The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-20
PREPARING FOR MAR
The Navy Department Making
Great Efforts.
COMPLETING TORPEDO BOATS
Chilli to be Chastlsed, If Naval Officials Have
Their Way-Other Departments Think
There VIII be No War

Especial to TIE HERALD-Examiner Dispatch.1
NEW YORK, Dec. ia Herald Washing
ton special says: "Active preparations for
war still continue in the navy department.
Steps have now been taken to secure the
most available vessels in the merchant ma
rine for possible service in CHILEAN waters.
Arrangements have been made in New
Y ork and San Francisco to charter, If
necessary, from thirty to forty vessels to
be used as transports and GOLFERS, prepa-
ratlons so far as regular naval vessels
are concerned having been made as COM
plete as possible. The bureau of naval in
telligence, acting under instructions, has
prepared list of merchant vessels in case
WAR AGAINST CHILL is DECLARED.
An offer from New York ship owner of a
score or more of small vessels to carry
coal has met with the thanks of the de-
partment, and the request that he hold his
vessels so as to have them ready on twenty
four hours notice has been made. Naval
officials are also looking about in New
York for vessels to be used in the torpedo
service. 1t has been reposted by them that
most Of the available crafts for this SER
vice are the fast private yachts of the me-
y
be very quickly converted into torpedo
boats and cruisers, and the belief is eX
pressed that they will prove fully as effect
i've as the torpedo craft Of the Gillian navy.
According to naval authorities.
OUR WEAKEST POINT IS LACK OF ToRPEDoEs
Orders hurrying up the two firms who
have contracts to furnish torpedoes have
recently been issued. The firms. spurred
on by constant appeals, have replied that
they are bending every energy to furnish
the torpedoes as rapidly as the contracts
call for them. The William Cramp & Sons
ship and engine building company have
just notified the department that they are
now ready to furnish two briggs Schroeder
rapid firing guns day. This causes great
satisfaction in the department, as it is said
II vessels of the merchant marine are called
into the service they will have to be fitted
out with these and other rapid fire guns.
The activity OF the department with re-
spect to torpedoes and general war material
has been known for some time, but it is
first made public this morning the fact that
the navy department has taken steps to
utilize the vessels of the merchant marine.
1t is true that no formal contracts have
been entered into but il Is fact that the
department has selected the private vessels
best adapted for
THE TRANSPORTATION OF TROOPS
and carrying of supplies and coal to points
in the south Pacific, and has so far sue
ceeded as to lay its hands on vessels the
moment they may be needed. On the Pa
cific coast there are 217 steam vessels and
2S5 sailing vessels above 200 tons register.
The aggregate tonnage is: Steam, 1885,
6SS45; and sailing, 209, 177.75
1t is likely that the Pacific coast vessels
would be the first sought after, and com
m mi ot hos olrno do nn nod
of the largest ship owners in San Francisco.
Activity is also displayed in the war de-
partment. Informal consultations have
taken place beWeen army and navy officials
as to the cooperation of the two forces in
the event of trouble. 1t has been repre-
sented that the army will be able to fur
nish on short notice 10000 men for trans
portatlon either to San Francisco or Gal
weston. The naval officials say that fully
this number OF men will be required.
ONE OF THE STRATEGIC MOVES
would be to seize sandy point at the Chill
ian port in the straits of Magellan, and
place sufficient troops there to hold it as a
base of supplies and as a coaling station.
The bulk of the troops would be landed at
Iqu1que to capture and hold the nitrate beds,
which are Chilis greatest source of revenue
and from which our indemnity will be OBJ.
tanned.
In spite of extreme measures by the army
and navy departments, the belief that there
will be wBr with Chilli grows less and less
here. No news has been received today
from the threatened country, the finding of
Judge Foster not being expected until next
week. The general belief is that Chill will
yield to the demands of the United States
eventually. When she will yield is ques-
ton of considerable argument, the bulk of
the opinion being that she will go to the
very brink before admitting that
SHE HAS BEEN IN THE WRONG.
Naval officers who have served in Gillian
waters say that it is very doubtful whether
Chilli will apologize until she sees the war
ships of the United States and hears that
war has been declared. The opinions of
these officers ars highly regarded in the de-
partment and it is on the strength of their
opinions and their experience in South
America that the higher officials of the navy
department deem it wise to make the ex-
traordinary preparations that are now
being made.