Show FLEET at san ORO thousands of enthusiastic citizens extend welcome to officers and men of big battleship fleet the rhe asplend d cond t on of the sh ps after the r long voyage should be source of grat f cat on to every amer can C t zen san D ego cal the american bat fleet was greeted here on tuesday by hundreds of enthusiastic patriots in four regular inter columns with flagships leading abreast and pointing the way to the first home an the fleet has found in its four months of cruising around the south end of the western hemi sphere the sixteen ships swept into the sheltered cove ot of the sea behind the towering headlands of point loma and halted for tour four days of merry making tor for men and officers governor james N gillett was here officially to welcome the fleet and his call upon apar admiral thoma thomaa commanding in the absence of rear admiral robley D evans who took tool the fleet out of hampton roads last december was repaid during the at af hernoon local committees also went to the connecticut to tell admiral thomas and through him all the men ot of the fleet how glad the people ot of california are to see such a asplen did representation ot of the american navy as the battle fleet constitutes the splendid condition ot of the ships was manifest in every way outward ly they were the same sparkling im white and buff units of a powerful aggregation of fighting force that pointed their way out of hamp ton roads on a home coast 3 miles away with the president showing the way on his cruiser yacht the may flower internally the ships were in bettel condition than when they started engines working with the smooth thrust and throw of perfect bearings and careful handling and boilers making steam with less con of coal because of the in creased efficiency in the firing rooms the wash of the waves along the water line displayed from two to three feet of red armor belts and showed but comparatively little sea growth despite the long stay in III tern tem and tropical waters |