The Washington times., 1918-12-26
NEW YORK WILDLY
WELCOMES FLEET

Ho'oA hJoAOpAeho was AoECcu " IAho
in Gravesend Bay. Coast guard cut
ters were sent out to look for It
Greeted BY Radio Phone.
Secretary Daniels greeted Admiral
Mayo by wireless telephone after
the dreadnaught Pennsylvania had
opened the conversation by asking:
How do you do, Mayflower."
After Daniels official radio words
OF welcome. and Mayo's reply, the
ships engaged in a talk, one message
from the fleet being descriptive of
the Christmas dinner all hands en-
joyed.
All the official welcoming craft
were anchored around the Mayfiower
on the Statue of Liberty. They in
cluded the Aztec, with the Assistant
Secretary of the Navy; the press boat
xArifa, and a number OF others.
AS each OF the Homecoming ships
drew abreast of the Mayfiower the
secretarial salute of nineteen guns
roared from the snouts OF its batter
les. The toy cannon Of the yacht
snapped out an acknowledgment of
the Pennsylvania's greeting-seven-
teen guns in honor of Admiral Mayo.
The Atlantic feet, with sightseeing
and freight craft keeping o respect
ful distance, steamed majestically-
into its anchorage in the Hudson, be-
tween Fifty-ffth and 120th streets,
forming, in conjunction with the
home feet, q double line more than
six miles long.
BIE ships on New York side.
The dreadnaughts and battleships
were moored along the New York side
Of the river, the destroyers, auxiliary
and supply ships swung at anchor
on the New Jersey shore.
The home feet, whose base was in
the York river during the war, con-
sisted of the dreadnAughts New Mex
CO and Mississippi-ths most power
full ships in the world-the battle
ships Maine, Wisconsin, Kearsarge
and Alabama, Iowa, and Indiana; the
repair ships. Bridge, Prairie, and
Vestal: the hospital ship Solace, and
a great feet OF destroyers, including
the newly commissioned Breese, Dent,
Radford, Lamberton, Mahan, and
Ringold.
AS soon as the ships dropped an
chor, the flag officers and captains
came aboard the Mayfiower. which
had followed the fleet into the Hud-
son, to pay their respects to Secre-
tAry Daniels. They were piped over
the side with true nautical ceremony
These formaIities were brief and inn
mediately afterward the Secretary
began his review OF the combined
fleets.
The Mayflower proceeded slowly
along the Jersey shore to Fort WASH
ington point. where IL swung about
and came back along the New York
side. The bands played "The Star
Spangled Banner" as the yacht steam
ed past. The crews manned the rails
their blue-clad figures standing out
in bold relief against the grey back
ground OF their ships and the vari-
colored flags and pennants that flew
in fluttering lines from stem to
stern --s-n---- . s-uTa-
Old wooden Ships.
The old wooden ship-of-the-line
Granite State. shorn OF its towering
mass and clouds Of canvas and with
port holes gaping and empty, strik-
Ingiy illustrated the progress In
American maritime construction as 10
souatted stoIidly at Its moorings near
Ninety-seventh street It has been
doing duty as O barracks for mer-
chant seamen recruits
The feet which defeated Admiral
Cervera at Santiago back in 'ss was
represented by the old Iowa and Indi-
ana. The Iowa was commanded by
Fighting Bob" Evans in that en-
gagement.
Aboard the MGyfiower as Secretary
Daniels guests were the members OF
the Cabinet. Admiral Grant. comman-
OF the British naval
forces in the western Atlantic; senior
naval attaches OF the allied nations.
members of the war council; Bernard
az. Baruch, chairman OF the War
Industries Board; Vance McCor-
mick, chairman OF the War Trade
Board; A. Mitchell Palmer, alien
property custodian: Samuel Com
pers, president of the American
of Labor: Vice Admiral
Gleaves, commander Of the cruiser
and transport forces; Rear Admiral
Usher, commandant of the Third na-
val district: General March, chief or
stan; Major General Bell, commander
of the Department OF the East: Major
General Shanks, commander of the
port Of embArkation; James w.
Gerard, former ambassador to Ger |
many; Henry Morgenthsu, former |
to Turkey; DIR. and Mrs. |
Henry Van Dyke, and Mrs. George |
Dewey, widow OF the late Admiral
Dewey.