New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-02
SHIPS ORDERED TO SAMOA.
THE RICHMOND. ALERT AND ADAMS TO PRO-
cEED TO APIA.
A DECISION HAsTENED BY GERMAN ACTION
EQUIPMENT OF THE THREE VESSELS.
ENeLIsH SYMPATHY WITH a
THE AMERICAN NAVY.
rBr TELEGRAPH 10 rnE rRIBUsE. j

ENeLIsH SYMPATHY WITH
THE AMERICAN NAVY.
/ rBr TELEGRAPH TO THE rKrBuSRl-
Washington, April Latter conference with
the President to-day and after consultation with
| the chiefs OF several bureaus Of the Navy De.
partment Secretary Tracy issued orders directing
the commanders of the Richmond and Alert TO sail
for Apa at the earliest possible date and for the
repairs to the Adams to be hurried to completion
and that vessel also returned to her former station
as speedily as practicable. It is probable that
the issuing of these orders was FASTENED somewhat
| by the intelligence that German war vessels at
| Zanzibar have been ordered to proceed to Samoa
Immediately. Secretary Tracy. when he was seen
at his hotel by Tribune correspondent last night
was still undecided as to the best course to be
pursued. He did not believe it would be wise
to detach vessel from Panama or from the Asiatie
station for duty at Apia, and his sction to-day
| shows that he still adheres TO that belief
| Commodore Walker, in response to inquiries
by Tribune correspondent r lay, said "The
commander of the Richmond has received his or
ders by this time and in sixty days the ship
| ought TO be in Apia harbor. The Alert, which is
at Honolulu, can reach Samoa in thirty days from
the date Of sailing The Adams can be made
| ready for sea in thirty days. The Richmond
| Will have the longest voyage, some 1000 miles,
but that distance is 1000 miles less than the Ger
man ships viii have to cover between Zanzibar and
| Samoa"
In order to get the Adams ready for sea by
| May !, ID viii be necessary to work O double
force of men, and probably to postpone some Of the
repairs which IL had been intended to make at this
| time. The Yantic, now at the Brooklyn Navy
Yard, win be ready to sail about April 10, and
| viii probably take the place of the Richmond
now in the Rio dc la Plata on the South Atlantic
| station.
While the vessels ordered to Samoa today arc
fair vessels Of their kind, yet they are by no
means equal to the three vessels which were
wrecked, and are Of antique type compared with
the vessels Of the German East African feet which
have been ordered to Apa. The old Richmond
is by Tar the largest Of the vessels that viii CO.
She was built in Norfolk in 1858, and is Of 2,700
tens burden, 2a5 feet long, AZ 1-2 feet broad and
| ia draft Her speed Is set down at 01-2
knots when in trim. She was repaired at the
| Brooklyn Navy Yard last year at cost Of come
$4,000 and wns placed in commission several
months ago. She is commanded by Captain A "
Reed, with Lieutenant Commander Louis Kingsley,
Eeutenants w. ii. Everett S. II. e. Coffin, +. H.
Crosby, ]. II. Robinson and j. o. Nicholson.
Her complement is 20 officers and 321 men.
Tho battery is headed BY twelve s-inch smooth
| bores, ono s-inch muzzle-loading rife, one CO.
pound breech-loading rifle, two 20-pound breech-
loades and some smaller secondary guns.
The Alert y ooO,tO9 vessel s. r built by yd 1p59
men. She "a nted at 10 Knots, is 175 feet
long by 32 feet beam, draws l2 3-4 feet Of water
and carries q battery made up Of two e-inch, and
one 1l-inch smooth-bores, one 60-poupd rife
and four small guns Her officers are Commander
James D. Graham and Lieutenants John Garoin,
f.yoS oseSe seS ewSil,an 9IOrs q aaSaun m q frs' y -
The Adams Is rated at 1876 tons She wss
built in $40, at Boston, by Donald Mckay, Her
drsfs She Is set down as a ss-lnOt ship, with
battery Of four 9incb smooth bores, one s.inch
misunderstanding rife, one eo-pounder muzzle- load
ing rife and five guns in the second battery
Her detail Of officers is not yet complete, but
the orders viii be issued promptly. She viii
carry twenty officers and 100 men.
When the reinforcetnents arrive al Samoa the
vessels win find a fair supply o. coal at Apia
II no disaster has overtal<en the Monongahea.
That vessel, which sailed February 81. took out
Ripsic In about three months two thousand tons
of coal recently shipped ought to arrive m Apla.
The following dispatches have pess1s,ed between
''''ts''' lazy Gibraltar. March 81
To tho Secretary of tho Navy. Washington
The ofnesrs Of the Hngsh Channel Fleet sympathire
With the American Navy on te terrible loss Of life from
wrecks at Samoa.
To this message the following reply was made;
Washington, April l.
Admiral commanding Her Majesty's chanPsl Fleet.
Gibraltar
Accent for yourself and the oncers your command
my Nratefui acknowledgment on behalf Of the United
States Navy for your uossaRe sympathy and good w
oceasioned By the recent disaster at Samoa
TRACY. Secretary Of the Navy
Secretary Tracy has directed that the ship
wrecked men ordered home from Apia be sent to
San Francisco He has also reiterated the orders
given March 90 for the shipment Of the battery
Of the Charleston. The guns are at the proving
ground at Annapolis and are said TO be ready for
shipment As 10 the gun carriages, which are az
the Washington Navy Yard, one official Of the
Bureau of Ordnance reports that they are ready
70 he shipped as soon as means of transportation
can be obtained while another official Of the same
bureau states that the carriages are nearly
readyp The Ordnance Bureau Is somewhat noted
for its use Of indefinite adverbs OF time
The detail for the Adams was almost COM
pleted this afternoon She will be under the
direction Of Commander Edwin 4. W9odWarG
Lieutenant Commander j. j. Hunter, LeutenantS
William II. Beehler, Herbert Winslow, Hanson
r Tyler and ]. @. Burnett, and Ensign Wliham ~
Maxwell; Passed-ASsistant Surgeon Emlyn IL
Marsteller will be medical officer, and Chlef
Engineer Absalom Kirby, the engtnecr-in-charge
The paymaster and the assistant engineers nave
ord orders S'' in regard to Samoan affairs given
TO the commanders OF the VesseM nS Aui
mirai Kimberly viii remain at Apa ana
win continue in command OF the q squaurTlii AZ sro
had instructions issued to him before MS oe-
parture and the situation has not changed SINCE
then. The Admiral has considerable dlScreuon
vested In him, and may 70 conslderaDie eNteIII
exercise his own IN gHrd - 70 ,SndeS %S ne
Instructions advisable, they can be prepared and
sent TO Samoa long before the war vessels geb
there. The thing now needed there Is smps,
not instructions.
HOW TO GET SUPPLIES TO THE ISLANDS.