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WITH THE BATTLE FLEET

[Illustration: _Courtesy of Collier's Weekly_

In the Straits of Magellan]




                               WITH
                        THE BATTLE FLEET

            CRUISE OF THE SIXTEEN BATTLESHIPS OF THE
           UNITED STATES ATLANTIC FLEET FROM HAMPTON
                    ROADS TO THE GOLDEN GATE

                    DECEMBER, 1907-MAY, 1908

                               BY

                       FRANKLIN MATTHEWS

                         ILLUSTRATED BY
                        HENRY REUTERDAHL
                 (Courtesy of Collier's Weekly)

                              1909
                         B. W. HUEBSCH
                            NEW YORK


                         Copyright 1909
                        by B. W. HUEBSCH

                  1st Printing, October, 1908
                  2d Printing, December, 1908
                  3d Printing, February, 1909




                               TO
            REAR ADMIRAL RICHARD WAINWRIGHT, U.S.N.,
    (Captain of the U.S.S. Louisiana on the Atlantic Fleet's
                     Cruise to the Pacific)

                      AN ABLE OFFICER AND
                          A GENTLEMAN




CONTENTS


    CHAPTER                                                PAGE

       I. FROM HAMPTON ROADS TO TRINIDAD                      1

      II. CHRISTMAS WITH THE FLEET                           25

     III. TRINIDAD TO RIO DE JANEIRO                         47

      IV. NEPTUNE AHOY!                                      64

       V. BRAZIL'S ENTHUSIASTIC WELCOME                      86

      VI. NATIONAL SALUTES AT SEA                           114

     VII. PUNTA ARENAS, THE WORLD'S JUMPING-OFF PLACE       135

    VIII. THROUGH MAGELLAN STRAIT                           164

      IX. IN AND OUT OF VALPARAISO HARBOR                   182

       X. PERU'S WARM-HEARTED GREETING                      198

      XI. TARGET SHOOTING AT MAGDALENA BAY                  228

     XII. ROUTINE OF A BATTLESHIP                           254

    XIII. SOCIAL LIFE ON AN AMERICAN MAN-O'-WAR             282

     XIV. END AND LESSONS OF THE CRUISE TO THE PACIFIC      309




INTRODUCTORY


On December 16, 1907, there sailed from Hampton Roads, bound for San
Francisco, a fleet of sixteen American battleships, the most powerful
collection of warships ever assembled under the American flag and about
to undertake the longest cruise that any fleet of any nation had ever
made. It was ordered to make this journey of about 14,000 miles by
President Roosevelt, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy by virtue of his
office, for reasons which he did not deem wise to make public fully and
which up to this writing have not been revealed. In his annual message
submitted to Congress a few days before the fleet sailed the President
designated the fleet, still known officially as the U. S. Atlantic
Fleet, as the Battle Fleet.

Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans was in command of the fleet, of the first
squadron and of the first division of the first squadron. The ships of
his division were the Connecticut, (Captain H. Osterhaus), Kansas
(Captain C. E. Vreeland), Vermont (Captain W. P. Potter) and Louisiana
(Captain Richard Wainwright). The ships of the second division of the
first squadron were commanded by Rear Admiral William H. Emory and were
the Georgia (Captain H. McCrea), New Jersey (Captain W. H. H.
Southerland), Rhode Island (Captain J. B. Murdock) and Virginia (Captain
S. Schroeder). The second squadron of the fleet and its third division
were commanded by Rear Admiral Charles M. Thomas, and the ships of his
division were the Minnesota (Captain J. Hubbard), Ohio (Captain C. W.
Bartlett), Missouri (Captain G. A. Merriam) and the Maine (Captain G. B.
Harber). The ships of the fourth division were commanded by Rear Admiral
Charles S. Sperry, and his ships were the Alabama (Captain T. E. DeW.
Veeder), Illinois (Captain J. M. Bowyer), Kearsarge (Captain H.
Hutchins) and Kentucky (Captain W. C. Cowles). There were about 14,000
men on the ships and the value of the vessels and stores was about
$100,000,000.

The following compilation shows where the fleet stopped, how long each
stay was and the distance travelled.

    Sailed from Hampton Roads, Va., December 16, 1907.

    Arrived Port of Spain, December 23, 1907; sailed December 29,
    1907; 1,594.7 knots; time 7 days 9 hours.

    Arrived Rio de Janeiro, January 12, 1908; sailed January 22,
    1908; 3,225 knots; time, 13 days 20 hours.

    Arrived Possession Bar, Chile, January 31, 1908; sailed
    February 1, 1908; 2,076 knots; time, 9 days.

    Arrived Punta Arenas, Chile, February 1, 1908; sailed February
    7, 1908; 75 knots; time, 9 hours.

    Arrived Callao, Peru, February 20, 1908; sailed February 29,
    1908; 2,693 knots; time, 12 days 10 hours.

    Arrived Magdalena Bay, Mexico, March 12, 1908; sailed April 11,
    1908; 3,025 knots; time, 12 days 23 hours.

    Arrived San Diego, Cal., April 14, 1908; sailed April 18, 1908;
    590 knots; time, 2 days 21 hours.

    Arrived San Pedro, Cal., April 18, 1908; sailed April 25, 1908;
    75 knots; time, 9 hours.

    Arrived Santa Barbara, Cal., April 25, 1908; sailed April 30,
    1908; 85 knots; time, 10 hours.

    Arrived Monterey, Cal., May 1, 1908; sailed May 2, 1908; 210
    knots; time, 25 hours.

    Arrived Santa Cruz, Cal., May 2, 1908; sailed May 5, 1908; 15
    knots; time, 2 hours.

    Arrived San Francisco Lightship, May 5, 1908; sailed May 6,
    1908; 60 knots; time, 6 hours.

    Arrived San Francisco, Cal., May 6, 1908; 15 knots; time, 2
    hours. Total knots, 13,738.

    Actual time of cruising, 61 days 19 hours.

The departure of the fleet excited intense interest throughout the
civilized world. Its progress was watched with eagerness at home and
abroad. The letters printed herewith record what took place on this
momentous journey, and they constitute practically a chronological story
of the cruise. Every word of them was passed upon by duly appointed
naval officers with the fleet. Their accuracy therefore must be
unquestioned. They were written for The Sun of New York and they were
printed originally by that newspaper and its clients simultaneously
throughout the country. They are reproduced by the special permission of
the Sun Printing and Publishing Association and in response to a large
number of written and oral requests that a permanent record be made of
the cruise and its incidents.

The author takes pleasure in making acknowledgment of the kindly
co-operation of Lieut. F. Taylor Evans of the Louisiana in the
preparation of the letters and in the elimination of technical naval
errors through his watchful supervision. The author is also under
obligations to very many officers of the fleet, especially to Lieutenant
Commander C. T. Jewell, navigator of the Louisiana, for suggestions and
for assistance in gathering information, as well as for the cordiality
with which he and the other correspondents, all of whom were sent with
the fleet by special direction of the President, were received on the
ships.

        F. M.
    New York, July 1, 1908.




WITH THE BATTLE FLEET

CHAPTER I

FROM HAMPTON ROADS TO TRINIDAD

    Run of the Battleships Down to the West Indies--The "Sweet
    Sixteen" Quick to Get Down to Business After the Sentiment of
    the Good-by--Formation of the Fleet--Difficulties of Maintaining
    the Proper Distances--Naval Routine--Gospel of Neatness--
    Neptune's Preparations for Celebrating the Crossing of the
    Line--Arrival at Trinidad.


    _On Board U.S.S. Louisiana, U. S. Battle Fleet,_
        TRINIDAD, Dec. 24.

"I call 'em 'Sweet Sixteen', sir," said the bos'n's mate to the Sun
correspondent as Admiral Evans in the flagship Connecticut led the
battle fleet past the capes of the Chesapeake out to sea just before
noon on December 16 and the gentle swells lifted and lowered the bows of
one ship after another to nod their own farewells to the Mayflower at
anchor near the Tail of the Horseshoe.

The officers and men had stood at attention to receive the good-by and
godspeed of the President, and they had thundered their farewells to him
from the throats of the 3-pounder barkers that spat fire and snorted out
great puffs of smoke, but when each ship began to find herself she too
made her good-by as only a dignified ship could make it, taking no
orders from Admiral or Captain as to when and how often she should bow
to the ship that carried the President.

A stiff northwest wind seized hold of the great streamers of smoke that
poured over the tops of smoke-pipes, and as these streamers frayed
themselves out against the blue sky and the bright sun the breeze seemed
to lift them toward the southeastern heavens, where some power wove them
together to pull the ships along and give them a fine sendoff. All of
Monday and Tuesday whoever it was in the kingdom of Old Boreas that was
doing the tugging on the ships made a good job of it, for practically
every vessel in the fleet had to check speed constantly.

Admiral Evans had his own notions as to the way a great fleet should set
sail on a prolonged voyage, and his commanding officers got down to
business in a jiffy. All acted as if sending a fleet of sixteen
battleships on a 14,000 mile cruise were a mere matter of ordinary
routine. The officers of the deck on all the ships were concerned
chiefly about keeping their proper distances, the navigators were taking
bearings and already getting ready for figuring out latitudes and
longitudes, the executive officers were going about to see that
everything was in proper order for routine at sea and the captains were
mostly on the bridges casting their eyes about and keeping their ears
open, alert to correct any move that might mar the performance of their
ships in the fleet formation.

Below decks in engine and fire rooms, and in all the other of the scores
of places where men watch and work in a warship, routine was established
quickly.

It was all very businesslike. Every ship was doing the same thing at the
same time. True, the fleet had started for San Francisco, but that was
a mere detail, so little has the matter of destination to do with
perfecting drill on a warship.

[Illustration: _Copyright by Pictorial News Co._

The Fleet Leaving Hampton Roads]

Getting away from Hampton Roads may have sent a lump into many a man's
throat, but not one showed it. On every ship the band was playing the
usual good-by medley composed of "Home, Sweet Home," "The Girl I Left
Behind Me" and "Auld Lang Syne." The middle part of the medley brought
thumping of many feet on the deck, but there was silence and stern looks
ahead when the beginning and end were reached, over and over again.

A staff officer on the Louisiana showed the attitude of the naval man.
He had told his wife and family exactly where to go in a remote but
conspicuous place on the ramparts of old Fort Monroe so that he could
distinguish them easily with his glass. He had told them he would be on
the after bridge. When the ship came near the station of his family he
stole far out on the bridge, fixed his glass on the family group and
waved and waved his handkerchief. The answer came quickly and the
flashes seemed to be wigwags, such as a naval officer's wife might be
expected to know.

The officer stood it for about two minutes. Then he pulled himself
together sharply, turned and walked away. He walked over to a group of
his mates.

"Did you make out your people, Jones?" asked one of them who had noted
what was going on.

"I believe they were over there somewhere in the crowd," was the reply
with an apparently unconcerned smile.

He had finished with that side of his existence. From now on he knew no
family; his duty was to his flag and ship. What was that signal at the
forward truck? Had anybody made it out? His heartstrings were out of
sight and he was thankful they were.

The business side of the start was another story. Orders had been issued
to steam in exact column, that is, one ship directly behind its leader
at a distance of 400 yards from masthead to masthead. Steam was up;
engines, steering gear, annunciators, and all the rest of the modern
contrivances had been tested; boats hoisted in and gangways unrigged,
and then came the flagship signal to get under way.

How the men did step around and the anchor engines tug! The division
officer watched until the anchor was clear of the mud, when he reported
it to the executive officer, who takes a ship in and out of port.
Finally the anchor was sighted, the "All ready" signal made, the engines
began to throb and the ships turned on their heels and got under way.

It was a pretty manoeuvre in the crowded Roads with the swift tide
sweeping the ships seaward. In the chains the leadsman was swinging his
plummet and calling out such things as "By the mark seven," "By the deep
six," "By the quarter less six," while the ships slowly paraded down the
bay. The channel was so shallow that the ships stirred up the mud and
some of it got into the machinery, and there were hot bearings that were
cooled down with the hose. It would not do to falter or make a blunder
of any kind, for the President was looking on and no excuses would be
tolerated.

It was a far different story from the old days. The old sloop of war
Jamestown lay in the Roads, and if the fleet could have stopped to
listen she would have spun a yarn on how they used to leave port. She
would have remarked upon the change. When she set sail capstan bars
would be shipped and all that part of the ship's company manning the
bars would bring the anchor chain "up and down, sir," as the officer in
charge of the fo'c's'le would report. The captain and First Luff (the
executive officer who "had to have the ship working like a chronometer,
no thanks if he did and his hide scorched by his superiors if he
didn't") would stand on the quarter block on the weather side and the
navigator and officer of the deck on the lee side.

Then would come the sharp commands, "Aloft light yardmen!" "Aloft
topmen!" "Aloft lower yardmen!" "Lay out!" "Let fall!" and a cloud of
snowy canvas would drop loose and limp. Then would come the commands,
"Topsail sheets and halyards!" "To'gallant sheets and halyards!" "Set
taut!" "Haul away!" with the shrill sound of the bos'n's whistle to the
tramp of hundreds of feet.

When a band was on board there would be a martial air. If not the
officer would shout "Stamp and go!" and this noise with the feet meant
so much extra pulling, and the good ship was soon on her course.
Sometimes a chanty would be sung instead of the "Stamp and go," and when
the ship was bound for Rio, just as this fleet is, one could hear the
light hearted, and the heavy hearted ones too, singing a refrain that
the men of this fleet might well have sung if the days of the chanty had
not gone to limbo:

    Heave away for Rio!
    Heave away for Rio!
    My bonny young girl,
    My head's in a whirl,
    For I'm bound for the Rio Grande.

The old days have gone, but many a bluejacket's head (bluejacket, mind
you; not Jackie, for many of Uncle Sam's tars and sea dogs don't like
that term) was in a whirl over some bonny young girl, as witness the
hundreds of letters that were sent ashore on the mail orderly's last
trip.

And so the ships passed out to sea. The matter of fact officers
occasionally cast their eyes about and when they had time to give
expression to their feelings about all that one would hear from them
would be:

"Mighty fine, sight, this. Wonder what they're doing back there?
Distance seems wrong. Better get up his position pennant or the Admiral
may get after him. What's that? We're fifty yards too close? Give her
three revolutions slower. Only twenty-five now? Give her only one
slower. Get her distance now? Standard speed."

And the signals to the engine room would quit jangling for a time while
the Captain or officer of the deck looked around again and repeated:

"Mighty fine sight, this!"

It all depends on the way you look at it. You couldn't see much going
down the Chesapeake Bay channel. There was a turn or two, but the smoke
of the saluting obscured things and it was not until the ships headed
out to sea and the Connecticut