The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-07-29

bold ridge of Ports Down. To the east
the open ocean is "girdled with the
sky" to the west the silver SOlent is
caught and lost in a tangle of gentle
hills. In front of us the dull grey
lines of massive ships lay motionless
IT. olive green water, not graceful or
inspiring like the old Victory away
yonder in Portsmouth harbor, but i'm
posing and not devoid of a certain
stern beauty. Their bare poles stood
up against a great bank of storm
cloud that lowered over the land to
the north, so that all the color there
was in the ensigns and the little
strings of signal flags showed up
brightly in the sun. Behind us, under
the Ryde shore, in vivid contrast to
this stern array, was a countless fleet
of yachts and steamboats, and liners,
all filled with people and smothered
with gaudy bunting which fiuttered
happily in the sunlight.
Development Aboard.
The armada that we saw from the
Soudan, if not greater in nmbers, pos
sessed infinitely greater fighting
value than the fleet of 1902, but does it
ensure to us the same measure or
maritime supremacy that we pos
sessed then? The question was
prompted by the sight of foreign ships
representing powerful modern navies
which had no being in 1902. Yonder
lay the Austrian Radetzky, handsome
in dark green paint, well-found, the
equal of our Lord Nelson's. Austria
had no navy ten years ago, yet while
we looked at the big Radetzky a
dreadnought was being launched at
! Trieste. Close by was the Won der
Tam, the rival of our Invincibles, the
representative of a fleet that has
grown in ten years to be the second
in the world. The American Della
ware, good-looking but for its cur
ious masts of steel lattice-work,
the most powerful fighting unit at
Spithead, told us that the United
States must be very seriously reckon
ed within the race for naval suprem-
acy. And, finally, the workmanlike
Japanese cruiser, built in Japan, man.
ned by the men or the brothers of the
men who fought at Tsu-Shima, re-
minded us that there is now naval
i power of the first class in the East
We can be proud-and justly proud
of our own magnificent fleet, but dc
not let us be tempted to lose our
sense of proportion or to look al
things in a wrong perspective by the
loud-sounding phrases that will Ger
tainly be used about Saturdays re
view. We shall hear great dea
about the biggest fleet the world has
ever SEEM but do not let us forget
that other nations have big fleets too
and that our position in respect NJ
any two of them is worse than it has
ever been.
Clearing the Lines.
AT noon a gun banged, and in M
Instant etvery warship was dressed
with strings of manuy colored bunt
ing, running from mast to mast, anG
from bow and stern to masthead. The
White Ensign was foisted to the MAR
by the British. For the next hour ant
a half white sailed and white bullet
yachts fit in and out between the
warships and the liners are invaded
by squadrons of pleasure steamers
carrying hosts of sightseers. TheI
the picket boats clear the ground
for the coming ceremony, chasins
the yachts and the steamers away
under the Ryde shore. BY this time
the breeze has freshened and The
gently heaving bosom of the Solent Is
blown into foam-tipped wavelets. Tht
sun sparkles on the dancing greer
waters; the storm clouds over thu
land have disappeared, and the Lowell!
Hampshire country lies bathed il
warm sunshine, every feature of /
standing out with soft distinctness.
Just after the two royal yacht
! stole out of Portsmouth harbor W.
could see her tall yellow masts ant
, yellow tunnels as she steamed roun'