Part 30 (1/2)
May 18, 1908
My dear Captain Cone:
A great deal of attention has been paid to the feat of our battleshi+p fleet in encircling South A to San Francisco; and it would be hard too highly to compliment the officers and enlisted men of that fleet for what they have done Yet if I should draw any distinction at all it would be in favor of you and your associates who have taken out the torpedo flotilla Yours was an even more notable feat, and every officer and every enlisted ht to feel that he has rendered distinguished service to the United States navy and therefore to the people of the United States; and I wish I could thank each of the officer of each torpedo boat to his officers and crew?
Sincerely yours, THEODORE ROOSEVELT
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER HUTCH I CONE, U S N, Co Second Torpedo Flotilla, Care Post features connected with the trip Most of the wealthy people and ”leaders of opinion” in the Eastern cities were panic-struck at the proposal to take the fleet away froreat New York dailies issued frantic appeals to Congress to stop the fleet fro The head of the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs announced that the fleet should not and could not go because Congress would refuse to appropriate thefrom an Eastern seaboard State However, I announced in response that I had enough money to take the fleet around to the Pacific anyhow, that the fleet would certainly go, and that if Congress did not choose to appropriate enough et the fleet back, why, it would stay in the Pacific There was no further difficulty about the inally my intention that the fleet should visit Australia, but the Australian Governladly accepted; for I have, as every Aht to have, a hearty ad with, Australia, and I believe that America should be ready to stand back of Australia in any serious eency The reception accorded the fleet in Australia onderful, and it showed the fundareat coenerous, and open-handed hospitality hich the entire Australian people treated our officers and men could not have been surpassed had they been our own countryularly beautiful harbor The day after the arrival one of our captains noticed a o to sleep on a bench in the park
He had fixed above his head a large paper with soned to forestall any questions frohted with the Australian people I think your harbor the finest in the world I ao to sleep”
The iven to our fleet in japan In courtesy and good breeding, the japanese can certainly teach much to the nations of the Western world I had been very sure that the people of japan would understand aright what the cruise nal honor which it was ard and friendshi+p I felt, and which I was certain the Areat Island Empire The event even surpassed ly express enerous courtesy the japanese showed the officers and crews of our fleet; and I may add that every man of them came back a friend and admirer of the japanese
Ad not only with the reception in Tokyo but with the work of our ive it almost in full:
28 October, 1908
Dear Mr Roosevelt:
My official report of the visit to japan goes forward in this mail, but there are certain aspects of the affair so successfully concluded which cannot well be included in the report
You are perhaps aware that Mr Denison of the japanese Foreign Office was one of ard Desiring to avoid every possibility of trouble orfully the character of our men, which they have so well lived up to, the desirability of aingthe ht Very few of the place not to be found elsewhere, paying for it by taking a drink
I also explained our syste with liberty men an unare and send off to their shi+ps any htest trace of disorderly conduct This letter he showed to the Minister of the Navy, who highly approved of all our arrangeht be jealous Mr Denison's reply reached me in Manila, with a memorandum from the Minister of the Navy which removed all doubts Three tes, each 300 feet long, brilliantly lighted and decorated The sleeping accommodations did not permit two or three thousand sailors to res perht and day with perfect order and safety
At the landings and railroad station in Yokohaers and as e students acted as volunteer guides, besides japanese sailors and petty officers detailed for the purpose
In Tokyo there were a great ot excellent meals and could rest, smoke, and write letters, and in none of these places would they allow the h they were era the address to be ave copies of it to our An Office It seems that the Emperor had already prepared a very cordial address to be forwarded through ram reversed the situation and his reply was prepared I am convinced that your kind and courteous initiative on this occasion helped cause the pleasant feeling which was so obvious in the E at the luncheon which followed the audience X, who is reticent and conservative, told me that not only the Eratified by the course of events I a incident has taken place which could in any way eneral satisfaction, and our Areat satisfaction with all that has taken place
Owing to heavy weather encountered on the passage up froed to take about 3500 tons of coal
The Yankton remained behind to keep up communication for a few days, and yesterday she transrah our A of the fleet Itto you to have the mission on which you sent the fleet ter to the confidence which you displayed in giving me this command, my active career draws to a close with such honorable distinction
As for the effect of the cruise upon the training, discipline and effectiveness of the fleet, the good cannot be exaggerated It is a war game in every detail The wireless communication has been maintained with an efficiency hitherto unheard of Between Honolulu and Auckland, 3850 miles, ere out of coht, whereas three [non-A recently to maintain a chain of only 1250 miles, between Auckland and Sydney, were only able to do so for a few hours
The officers and unnery and tactical work farcertain shi+ps leave the coluets for rangefire control and battery practice for the others, and at night certain shi+ps do the saht battery practice I am sorry to say that this practice is unsatisfactory, and in so to the fact that the shi+ps are painted white At Portland, in 1903, I saw Adhts of the arlasses, while the Hartford, a black shi+p, was never discovered at all, though she passed within a mile and a half I have for years, while athe shi+ps war color at all ti the Departulations and paint the shi+ps properly I do not know that any one now dissents froly concurs, and the War College Conference reco voice
In the afternoons the fleet has two or three hours' practice at battle unnery exercises
The cooes on automatically and reacts in a hundred ways It has reduced the waste in the use of electric light and water, and certain chief engineers are said to keep ht not in actual and immediate use
Perhaps the most important effect is the keen hunt for defects in thevalves increased her speed from 10 to 11 1/2 knots on the same expenditure
All this has been done, but the field is widening, the work has only begun
C S SPERRY