The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-11-03
Those are the sailors my dear, dressing g

| Those are the sailors my dear, dressing
ship" -
."Oh, how funny, John. darling. to think
OF dressing "a ship"
Then the pounding of the guns sounded
closer. One looking down the river
saw n dab of orange flame and bunch
! of grav wool splash out. first from
port and then from starboard. ship by
ship as the slender yacht with the big
blue Presidents flag fiinging out from the
tip of its malnmast came swiftly up the
lane of fighting craft.
I SO regularly did the firing 60 that to
those on the heights the appearance was
of some giant black beetle straddlinG out
with fiery legs and kicking up a dust with
each spasmodic effort The crashing
whirled back in echo from the ellis of
tho apartment houses, making a double
. wha'n-wham with every squirt of the gun
flame. When the ship directly opposite
the monument began to let go Just after
the stern of the Presidential reviewing
yacht had cleared her bow folk shrunk
back against the stones and girls shrek ed
and Clappcd hands over their ears.
The Mayhower passed swiftly on up
! the pathway of the river and the banging
grew more and more faint. People
fingered to watch the busy. scurryinE
back and forth of battleships launches,
wondering when again the Maytlower
would come sweeping down and there
would he more such inspiriting thunder.
While they Cloggrd the drive paths
strainng to catch the meaning OF every
futteriug signal string and every inn
portant sallying forth OF the launches
the folk away down town in the skyscrapes
patch were beginning to itch for some
action.
once Building OutiOOks.
Whenever there Il some river stunt
to interest Manhattan, whether II be
high plunging aeroplane or deep diving
submarine, the deniAens of the financial
J ~. 4. h. l,ais,
after noon yesterday elevators were
running TO capacity ia the United States
Express Building. the Hudson twin piles
and all the way down lower Broadway
to tho Whitehall Building on Battery
place The Whitehall Lunch Club away
up on the thirtieth story; the Railroad
Club, atop the Hudson terminals, and
other aerial retreats of the tired business
man were all jammed long before the
Connecticut poked her gray nose around
! the angle by the red Cunard stacks up
at the Chelsea river bend One en-
sconced on the twenty-tirst floor of the
Whitehall Building, with panorama
of all the thiCket of stone pyramids spread
out behind. could see roofs and even
! preCarious caves of nearby aeries sprout
; questing heads.
1t was not until $50 that somebody
yelled Here they arel" Nobody down.
town knew then that the President was
not to follow the schedule announced
and review the fleet from of Liberty
SO when the high lattice masts of the
Connecticut rounded the bend far uI
river and the faint whangng of the guns
i sounded to those high aloft every one
! wondered what had gone wrong witt
!, the programme. They had to guess
I, later when ship after ship did all of the
! noisy stun too far up the river TO make
IA show for the pcrched hundreds on the
, skysCrapers.
Lower River All Clear.
No patrol boats went in advance oi
the fleet, but the lower river cleared lik,
magic when the Connecticut. and aftel
her the three other sisters OF the frs
division, swung into view. The waddlinl
- ferries foreshortened from heights int
fat houseboats, fingered on the Jersey
side of the stream or in dock until the
first division went by. and then FACED
: clumslv before the bow of the leading
r ship of the second could be upon them.
Lucky folk aloft in the skyscraper,
! caught first view of the fleet long before
the waiting thousands down at Batter,
b. Park and along West street could know
that the big show was coming. Some o
h the more thoughtful leaned out OF Window
a and waved handkerchiefs u the black
= masses below, and the earthlings. catch
l ing the signal. scurried 10 get first pick
Il of the few remaining vantage points
q along the waterfront. The tops Of all th'
freight sheds from Pier 4 north as fal
~ the eve carried were SDRttere0 VIII
q folk. and some even climbed the rigging
A of a steamer in berth just above the
! police boats.
i Each battleship as it came down th'
= river drew Graciousiv near to the Battery
and only sheercd of to the middle channe
of Governors Island. lt was an houl
. after the Connecticut was sighted dowr
Y below that the Florida, last of the levia
q thans passed old Castle Gar den. Thei
the little destroyers and torpedo boats
which had been slipping down the rive
s in double rank. Strengthened out int,
5 single file oil the Battery and followed
r the shining sides Of the big brothers OF
. ward the Staten Island shore. The SUI.
- was down and quick darkness was OF
J. before the last of the great show hac
passed the southern tip of Manhattan.
IS The battleships started out past Quar-
a antne about 4:30 About $40 the torped
flotlla passed ont Quarantine. At 5:i
. two cruisers and four battleships anchore'
81 of Tompkinsville Staten Island. The,
Il we've the cruisers Moth Carolina an,
q Washington and the battleships Florida
N Utah, North Dakota and Delaware. Afte
- dark four submarines came stealing in /
u anchor Save 70. these warships Ney
ID York harbor was empty of the vessels O
r L. cod