The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-02
MEYER |NSPECTS ATLANTIC FLEET ON HUDSON RIVER Says Navy Is Ready for Any Emergency Which
 May Arise PRESIDENT TAFT TO GREET FLEET TODAY Secretary of the Navy Wants Great CT Reserve List-Urges Creation of Rank of Vice Admiral.
 He Is Satisfied

New York, November 1.-"The fleet has demonstrated it's preparedness for any emergency and has shown the effective ness of the present organization
 sfcorge Won L. Meyer Secretary of the Navy. smiled as he made this statement ths evening on board the presidential yacht Mayfower, after having inspected ss ships of the Atlantic fleet assembled in the Hudson river for the greatest mobili- zation in the history of the American navy
 President Taft will review the fleet to- morrow as it passes out to sea and the palisades of the shores of the Hudson will echo sautes. Notwithstanding the
 more spectacular event to come. MT. Meyer says he is satisfied with wha; he saw today.
 Leaving the Mayfiower in speedy ad- ynral launch after having received on board Rear Admiral Osterhause. the com n,ander in chief, and the division eom- manders, the Secretary paid visits to the | nagships of the fleet standing erect in the launch with silk hat held firm and frocN | coat Tapping as he sped from ship to 1 ship irI the face of 20 miles north by northwest wind The Mayflower fired 1 salute of 19 guns as he left her side and
 this salute was repeated by each Of the seven flagships that he boarded, begnains
 with the Connecticut and ending with the little Dixie of the torpedo fleet.
 Calls Completed | His calls completed, the Secretary 1 boarded the Mayfower, which had steamed to the upper end of seven miles
 of warships and passed slowly south ward. The echoes roared back from the New York shore after an interval so iong | that it seemed as if a second lombard 1nent were going on in the states. l-
 was :5o when he had repassed the Con- necticut on his return trip marking the end of the days formalties | Members of the House committee on naval affairs followed sthe Secretary op 1 his visits 10 each flagship and were non io,.ed with a salute of 1T guns. They, too' W, re gratifed with the apparent ef1ieien- cy and preparedness of the fleet, ana | vixen the party reassembled on the May I flower, hope was expressed that Congress might see fit to create the position oi vice admiral. ,, s.,rhe rack of commander in chief should be commensurate with his great respon- abilities" said Secretary Meyer, ana IL Is due his position that he should nave the. ranf of vice admiral Rear aimrals Wainwright, Vreeland, Potter and Fletcher acting as the secre- tary aides endorsed this expression
 This mobilization has also demon- strated., continued the secretary. that for our reserve fleet should have a greater number of enlisted men. l have anticipated this in part by asking TOT 2ooo more men in this year estimates. which have now gone to the treasury ue- partment."
 Besides the congressman and other prominent guests aboard the Mayflower this afternoon attaches of four foreign nations were present They were Cap tain c. F. G. Sowerby of England, Com- mander Retzmann of Germany, com mander Tokutaro Tiraga of Japan ana Commander Vasslieff of Russia. There were also present Senators Root and O'Gorman of New York, Mayor Gaynor, Attorney General Wickersham. Secretary of the Interior Fisher and others.
 The two latter accompanied MT. Meyer on his visits to the flagships.
 No Untoward Incident
 Two slim nosed destroyers painteop green, patrolled the course during n1e inspection and there was no unteSard incident throughout. About 2ooooo per- sons WltUeSSeQ lHt spSStoSic Aio'ii e1'S New York shore and gaily decked harbor craft bore other thousands up and down the line. Inspiring tunes of the Star Spangled Banner came from each war ship when either the secretary's barge or the Mayflower drew near
 The crews manned the rails and those ships which he boarded hoisted the sec fetary flag with it's blue field, white an- chor and four stars.
 It was announced early in the day that all the fleet would not salute the sec retary as he passed back along the line. but these arrangements were changed as the inspection progressed. The ships did not dress In railbow coors as had been exepetet,, but reserved this honor for the President.
 An even lGo fighting ships, groomed for the first formal event of the greatest mobilization in the history or the United States navy inspection by Secretary of War George Von Meyer, swung at anchor In the Hudson river this morning in a gray line seven miles long. The fleet as it stood included every battleship now in = commission in the United States navy, 24 Tn all every one in fighting trim.
 Early risers who stood on the western edge of Manhattan along Riverside drive, and those across the river in New Jer- sey, who gazed from the lower palisades, saw ship after ship take form as the mist lifted, then at o'clock a signal flashed on the Connecticut and every craft in line burst into rainbow colors from stem to stern.
 It was the first order of the day prepar- atory to the inspection of the afternoon.
 Meyer Has First Honor
 Che day ahead of President Taft. who will review the fleet as 1t passes out to sea tomorrow afternoon before dspers- ing, Secretary Meyer had the first honor Of seeing the greatest array of wsrships ever assembled in American waters. The [ presidential yacht Mayfower, selected to carry MT. Meyer and his guests. includ- ing members of the Senate and House committees on naval affairs, was anchored { off West Twenty-third street early today < although no one had planned to go aboard { before noon The arrangements provid- ed first for a luncheon on board. followed hy brief reception to Rear Admiral Os- V ierhaus, commander in chief. accom- panied by the division commanders of the fleet: next. return visits by Secretary Meyer to the iagships, first, second. third. fourth, fifth and possibly sixth divisions. and lastly. late in the afternoon. inspec- ton of the entire line. Orders on the Connecticut called for salute of ID guns, when the secretary first unfurled his ha8 ~~~~~-----------~~---- S