Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-23
ON THE WAY HOME
District Naval Battalion Com
pIetes Cruise of Coast.
MANEUVER WITH REGULARS
Jackies Instructed in Art Of Offense
and Defense at Sea.
DEMONSTRATION OF WAR GAME
Aboard the Battleship Virginia
Local Sailors Patrol Atlantic
Waters for Eight Days.
MANEUVER WITH REGULARS
DEMONSTRATION OF WAR GAME

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NORFOLK, Va. July 22.-The tackles
of the Naval Battalion Of the National
Guard Of the District OF Columbia. 125
strong, who have been on a cruise along
the Atlantic coast for eight days as
part OF the crew of the United States bat
tleship Virginia, will reach Washington
tomorrow morning. journeying from Nor
| folk aboard the steamer Northland. Tan
| ned by tho sun and wind, even browner
than they were when they left Washing
| ton, the members OF the battalion all
reported today in good health and were
enthusiastic over the cruise. The Virginia
left Gay point Thursday noon and ar
rived at Hampton roads, Va, Saturday
| morning.
| Under command Of Capt. 9. W. STRAIT
| ton, the sailors left Washington Friday.
| July IA. aboard the Northland, en-
| route to Hampton roads, where they were
next morning transferred in launches to
| the U. s. 8. Virginia. The battalion was
immediately assembled on the big battle
! ship, where Lieut.. Commander Pol
| lock gave each man his station billet
| a slip assigning number in the crew
and quarters, and naming running mate
and after swinging their sailor bags on
| the jackstayS and slowing their nam
mocks, the would-be sea soldiers were
| to all intents and purposes full-fledged
boobies in the United states Navy.
Business Begins Early.
| The boys had no more than completed
| preparations for getting down to business
than business commenced. Saturday
morning aboard a man-of-war there is a
call for general quarters and the cap
tain's personal inspection of his crew, and
L
| District jackie fell into rank beside his
| running mate, went through the manual
of arms and, with the sailors standing
| facing each other in two long lines, un-
| derwent the rigid inspection. No dis
elimination Is made in favor Of reserves
| on these cruises, and the officers in COM
| mand of the battalion were highly pleas
ed that none OF their men was repri-
manded for irregularity of dress or lack
| of knowledge of the drills.
| The boys received another taste OF
naval routine a few minutes later, when.
| shortly after 10 o'clock, the United States
battieship Louisiana came into the roads
on her return from the coronation of
King George " and as she came along
side the Virginia the big battleship. to-
gether with one or two others lying
at anchor nearby, gave the customary
salute Of eight guns. Most Of the anna
| teur sailors were below the main deck
when the guns commenced firing, but
without waiting to inquire the cause,
they dashed up the hatchways or rushed
to portfolios to ascertain for themselves
why the big man-of-war was trembling
| from stem to stern.
Steams Out to Sea.
The Virginia got under way from the
roads at IL 80 o'clock Saturday morning.
bound for GARDENERS bay aand Long
Island sound. At a speed Of ten knots
an hour she steamed out to sea for about
100 miles, then turned her head to the
north along the Atlantic coast, arriving
at longiture 20 w. latitude 40 NJ, which
| is off the Rhode Island coast. Sunday
night about u o'clock At this point the
| Virginia joined the North Atlantic feet,
consisting Of eleven battleships and two
cruisers. The first intimation that the
| District jackies had of the fact that other
vessels than their own were on the seas
was given when, at about 9 O'Clock. the
Virginia's powerful searchlight wigwag-
ged its call letter C'P) across the sky
distance Of forty miles or more, and
got a response from the flagship Con-
necticut. Early next morning the District
sailors saw six big men-of-war blowing
their way through the rolling seas in
the wake of the Virginia, for this ves-
sci was the flagship of the fifth division
of the North Atlantic fleet. and had on
board Rear Admiral T. B. Howard.
| After the assembling of the fleet Sun
day night off the Rhode Island coast
the big battleships skirted the coasts
Of that state. Long Island and New Jer-
sey forming in double, single and
| squadron columns. Internationally two
| or more of the armored cruisers or bat
tleships would diverge seward from
| the course of the fleet which was
patrolling the shore the object being
| to scout the sea for hostile vessels.
These maneuvers continued throughout
Monday. and at certain hours Of the
| day the forty guns of the Virginia
| were manned by their regular crews In
addition to squads of reserves assigned
| to members of the crews as running
mates. Following this illustration of
| coast defense there was searchlight
drill that evening at o'clock.
| Roughest Night Of the Cruise.
| The boys were experiencing the
toughest night Of their cruise. and the
rolling waves and heavy clouds added
| to the realism of this feature OF their