The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-10-26

st. LOUIS, Oct. Zo.-Nnen fIesluehr
Taft left here at 5 o'clock this after
noon, after a strenuous day OF speech
making, dining and riding, he EN-
barked upon river trip OF nearly
12C0 miles. Following the government
steamer Oleander upon whose upper
deck the president stood, acknowl-
edging the thunderous fareWelis OF
thecrowds on the levee5 and briggs.
came ten river packets carrying two
cabinet officers and diplomats, 80 gov
ernors, the representatives OF eight
South and Central American govern
ments, at Washington; 20 United
States senators. nearly 220 members
of congress and officials of every
state on both sides of the river, be-
sides hundreds of delegates from com
mercial bodies, bound for the con-
yention OF the Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep
Waterways Association at New Or
leans.
Torpedo Boats at Memphis.
The fiotilla was preceded down the
river yesterday by the second division
of the Atlantic Torpedo boat flotilla
of the United States navy This sqhadr
ron, consisting Of the destroyer Mac
donongh and the torpedo boats Wilkes
and Thornton and Tingey, is charged
with the duty Of preparing for the
proper reception of the president at
G,xl, uFhp =
will be made before New Orleans is
reached next Saturda. morning, The
squadron is under the command or
Lieut., Willis G. Mitchell and has been
in st. Louis since the celebration oil
this city's centennial early in Octo-
be-.
The naval vessels will await the
flotilla at Memphis and aim to keep
well ahead of the presidential fleet
so that the smoke from their tunnels
will not obstruct the view of the deep
waterway delegates and tle govern
ment officials whom they seek to con
vert to the project of deepening the
river For similar reasons, a consid-
cradle distance was kept between the
boats OF the presidential flotllla'
Strenuous rules were announced to
rhe pilots and commanders of the
craft before their departure, and eV-
cry effort has been made to prevent
either the grounding of any of the
boats or the more dreaded possibility
OF a collision
The details OF the journey have
been worked out under the supervls
ion of Commander e. III. Tillman, OF
the navy and admiral of the fleet, on
board the Oleander. In the upper
reaches of the river, a speed OF less
than II miles an hour is to be made
After the mouth of the Ohio has been
passed, however, the vessels Will be
asked to show better pace, and, ir
places. travel Is miles an hour
The fotilla was organized to boos
the cause OF deep waterways This
is the frank declaration OF the Off
GERS Of the association. the president
W. X. Cavanaugh, saying:
Object of the Trip.
This personally conducted journe!
az President Taft down the Missssip
nj river is being made to call the per
sonal attention of the president o
the United States, members OF con
gress, army engineers and levee en-
piners of the various interested state
the commercial necessity and possihil
bilities of deepening the river FEEDER
al co-operation is wanted by the state
and we hope to see a river and har
Dor bill passed at the next session 0
congress carrying an appropriatiol
sufficient to put the deep waterWa
on a continuing basis, like the Pana
me Canal.
The fotilla and its roster follows
Steamer Oleander, carrying IN
president and his personal party
Steamer Itastus Wells, carrying
Vice President Sherman, Frank i
Hitchcock, postmaster general; Cha'
Nagel. secretary of commerce and Il
Dor. and Mayor F. H. Kreisman, s
Louis.
Steamer Mississippi carrying tn
members Of the Mississippi Rive
Commission and United States Arm