Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-26
MANY THOUSANDS
VIEW BIG DISPLAY
, Hudson.FuIton Celebration
Crowds Unprecedented.
FIGURES BEYOND ESTIMATE
Humorous Feature Afforded by Half
Moons Exploit.
VESSEL RUNS AMUCK IN RIVER
Apparently Bent on Defense Against
Attack-Brilliant Effects in H.
Elimination at Night.
FIGURES BEYOND ESTIMATE
VESSEL RUNS AMUCK IN RIVER
Special Dispatch to The Star.

lum1naC1on at Night.
Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. September 25.-With ma
lures amiable aid New York, assisted by
several thousand foreign friends and sew
eral hundred thousand friendly neighbors,
pitched in with kindly purpose to enjoy
the start Of the Hudson Fulton celebra-
tion today. New York and it's visitors
good intentions had the friendly favor Of
the weather throughout the day. and
what started in with multitude. with
perhaps fairly active interest, worked
up with favoring circumstances through
out the day until 1t eliminated in burst
of glorious enthusiasm
The Half Moon. replica of Hudson S
ship caused the only excitement during
the days review.
Descriptions enough have been printed
of this boat but a little more may be
said here, partly to illuminate her amaz-
ing performance just as the parade was
about to start. when she seemed to try
to sink her rival. the Clermont. and fall
ing in that ran amuck among the f1ot1lla
of torpedo boat destroyers. acting for all
the world as If she had declared war on
the United States, was glad of it and
proposed to make a short job of the af-
fair.
Resembles Beak Of Bird Of Prey.
Her bowsprit is a wonderfully hard.
carved and painted contraption, shaped
like the beak of bird Of prey. Her jib-
boom, on the contrary, is modern-look-
ing spar. but not as In modern ships-an
extension of her bowsprit-and starts In
dependently from her stem and rises az
q more acute angle than her bowsprn.
Stepped well forward Is mast to which
three square sails are rigged, and this
whole mast has a slant forward instead
Of aft. Her mainmast, square rugged
also, has a modern slant aft and Is OF
two pieces, and her mizzen mast sin.
sail, somewhat like a spirit sail. and also
suggesting the latest sail Of Italian nsn-
efmen.
She Was manned with about twenty
,sailcrs. dressed in sailor toggery os l0vy.
lrenaarkable rem wiiiskers and sugarfoaf hat,
who wore white silk stockings. The
sailors themselves were ip blue or req OF
buf Jackets, heavy knickerbockers and
'woolen' stockings Many observers mast mus
have wondered If the strange little crait
could sail. and thereby hangs tale.
The hull of the Clermont Is rather
smart in appearance. but what mace ner
remarkable to look upon was ner pohe!
openly ana nOnSStiy pl6nSSSA va NCSNAt
her uncovered side wheels looking IKE
old-fashioned water wheels
Starts for the Clermont.
About 1910 o'clock the Dutch skipper
of the Half Moon cast OF his tow line.
The vessel turned her beaked nose to-
ward st. George, Staten Island. and pur-
sued a zigzag course after the Clermont.
Presently the Clermont got tired and her
wheels stopped The Half Moon made
q beautiful crescent turn and headed FOR
the Clermont The rudder OF the Half
Moon can only be turned by an old-fash-
ioned helm.
The Half Moon pursued a zigzag course
toward the Clermont. The Clermont
skipper rang his paddles astern. and they
actually made one half turn In that d.
rection. Then he rang ahead and the
mill wheels turned around once. Inc
Half Moons helmsman was saying
things in Hollandish about rudoer .na'
could not be thrown hard aport or star
board spectators had time to gasp just
once more, and crash went that beak OF
a nose of the Half Moons into the Cler-
mont.
The Half Moons beak splintered and
fell into the bay, and two tugs made for
the crippled craft. One tug got line
fast to the Half Moons bow. and clear
ed the ragged remnants OF her beak from
the Clermont's shattered rah, and an
Half Moon Still Defiant.
That should have been the end of the
excitement, but the Half Moons blood
was up So were her sails. and with a
stin north breeze bellying them out, the
astonishing little craft, pulling the tug
after her. made straight for the U. s. s.
Prairie, which. at that very moment.
happened to be saluting her.
1t looked for all the world as If the
Half Moon had suddenly discovered she
was being fired upon. and was determin-
ed to go down fighting. The putting
tug, however. managed to drag her away
from her desperate intentions. where
upon the Half Moon discovered another
United States ship. the Culgoa, and.
seemingly in fighting mood, sheered OF
Culgoa could prepare to repel boarders.
the Half Moon saw bigger game In the
distance.
Off Stapelton lay half a dozen torpedo
boat destroyers. all willing and prepared.
as courtesy required, to give the Han Moon
a salute. but down the little Dutchman
charged upon them and 1t was not until
she was in the very middle of the hotiila,
prepared to go down with coiors nylng.
that the tug got up enough steam 70 pui.
the seemingly turbulent little fellow out
into clear water. There the Half Moon
skipper furled his powerful sails and tooH
account of damage. 1t was 1ound tna'
with little patching and the disentang.
ling OF her anchor from her scars, Halt
Moon would still be fit to do her share
in nations holiday exercises, and the
program of the parade up the river and
around the warships went on.
All the way up the river the Half Moon
was greeted with an indescribable chorus
OF shrill and raucous whistles. So was
the Clermont. which followed her.
First Of Thousand Guns.
When the Half Moon and Clermont
which headed the parade. appeared the
first OF the thousand guns from the an.
chored warships doomed out Its salute
That came from the Maynower, and that
first gun awoke factory whistles on both
shores. and they never ceased their share
CONTINUED on Second Page.)