One thing that keeps impressing itself upon the patriotic observer as this fleet goes from port to port should be mentioned. It is the painful lack of the American flag on shipping. The English and German flags are seen everywhere. All over this South American country you also hear one lament from merchants. It is that there is no American line of steamships trading directly all along the coast. Everywhere they tell you of the great opportunities for American goods down here. "If you Americans would only find out what we want and then learn how to pack the goods and then would establish steamship lines there is immense wealth to be had in our trade. Give us American steamship lines," is the burden of general comment. This is not the place for a discussion of the revival of the American merchant marine or the best methods to attain that end. The writer of this has no desire to go beyond the province of his assignment, which is to chronicle the doings of the fleet, but surely one may mention with propriety the one remark in every port that the presence of the fleet has brought forth. Punta Arenas was like the rest in its craving for American trade. It may be the jumping off place of the earth, but if you did have to jump off a ship and should land here you might be in far worse places, and if you had to jump off from here the fact would still remain that you might jump from more undesirable places. The American sailor men were practically unanimous in voting Punta Arenas all right and a tremendous surprise. CHAPTER VIII THROUGH MAGELLAN STRAIT Fog, Shoal, Wind and Tide--Most Awesome Scenery in the World, but Not a Place to Anchor--Start at the Witching Hour of 11 p.m. on Friday Brought Only Good Luck to the Long Line of U. S. Leviathans, Flanked by Its Torpedo Flotilla--Vessels Wabble Where the Tides Meet, but Steady Hands Curb Them Back to the Course--The Willywaw--Island Post Office and Cape Pilar, Where No Ship-wrecked Seaman Ever Escaped. _On Board U. S. S. Louisiana, U. S. Battle Fleet_, AT SEA, FEB. 15. When word was cabled from Chile just before Admiral Evans's fleet swept in and out of Valparaiso harbor on February 14 that the fleet had passed through the Strait of Magellan safely, there was probably a feeling of relief in Washington. Admiration for the successful performance of a great feat of seamanship was probably expressed generally throughout the world. The passage accomplished, it was easy to say that all along every one who had any sense knew that it would come out all right and not for one moment had there been any real cause for anxiety. Of course, of course!