Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-18


The NAVY DEPARTMENT..
The Navy Department becomes more active in
preparations for trouble with Chile every day.
Inc Secretary has frequent consultations with
the chief OF ordnance the chief OF navigation
and the chief Of construction. while he occa-
sionally calls for the chief engineer
Other bureau chiefs fit back and forth
through his doors and constant series Of
movements is kept Up. until the Office is more
active than i, has been Tor years These are
but the outward and visible signs OF the real
work that is going In the
bureaus themselves clerks arc work
ing at their top speed with
typewriters and skimmiug through ledgers,
making calculations and transactIug greatly
Increased volume OF business Dus IL the Office
of the chief of the bureau Of navigation. Com
modOre Ramsay, the hustle is greatest
IRAxsLArIxG CIPHER rIsrATCHEs.
Three or four Of his assistants have been de-
tailed to translate cipher dispatches, and they
are KEEP. busy al day putting messages into
shape for transmission and making intelhgible
the cablecrams that are pouring IN from the
south The navy code IL one OF the most l1trl-
cate ever devised mineral in its character. butt
has never vet been detected, ana so the incOn-
Ncnience Of Its use Is tolerated because OF ITS
safety. This is matter Of the first Importance
q
main work of the navigation bureau
The officers cit in q small room adjoining the
Office of the chief with closed doors, their
desks covered by the large fat code books for
which n foreign power would give the price OF
a man-of-war. A grist Of half a dozen cable
grams means nearly day work, and 50 all the
available force of the bureau is put upon the
task-
sTUDYTS8 Tue CHARTS.
Meanwhile Commodore Ramsay devotes con-
siderable time IN communicating with the
chief Of the photographs Office, Commander
Clover. who has III his ofice accurate
charts OF tho coasts of both continents.
These are especially valuable now, and
great Is being taken in their
study. BY this means every mile OK :he South
American shore can be watched. and advantage
is thus taken o! the materials that have been
patiently collected in former years.
PRESSURE or THE ORDNANCE BUREAU.
The greatest pressure. however, is being
brought to bear on the ordnance bureau, which
represents the fighting arm OF the navy. The
chief Of that bureau. Commodore Foiger. is
getting the most satisfactory results from the
magnificent un-:naking plant al the Washing
ton yard. besides stimulating the steel manu-
facturers 20 their best efforts IL The rapid pro-
duction OF material
A PLAN OF CAMPAIGN.
But above ali the greatest activity has pre-
vailed for some time IN .he bureau of naval in
telligence, the agents of which have been at
work on plan OF possible campaign. besides
collecting all imaginable information from
abroad. 1t is through this bureau that the
Secretary has kept himself thoroughly posted on
the movements of the agents OF Chile. who. IL is
said, have been ransacklnG Europe for ma
terlal for some time. This bureau is 10 certain
extent an everlasting naval cyclOpGdia. but II
has besides function that entities u to the
designation of bureau of strategy. II will
be a mos: important adjunct in case Of war
The campaign that Is being conducted by
the department is largely for the purpose of
ascertaining Just what the naval systt IN can
accomplish in the event OF hostilities. besides
stimulating everybody to their best efforts.
SERIOUS COMPLICATION.
A serious complication has entered into the
Chilean trouble that may avert the possibility
Of peaceful solution of the problem.
The Chilean minister of foreign affairs has
notified Commander Evans OF the Yorktown
now IN Valparaiso narbor, that the Chilean
government has changed Its mind concerning
the refugees on board that vessel, and
mat they should be put
on board merchant vessel for
transfer TO a neutral territory they are liable
to be taken oat by the local authorities OF any
Chilean port at which the vessel may touch. 1t
had been arranged, so Commander Evans re-
ported to tine Navy Department by cable. for
al OF the refugees 10 sail on the 10th.
but the change made it necessary to
keep them on board the Yorktown. There
were no steamers from Valparaiso direct to
Neutral territory and Commander Evans asked
to be instructed to the disposition OF the
refugees, who are crowding his quarters
CAUSE OF THE CHANGE.
His cablegram concluded thus:
This unexpected act of the Chilean minis
ter OF foreign affairs is due. he states. in part
to Int, -Ha
came aboard to deliver two refugees. have
requested the American minister to say to the
minister of foreign affairs that l am responsible
to my own government and not 20 that Of Chile
in such matters and that | consider his criti-
cism offensive and will not accept it. His
action seems unworthy OF the representative
OF a serious government"
FLAUSTTSG RED RAG.
At the Navy Department this morning this
incident caused great excitement. The uni
versal opinion was that Chile is deliberately
Haunting a red raS. Such an action as a pro-
test against officer Of the Ameri-
can navy making a salute to for
eisn minister visiting his ship is
regarded as both extremely silly and obnoxious
IL happens that the naval regulations make it
impossible Tor the commander OF a vessel to do
otherwise than Commander Evans has done.
TIE NAVAL REGULATIONS
The following clause occurs in the regula-
lions: whenever minister. appointed to
represent the United States abroad. or a min
ister OF n foreign country. shall visit vessel
Of the ravy he shall be received b. the adj
nl-al. commodore or commanding officer and
the marine guard shall be paTaded. 4 salute O.
fifteen guns shall be fred or his leaving"
The minister is always 10 be recognized by
his carrying the flac q his country in the bow
Of the boat IN which he Inay visit the ship Ii
VII thus DC seen thatii Commander Evans had
not salated the spanish minis Ter he wouII not
only have rendered himself liable to n triai by
Court marrial fO- violation OF the regulations:
but also made II possible for Spain TO demand
an apology from the United States for insulting,
her minister.
CHILE EA-Es SPAIN.
The trouble, IT Was pointed out BY naval
officer this morning, lies il :he fact that Chile
Is essentially tkouSh:less in ali OF he- actions
and that she hates Spain about as thoroughly
a. she does the Eited States Tie two cour;-
t-les fought for IOrty Years once upon a time
and tins Is Why there is no love between
them Then. too, the minister Was escortinc
refugees when he went on board the YORKTOWN.
AID the salute may have been thought by the
st3pit ChiieG2s 20 have been in their honor
No reply had been sent 10 Commander Eyans
By Secretary Tracy up to noon today but :Lere
vas one IN preparation.
TEE FEFLlSG AZ TIE ClrTroI
There IS no abatement Of feeling az the Cant
Ill tlat war with 1Ifie cnup,, D.. .,ra;,1.a