Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-04

up the tribute of the speaking cannon
SO it was with the Delaware, the North
! Dakota and the other ships down the
! line Each in its turn paid compliment
to the president Mr.. Taft stood on
the bridge and lifted his hat as he
| passed the colors of the various yes
sells. #@ IA
! On board each battleship and on
board the destroyers the sides were
J manned with bluejackets, giving ltv'
| ing outline to the steel-belted hulls.
On the quarterdecks the officers in the
gold and lace of special full dress uni.
forms, were assembled and at atten.
| ton. The marine guards were also
drawn up on the. quarterdecks, and the
ship bands, uniformed in scarlet, stood
out bright patch Of color In the
grouping on the afterdecks. @Nl
AS the presidents yacht passed the
battleships close aboard, there were
trumpet fourishes and drum ruffles.
! from each just before the bands crash
ed out with the national anthem,
| 1.-THE Stars Spangled Banner" From
near and far there came the sound OF
bugles, and crash from the bands. 1t
was a spectacle that sent thrill
through all who saw and heard.
After making round trip of the
naval columns, the Mayfower drew
clear OF the feet and steamed down
the bay to her anchorage and there
was brief respite. The president
lunched on board his yacht. Mean
time aboard the fleet, the most serious
work of the day was to be performed.
The ships with the turning of the tide
were to lift anchors and get under
Fway. TO haul anchor of the mass OF
fighting material was a matter of no
mean seamanship The turn Of the
tide to an lntlow had helped solve the
problem to large extent. and the YES
sells had swung naturally to q down
stream position. r.. ..-.
After passing in review of the presi-
dent at twelve knots an .Our and
reaching the open sea, the feet was to
be disbanded, the ships going to their
several home stations to prepare for
the winter maneuvers In the south.
Most Powerful Fleet Gathered Here.
While the fleet reviewed by the
president today was the mcst power
full ever gathered here in one Ameri-
can command, 1t was not such homo
geneous fighting force as that compos-
ed of sixteen battleships that sailed
around the world three years ago.
It reflected rather the transitory
stage of the American navy-the pass
ing from the old line of battleships to
the modern superdreadnoughts, or "all
big gun" type. The review may be said
to have officially established the AL
big gun ships" as the future fighting
unit of the Americanahavy, for among
the twenty-four battleships in the i'm
posing column, six belonged to the
ew class of floating fortresses. Even
among the dreadnoughts in the line
today;Ma there was evidence OF the
modern FACE, the naval architects OF
the world are setting. Although the
first Of these were completed in less
from the 10000 tons of the Michigan
and the South Carolina, the first OF
the American big gun ships, to the
21,625 tons Of the Utah and Florida,
fresh from the hands of the builders.
In between the Michigan type and the
Utah-Florida type, there was repre-
sentedS today the Delaware and the
North Dakota, Of 10000 tons each.
How Bic Boats are Armed.
President Taft was much interested
In the details of the various ships and
kept Secretary Meyer around a rapid
fire of questions. He learned that the
South Dakota and South
and Michigan, with their bat
teries Of eight 12-inch rifles had
quickly been surpassed by the Della
ware and North Dakota class, with ten
Pinch guns in five 1urrets. The
Twelve 3-inch guns on the Michigan
type had been replaced by fourteen
5-inch guns on the North Dakota and
The Delaware The Utah and the
Florida representing the third step in
American dreadnought building re-
main at standstill so far as the main
battery of ten Pinch rifles is con-
,erned. but have sixteen 5-inch rifles
n the secondary or torpedo repulsing |
battery. .a
The fourth step, represented by the
Arkansas and Wyoming, now on the
finds the tonnage increased to |
26, 400 and the m il, battery to twelve
l2-inch>g guns in six turrets. s.
Departure in New Boats.
The secondary battery takes Jump |
rom sixteen five inch guns to twenty
.wo of the same bore The fifth step !
by the New York and !
Texas just began, finds the most radi- |
;al change ever introduced in the ma
vies Of the world, in that fourteen inch |
'ifles are installed in the main battery, !
zen of them in five turrets. g. ~ 81 |
Finally comes the improved Texas |
;ype" authorized but not yet laid down.
with tonnage estimated at between
$4,000 and 10000 and main battery of !
,welve 14-inch rifles. These twelve !
guns will be accommodated in five tur-
'ets. three rifles each being placed in
he farthest forward and farthest aft
If, these. There were only seven bat
;leshlps OF the navy missing from to-
lays pageant Six of these were
among the sixteen in the world-gird-
ing fleet. The seventh was the
Oregon, Of impossible fame. These
ships in the line today had taken the
shot and shell Of Cerveras at Santiago. /
The Indiana, the Massachusetts and
The Iowa, but in their rebuilt form.
heir basket masts and general rejuve-
mated condition they could hardly be