Half Moon passed the first of the great war fleet. the little Newport, flying the stars and stripes. and her guns parked out a salute. A moment later the guns of the Mexican cruiser Morales burst into a booming salute. Then French battleships took up the boom and the Germans and the Dutch and the English and the Americans. Up through this nine mile stretch of war ships the peace fleet passed. There were 53 American war vessels, four English. four German. three French, one Dutch. one Argentine, one Mexi- if fired in one broadside. to wipe out city or sink a nations navy. There were 7s000 Officers and men to mann the 800 ca1ibred guns and the num- who were not firing the: salutes man ned the frails and cheered Justify as the cock1e-she11s of the past centuries gravely passad and accepted the honor due them
 The Half. Moon and the Clermont proceeded up the New York side of the river to 10th street where they hove to at the official landing and were of .fcialiy received by the Hudson-F'ulton Commission
 The great escorting fleet in ten squadrons proceeded up the Jersey side of the river to the head of the war fleet to Spuyten Duyvil Creek, above 10th street where they swung around to the New York side of the river and proceeded on down the way if had come,
 Tonight, beginning at o'clock the same parade in every detail will be repeated but this time every vessel in the peace fleet and the war fleet will be myriad of lights which. flashing over the water. in the glare of hun drcds of searchlights and tons of red fire. will make a sight rarer than any thing ever seen before in these waters. and scores of big skyscrapers and bridges will tonight be outlined in electric lights. while from the dome of Grants Tomb a battery of 20 pow river below. Special services have been arranged in all the synagogues for all who worship on Saturday.
 There was big crowd even for New York which is used to crowds, on hand to witness the marine spectacle. They began to gather early. First to put in appearance were the suburbanite who damned the early trolley cars and congested all of the railway sta tions. All were attired in their best bib and tucker and laden down with overcoat, blankets and the ever pres ent lunch basket.
 The first point of vantage to be was Riverside Park and the of Grants Tomb. The spec tacle presented from there was in spring. Out in the river, lazily tug ging at their anchors, was the great | est fleet of battleships and cruisers ever assembled in the Hudson.
 A short time after the early sun | had dried up the cold mist that hung | over Manhattan in the early hours, every available bit of space jn the | park and on the Manhattan street via l duct between the Tomb and the river, | had been filled and the disappointed | late corners were hurrying down town | to fill ,e docks and wharves which had not been occupied as grand f stands" before their arrival.
 It was cold waiting all along the | river front but the crowd was persis-