The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-11-03

of the service. the tugs Uncas and Poto-
mac The President gazed Curiously
az the Neptune. the most conspicuous
of the collier flotiln, with her eight lofty
cranes that made her appear top heavy
and overhalauCed He was assured 10y
Secretary Meyer, however, that the
Nrptuuc can handle herself neatly in any
reasonable sort of sea and isn't afraid
80 venture where battl"Ships 90.
A. the Mavnpwer turned toward tho
Manhattan shore just below Spuyten
Duyvl! Greek her Quartermastor heared
the lead. They weren't taking any
chances on going aground with "A President
aboard There was plenty of water
even though the yacht was ont of chan
mel 80 she rounded and turned her nos"
-outhward. II was just noon when tn"
President fetched up at the head OF TIA"
fleet and started on his down river journey.
Review or Twcnty.third street.
/ There was no saluting as he returned.
Every ship as he passed played the ma.
tiouHl air, manned its rails and paradod
tho guard. Officers and men stood at
attention. Mr., Taft remained on tn"
bridge throughout tn" return journey
talking to Secretary Meyer or TO some ot
the Rear Admirals. The Mayhowcr kept
uu down the river until she reached the
anchorage of West Iwcnty-thrd street
/ that had been selected suddenly yestcr-
I day a. the reviewing station When
orders first came ont from the Navy De-
partment of Iompkinsville was the place
designated as the review station. On
] "Wednesday Secretary Meyer switched
the plans and fixed on the water near the
/ Statue of Liberty a. the place where the
! President would watch tho ships pass
out.
But MIR. Taft hadn't had any say about
all these matters and when II Cume time
for him To- choose he named the West
/ Twenty third street anchorage. 1t was
] closer To- the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad svs-
tenn and would enable him 10 save time
in making his train for Hot Springs, Va;
| The decision was Disappointing To good
many thousands of people who had hoped
to see from fine FREQ grand stand seats
on the Battery or on Governors Island
the Atlantic fleet hid farewell TO the Presi-
dent. Governors Island had been thrown
open to the public and many went there
before the news arrived that the President
wouldn't appear IN the harbor.
Shortly after noon the President and
his party had luncheon on the Mayflower.
Then all hands settled down 10 wait on
the elements.
A. l:3o =. NJ the wind had risen
t. . thirty mile an hour clip and was
fairly screaming through the rigging and
the signal halliards of tho battlcships.
b Up the river Osterhaus was conversing
steadily with his division commanders.
The aag-hip's wireless cracked and spat
was scmaphoriug signals to the Louisiana
: which was relaylng them to the next
division flagship, the Minnesota, and So on
up the long line. You could tell with hall
, an eye that the commander N chief
> realized what a Job the north wind had
handed him and that he was hlslly tuning
, up the fleet
Excursion Boats and the Patrols.
The coming gale didn't seem TO frighter
the topheavy sightseeing steamers. There
were more of them than on any day of the
mobilization. They clustered and how
cred near the Maytlower. everybody who
/, had paid 81 for "A ride around the fleet want.
, ing 10 have "a squiut at the President for
7 good measure. The 4. W, Morse, the
. largest Of the ruhbcrueuk packets that
a showed in the river. swung round the pa
| troll boats with AT least go" pcop" JammcC
n her. The big Bridgeport and TroJar
. .Scre heavily loaded. and there wcr" ne
end of the smaller fry that fused arounc
. the Maytiower's anchorage. But that
n anchorage was strictly fenced of.
The little tender lankton, the splinter
Z | Of "A war vessel that went round the worlC
with ships big enough to sling her orei
the side for launch, dropped down
river to go on patrol The derelct de-
stroyor Seneca was Oh guard at the south
ern boundary established of West twenty
! third street. 4 narrow fairway was lef
\ for traffic about 800 yards near the Man
,
u the sightseeing steamers We're KEPT
VI back of an imaginary line drawn on tn,
! river The navy ruled the middle, bu
i was none too much on such day "a
yesterday. The wind was so bad 10y
: . =. NJ. that the Dolphin and the lanktoi
= just missed colliding The gunhoat go
> in the grip OF the wind as she was swing
< ing around and before she could he go
: under control was carried toward tn
= lankton'S bow. The quartermaste
- shaved the Yankton's : starboard quarter
>, but Il was narrow squeak.
n Preparing TO Get Under Way.
q The fleet wa due to get under wa
II and start down the river at > +. VI. Tn
q plan was TO take advantage of slacl
II tide, which should have come at abou
X O'Clock 50 as to manTuvre the massiv
: ships IN dead water. But the northwes
wind driving slantwise across the Mort
l. River retarded the ebb II increase
;, the speed Of the current in the channe
II which was going at easily six knots
;. Ard a." wind, rising constantly, wa
v powerful enough To veer even so bulky
q thing a. a modern battlcship from he
lp course To- the possible danger Of herseI
or sister ships.
e Gancing up river at 23O p. NJ yo
l. could see that all fun and nonsense wer
," over. The ships had stripped then
: selves of the gay signal flags They wer
, down to war color and plain bushes,
or From the tunnels of the Connectcl
Up black smoke was pouring. while III
er Michigan and Delaware, lying just abov
"a her, belchcd inky clouds into the wine
- A sable blanket lay over the strip of wate
~ between the flagship column and III
We Manhattan shore. From the Mayhowt
lp the President watched the fleet keeni,
IN He knew, because he had been told by III
ar Secretary and the Rear Admrals VIII
le watched with him, that the feet was u
Di against "A trying, probably dapgerou
III manuuvre. The time passed heavil,
At Osterhaus tarried as long as he dareC
IL hoping that the gale would abate. Ind
iS' cations were disquietinG. Finally at g..
o'clock he signalled the feet to prepar
,a to get under way.
he Michigan First - Clear.
IN First TO flash her colors at the mainma
b. gaf. signifyinG that she was ahoat. WI
st the sklful Michigan fleet champion T,
AT efficiency. Capt. Edward T.. Capehart
~ men beat the Delaware 10y half minu
2o and the flagship by nearly sixty second
as The Mayfowers passengers were thrillt
ye as they scanned the river and watche
We the Stars and Stripes break out from tn
n mainmast of ship after ship. Once anoI
er the feet turned slowly, the bows of ba
en- tleshps and cruisers describing a slo
ct arc from north to west TO south. II ply
a 4 /. =. =