WELCOMING THE AMERICAN FLEET.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 422, 11 August 1908, Page 3

WELCOMING THE AMERICAN FLEET.

An impressive Sight.

Auckland, August 9, The great white fleet of the United States arrived in Auckland Harbour at 8 o’clock this moruy ing. It was a red letter day. in the history of the city. The sight was one which will long linger in the memory of the thousands who witnessed it. It was the sight of a lifetime. The older generation had never witnessed such a spectacle before, and it is doubtful whether the younger will ever see one like it again. Unfortunately many thousands were disappointed owing to some bungling as to the time when the fleet would actually enter the harbour. The original intention was that Admirial Sperry and his long retinue of ships should enter at 9 o’clock, but on Saturday a wireless message was received from him by the storeship Culgoa, which preceded the battleships and had anchored in the harbour the previous day, stating that he expected to arrive at 8 o’clock. This time was generally regarded as too eaily, and as it was thought the Admiral would not mind delaying the actual entrance into the harbour for a couple of hours in order that the spectacle might not suffer through the early August fog or haze, and that those living at a distance might have ample time in which to occupy places of vantage, the Mayor yielded to a general desire that the Admiral be requested to hold the ships off until 10 o’clock. Accordingly Mr Myers dispatched a special wireless message to this effect per medium of the Culgoa. Last night a notice was posted up in a prominent position in Queen Street announcing that the fleet would arrive at 10 o’clock, and this was seen by the many thousands who were parading the main thoroughfare of the city and viewing the decorations and illuminations. People went home fully convinced that this would be adhered to, but they were considerably surprised when, at 7.30 this morning the big signal gun was heard indicating that the Fleet would enter Waitemata Harbour half-an-hour later. THE FIRST GLIMPSE. The consequence was that when the Fleet did enter, instead of already having taken up their positions from which to view the ships, thousands upon thousands of people were to be seen rushing along all streets making for foreshores in order to catch a glimpse of the mighty battleships. Still many—they were to be numbered by thousands—had teen up at daylight, determined to lake no chances, and all the principal vantage points—Campbell’s Point, Takapuna, Cheltenham, etc.— were thronged at an early hour. Thousands crossed over by ferry boats to North Shore, desiring to see the first of the ships before they rounded North Head. A great many had gone down the harbour to meet them in craft of all kind—steamers, yachts, motor launches—and the picture the. harbour presented at eight o’clock, when Admiral Sperry’s monster flagship Connecticut rounded North head, was superb. It was a glorious morning. An Auckland August day has rarely broken so beautifully as this one broke. The rain that had been feared held off, and instead there was a sky of glorious blue and a warm sun. It was a day of days in every sense. The great white ships'coming slowly round the Heads in single file glinted and flashed in the sunlight like things of beauty. It was a majestic spectacle, and the firing of the fort salute and its acknowledgment, the exchange of salutes between the American Fleet and the ships of the Australian squadron lying in the harbour, was Stirling to a degree. Monster guns rang out on the clear crisp air with mighty sounds echoed and reverberated in the hills.

WILD ENTHUSIASM. A great cheer broke from scores of thousands of throats, as the bands which had gone down in - some of the steamers that met the battleships struck up. The people grew wild with enthusiasm, and cheer upon cheer went up. It was wonderful to see these ships. How they marched like soldiers of a well-trained army. Everything was done with clock-like precision. Their fame had spread before them in this connection. It was known of them long before that they were a great piece of machinery wherein everything is ordered well, and everything does exactly what is required of it. But it was something to see it done. It was astonishing. IN SINGLE FILE. As has been stated, the battleships came in single file in long extended line, the one behind the other. The pace was dead slow. Each ship seemed to be separated from the other by exactly the same stretch of water, and as they slowly crept to their anchorage, each taking up its allotted place in the harbour, one could not fail to be struck with the marvellous handling of these great white beauties. The whole thing all the manoeuvres —was carried out with mathematical accuracy. Here were the mighty ponderous battleships of the American Navy, sixteen majestic ships of war costing twenty millions, being manipulated as if work was a mere bagatelle. . FORMAL CALLS. The cruisers Powerful, Encounter, and Pioneer, of the Australian Squadron, were stationed in the stream just opposite the Queen’s Wharf, this position being right

in the centre of the American lines. Those ships of the visiting Fleet which, passed the British vessels had their bands on board playing “God Save the King.” Admiral Sperry, immediately on the fleet being moored, proceeded to the British flagship to call upon Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Poore. He then landed and called on His Excellency the Governor. Both these formal calls were duly returned.

The American Consul-General, Mr TPrickett, called on Admiral Sperry during the morning, and I the civic and Ministerial visits to | the flagship took place in the afternoon. The Mayor was accompanied by the town clerk, city engineer, and the secretary of the Harbour Board, and the Ministerial party consisted of Sir Joseph Ward, and the Hons. J. McGowan, J. A Millar, and Dr. Findlay. Marines were drawn up on the quarter deck to salute them as they departed, and fifteen guns were fired. THE ADMIRAL’S MESSAGE. The following message has been given by Admiral Sperry to the people of New Zealand —“I am very glad to have the pleasure of visiting New Zealand, and appreciate very much the enthusiastic and cordial reception given to the United States Fleet. I regret very much we have been unable to visit any other portion of your fine Dominion, and I send friendly greetings to the people of New Zealand.” WORDS OF WELCOME.

A souvenir book, printed by the Government for presentation to the officers of the American Fleet, contains ; the following greeting written by the Prime Minister ; “No visit of the warships of Foreign Powers has ever been so welcome as yours is to-day, for in receiving the Fleet of the U.S.A. a sense of kinship stirs our hearts. We feel that the greatest nation of the West has come to visit us, for the fleet of a nation is more directly a part of it than any other of the visible embodiments of its majesty and dominion.”

After reference to pride in the ties of kindred, the address continues :

“Your President, by every act and word of his life-work, reflects and voices our own national ethics and aspirations. With him and with your nation we, too, would lead and live a strenuous life, based upon honour, fair dealing, and human kindness, in the love of God. The name of “ Roosevelt ” in this Dominion stands lor national righteousness, as cherished, honoured, and revered. We believe of him, as has been said of one of our immortals, that he has “ Never sold truth to serve the hour, nor paltered with the Eternal God for power,” and in that he typifies to us our sympathies and ideals. We look to him as a faithful counsellor and friend. The armaments of America, and, above all, her navy, are but the majestic instruments for working out the aims of a higher civilisation. Your fleet stands for peace, not war ; for justice, not aggression ; for freedom, not tyranny. It is all these thoughts and feelings stirring in our hearts to-day that lift our welcome above any mere international courtesy. Our hearts go out to you, our hands grasp yours as brothers, friends and fellow sailors, ‘ Haeremai! Haeremai!’ ”