The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-02-07

Gibraltar, Feb 6.--With the bands
on board playing Home Sweet
Home" the American fleet of 16 bat
tleships, under Rear Admiral Sperry,
left Gibraltar at IL o'clock this morn
ing for Hampton Roads on the last
lap of it's famous around-the-World
cruise of $4,000 miles. One hour later
the vessels were well clear OF the land
and, steaming westward in double
column formation at a speed of 10
knots an hour. They will follow the
southern route to Hampton Roads,
distance of $500 miles, and about 1000
miles off the American coast they will
be met and escorted home by the third
squadron of the Atlantic fleet under
Rear Admiral Arnold.
The weather conditions at the time
of the departure was glorious. The
sky was without a cloud, and there
was just enough breeze to curl the
crests of the sun nflooded waves.
Nothing could have surpassed the
beauty of the marine picture as the
American armada weighed anchor this
morning under the shadows of the
towering rock of Gibraltar and moved
out into the straits.
The difficulty of getting the 16 huge
battleships out of the narrow war
| basin of the port and under way was
accomplished with a skill and perfec-
| tion Of maneuvering and detail which
| won the admiration of all the foreign
naval men who witnessed the pro-
ceedings critically from land and sea.
Al, ha ybn1n
operation from the center bridge of
| the Connecticut.
Signal Is Given.
At $50 o'clock the signal to unmoor
| was given and the great chains hold
ing the ships to the buoys were
loosened one by one until the vessels
were held to their anchorages by but
single strand. At 8:55 stream of
multi-colored signal flags on the flag
ship gave the order to get under way
to the Georgia, Nebraska, New Jersey,
the Rhode Island and the Virginia,
lying at the rear of the basin. AS the
flags came fluttering down five min
utes later the designated battleships
cast off their lines, and, like freed
leviathans seeking escape, they slowly
swung their noses in the direction of
the breaches in the breakwater.
Twisting and turning to the changing
of engine gongs they crept out, the
Georgia leading the way with the
lieutenant commander, George w.
Kline, on the bridge. Once outside,
Rear Admiral Wainwright's division
fell In formation and waited for the
second and third groups. The second
group consisted of the Vermont,
proudly flying the battle efficiency"
| trophy at her fore; the Minnesota,
Ohio and Kearsarge, and the third
was composed of the Wisconsin, Kan
sas Louisiana Missouri and Illinois.
On Its Last Run.
The American battleship fleet COM
posed of IS warships, is now on it's
the world. It left Hampton Roads.
December 16, 1907, and when it again
| anchors in that harbor, February %,
it will have been gone one year and
| 6s days. No accident has marked the
progress of the greatest armed fleet
] that has ever made such a long voy-
! age. The cruise has been in every re-
spect an unqualified success.
The trip has been watched with the
greatest interest by all foreign powers,
! and wherever the vessels called, Aus
| tralia, Japan China, Ceylon and the
ports of the Mediterranean, the Off
| GERS and men have been given hearty
! official and private welcome.
The three groups waited outside and
p, at 1o:30 the Connecticut brought up
: the rear.
Although II is not customary to fire