Show FAMOUS AMERICAN FLEET I LEAVES T AR fOR DOME SWEET HOME DOME Sixteen Peerless Battleships Under Rear Admiral Sperry Begin the Last Lap of the Remarkable Cruise of Miles After a Voyage of One Year and Days They Will WillBe WillBe WillBe Be Welcomed Welcom d at Hampton Roads on Birthday Gibraltar Feb 6 With the bands on In board playing Homo Home the American fleet of oC sixteen battle battleships ships under Rear R r Admiral A Sperry Sper loft loR Gibraltar at 11 this morning for or Hampton Roads on the last la t lap lapof lapof lapof of Its famous amous cruise of miles Ono One hour later lator the tho vessels assail were well clear of the land aud and steaming westward In double col column COlumn formation at a speed of ten knots an 10 bour hour They The will ilI follow the south southern era ern rn route to Hampton Hampto Roads Ronas a dis distance I Lance tance of miles and about 1000 1001 miles off the American coast they will willbe he be met and escorted homo by b tho third squadron of the tho Atlantic fleet Cleet under Rear Admiral Arnold Tile The weather conditions at the tho time of or departure wore glorious The sky was without a cloud and there thero was wa Just enough breeze to curl cur the crests of tho the Craves Nothing could have havo surpassed tiLe tho beauty of or orthe the marine picture as the American ar armada armada armada mada weighed anchor from under the shadows of or the towering or sin Gib Gibraltar and moved out Into the strait The operation or getting tho the sixteen huge hugo battleships out of the narrow war basin of oC the port and un tin under der iler way vay was WM accomplished with a skill I and perfection of oC maneuvering and anti de detail tall tail which won tho the admiration or of all tI 4 tho the foreign naval men who witnessed the proceedings critically from land lant and Ind son SOl Admiral Sperry directed tho the whole operation from Crom tho of oC the tho Connecticut At half haf past eight the signal signa to unmoor was given gIven en and the groat chains holding balding the ships s to tho buoys were loosened one ono by b one ono until the vessels esses wore held hold to their anchorages by but a sin glo gb l strand At S 5 a strem or multi multicolored multicolored b colored signal flags on the flagship communicated the order to get under underway way war to the thc Georgia the Nebraska the New Jersey tho the Rhode Island and ana Virginia lying at the rear or tile the Vas bas basin in tn As the tho flags came fluttering down five minutes 6 later tho the designated bat battleships cast off their last Imos and amI I Jlko JUO freed leviathans escape the slowly swung their noses in tho the of oC the tho breaches n the break breakwater breakwater water Twisting and turning TO the tho clanging of engine gongs they crept out the Uio Georgia leading tho the way wa with Lieutenant Commander George Georgo W V Kline on 00 the bridge Once outside Roar Rear Admiral Wain division fell Cell Into formation and waited for fol tho the second and third groups Tho The second group consisted of the Vermont proud nying site me battle bat efficiency trophy at her rore the tIle Minnesota Kentucky y Ohio and an Kearsarge and the third was compos composed ed Cd of tho the Wisconsin Kansas Louis Louisi Louisiana ann ana Missouri rl and Illinois The three th rc groups group waited walled outside and at half past ton ten the tho Connecticut brought up tho the roar rear r ar Although It IL is IB not customary to lire fire parting salutes the inc mo flagship of Rear Admiral Sir James Goodrich R IL N Admiral Admira Superintendent lent dent of Gibraltar which had taken up tip upa a U position at the entrance of or the inc nar lor hoisted and saluted the flag as aH the ships paused passed pa sed out The bane band on the thc quarterdeck of the Connecticut the tho English anthem while the tho musicians on tho the foreign warships played tho the Star Spangled Banner Dannor as the tho respective ensigns wore lipped dipped Admiral Goodrich Goo and Admiral Lit inoff of oC tho the Russian nary naT signalled Goodbye pleasant voyage tORge Mm Admiral ir iral al Sperry replied laconically Thanks Then tho the Connecticut steamed ma majestically along clang the line or ot e waiting American vessels took Its Us place at atthe atthe atthe the head of or the COlUmn and nd set the guiding flag five of oC clubs The Tho fit fifteen fifteen teen other vessels wheeled gracefully In behind tho the Connecticut ana ano with I the speed cones run up to tho yard arms The Imposing procession which was over three miles long moved to the south Tho Th alignment of or the ships was per perfect perfect feeL and the sight Bight was lg as EO o impressive that the spectators crowding the tho tor races of the th and the Euro Bum Europa Europa pa point could not no restrain exclamations exclamations Llona of delight dell ht while tho the American on two liners anchored close into shore burst burnt Into Involuntary tary tar ch ors For a distance of twelve miles tao fleet neet stood tood to the south Then being he Ins clear of Cape Tarifa the most I erly point and with nothing hut but the broad Atlantic between mont mem anti and andI anIh I hOme h rne the tho flagship headed abruptly lO 10 lOthe LOthe the westward and In Indian tile file me wc splendid fleet left tho the ancient Pillar of o Hercules behind and steamed through tho the straits and out OtIC to sea sen Looking from the rock or 0 Gibraltar the water separating the snips seem seemed ed e gradually to be bo obliterates as tho the distance Increased until the sixteen I hulls resembled a long white mc mo sur surmounted ur mounted by b a n trailing plume of smoke I Suddenly oft Cape Sparto the line wavered and broke broko Into small parts Thou Then a fey few minutes later there were two parallel lines Instead or one Ofle showing that the fleet 1 mr assumed a Its regular double cruising Tho The lost last glimpse of tao warships was obtained at L 67 this afternoon I I from Crom the signal station on top iop of or Gib Gibraltar Gibraltar 1300 feet feel above sea love level I Thor They The wore headed a little to tho the south of west to reach rench tho the parallel which they thc Intene Intone to rollow 0 II 0 The Tho dispatch boat Yankton is miles ahead of oC the tho fleet and three laree nun Hun Hundred un undred dred miles ahead of the supply ship Culgoa which left l rt here February 4 l 1 The collier Ajax and the ropar ship i Panther will remain here until tomor tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow row In order to clear up odds and ami ends entis en s I Tho The officers and men left nore ilore with feelings of oC jubilation that next port will be bo home When the fleet neot reaches Hampton Roads It will have havo travelled about aboul thousand miles wiles and traversed tr about degrees of latitude and as many degrees of longitude The American battleship fleet com corn composed composed posed of oC sixteen warships war Is now on Its met last run of o Its Ita famous Camous cruise around tho the world It left Hampton Roads December 16 1307 arid and when it again anchors In that port February 22 2 it will have hare beon boon gone one year yea and CS GS days No accident has nas mark marle marked ed cd the progress of oC the greatest armed armet fleet that has ever eor made a long Jong voyage oage The cruise has hIlS been m in every I respect an unqualified success The trip has beon boon with the greatest Interest by b all pow powers powers powers ers and wherever the called South America Australia Japan Chi China Chinn na nn Ceylon Egypt and the ports of oC tho the Mediterranean the th officers and men mell have havo been beon given hearty heart official and private welcome The Thc fleet loft eft Hampton Roads noa under tinder Admiral Roblo D Evans Evana con conducted conducted ducted It as far Car as San Francisco Rear Admiral Charles M r Thomas then th m I took look command but he was succeeded on May Ma by b Rear Admiral Sper Spero Sperry I ry r who brought the tho vea e c eS s home Rear Roar Admiral Arnolds third squad squadron ron of tho the Atlantic fleet consisting of the battleships Maine Mississippi I New Hampshire and Idaho ana and the scout cruisers Chester ana nac I Jm ha mand Salem Salom will meet Admiral fleet loel in the Atlantic about a I thousand miles from the coast and then with Arnolds ships as an 0 escort the tho vessels will m proceed r towards Hampton Roads they will be he received by President ent Roose Rooe Roosevelt volt velt on birthday Rear Admiral Sperry prior to tho the departure of or tho ho ships expressed the tho greatest satisfaction with ith the results of o the cruise He then made tho the statement This cruise marics an epoch in our naval annals for the fleet has found itself been welded Into a unity An aggregation of or battleships Irrespective of tho the power efficiency of or tho units is not nol a fleet in tho the highest sense Genso of the term until by br long faithful and I harmonious work worle on the part of tho the personnel tho the spirit of tho the fleet has been developed That Thal has hns been ac The Tho American people have Jac come conic to appreciate what It means to Ic have hae a feet like this The lessons of the cruise have havo been many man and It is no exaggeration to say that the condition of the thc ships today toda Is bettor than titan when they the started from irom Hampton Roads Rows In December of lOOT 1907 During these fourteen months the fleet has hns been heon practically self sustaining In Inthe Inthe Inthe the matter of o Tho The officers and men mOn responsible for repairs havo have met every test and the th results provo prove that tho the ships havo haye boon beon b on bettor b cared eared for forthan forthan forthan than when they thor departed from the navy yards ards I Enlistments will be stimulated by bythe bythe bythe the general Interest In this cruise and the splendid opportunities afforded the tho thomen themen themen men to see tho ho world Cruises to for tor ports which keep the mon men Inter ested and contented should bo be the rule and not the tho exception New standards In steam engineer engineering ing lag which means economy In coal con consumption consumption consumption antI and Increased radius of ot ac nc action action tion have been established Tho The voy vo ago of or miles from Honolulu to Auckland was tho the longest ever under undertaken undertaken undertaken taken by b a large fleet without lag Ing yet ot et we reached Auckland with coal enough In our bunkers to steam an additional thousand miles For technical work the cruise has been Ideal The long Ion stretches be he tween ports permitted unremitting daily exorcises exercises and maneuvering The degree of gunnery gunner efficIency has been greatly Improved as ns tho the conditions of or drilling and training during long dis distance distance tance cruising canot be bo equalled in home waters where thoro there Is constant Interference This Is proved bytho h hUi the unequalled results of the target practice practice tice tico at Magdalena Bay Ba and Manila The Tho fleet everywhere rc has encountered encountered ered unbounded hospitality The lay lav lavish a aIsh ish entertainment and perfect good feeling displayed were wore almost without precedent and they thoy tho should always be beI I remembered by br our people While the cruise has hag been Intently Interesting I and valuable to officers and n d men there thore is naturally widespread elation throughout tho th fleet over Ocr the tho prospect I of reaching homo home within a fortnight deeds on tho the ball hall field electrified thousands of fans fana When wont went to tho bat any an kind of a stunt could lie ho expected of him and when nc no reached first there thore was liWe that me Inc Imagination could picture as to iii plans plaits to reach home hOlDe TInt But many ninny of the times limes when whon Ty get away with It worn were w ro costly to 10 the tho Ho He lost trying to 10 put through some Bonio of his j plans platH anti and to prevent these In the he t future will bo be Tys T 8 plan or o campaign thin year roar and that very vcr plan pan or campaign will make him a n leec lesa sensational but bitt buta bitta a more valuable hall ball player Recklessness Ie i c Cobb has learned learned his lesson leBson lt BIOn This year he wont rush In whore where others would hesitate and he wont take chances and expose constant constantly constantI 1 I ly This change began last year He lie will play with science cunning deliberation and anel tact and anti he will bo no worm more to tho the club than he has been during any an of his three years cars of sen sensational playing And Ani next fall rail nm his record will bo be Just as high as It was In m HIO 1007 and 1908 and In all probability higher if not In figures In playing pInyin strength Cobb today toda stands as the most moat valuable player or of the national game In Ia America |