Goldsboro weekly argus., 1909-02-25
Welcome Home Again.
Wonderful Scene Attends Ending or
UnrivQled Cruise.
Mighty War-Engines Salute the President as They
Come in From the Ocean-Head Of the Nation
Greets Return of the Fleet Just Where He
Bid Them God Speed at Departing.

eco at departing.
The American navy has set a new |
cruising standard for the other ma
vies of the world to strive for. AS she |
led the beautiful column of battle |
ships ready for any emergency and
bidding defiance to the storms or the
tortuous channels of the strange wa
ters of the hemispheres out of Hamp-
ton Roads fourteen months ago and
as she piloted the fleet through all
the seas and into all the ports of the
long cruise, the flagship Connecticut
steamed again today at the head of
the returning squadrons. In the wake
of the white ships Of the home-com-
ing fleet, followed a welcoming host
in gray-four battleships and five
powerful cruisers being in this es-
corting column sent thousand miles
to sea to convey a preliminary word
of welcome to the famous ships. The
gray vessels, if it had not been for
the American flags flying from their
mastheads, might easily have been
mistaken for foreign ships. 1t will re-
quire a long while for the American
people to become accustomed to the
new color scheme adopted for the
navy, the glistening white old white
squadron" having distinguished the
American navy above all Others,
Transforming into things of beauty
engines of destruction, which in SOM
Der lines of neutral gray appear hos
tile and grim.
Curtain of Fog.
The. day of the home coming dawn
ed with prospects of weather as fair
as the cloudless day in December,
1907, on which the fleet set sail over
hanging shadow Of gray clouds sho W
ing clearing streaks Of red and Dlae
to the eastward at sunrise. Just be-
fore a. M, however, a fog bank sud-
denly shut down and set the whistles
and bells of the many craft in the
roadstead screeching and tolling their
notes of warning. The fog lifted
again within an hour, but left a prom
ise of a gray day which was anything
but attractive to the thousands upon
thousands of people gathered here
from all parts of the country, and who
were either afloat or lining the shores
of the water front today to help in
the joyous acclaim to the home-com-
ing ships and men.
Foreign naval attaches, immense
parties Of government officials, high
officers of the army and navy were
aboard the feet of welcome which
+, steamed out today to greet the incom-
ing vessels and to witness the review
by the President at the Tail of the
Horseshoe. The Mayfower, which
came down from Washington last
night with distinguished party on
| board, cast her anchors in the same
waters today where she took up posi-
ton at the sailing of the fleet. After
the ceremonial greeting of the battle
ships and their escort, the Mayfower
steamed herself at the end of the long
column into Hampton Roads and
when the Homecoming vessels had
anchored she took up a position in
the center of the fleet. Admiral Sper-
ry and the flag officers, together with
the captains commanding, we're re-
ceived on board, and to them Presi-
dent Roosevelt extended the cordial
thanks which he afterward expressed
anew to the officers and crews of the
four divisional fagships, the Connect
icut, the Louisiana, Georgia and Wis
consin. which he visited late in the
afternoon.
Another Thrilling Chapter.
The boom Of the sunrise gun echo
ing over the moat Of picturesque OLD
Fortress Monroe marked the begin:
ming OF q day that added another
lchapter Of thrilling beauty and inter.
lest to the historic waters of Hampton
Roads, first made famous by the bat.
tile Of the Monitor and Merrimac. Il
Required vivid Imagination to lool
; back today over a span of forty -odt
years to picture the fury of that dead
ly conflict between the two first isbn
clads Of their day and to compar,
their tiny strength with a modern
| battleship Of the class of the Connect
, lieut.
In the battleship and cruiser sQaad