Show GREA GREATEST TEST BA I 4 f i NOW ow ANCHORED AT HO PRESIDENT rr r Tn IJ I S RETURNING HEROES EROES Day of Granduer and Greatness is Celebrated Around Historic Norfolk Port Norfolk Va Feb 22 The The fleet fleetis is home home sare sate tugging at contented anchor off Old Point Comfort To describe that home coming with its flash of color its its its' stir of event should never have be been n left to me No one under a Marryat or a j Cooper or a Clarke Russell could have kept pace with the th picture of it It has been a day of grandeur of greatness of waving flags of booming gunJ of bands playing the Star Spangled Banner of eyes dimmed and voices broken and choked by the thrill and throb of that mighty overpowering i i instinct of tribe which men grasp at under the name of of i patriotism pa I Washington's Washing birthday too If the shade of that first American were looking down i it H must have said Here is a country worth fighting for a people worth freeing tJ Not Yot so BO many moons ngo ago I chancel chanced one evening c to be with President elt Vo We were In his studa study stud a White House filled fined with wih books and ani rifles and books and single sticks and books and boxing gloves and what other matters should belong to a n thoroughgoing gentleman who doing nothing by halves believes In lh Improving bIg ing the body as he Improves the mind I Roosevelt was speaking of ot his annual message Just completed What hat did you say to our foreign friends I asked I r 11 said replied Mr rr Roosevelt that we wo were w rc one of or the tho th most peaceable peaceable peace peace- able ollIe nations with ono one of ot tho the best navies In the world worM I S Whether or not we are one tone of or th tha o tR hn n forward d odny oday In Hampton Roads I offer convincing proof ot of th tho truth of lIt f the latter clause of ot that epigram No fo o one who aw saw those twenty-five twenty warships the sixteen world-beating world I battleships pic and span In tn their gleaming coat coot of or white the tho nine nino battleships bat bat- and cruisers the escort scort of theM tho the M the raw new paint drab and bullets but bullets but each Of ad as as' as so man many bristling and formidable would 1 dream ram ot of doubting It Also no on ono thInk Bunk r who sa saw them would a failure allure or Yorktown a mis mis- take taka Great Grent for Patriotism From prom the tho morning gun gun at Fortress when the Mn Monroe to tho the moment slower flower tripped her anchors and with the tho President aboard steamed awa away for tor tho the capital It has been an experience exper exper- lence calculated to renew and restore our Americanism Ho lIe whose patriotIsm patriot- patriot Ism most corked and faded must have havo was borne away awny revived refreshed hed The weather might have been bet bet- and dull broke softly ter The day rain rain not not cold but heavy By 9 came exceedingly wet No one ot all aU the throng that made madea and white alon along the a 8 rim of or black ramparts of ot Fortress Monroe gave e u up simply put up his umbrella um urn- his post He lie and remained There was no brella naval thou thought ht of ot missing the greatest for tor a review re the world has over seen drizzle of or rain Everything went ent off ort like clockwork and President The Tho Mayflower Ia with tho the blue and his bis party the tho Presidents President's below below below be be- peak peal top position po earle ea le flag at her Thimble horse shoe near low the he the There she lay as It were shoals vestibule of ot the roads It welcoming here the Pre President had said good goodbye goodbye was he hf It was her herP bye b e to the Hoot 1 months later Inter welcome it ithome fourteen while everybody waited talk home bome th between great run ran on ort the tho which Monitor and the tho l was wn century a ago o half a than less Jess Ies the and waters fought out In thc these thes pe e thai which grew w from naval wonders and nn the Monitor They first of the Ir Irni n the Merrimac were their battie battle bat smoke of or warships In the tie tle dl n the wooden navies ol oj the world single The ships came camo on in l As he the Connecticut at cruising tt the neared flagship Admiral Sperry's a flashing purr puff ff there was Mayflower l half alt blew the fog tOb and then that It was a 0 signal the report of or a gun Jun es eswell thoU thousand to the malting and excursion well wen as the steamers sr Sf d on Inse I BATTLESHIP FLEET AT HOME HOMEi i I from Inee inge One ne craft which crowded the harbor Gun Guna boomed screeched ch d bells beJla rang the waiting welcoming thousand cheered Dt Gr Amid all aU this roar roer of ot hearty welcome welcome wel wel- come corne screaming clan clanging bell bella her own guns guna un roaring their ro- ro re return return turn the tho Connecticut surged Burge slowly lowly by bythe the Ule Mayflower On the tho ratters ratter's bridge bare of ot head bowing and waving wa a welcome stood Roosevelt The bulwarks bulwark of ot the big battleship were 1000 1040 blue jackets shoulder boulder to shoulder On the tho afterdeck after afterdeck afterdeck deck were the marine On the bridge stood tood Admiral Sperry verry From Its Ha forty thousand miles mile of wandering from seven oceans ocean and fifteen foreign shores shore tho the big II fleet et had returned to salute and ana say aay Alia AU well to President The Connecticut swung by a quarter of a mile tern Jealously keeping t tho e distance came on the Kan Kansas a. a Tho The gun of or th the K Kansan n. n began talking before be bc- lore fore those of at the cut Connecticut cucut had become be become be be- come corne silent silent- The band played pla cd as the snips ships slit slid by the Mayflower Tho The d deep deep- p- p voiced guns brayed braved their booming Into the music u ot c of it the band Again aln was vas seen that nat unbroken blue line of ot jackles Tackles at nt tho the rail the Ute marines with will presented armson arms armson armson on the after alter deck The officers In full ful dr dress parading their swords In salute Ami Anil sq the ule Kan Kansas Kanae ae forged by guns bellowing bel bellowing bel- bel lowing band era crashing filing In tho the wake wilke of ot the Connecticut Th Then n followed the Minnesota am and Vermont and each ach tho twin slater sister of ot the two that had gone gono before Thus swept by the Ule first arst division of ot four tour the Vermont proudly prouI flying the tho prize nag Hag she sho had won with her ber guns In the Ole practice match In bay ba There Thera waa as a gap of a dignified half halt mile and ond the second division of ot four tour ships advanced a Tho The Georgia held the van an On tho the after bridge of ot the Georgia stood Admiral Admiral Ad Ad- miral Wainwright the the Wainwright who tAho at Santiago hold his little cockleshell cockle cockle- shell hell of a yacht acht bows on In the tho er very pathway of ot Cervera's Cerera's eras era's fleet firing wat at ever o every Spanish ship as 08 It fled b by Two I of the latter craft I believe belle he Is credited credited cred cred- with having ha sunk For Tor one ono long ceremonious hour tho review went one ono When hen the tho last ship I had swept b by the Mayflower fell tell Into lino IIno astern and tho the fleet Sleet flied Hied oft off for tor a n abreast of Old Point Com- Com r fort Th t The Tho ships hip eli fell Into their berths berth the Connecticut nearest Old Point pier C Cand and the others stretching awa o away lonar toward t Norfolk In a n three-mile three half moon Th Tho Mayflower took up her place in th the r center of ot the halt half moon Greeted by Chief When hen Admiral Sperry with his hla fellow fellow tellow fel tel I low admirals and officers went aboard the Mayflower President Roosevelt made a n. speech of ot campaign and ond com com- nt At t tho e the fleet sailed away ho he made mado no speech now flow upon Its fortunate Its triumphant return ho no deemed a brief word ord or two In R order Uttering that word aside asido from the tho encomium part of the tho fleet Mr Roosevelt Roose- Roose velt spoke a u handful of biting sentences sentences sen sen- concerning those human ravens and croaking prophets of ofell veil ell who had opposed the fleets fleet's departure and has pretended to gloomily forsee that from provoking pro a war It would never re ro- ro turn Mr r. Roosevelt Roose told of ot the great Impression lon the tho fleet had made mac the good feeling it had loft left behind the respect for the Stars and Stripes It has cn engendered In alien breasts lie did not quote Cromwell but hed ho he d doubtless remembered whore that tha state statesman soldier man said A battleship Is la ever our best ambassador I Following tho the ceremonies aboard the tho thola Mayflower la ower Admiral Sperry and his officers of- of went back to his battleships President Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose was not long Jong behind be behind behind be- be hind them There was no space Into which to to visit er e every ship and aDd so ho confined his s politeness to those who I flew lIew the pennant penDant of ot an admiral JF IS y S I I l C r. r C J t a Z i I 7 I t i f J t tl I f I r. r L 5 S S ti t i i Ih I tots t I Snapshots of Mr Taft in Panama I |