The Washington herald., 1909-02-22

D@lit Crippled EEe i nOL u cOHQttloN
10 take part in to-moTrows ceremonies.
Sne came here to take out a party Of
Official people 20 see the homecoming OF
the heet
At Il o'clock tomorrow morning the
feet VIII begin TO sail past the yacht
AayiloEer. with President Roosevelt and
Secretary OF the Navy Newberry on the
bridge, and from that time on until 81
/ O'Clock there will be a banging OF guns
and exchanging Of visits. and the greatest
to-do Hampton Roads has ever witnessed
Expectancy In the Air.
That is for tomorrow. For to-day,
those ashore had plenty to keep them
busy Not tnat there were functions and
/ such things to make time seem TO fly, but
the excitement Of expectancy in the air
vas enough 10 make people believe that
things were happening all the time.
The aforesaid wives, mothers. sweet
hearts. sisters, and daughters gossiped
and compared notes and wandered
around, meeting every minute OF two
more wives. mothers, &c, whom they
+ had last seen al san Francisco. OF Yoke
hama, OF Manila, or Gibraltar, or even in
fsr-away Sydney.
That coming together thousands Of
miles from home had produced some
/ close friendships among the women, and
the way they hugged and kissed one
another when they met again to-day was
something wonderful 10 behold But
/ there are predictions that the real thing
/ in this line viii come tomorrow. when
/ the ceremonies are over and the sailor
men step ashore.
- g.
that the women Of the navy are mighty
handsome taking them as a class. Even
the other women here. those who have
come merely 10 see a marine spectacle,
without a personal interest in any Of
those who man the ships. admit this.
Yet they are Of no particular type
There are dark girls. from the South, I
and fair girls from the North, and dark
and fair from East and West. There are
tail girls and short girls thin girls and
plump girls But II the type isn't there
or isn't marked enough u attract atten-
ton. and If some Of them roll their rs
and others do not. there is something
distinctive about them all. Just what it
is nobody is able TO define, but there It I
is And whatever It IS. Il is enough 10
make every male American feel prOud
that these are his cOuntTywomen-
N1theT In Sroups.
They are all gathered tonight IN the
lobby OF the Chamberlin- Here's a
group around an admirars wife. buzz
ing her with questions as 10 whether 1
there has been any change in the pro
gramme for tomorrow. Here's another
group composed Of young matrons who
saw each other last in San Francisco. /
Here are mothers with their young
sters
Some Of the youngsters couldn't walk
or talk when their dsddies sailed away
fifteen months ago. but they are able
now 10 tOddie around. and have been
trained 20 say little welcoming messages
(which VIII probably be forgotten when
the big biue-coated husbands and faith
ers jump nimbly ashore tomorrow /
evening.
there is Mrs. Sperry. wife OF the
conmander-in-chief OF the battle feet /
There also are Mrs. Schroeder and Mrs. /
Wainwright. sisters-in-lsw. and wives Of
two other rear admirals, who are 20 be /
home again tomorrow. With them are I
their children.
There was much concern expressed over /
the illness OF Mrs William Z. Potter, I
wife Of Rear Admiral Potter, the junior I
flag officer Of the feet. Mrs. Potter and I
her daughter got here yesterday She I
was taken III to-day and while her sick I
ness is not regarded as serious. II was (
said that she would be confined 20 her 4
bed for several days at least
Two who attract attention are Rear I
Admirals Willard H Brownson and vii 1
liam II Emory. Both are retired for 4
age but they are as erect and vigorous I
as most men Of forty. Admiral Emory 4
was one Of the flag officers Of the fleeI /
when il sailed from Hampton Roads in 4
December. 19G7. He was detached ar !
Annoy. China. 10 be placed on the re- 1
tired list. and the story he was telling +
was that he left all his personal De
longings on his flagship there and had 4
10 come 10 Hampton Roads TO get them. 1
Admiral BTOWnsOn. then Chief CT the /
Bureau OF Navigation. Witnessed the I
fleets departure as one Of President I.
RoOsevelt's party On the Mayfower-
Governors Are Present.
Gov. Swanson. Of Virginia. is here 10 4
welcome the feet TO Virginia waters HIS
wife is with him. Former Governor (
Warheld. Of Maryland. is here with his |!
daughters
I tell everybody that I'm here because J
the children want 70 see the show" Mr. !
WarfeId explained 70 his friends; but 4
I guess the truth is that I'm ike the man
who says he goes to the circus because (
the children want 10 go. I'm here because
I like it
The Coast Artillery officers from Fort
Monroe. good-looking as most Of them
are. realize that they are not in It to 4
night Il is a navy crowd An ensign f
Of the navy viii rank higher than 4
major general Of the army Tomorrow, /
was the way one observer put it But
Il the army men mind it. they don't show +
It. They are making the most Of the 4
situation Just 10 show that they. too, ,
are proud Of the feet, they are going to 4
give a big function on Tuesday, TO the
returning naval officers, and have not /
forgotten 10 include the wives and moth 4
ers and al the other navy women
Every steamer. that came in to-day from 1
Washington. Baltimore, New York, Nor F
folk. and Richmond brought hundreds Of f.
visitors The trains brought more. From .
Washington came the biggest contingent +
Of navy people Many of them sat I'D
al night, or we're obliged 70 sleep on mat
tresses in the public cabins because they (
couldn't get stateroOms. They found
every available bit of sleeping space oe-
cUpied or reserved when they got here.
Most Of the rooms Of the Chamberiin /
were taken as long ago as last October.
Boarding houses miles away came to the .
rescue
Norfolk ia Gaia Attire.
over in Norfolk the hotel situation isn't
much better Thousands OF visitors
sought accommodations there. Norfolk 1
is TO do itself proud in honor Of the
fleets return The fronts Of buildings in /
the business section are covered with red.