Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-23

| New York navy yard. The strangers
in the fleet today were the Nebraska,
| which replaced the Maine, and the
| Wisconsin, which replaced the Ala
! bama. Both these vessels were built
| in the Pacific.
They joined the fleet at San Fran
cisco and today made their first ap-
| pearance in an Atlantic port
The battleship fleet and it's escorting
! squadron of four battleships and five
cruisers arrived at the southern ocean
drill grounds, fifty miles off the Vir-
| ginia capes, yesterday, and while there
made ready for today'S review and in
! Spection.
Crowds Out at Dawn
The news that the fleet was almost
within sight of the shore caused in
| tense excitement in all the cities .bor-
| dering Hampton Roads and at the first
streaks of the coming day residents
| of. Norfolk, Newport News and other
nearby places began to make their way
to some previously selected point Of
vantage along the borders of the ocean
or bay of Virginia beach, offering one
of the first opportunities for a glimpse
Of the incoming squadrons.
| The ramparts of Fortress Monroe
were black with spectators and wher-
| ever a place could be found along the
water front the eager onlookers were
! gathered.
The battleships picked up their reg
| ular cruising speed of ten knots an
| hour early this morning.
! Brass work was polished to a degree
of unequaled brilliancy and wherever
paint work had been marred on the
| journey home fresh coats of white and
buff, applied yesterday, made the ships
| as immaculate in appearance as they
| were on that beautiful day in Decem-
| ber 1907, when they sailed away on a
| world cruise
| When the battleships pointed their
prows at daylight for the gateway of
the roads, the Mayfiower, with the
president and his party on board, was
steaming down Chesapeake bay to the
anchorage at the tail of the horseshoe,
a channel leading around Tihmble
shoals, where fourteen months ago the
president had stood on the bridge of
the same trim little vessel to review
the outgoing fleet and bid it godspeed
on its epoch-making journey.
On that occasion the president said
! the sailing of the fleet meant simply the
sending of a homogeneous body of
warships on an extended practice
cruise.
1t was a matter of ordinary duty, he
| declared, and while he was present to
witness the sailing in his capacity as
commander-in-chief of the army and
navy, he did not consider the event one
Of sufficient Importance to require a
speech or other special ceremony.
Reception Is JubiIant
Today, with their splendid record of
achievements and victories Of peace be-
| hind them, the sixteen battleshipS came
| home to a welcome and to a ceremon-
! ious greeting which could hardly have
| hAnr1 iT,h Mt ci fEo
| fleet were returning victorious from
some famous battle.
The president addressed not only the
officers Of the fleet gathered on the
| quarter deck of the Mayfiower, but he
visited the four divisional flagships and
there addressed the crews in terms of
! enthusiastic compliment.
| AS it was impossible for Mr.. Roose-
welt to visit each of the sixteen return
ing vessels, representatives of the men
| from each ship in the four divisions
! were gathered on the f1agships and
! they in turn took the presidents greet
ing to their shipmates.
| The Mayfiower had not long lain at
1 anchor when the tracings of smoke on
the horizon told of the approach of the
| fleet, and soon the maStheads of the
! Connecticut could be picked up with
! glasses through the wide swung capes
| Then the white hull of the famous flag
ship flashed into view.
Out of the distance the fleet grew
rapidly until at last the end of the
white column in front could be dis
| tinguished. The gray clad bulks of the
| escort drew far more slowly above the
| horizon and served as a splendid dem
onstration of the value of neutral
| color for the naval vessels in time OF
| war.
| While the leading ships were still a
| mile or more distant from the May
| flower, puff Of white smoke from the
! forward bridge Of the Connecticut, fol-
| lowed by a muffled boom as the sound
waves followed more slowly the dane
! ing waves of light, served as a signal to
| all the fleet the flagship had "made
OUT the presidents. flag on the May
| flower.
1t was also the signal of ''home a;
| last" and made the hearts of $4,000 men
and 900 officers beat quicker in realiza-
| ton that the day they have looked for
ward to through all the days of lavish
hospitality abroad had at last arrived
That first gun of the Connecticut
naval salute to the president found
every ship in the line with saluting
cannon ready and the second powder
| puff from the flagship had not sounded
when the guns Of all the other ships
! had begun to speak in unison the
honors due the chief executive
Almost Hidden in Smoke
The fleet was almost lost to view as
| the saluting was at it's height, but the
clearing veil of. smoke flashed the ships
! into view in a far more brilliant pic
ture than had been the first glance faI
down on the horizon.
| The president made his way to the
bridge of the Mayf1ower while the
saluting was in progress. He had not
long to wait before the imposing line
was bearing right down on the review
| ing boat.
! The scene like that at the departure