With the Battle Fleet

Sentiment of the Good-by-Formation of the Fleet-Difficulties of Maintaining the Proper Distances-Naval Rout

Louisiana, U.

ad, De

ed the battle fleet past the capes of the Chesapeake out to sea just before noon on December 16 and the gentle swells lifted and

roats of the 3-pounder barkers that spat fire and snorted out great puffs of smoke, but when each ship began to find herself she too made her good-by as on

right sun the breeze seemed to lift them toward the southeastern heavens, where some power wove them together to pull the ships along and give them a fine sendoff. All of Monday and Tu

f ordinary routine. The officers of the deck on all the ships were concerned chiefly about keeping their proper distances, the navigators were taking bearings and already getting ready for figuring out latitudes and longitudes, the executive officers were going

e other of the scores of places where men watch and

me. True, the fleet had started for San Francisco, but that was a mere detail, s

by Pictori

Leaving Ha

usual good-by medley composed of "Home, Sweet Home," "The Girl I Left Behind Me" and "Auld Lang Syne." The middle part of the medley brough

so that he could distinguish them easily with his glass. He had told them he would be on the after bridge. When the ship came near the station of his family he stole far out on the bridge, f

he pulled himself together sharply, turned and wa

, Jones?" asked one of them w

where in the crowd," was the reply w

s duty was to his flag and ship. What was that signal at the forward truck? Had an

ts leader at a distance of 400 yards from masthead to masthead. Steam was up; engines, steering gear, annunciators, and all the rest o

he mud, when he reported it to the executive officer, who takes a ship in and out of port. Finally the anchor was si

ven," "By the deep six," "By the quarter less six," while the ships slowly paraded down the bay. The channel was so shallow that the ships stirred up the mud and some of it got into the machin

she set sail capstan bars would be shipped and all that part of the ship's company manning the bars would bring the anchor chain "up and down, sir," as the officer in charge of the fo'c's'le would report. The captain and First Luff (the executive

a cloud of snowy canvas would drop loose and limp. Then would come the commands, "Topsail sheets and halyards!" "To'gallant

good ship was soon on her course. Sometimes a chanty would be sung instead of the "Stamp and go," and when the ship was bound for Rio, just as this fleet is, one could

away f

away f

ny you

's in a

nd for the

ny of Uncle Sam's tars and sea dogs don't like that term) was in a whirl over some bonny young

ionally cast their eyes about and when they had time to give expressi

osition pennant or the Admiral may get after him. What's that? We're fifty yards too close? Give her three

jangling for a time while the Captain or offic

fine sig

saluting obscured things and it was not until the ships headed out to sea and the Connecticut was past the whistling buoy, which also seemed to wan

f to port and starboard, making two lines, each a quarter of a point off the flagship, which had a lane to itself in the centre, giving the Admiral and his

r the amusement of the 14,000 men afloat. It was pretty to see a mass of flags fall to the deck simultaneously from time to time. I

ghty fine sight, but the few civilians with the fleet shared

, but when you see it reduced to this kind of business on the ocean you are sure your country is great

for brute strength. Each stood for the development of science and skill. Each stood for an impressive expression of patriotism. In that fleet of s

in foot seconds and muzzle energy in foot tons and a lot of other terms that would make a landlubber's head dizzy. They told how the average muzzle velocity of those guns was 2,700 feet a second and that a 13-inch gun's energy was equal to raising 31,372 tons a foot, while that of a 12-inch

the fleet were fired-the exact number of the thousands upon thousands of these projectiles it would not be prudent even t

that is, how many railroad trains, each a mile long, could be pulled so many thousands of miles; how many bridges like those across the East River they could pull down with just one tug at them; how many cities s

timated. By this time the amateur was clear flabbergasted, and all he could say, landlubber that he is and will be until Neptune has him ducked, was that if the fleet did displace 250,

e in a long follow-your-leader flight to the south for a warmer clime. The ships did look gray at times, according to the atmospheric conditions, but the gray geese analogy was voted not

gs of the sea, peace compellers and all that string and began to weave them all together, and it was

een battleship units into one battle fleet unit, not sixteen times stronger than one unit, but with the strength increased in something like geometrical ratio. The problem, t

k City that the greatest training need of the United States navy was what he called battleship seamanship. That meant not navigation merely, but the synchroni

favorite cruising formations, that is, in columns of fours. The four divisions

hip. The lines were run at intervals of 1,600 yards, and the ships of each division, still in wing and wing fashion, were at distances of 400 yar

meant. The circle of twelve or fourteen miles that hemmed them in and that expanded in front and contracted in the rear seemed practically

n front of you; when you consider how some ships move a trifle of an inch faster than another ship at the same number of propeller revolutions; when you think that one of the propellers of your own ship will do more work than the other at the same number of revolutions, and that this w

mbers. All the time each ship was gaining or losing a trifle and this had to be corrected every minute or two. On each ship a young midshipman stood on the bridge beside the officer on watch looking through a little instrument of bars and glasses and wheels graduated to a scale of figures and called a stadimeter. He reduced the truckline and the wate

ten had to report distances every fifteen or twenty seconds and t

r pennant of white with red border and this was set down against your ship o

below the horizon the pink rays that were gathering reflected themselves on the starboard sides of the white ships and gave them a touch o

n of the moon close to the full, the ships took on an aspect such as lower New York assumes early in the evening of mid-winter days when office buildings are lighted. When the smoke s

ss town

hes from the Mayflower, received a short time before, was read. There were cheers for the President, especially on the Louisiana, which is

shouted one of the officer

on the other side, "but I wish he

ip a message signalled from the flagship which said that after a brief stay on the Pacif

CIAL S

S. Con

er 16t

n that after a short stay on the Pacific Coast it is the President's intentio

his wife or sweetheart could know it at once.

a bell is tapped: "Port light burning bright," "Starboard light burning bright," how "the 9 o'clock light is out, sir" report is made and received; how they "put the shirts on" the gun muzzles and mainmast; how the call to dinner to the officers is done on the Louisiana with a fife and drum, "rolling roast beef,

culiar routine of a warship it is the cleanliness of things. This applies as much to the

hands and knees and show you that it was as clean as the most exposed parts of his bailiwick. Th

that there were men on board who were slack in this respect, but there were a lot of youngsters who had never been to sea b

ow. I distinguish it from all other kinds because it is the m

ffect of it there, and it works its way out to his skin, clothing and surroundings. All must be immaculately

I say. Let me gi

fresh water was a scarce article even to drink. No fresh water could be had to wash our cl

e boats at all times in case of emergency, such as shipwreck. That is what I mean by committing crime. We ac

and canvas-no man ever forgot it who experienced that-and sometimes with ki-yar b

ne would work out. The system has been in operation only a few mont

in the fleet from any other and at times the sounds of the voice were as clear as through an ordinary telephone.

ing to another all the other ships must keep out of it and even the ship to which the message is being sent must keep still a

o use the telegraph while the telephone is in use the telephone goes out of commission at once because it is absolutel

that had the wail of a lost cat in its voice and then he would put a little

We have a press message for you to send to the beach. We have a press message for you to send to the

other, would be working on other ships. Sometimes the answer would come at

e sure that he would get it correctly. Peculiarly spelled words employed in cabling could not be made out by the ordinary operator and it was taking chances to spell them out with

g to be of value. Most of them have talked with it clearly for distances of at least twenty miles.

t that as soon as certain difficulties were overcome, difficulties no more serious, they said, than the ordinary telephone encountered i

rinkle in it, the most up to date use of it? Of course you hav

ossing the line. The message was genuine because it was posted up and a copy sent to the executive officer as so

ted one Fore Topmast as "official representative of his Most Gracious Majesty Neptune Rex, Ruler of the Ro

s soon known that royal policemen, royal barbers, royal judges, royal counsel and a lot of other royal functionaries were appointed. T

copy of one of Neptune's messages and

TI

was received at 11 p.

Board the Good Ship Louisiana of His Maje

regulation uniforms carried by them were lost. Therefore it will be necessary for me to designate many of my royal subjects on board the good ship rep

ness, their knowledge as to the interior plans of the ship and their ability to follow the trail of

ts selected, the position assigned and the proficiency of

rms made up at once and will carry

Maj

une

the Roy

L ORDE

ted have been notified of their appointment, all of whom have accepted. The attention of all the royal subjects is invited to paragraph X, article VIIX, regulations of the royal realm, relative to pol

e trusted police selected will at once visit his Majesty's tailor, the sailmaker's m

O. R. H.

was received and an order iss

TI

ss was received at 1

is Majesty Neptune Rex, Ruler of the Royal

e not familiar with, and it is therefore impossible for any one to avoid escaping the royal initiation. Those who do try to escape the initiation in this manner will of course be apprehended, and when brought before me on the day of the ceremonies they will not soon forget the trick they endeavored to play on the royal realm, and the dose they get will be more severe than any I have as yet prescribed. Refer

Maj

une

the Roy

L ORDE

jesty's wireless and whom you will all know by referring to the royal secret code which you have in your possession. You will also keep track of these animals and report to me any out of the way move which they shoul

e T

esentative of

ankton, which is to be used as the Admiral's yacht in port and for short journeys and which has been running with the fleet off the starboard side of

itched a good deal, but there was little rolling. Sea legs had been acquired by that time and few on board were incapacit

lor who had pneumonia. Of course both could have been treated on board ship, but Admiral Evans thought that it would be more humane to give these men the best treatment that could b

hing of that kind being out of order. The fleet went along in splendid style. Three days out the intervals and distances were almost per

of spinal meningitis. Nothing was known of the death on the fleet until eight bells were sounded at 4 P.M. Admiral Evans had gone ahead of the fleet at noon to make a four or six hou

y the colors went up and then down to half mast. All colors on the other ships went to half mast. The order for half speed was given and then came a signal to stop. The rails of the ships wer

y little splash. Three volleys were fired by the marines, taps were sounded, the colors were run up to the gaff on the mainmast on all the ships and standard speed was ordered again as the flags came dow

Many had hoped that he would sail along the chain of islands and that they might catch a glimpse at least of Martinique and some of the other historic places. But

e in sight, the ships entered the Dragon's mouth into the Gulf of Paria and swung a

tletoe is already hanging in the Louisiana's wardroom. Some of the ships brought their Christmas trees and greens alon

mas with the thermo