THE AMERICAN FLEET.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13191, 11 August 1908, Page 7

THE AMERICAN FLEET.

OFFICIAL LANDING OF

ADMIRAL SPERRY.

THE DOMINION'S

WELCOME.

INTERESTING CERE-

MONIALS

SCENES OF ENTHUSIASM

(special to "the γ-bess.'') AUCKLAND, August 10. 2\o city in New Zealand has ever held so many people, as Auckland does to-day. This is tho great day. Yesterday tho spectacle was in the harbour, and tho splendid inoonving of tho long steel lino of battleships rounding the- bond in tho harbour and swinging to their stations was ono never to be. forgotten, but t<he day was mainly ono of quiet. To-day tho fleet is snugly sheltering in the harbour, ami tho peaks of li-anyitoto look downt upon a fleet at rest, but tho see no oA action has only beeu changed. Changed from tho harbour to tho city. Tho weather to-day was all that could be desired. Tho first event was the official landing, and as tho launches steamed up to tho steps at tho foot of tho main street in a novor-endrng line, they unloaded group after group of goldbraided, frock-coated, cock-hatted officers. It was wonderful to see how , speedily and how easily tho launches wore ihandlod. In half an hour a 1 crowd of officers —British and American—resplendent in full naval uniform, had assembled near tho dais, awaiting the coming of Admiral Sperry and his brother Admirals, and tens of thousands of eager sightseers had! gathered hi tho vicinity to witness tho spectacle, every window and every verandah, and! even tho roofs of buildings, dield their , quota of onlookers. It was a goodhumoured crowd, ready to cheer or 1 chaff at any incident, inspiriting or ludicrous. Sir Joseph and Lady Ward and other notables came, through the cheering crowds and took up their positions on tho dais, which looked like a great summer-toons© embowered in greenery. The eun broke through the thin haze of clouds overhead as Admiral Sperry's launch loft the Connecticut, and as he landod to tho en- ! thusiastic cheering of tho crowd, the , ecene was quite a brilliant one. Then , came tho presentation of addressee and , speeches—uninteresting to tho majority because they would not bo heard! beyond a comparatively narrow circle. The casket with its beautiful Bides of polished greanstono, presented to the . Commander of the American Fleet, was a beautiful trophy. The colour lino came in as two Maori members of tho Legislature—Mahata and Kaihau —and a Maori chief taimess, with, mats about their shoulders, camo on to the , dais and were introduced to the Admiral. Ho shook hands witli them, and when in his speech he referred generally to tho Maoris ac a people who had shown a ekiW and energy oil which any nation might feel proud i<ri the dtefonoo of their country, there waa great cheering. Those ceremonials over, a procession was formed, and the party left for tho drillshed, whore the civic reception was to l>e held. The procession, as a procession, wae a dead failure. There wore no bands playine amd no bluejackets marching. Carriages and tramcars, with frock-coated gentlemen and well-jd.ressed ladies, and naval officers in uniform, are not wildly inspiriting, but the crowds cheered and cheered repeatedly. The hall itself, festooned with flags and greenery, a-nd hllool with a great throng, wae, however, a> fine sight, and as Lord Plunket arrived! and the orchestra played the National Anthem, the scone was an impressive one. The Admirals ami officers of the , fleot entered the hall to the strains of "The Star Spangled Banner," andi immediately tho air • became electric. There was more spoechmaking, and , after the enthusiastic and successful reception came to aji end. the crowd! trooped out to mingle with the thousands of more common -day who thronged the main street. This was decorated with flags and greenery throughout its whole length. Some of the decorations aro a trifle incongruous, and there is an appropriate, though perhaps an unconscious, humour, about others. The police station, for instance, is adorned with a hue;n ''Welcome." A blue-trousered marine, whoso attention was directed to it, saw the joko and smiled, but up to tho present the legend has had no special attraction for the American sailormen. On one building there are two terriblo transparencies of the King and President Roosevelt, and apropos of these the story 1 heard yesterday may be told. Tho admiral had come ashore in all his warpaint, and a citizen, anxious to catch a fleeting glimpso of tho mathematician and tactician, approached a naval officer and meekly en[piired, "Has tho admiral gone off yet?" "No," was tho prompt reply, "but ho will when he sees some of your illuminated pictures." There is generally a day in the life of *>very man on which he is about twelve feet high. This is the Auckland man's day. The man from Wellington, or Christchurch. or Duncdin Joes not count. Tho flags in Queen street havo a monotony about them, for most aro white with red lettering, *nd few soar to cereater heights of sentiment than "Welcome to Now Zeaand." The Otago Harbour Board aanner, however, boasts a picture of i thip on a blue, calm sea. and here tnd there there is a flap that varies ts greeting. "Oamaru bids you welcome," "A glad hand from Port Chalmers." and "Tirnaru greete the Stars md Stripes"—these are the refreshing rariants from the dull repetition Probably for fear of recrimination md jealousy, these flags Lave been arranged in alphabetical order, so that Hstricts and towns jostle ono another n quaint contradiction to their geo-p-aphieal position and importance. Marton and Maori Hill and Minimar ill float side by side, and the black winner of Tauranga swings next to fimaru. We soueht >n vain for Weiiiurton in its proper place, but reached « iVostport without success. Where the Jag from the Empire City might have >een put a very handsome crimson ban- : jer. from Invercargill fitted. At last < re found the flag of the Capital up a < ide street, and, worse still, the wind— 1 in Auckland wind —bad so twisted it i

round the line, that it was almost impossible to read the inscription. This afternoon there was tho review of New Zealand Volunteers, but it was anything but a success. The mounted men were a sorry-looking Jot, and tho marching generally was ragged. A pleasing feature, however, was the muster of cadets, but on tho whole it would have been better not to have had the review. The Americans could not be impressed with the limited numbers of our citizen soldiers, nor with the way in which some of tho corps, especially the mounted men, turned out.

■ Aft*r tho main ceremonials woro over, the visiting sailormcn, to use an Americanism, "hit the beach in_ thousauds," and they are now fraternising with the British sailors. You can see. "Kentucky" or "Kearsage" walking arm in arm with "Powerful." and "Missouri" swapping yarns with "Encouutcr." The bars of the hotels aro doing a roaring trade, New Zealanders being the main customers; but here and there you meet a British or r.n American bluejacket or marine who has succumbed to the ootency of Scotch whisky or New Zealand beer. On tlio whole, however, the groat crowd has up to the time of writing been remarkably good-humoured and well-behaved.