The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-07-15
Magnificent Cruiser Of France
Arrives in Time for the
National Fete.
ADMIRAL CAsTRIEs is HERE
Fall Of the BastiIe viii Be Well
Remembered in Honolulu
This Year.
tErom Thursday,s Advertlserl


Wreathed in gun-smoke, ponderous in
appearance, and looking as if she were
designed on the lines of giant cham.
payne bottle, the magnificent French
armored cruiser Montcalm arrived yes.
terday afternoon, flying Admiral Cas-.
tries flag, from the China station and
is moored at the naval wharf. With
the tricolor huttering above clouds Of
powder smoke as her small guns belch-
ed forth salute to the admiral of the
port, the Montcalm looked the powerful
naval machine the French government
wished her to be. With guns thunder
ing ashore and guns booming afioat,
with q double rank of marines pre-
senting arms on the naval wharf, with
two American cruisers lying near by,
their decks lined with bluejackets, the
harbor bore an unusually stirring mar
tial aspect.
But the Montcalm did not reach her
moorings easily. AS she entered the
main harbor basin opposite the naval
slip she appeared to maneuver awk-
wardly and this was apparent when
her keen-edge bow almost shaved off
the dolphin marking the outer end of
the marine railway. Then she swung
far back into the stream and steel
spring parted. Then her port anchor
. was dropped and for the next two
hours pilot and officers worked ASST
duously to bring the giant ship to the
wharf. The Montcalm has three screws
and these appear to work in reverse
order, so that when the pilot called
for an astern port, she went contrary
to the general direction. The pilot 8
lack of knowledge of French and the
officers lack of fiuency in English
caused some complications, besides, and
it was almost six O'Clock when the
big fighter was safely tied to the
wharf.
While the vessel was coming into
the harbor the French consul, Doctor
Marques, was taken out in the cruis-
er's launch and placed aboard where
he was greeted by the captain and in
turn presented to Admiral Castries.
After the cruiser was moored the con-
sul took his departure and was accord
ed the usual eonsul's gun salute.
oficial Calls Today.
Owing to the lateness of arrival yes
JeTQay, InB fTeHcn duInlTdl y Cdu upOu
Rear-Admiral Rees, U. s. N, command
ant of the naval station, was postponed
and that formal proceeding will take
place this morning, the admiral, accom-
panied also by his chief of staff and
the captain, also calling upon Acting
Governor Mott-Smith. Both calls may
be made between ten and eleven
O'Clock. Both calls will be returned
promptly.
1t has also been planned by Acting
Governor Mott-Smith to take the ad-
miral on an auto tour of the Island
today.
Here Eight Days.
The Montcalm will remain in port
until July 81, when she will sail for
Seattle, San Francisco, Salina Cruz
Acapulco, Callao, Iquique, Valparaiso
thence across the Pacific to Papeete
Tahiti, to Australia, to New Caledonia
thence on to Japan, and eventually she
will berth again in China waters
The cruise is the first undertaken by
so large a French warship as the Mont
calm, and the cruise is largely to show
the tricolOr in all Pacific ports and the
islands where France is supreme. Other
and smaller cruisers have been here
including the jaunty little Protet. The
Pacific islands squadron and the faI
East squadron have been united in one
general feet, with the Montcalm as the
flagship, and it is now her duty to dis
play the flag throughout the Pacific
The Mentcalm carries thirty officers
and crew of about six hundred and
fifty men.
Several plans have been preached fol-
the entertainment of the admiral, al
well as his officers, but dates have moi
been fixed. He will also be entertained
by the French Consul, Doctor Marques
Fete Day Today.
The cruise was so planned that tht
Montealm would be in Honolulu to cele
brate July 14-the French national fet'
day, the anniversary of the fall of the
Bastile-and although no program hal
been arranged, at sunrise this morning
the cruiser win be decked out witt
flags and bunting and put on her showi
est dress. At eight O'Clock nationa
salute will be fired, another at noon
and then, Just at sunset, when the tri
color is hauled down, her guns viii
again boom the long salute, and tn,
warships in port will join in the salut,
at noon. This viii be one of the noisi
est salutes the harb0r has ever banged
out, but it will only equal the ebulli
ton of spirits of officers and men.
One "Grande" Disaster.
The cruise across the Pacific was al
most without incident, and It woult
have passed into the log as an unevent
full voyage but for one disaster, whiel
caused great distress of mind.
''It was a terrible disaster,'' saii
one of the officers. f'The admiral
milk COW fell overheard
And that was a disaster, for the ad