Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-06-02
FLEET WILL REAS-
SEMBLE JUNE is
Meet June is to Make Ready for
War at Which Nations
Are Playing.

WASHlNGION, IL. u, June g.
The battleship feet Of the United
States navy will reassemble in
Hampton Roads again ON June Ia
to take up the never-ending game oil
making ready for war, at which hall
the nations of the earth are con-
stantly playing.
The summer maneuvers, to which
the following several weeks will be
devoted, will be another chapter in
the. recent chronicle of American
naval events in which this voyage
around the world occupied so i'm
portant a pant.
The place of the rendezvous will
be the same as that from which the
battleships started on their moment
Gus voyage, and the same at which
they arrived last February. The
ships, too, will be the same with the
exception of the New Hampshire.
Idaho and Mississippi, which have
been substituted for the illinois,
Kearsarge and Kentucky, now held
in reserve. In appearance, however,
the fleet will be vastly different.
The white squadron is no more.
The covering of the ships is now a
gray, lusterless paint, as nearly as
possible the color of the sea itself,
against which they are scarcely Wis
ible at a comparatively short dis
lance. The huge vessels, instead of
having the gay holiday appearance,
in which they were welcomed in all
the ports along the line of their
tOrty-thousand-mile voyage, will
look more like the real fighting
monsters that they are.
Although the ships have under
zone little change in vital character
sites during their stay in the navy
ards since their homecoming, their
outward aspect has been much al
ered. The ornate brass figure
Peads have been removed. The top
pamper, that portion of the ships
Equipment above decks has been
much reduced. The after bridges
md the flying bridges forward have
Peen removed. In place of the old
Military masts the vessels will have
lre control masts of the wire waste i
asket type, which detraet greatly |
nom their symmetrical appearance.
a distance they will be merely |
ray bulls with little more than tur-
u.s. smoke stacks and the gauzelike
asts showing above the sides.
This change of guise foreshadows |
no small way a change of policy |
the Americans navy. 1t is very much |
II the specter of war, which con-
Ohts European nations, had cast
shadow also over the western
misphere, and If the gray feet
ere the visible symbol of the spiri.
mllitarism of which the American
0pie have become increasingly
nseious during the last few years.
e navy department has kept pace
"a these changes in color and form
training its officers and men to
ready for war at a moments mo-
President Roosevelt reiter-
60 time and again the advantage
mis- policy. President Taft has
op'ed much the same view by re-
'ihg from responsible positions
,OerS who are on the retired list.
"hen the reassembled fleet sails
70 sea this summer it will be 70
the game of war more eneTget
than ever. The maneuyers
oe Tar more important in this
pet than was the voyage around
world. This Quincy demon
-eeo the fleets quality for steam
and placed in the hands of the
@i'hent valuable data for guild
h the construction of the ships
'ae future. Attention is now to
0Acehtrated upon fighting quail
10 this end the fleet will be
eu and the game OF war carried
~ auxiliaries. cruisers and