The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-02-01
TWO HOMEWARD
CRUISERS HERE
Denver and Galveston, With Big
Gun Record, Arrive
in Port.
Lrrom saturday 3 Advertiser.l }

rather old.fashioned in appearance,
particularly with their tall twin smoke
stacks, and flying long homeward-bound
pennants, the United States cruisers
Galveston and Denver arrived in port
yesterday morning from Manila via
Guam, both en- route to the Coast to go
cut of commission. Both cruisers will
remain here until next Friday when
they will leave for Mare Island convoy
ing the United States station tug 1ro-
auois, which is to undergo extensive re-
pairs at the Mare Island navy yard.
These two vessel, which have formed
part of Admiral Harber's Is division of
the Pacific fleet at Manila, are in need
Of extensive repairs, and they have been
sent home. They are small vessels in
comparison with the Big Eight bulldogs,
and while they carry ten 5.inch guns
each and other artillery of smaller
caliber under the present rapid develop
ment toward big warships the Denver
and Galveston can never form part of
battle line. The vessels are of type
known in the Navy as n cross between
gunboat and n protected cruiser. They
are third-class cruisers wood sheathed
and coppered, each having displace-
ment of 5000 tons and each fitted to
carry complement of 293 men. Each
is 292 feet in length and their maxi
mum draught is II 1-2 feet, Neither
vessel carries torpedo tubes. The Gal
weston was built in 1903 and the Den
yer in 1902. In Jane Is "Fighting
ships" appears note as follows:
Speeds exceeded on trial, but these
ships have practically no fighting
value.'
The cruisers had a hard run from
Guam to Honolulu, the weather being
extremely nasty after leaving the little
island made famous by the humorist
Frank r. Stockton in his story of the
of the Spanish island to the
American forces in 1898. The vessels
were seven days on the run from Ma
Mia to Guam, where they coaled, and
then for seventeen days they bucked
against head winds until shortly before
they arrived off this Island.
The Galveston is lying at the Chan
mel wharf and Denver at the foot of
been tied up before booms were run
out, canvas slings thrown ont on the
wharf and the sailors were overheard
with shovels to coal ship again. 1t is
always "again" with sailor who be-
lieves that it is coaling and not fighting
that a ship is made for.
The Denver made record during
the target practising in Philippine
waters. When it came the Denver g
turn to turn her big guns on the NOV
ing target, towed by steamer, some
thing happened. She let go her whole
port broadside and when the smoke
cleared the target had vanished. In
some way, possibly because every shot
was hit, the target was riddled be-
tween "wind and water" above and
below water, and sank out of sight.
The moving picture machine which
was on a vessel following the target
and her tow caught only momentary
glimpse of the target but the shots
were not recorded The Denver will
probably get the trophy for gunnery
in her class.
Moving picture gunnery is the new.
est thing in the navy. a machine is
installed on third steamer and when
the cruiser starts in banging away at
the target the moving picture man gets
busy and shoots films at a rapid rate.
He is supposed to record on the films
the manner in which the shots perfor.
ate the target. The only thing a NOV.
ing picture machine can not do is to
catch the ricochetting of a projectile.
Both cruisers are still wearing their
peaceful coats of white. There are sew.
eral reasons assigned to this failure to
comply with the naval requirement. The
first is that the navy has a lot of white
paint and buff coloring which has to
be gotten rid of. The second is, that,
in the case of the Galveston and Den.
yer, the flagship Charleston of the At
lantic station is still white, and if the
Denver and Galveston wore dark gray
they would look about half as long as
they do now, and would look like n
couple of tugs following the Charleston
during squadron maneuvers.
Khaki is now the vogue among naval
officers, Judging from the fashion set
| by officers of the Denver. When the
men started in to coal yesterday morn.
ing khaki-clad officer appeared on the
wharf to direct bag.filling operations.
The shoulder marks were the same as
seen on the white uniforms. 1t was a
new departure. for even on shipboard
marines and their officers discard the
shore khaki for white or crash.
There are some curios aboard which
are odd to say the least. They are
| bones, iawbones, or portions thereof,
of skeletons found on the Port Arthur
battlehelds Picked up on the field,
they were carried away as mementoes
and are now used as paper weights.
Just which are Russian and which are
Japanose has not been determined.
The Galveston Is the flagship her
commanding officer, Commander Hooge
vert being the senior Of all aboard The
two wnrships
The Denver Is 10 remain AZ Mar,
Island and the Galveston proceed noril
10 bremerion after reaching San Fran
cisco.
Denver and Galveston,