The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-10-14
C|TYS CURIOUS HORDES
SWARM OVER THE FLEET
Nothing Sacred to Visiting Land
Lubbcrs Above or Below
the Decks.
COMMANDERS ALL FLEE
Arkansas and Wyoming, Big
gest Of Fighters. Objects
Of Greatest Interest.
COMMANDERS ALL FLEE

and wood out in the North River. com
monty designated as the feet, surrendered
abjectly yesterday. without firing a gun.
to a great army Of civilians led by old
General Curiosity.
From the great big superdreadnought
Arkansas down to theiittlest submarine.
or mine destroyer, or tender, or whatever
the littlest one is. not the fainte Ishow
OF resistance was made to the boarding
parties. Sot the least objection was made
as the victors made their own terms.
which were entire possession Of the ship
and all its men from early morning to
, 5 o'clock in the evening.
Nothing was sacred above or below
decks. neither men nor machines. Even
Rear Admiral Hugo Osterhaus. com
mander in chief Of the 1923 assorted fighting
machines swinging with the tide out in
the river. had no more rights than the
chiefs OF his respective divisions. Rear
Admirals Bradley A. Fiske. Nathaniel
r. Usher. Cameron McR Winslow and
Frank +. Fletcher, or the humblest
! landsmen.
Admiral Osterhaus very frankly fed
from the scene and concealed himself in
his quarters aboard the Connecticut.
where few friends solaced him as best
| they could. The other Admirals either
did the same thing or sought safety
ashore. and all left their flag lieutenants
and flag secretaries to face the tumult
At dusk Lieutenant Commanders An
derson and Sexton Of the commanders
stan were seen aft on the quarterback
Of the Connecticut holding their heads
and repeating monotonously. mo. that is
not gun; it is a ventilator."
| just how many persons Of both sexes
and all ages got aboard the warships
yesterday no statistician has been able to
state. Ii is only known that for every
hour they were open TO the public they
were crowded to capacity. while out on
the river in various stages of hysteria
there were long lines of launches awaiting
turn at the port companions. and every
one of these launches. from he predecessor
OF the Clermon' down to the newest thing
| in gasolene propulsion, was crowded to
capacity.
Add to this every launch Of every ship
for private parties and stretch the scene
from Thirtieth street to above Dyckman
street and you begin to get a vague idea.
You could not throw stone anywhere in
the river along the line Of ships without
hitting a crowded launch and at times
it looked as if n person could get ashore
by jumping from one to the other. Add
to these the tens OF thousands on the
water. the tens and tens Of thousands
who filed Riverside Drive from beginning
TO end and the remark of one officer might
apply. Said he: IF every voter on the
| l..
vote for a real navy they would carry
the country"
Officially, yesterday was quiet dav
for the fleet: that is. about one-half the
900 enlisted men We're allowed shore
liberty and the other half had no duties
to speak of except keeping ship. There
were no parades. no official visits and no
formal entertainments. Secretary of the
Navy Meyer unoffically came in n the
Dolphin in the afternoon but no visits
were interchanged. There never is any
saluting on Sunda' and Mr. Meyer will
hear all the noise he will care about to-
day.
OF all the ships the most popular an
peared to be the big Arkansas lying OF
Eightieth street. with her sister ship
the Wyoming lying in second place. The
common inquiry was where the Arkansas
could he found and the next was how the
inquirer could get aboard
The crowd aboard the Wyoming was
only second to that on boa rd the Arkansas.
while the flagship. the Utah and the Flor
ida came next in order named This does
not mean that any other ships were neg
lected. IL one-'istieth of the persons who
tried to get aboard the submarines had
ever succeeded those craft would he ct
the bottom of the river to-day Even the
old San Francisco. once the pride of the
white squadron now mine layer. had
enough callers to crafty the most en-
thlsiastic jackie.
Except for those acquainted with some
one aboard the programme was the same
aboard all ships II was a fearsome sight
TO see woman in q hobbe skirt trying
TO negOt late the step between a doughnut
shaped launch in strong tideway and the
port companion. Some gave up in despair
while others did the only thing they could
under the circumstances end got aboard
| II there was no one to meet the visito
II was not difficult to find some one. A
party of four girls got aboard one Of the
ships about O'Clock They We're fair to
look upon. When one remarked that she
wished they knew some one to show
Just going Off duty. stepped forward
Except for roped of space far aft on
the quarter deck. just enough to shut of
the companions to the officers quarters,
everything was free aboard,
" hen young man who il trying to
pOpul arlHe a now ragtlme creation landed
below decks on the Connecticut he found
piano and played his selection. He
was then seized and informed that if
he ever hoped 70 sell a song he would
have to play few more selections. VIII ere
upon there was dance which took
interest OF the big guns and the turrets
and the engine rooms for the rest of the
afternoon.
The officers of the ships had many
guests Yesterday, Col, r, VI. Thompson
called on Rear Admiral Osterhaus on the
Connecticut, Fleet Surgeon Braisted ga We
tea in honor OF DIR, Simon de INTER
berger. who is privy councillor of Russia
honorary physician to the Car and sur
geon of the Imperial Guard, and his
daughter Miss Elizabeth. Among tho So
! present We're Mrs. p. NJ. Rixey, wife of
, former Surgeon-Gcneral Rixey Of the
, army; several of her friends and p T..
Hagen, Russian Consul Every officer
who could got ashore later in the evening g
for dinnerSAnd concerts.
, II il altogether likely that there will
, be no more chances To visit the feet
Everything was shut tight at 4:30 O'Clock
in the afternoon and not even a high
official can gei aboard warship on private
} business to-day.
| II shore leaves expired last midnight
, and every man will have to be in his place
this morning or face a very severe ordea
before the "old man" hereafter. Tney
only stopped making ready last night
during the illuminations, which picked
out Inc craft from bow to STERN and then