The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-10-27
OUR GREATEST
NAVAL REVIEW
VIII Be Held IN New York
Waters on Nov. |.
PRESIDENT TAFT INVITED.
Asked to Change Plans Which Call For
Finishing His Trip at Washington.
= All Available Ships on Atlantic Coast
I to Participate. ......-, ...

Finishing His Trip at Washington.
All Available Ships on Atlantic Coast
to Participate. ..-,.er, ..r
President Taft has been asked to re-
view the most imposing naval demon
stration ever held in American waters.
1t will take place at New York early
In November. Secretary of the Navy
Meyer has written a letter to Mr.. Taft
asking him to terminate his present
trip at New York city on Nov. / in
stead Of at Washington, as is contem-
plated. Whether Mr. Taft will be able
to change his itinerary and attend the
review or not, Secretary Meyer will
be on hand to inspect the assembled
vessels.
The mobilization of all the available
vessels on the Atlantic coast at New
York has been decided on in place Of a
fall cruise. Recently there have been
many protests from officers of the At
lantic feet that they have been work
ed too hard by protracted foreign
cruises. This sentiment led to the
abandonment of tentative plans for a
cruise to the West Indies and the Pan
anna canal, which had been scheduled
for Oct. 15.
Opposition to a Cruise.
Mr.. Meyer thinks that the efficiency
of the navy would be promoted quite
as much by an unexpected mobiliza-
ton of large feet as by cruises. For
this reason and in view of the opposi-
tion among officers and men of the
navy to a cruise 4" decided upon the
mobilization.
While the list of ships to participate
in the demonstration has not been Sc
lected, it will be the aim of Rear Ad-
miral Richard Wainwright to have as
many vessels as possible present
There will be about twenty-five bat
tleships, sixteen belonging to the At
lantic feet and nine or ten battleships
Of the reserve fleet. Armored cruisers,
gunboats, destroyers and submarines
will also take part. Both in size and
in naval strength the aggregation of
war vessels will be far superior to
that at Oyster Bay on Labor day,
| lOOO, w utu Tie luSt lltlNul ItNltW was
held. At that time a total of about
forty-five fighting vessels were array
ed, in command of Rear Admiral Rob-
/ ley d. Evans, for review by President
Roosevelt. There were then only eight
cen battleships in the feet formation.
Next month the new Dreadnoughts
Z Florida and Utah, recently placed in
ler,sx, IaI
ment of 2S,000 tons, will lead in size.
The feet will be in command of Rear
4 Admiral Hugo Osterhaus. The spec
tacle will last only about three days.
There will be short divisional cruises,
but the feet will remain in home wa
ters until early in January, when 1t
will proceed to Guantanamo for a Pc
riod of extensive battle exercises with
the torpedo fleet, which will last until
the middle or end of February, 1912,
On Pacific Coast Too.
A similar mobilization will take place
on the Pacific coast. The feet will
be assembled near Los Angeles. This
gathering of war vessels, however, will
be much smaller than on the Atlantic
coast because comparatively few Of the
naval vessels are stationed on the Pa
cific. s
The officers on duty in the navy de-
partment have already begun arrange
ments for the forthcoming mobiliza-
hon. While it was intended to keep
the matter secret as long as possible
30 that it would be in the nature of a
Surprise test, Secretary Meyers plans
&eaked out. All the orders necessary
for the carrying out of the plans Of the
department have not been sent out,
although the movement is well ON it's
lVay. The officers of the department
Originally intended to spring the mobi-
ization without much notice in order
hat the administrative machinery of
#he department and the navy yards
syould be tested to ascertain their state
3bf preparedness for emergency. This
became impossible when Mr.. Meyers
plan was made public. AS it is the
bavy will have only about four weeks
10 prepare for the test.
No decision h 8 been reached as to
he number of war vessels now in re-
Serve which will be placed In commits
Fion to take part in the demonstration.
This will probably depend upon the
pumber of seamen available from the
training stations.