The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-02
Admiral Evans Lecture Direct
and FOrceful.
Audience at the Auditorium De-
lighted Last Night.
TRIP AROUND HORN.
Tells of Preparations and Incl
dents of the Journey.
Sat in Chair While He DeliV-
cred Address.

"You have followed your fleet from
Frisco around the world. You have
seen it make new friends in every port
and with every nation. Your fleet was
a credit to you, and it was better than
anything it met, better than anything
on the face of the earth" Thus
spoke Fighting Bob" Evans as he
concluded his lecture at the Audi
torium last night.
Few times indeed has Topeka met
a more interesting speaker. Admiral
Evans is not an orator but he tells his
story in a few words and in his own
inimitable language, with the result
that his talk is interesting and people
appreciate it. The admiral has the
faculty of carrying American patriot
ism with every sentence which he
speaks, and new feeling of pride of
country is felt in the breast of every
listener.
Admiral Evans was introduced by
Governor w. r. Stubbs. "a hero of
the Civil war" said the governor,
who has served his country and the
American flag for a half century,
audience. 1 deem it one of the great
est pleasures of my life to introduce
to you Fighting Bob Evans
The reception which the admiral
met must have impressed him as being
a most cordial one. although he is ac-
customed to honOrs of that kind. AS
he arose to make his address the en-
tire audience arose with one accord,
taking Il cue the exclamation of the
governor, "Hurrah for Bob Evans"
Before starting on his address
proper. Admiral Evans in a sort of
apologetic way, said: 81 carry a
souvenir of the Civil war which does
not always permit me to do the things
1 would like to do. Therefore, I
Il g. 7
main seated while 1 speak to you"
The admiral took a seat in chair
which had been set for him near the
front edge of the stage.
The admiral has a keen sense of
humor. He also has a style of express
sion exclusively his own, which is
doubtless of the same kind that has
made him famous when giving orders
to his men in the heat of a battle.
1.-The fleet was not organized until
the winter and spring of 1907" said
Admiral Evans. up to that time we
had been using two squadrons instead
of a fleet. 1 was in command at
Hampton Roads at the time where
practically the entire navy was assem-
fleet of eight battIeships for three
years when 1 was summoned from the
West Indies to Hampton Roads,
where / found ten new battleships
ready for service.
When the Fleet Was Organized.
AT CnlS time Cnefe were many 1Or-
eign ships near Hampton Roads which
had been invited by the government
for the jamestown exposition Our
first duty was to make the exposition
a success and it was about the biggest
proposition the navy has ever had. |
Then our next duty was to entertain
the foreign officers, and we got away
with most of the appropriation for
this purpose Then we were COM
PEELED as our third duty to entertain
the American people who visited US, |
and this we did out of our own pocket |
books.
"The popular idea of navy life is |
wrong. The public in general thinks |
that every jackie has girl in every |
harbor and a bottle of rum in every |
locker. Part of this is wrong, but I |
won't say which part.
''Our feet was in a peculiar con-
dition. Sixteen battleships had never
been together before. We had a lot |
to do in getting the fleet in working
order.
zone day a New York daily said
the fleet was going to take a cruise |
around Cape Horn Another New
York paper said it wasn't and from /
that time on the newspapers of the |
country were divided on the question. |
Some of them even went so far as to |
intimate that the trip couldn't be made |
and that Roosevelt was afraid to send |
them. Now in the navy. if anyone
hadn't sent the fleet in view of these
conditions. he wouldn't have been
ConSld cred a mt man Tor president.
Conference With Roosevelt.
Finally I was called to Oyster Bay,
where L discussed the proposition with
President Roosevelt. or rather I lis
tened and let him do the talking. Any |
how he told me 1 was to take the |
fleet around the world.
I'VE were not ready to go to sea
even then. as we had a lot to do. We
had to drill and do target practice
and a number of other things When
we would drill many experts would
some to watch us and see that we did
1t right These people always went
back home feeling that they had
learned something We would divide L
the fleet and sent one section away
some morning and then sent the other
section out to look for the first one. l.
Then after we got this part of the
work pretty we'll done, we had a hard |,
time to find a place where We could Il
shoot without hitting any merchant
vessel We went to Martha's Vine
yard, but number of fishermen who
had votes got after us for they said
we scared all the fish out to sea. Then
we tried Cape Cod bay for awhile
and got away fairly well here.
1--WE then went to Boston Harbor
where we set mines, and when we
.ook up the mines we found them
ilIed with Holsters all of which we
ate.
1--WE were not ready then for phones