UNITED FLEET.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 323, 9 October 1908, Page 11

UNITED FLEET.

CRUISERS AT APIA. (BT TELEQUAPH. —STECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Sr , ' 'Auckland, October '8. ' An Apia message'is published stating tHat, when ,A,cting-G(>vornOr Sohultz' received official information that two of the United States cruisers and two destroyers 1 would visit . arriving there about" September..2o,J steps -were at' onoe :taken to get up some :s6rCot;a' suitable entertainment,. and ltjwas/.wohdfirful to note the activity of the small xommiinity of-Apia., About 100. ■ persons .were.;able to oontribute, and their oficrinKs minlpnoy amounted to about £225, besides large"contributions of 'fruit,'- etc. True to ; ?tim'e; : '.the 'magnificent' cruisers' steamed in'to ( their, anchorage off the port, on the 20th,''and- before noon all. were riding-easily with^numerous steam launches.in the water,: the. 'destroyers;; anchoring, well in towards Bhore/ fi'There-wero about 2100 officers and: men to' be : : entortained by..-the residents, as-sisted'-by "the natives. . 'Almost every houso in' ; Apia;: had- been festooned, and decorated. The.irepeption committee,' Messrs: Haaben, M(wrs, !, !'and ; .B^rking, : visited the flagship and the. fleet 'in-'the. iiame of the people of Samoa. ../Official ; visits, were excharigc.l;-between the 'admiral of the fleet, Rear-Admiral Sebree, and the Acting-Govcr-nor, ;Dr. Schultz,--and in the evenine the governor'gave a dinner at "Vailima" in honour 'of tho officers of the fleet.. A great talolo'. and feast was given at Mulinuu on the'2lst,'for officers and men, and a smoke concert ; and good-fellowship meeting was at jthei/,Tivoli that evening. On the 21st the sports cliib held their usual meeting,* ami races were the order of the day, while in the evening a grand ball took place at the Central 'Hotel, the'sailors being entertained at;a native feast in Apia, where.tho table was sorno, 700' foot-in length. The splendid 'band from-the. Washington entertained tho toivr.sfplk' during ; the first evening, and the TennesseeV'biiiid' played dance music for the ball. -During the evenings the cruisers were illuminated, and eight searchlights were constantly kept''playing over the waters and on-shore,'; On the'morning of/the 23rd the cruisers and destroyers left for Pag6 Pago, the .whole,fleet leaving that port on September 27. \