Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-20
FLEET OF NATIONS
!. FOR CANAL CRUISE
Seventy FIVE or More Warships
Will Anchor at Hampton
Roads Early in Year.

Washington, D. c., Oct. 20.-Anchor-
ed in Hampton roads early in 1915
will be the greatest international feet
ever gathered in American waters, as
sembled in answer to the invitation OF
the United States government to cele-
brate the completion of the Panama
canal by making a voyage to the Pa
ciic through the new waterway.
The precise number Of vessels
which will lie in the famous roadsted
is not yet known to the officials of the
navy department in charge of the ar
arrangements for rendezvous, as so far
there have been no formal responses
received to the invitations dispatched
( by the state department to all OF the
nations of the world.
, Some of the nations with great ma
vies may be represented by squadrons
of four or more warships; others by
only one or two, and some OF the coun-
tries practically without navies includ-
/ ing vessels of the first class will be
represented only in the personnel OF
their legations and commissions to the
Panama Pacific exposition.
The exact date of the rendezvous
probably will he announced within the /
next two months.
The formal invitation of the United .
States was dispatched to all the diplo- /
matte officers of the United States ;
abroad on Sept II last by Secretary
Bryan.
! 1t is expected that the American /
invitation will meet with general &C.
ceptance and the result will be the
gathering of feet of perhaps IS or
100 warships of the best type, for the
reason that slow and Anticipated YES
sells would be unable to keep pace with
the rest of the feet in the cruise from
Hampton Roads to the Golden Gate.
The ceremonies at Hampton Roads
, and the time required for visit to
. Washington by the foreign visitors
will consume about a week or ten
t days, and then, headed by the Amer
; lean fleet. probably with the super
: dreadnaught New York at the right
/ OF the column. the great armada will
r take its way southwark for Colon.
r 1t is estimated that about four days
: will be required to pass the fleet
! through the locks and the canal, and
4 about twice that length of time will
e suffice to replenish the coal bunkers
r and oil tanks of the ships before they
4 resume their cruise, this time steam
l. ing northward for San Francisco.
r Toxic, Oct. 20.-Japan expects to
Y make long strides in its foreign COM
merce as a result of the opening of
d the Panama canal. The ports on the
c eastern coast of both South and North
r America are at once opened up to its
export trade and everything possible
Il will be done to find markets there for
:. japanese goods.
s. The present trade routes from Japan
to European ports by way of the Suez
!; canal will not be affected by the op-
= Grafton OF the Panama route.
New lircs of steamers eventually
will be sent to New York and to the
eastern coast of South America, where
d Japan hopes TO find big markets for
st its china and lacquered ware, It's
straw mattings and straw braids. as
H. well as its teas and at the same time
increase its market for raw silk.
:; Another important benefit to Japan
will be the canal will be diversion OF
s. much of the freight which now is
n transported to points on the Pacific
slope of the United States and thence
ly shipped by rail to eastern states.
W Another important benefit to Japan
will be that of permitting it to send
z direct to Brazil, and later possibly to
Id other countries, Japanese emigrants
who are expected to go to South
~ America in increasingly large mum
bers.
Id Chicago, H., Oct. 2O-The general
:; impression that the Panama canal Is
completed and that the ships of the
o. world are about to use the same is
It. wrong, according to Ray J.. Smith Of
ht the Washington Office of the Isthmia1
canal commission, who is returning
i'd to Washington tomorrow after a short
stay in Chicago
n While the spectacular part of the
work of completing the canal is about
ht over" said Mr. Smith. much still re
O. mains TO be done. and the commerce
of the world probably will not be able
to use the canal before the oficia
time for opening Jan. /. 1915"
Mr.. Smith has been in Chicago
"a recruiting wiremen for high tension
electrical construction work.