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Show BATTLESHIP FLEET LEAVESUA5DALEKA ( Last Legs of Originally Planned Cruise From Hampton Roads Undertaken. EXPECT TO MAKE CORONA DO REACH TUESDAY MORNING . Round of Festivities for Officers and Men at Coast Cities Will Begin. SAX DIEGO. Cal., April 11. The Atlantic 'licet of sixteen first-class battleships bat-tleships began today the Inst leg of its originally planned cruise from ' Hampton Ronds to the Golden Gnte. The four divisions of the fleet weighed finchor at -l p. m. and three-quarters of ! an hour later were threading their way j out of IMagdalena bay in the wake of the flagship Connecticut. The com- innnding figure on the after-bridge- of the flagship was that of Rear Admiral i Charles M Thomas, who began the I .iouniey to t ho Pacific as head of the ; second squadron, but who was promoted I to command during the enforced absence ab-sence of Rear Admiral Robley D. Kvnns the commander in -chief, who is still I seriously ill, suffering from an attack i of rheumatism, and who is tut-inn baths nr. Paso Roblcs. California. ! bailing in single column formation, , according to dispatches received here, I the ships passed Sail Rock ami. round- j jng hntrada Point, one of the head- ! lands marking the gateway lo the harbor, har-bor, turned in a long circle to the i north. ( To Reach Coronado Tuesday. An easy journey of 620 miles lies 1 beiore the fleer, which is scheduled to : arrive here and anchor otr Coronado ! Beach, at I p. m., on Tuesday. Admiral ' Thomas has allowed sixtv'-nino hours! lor the run up the coast, 'requiring an average of only nine knots an hour.. The ships started away at the usual cruis- j inK speed of ten knots, however, and i will slow down during the latter part of the .journey. The earlv hour of rle- parturo was fixed to guard against the , possibility of delnv in a fog. I When the ships "reach San Diego Uiey will have logged Kl.oliO knots since '-their departure from ' Hampton Roads on .December, 10, Inst. The Connecticut, Connecti-cut, has 1240 knots additional to her .credit, on account of the trip to this. Aj'ftJnst work to bring: Admiral JA-ans "asnor?'; and- liprsubscqTrent rolurhv'"to fagdalena' bay. j Treat for Coast Cities. Every coast city from San Diego i to San Francisco is to sec the licet iiiuiiij; iw uexi iour weeics, it iiavinr' been arranged that ar all points where no stop is scheduled the nhips. will pass as close to shore as possible, always being well within the range of vision ! of persons gathered along the bluffs ! and beaches. Preparations for the four days' stay of the ships at San Diego are practically complete, and the city is gaily decorated with Hags and patriotic pa-triotic bunting. In this c.ommunifv 0f 40.000 inhabitants a fund of nearlv ; $20,000 has been raised for the eutef-( eutef-( taiumeiit of the otlicors and men o.f the : navy. Interest in the coming, of the ships is intense, the strong personal sentiment being relief ted in the ban-j ban-j ners which everywhere wave a, "wcl- come to our fleet. ' ' ! San Diego has set an example which I undoubtedly will be followed at all of I the other California cities where Admiral Ad-miral Evans will be unable lo participate partici-pate in Hip ceremonies, by arranging In pay a diptinetly personal tribute to Rc'nr Admiral Thomas, who will bo senior sen-ior officer in command here. A handsome hand-some silver mounted .out glass bullet service has been subscribed for and suitably suit-ably enrnved and will be presented to Admiral ThomaF next Wednesday afternoon, after-noon, when he will accept, on behalf of Admiral Evans, a golden key o the city, mounted in native Sail Diogo county gms. |