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Show ' m$. J-Ju i ui.rjT niJMTjljf WW gaWijr aiiiAivoD -JH h 1 f - a H I im NsBi GREAT FLEET SAILS 1 ttffL wR I Sri Admiral Evans Leads" Atlantic Squadron from Its An ,& chorage at Hampton Roads Will Meet the Vessels Hi of the Pacific Coast at San Francisco. H 5gfcg:;:;:-J-J' g"' ' ' 1 xsieAarsMrnSScwjscvaay' H Hampton Roads, Va, Dec IC Tho doparturo to-day of tho gnat Atlantic squadron for tho Pacific Is only an other of thu many kreat I roofs of tho nations marvilous growth nnd devel opment Tho Iron clad warship la only 4S yeara old, yet passing through a process of swift evolution to lis I rt s ent perfection this American dlscov ery has revolutionised the science of naval warfare throughout tho whole world There are now 270 vessils In commission In the United States navy whoro at ono time, In Washington a administration, there waa not one Of thiso there nre 13 battleships of tho first and second diss carrying guns Into whose mouth this country s first and only ' commander In-chief of the navy," Pack Hopkins, might easily have hidden his disgraced heal when an outraged continental conkress sum marlly dismissed blm It was In Hampton Iloads that the first chapter In the world a history of Iron clads waa written It was In Hampton Iloads that the nation gathon d 10 of her finest sen fighters ready for a trip of nearly 20 000 miles Where the Merrlmac awunt, clumsily across the channel long ago and drove terror to the hoarts of senmen who had never yet soon such a monster Iron clada as graceful and aa swift aa greyhounds hato come and gone all summer until they have becomo a fa miliar sight Among these Is the Minnesota, tho largest of I nclo Barn s big battleships and next only In site to tho Droadnauglit, which King rd ward of England launched with such ceremony a year or so ago and to tho Batsuma Japan s new monster of the deep History of American Nsvy The first appropriation mnda for a navy for this country was that of the continental congress In 1776 and the sum of (100 000 was expected tn pur chase, oqutp and generally outfit 13 ships Tor the present year ending July, 1808 the navy will have needed $125 OH 299, an Increase of 15 000 000 ovit tut year Nino million alone go for ordnance atores The last appro Priallon of congress for the building of ships was (20 000 000 to be expended on two big ahlps esch of which Is to measure S10 feot In longth 85 feet beam, and make 21 knots nn hour Throe million dollars was approprl ted for aubmarlnea of the Holland type and In September five torodo boat destroyers were contracted for Think of this tn comparison with the 1100 000 that cost tho continental con Kress so much thought and which was furnished by the ieop!o of tho colo nles after so mucb privation ' It wo are to have a commerce we much have a navy to defend it wrote Col Humphreys from the Ilarbary States In 1703 after be had been sent to see If there were means of slop ping the piracy of Algiers and Tripoli on Amorlcan trading vessels Kor yeara the nation had endured the bu mlllatlon of paying tribute to ihcsu countries, end after Washington hod Incorporated this sentiment In his message of 1704 tho United States still paid tribute, because there was no vy to prove her Independence How ever, that congress appropriated $700, 000 with which tn build six frigates Among these worn (ha Constitution, now thn oldest ship afloat under any flag and n training ship for nppron tins at Portsmouth With this fleet and Its Imi r auxiliaries I catur taught the rulira of Algiers and Tripoli Trip-oli u stern lesson and America Boon took her place among tho naval pow era of the world a tlaco which none disputed after her victories overOroat llrltaln In 1KI2 18I5 Quick Work of Preparation, Tho president Issued tho orders for tho sailing of this licet on August 23, und since then cosl mines railways, 1 revision dialers and manufacturers uf heavy ordnance and ammunition have known thu busiest season thoy have had since the Spaulsh American wur Altogether 35 vessels M to Han 1-ranclsco, and wheu all hava as sembled In the waturs off tho const of California "lighting Hob Kvans will have under his command thu largest most Invincible, the most porfoctly equl t ed fleet that has ever mobilized In one place since thu history of tho world begun Thu axKTogate dlslacement nt the vessels sailing Is nearly 42 000 tons nnd tho aggregate power Is CCI guns of four Inch cullbru anl over Tho four divisions of this fleet will csrry C81 of fleers and 11 500 tnllsted men as fine an array of Jacklea as any navy has titer known ai d an lamest and eager set loo fur as soon as the news of the cruise was noised abroad enlist ments Inert ased raildly throughout the navy and desertions became practically prac-tically unknown The moaorn wife who puxites for days over tho packing of her bus band s krlps and lunch basket when ho Is off for a week s hunting trip cun never begin to appreciate the enormity of Columbia s task In fitting out her 11 500 sons for an outing of 115 days In which they are not ox peeled to set tout un Isnd at all He sides all the stores that each ship can carry when her capacity Is taxed to Ha fullest there will be two ships (hat carry supplies alone tho Qlacler and Culgna and thoy will carry many novel foodstuffs thst have nover yot been carried by any navy of thn world Immense Supply of Coal The Item of coal aloue Is not In considerable On October 12 oontrscts wero let for 133 000 tons to be dellr ered at the six seaport towns whero the fleet will stop Trinidad Itlo Janerlo Punta Arenas Callao Mag dalcna bay and Sin Francisco It Is mined In West Virginia shipped by rail to four tide water cities ot the Atlantic and whom there Is handled by five American companies In JO for elgn steamers to the ports named where It Is piled on tho piers ready for the battleships fifteen of these sttamers go all tho way to San Fran Cisco with their cargoes The cost of the coal will bo about $3 a ton and the cost of transportation will come to over $765 000 right colliers accompany tho fleet The Marcollus Hannibal, Loonldas I nnd possibly tha Sterling accompany I the fleet to Trinidad and then re turn for more coal Others will go M as far ns Itlo and return to Join the H Hoot again at Magdalona bay, and all that have free space tween decks will fl carry general supplies for tha Maro M Island navy yard Tho Connecticut H carrlea 150 tons nf brlquiltis mado of slack coal and pitch to test them H as a suitable fuel fur use In the navy H Tho coat of coaling, exclusive of the 1 amount of coal carried by the ships M from Norfolk to Trinidad, will bo 11,229,280, n sum more than equal to tho bonded debt of tho slate of Idaho or tho statu of Washington H Provisions In Plenty, H As tn provisions, Columbia must H pack enough In the giant hampers to H feed her soi,s for the long 115 days, and hnvn enough extra goodies far Christmas Now enrs nnd Washing ton birthday dinners and the list shows alio has not been niggardly III hor selection rive million pounds of provisions are carried un board the H 16 battleships and the supply ships, tho supplies from the attending ves sols being transferred to the battle- H ships when they stop at the porta for H coal There are 10,000 to 16 000 pound of fresh meat In tha rofrlgoratnra ot each ship and for tho first tlmu thorn will bo n widely varlid bill of rare whero the menta are concernod H Thorn nro a varloty ot foodstuffs In. B eluding tons of cereals salt moats, H drlid fruits and ennntd goods, and H 693 300 pounds of flour for making H Irish bread In lieu of long anatho M matltod hard lack There aro tons of m deaslcatid foodstuffs that hava al ready been tosted and found good and H tho more recent additions dried eggs 9 and dehydrated vegetables Thero are H 9 000 pounds of dried eggs an equlv W alent of 30 000 doxen fresh eggs and 9 when the Christmas baking Is on and the 30 000 fresh eggs also carried are 1 not available, tho mixer ot cakes will fi And that tho dried product when fi mtxod with water will froth as easily L as tho fresh 9 Now methods of communication bo ffl tween thoahlpahavebeenlnstalled.and ft new methods of controlling tho flrti T from tho gur.s Bo new Is this systod ' -H nf fire control that a retlrod naval of I fleer waa heard to remark when the 1 news came to him That Is a good I I lea a good Idea. I am glad to hear 1 It Indeed for fire Is a moat dangerous J tiling aboard a ahlpl The Colorado L waa first tn this experiment Wlrelest H telegraphy boa been a part ot a bat- tleshlps equipment for so many years " now that It Is quite an old atory but the fleet decided It must have wireless wire-less telephony too so the past few woeka have witnessed a busy scene la Hampton Iloads, and In New York and Brooklyn harbors where experts have been busy putting In the appliances Connecticut Is Flsrjihlp. f Admiral Kvans chose tho Conncc tlcut as hla flagship Copt Ingnrsotl Is her commander and chief ot staff of tho Atlantic licet Upon the shoulders a, ot Hear Admiral llrawnlow at Wash M Ington, much ot tho work of prepara m tlon fell Tho cplcndld condition ot the jfl fleet wheu It loft Ita nneborai,o here M to-day shows how well ho has dono It |