The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-21
GUNS on THE COAST.
One Good Result of the Chilean
War Excitement.
PHILADELPHIA WELL GUARDED.
working st Night ON Bstt1e-Bhips-Ths
Forts ut the Mouth of the Ceiumbia
to Be Better EqMpped.

1eUsS u blls city. 3a5OI hoy Is0oNs VI
the United States engineer corps, IN reply
10 questions as 70 what his Office was do
ing 10 prevent foreign war vessels coming
up the Delaware river ard homba-dIns
this city, said:
lam nee q. liberty 70 talk. but a. Ear as plans
for TIE defense Of the hsrbor are concerned,
they have been prepared for two years and all
tas requirements for quick defense considered
A number of torpstoes have been received here
and viii be distributed 10 certain points along
the Delaware river, the points being know
only 70 the war department Beside this, the gov
ernm.nt has two torpedo classmates erected
between this city and Wilmington, and in case
OF emergency this material is At hand TO erect
several more further down the river. IN eseh
of these classmates viii be stationed electricians
who viii have control Of the torpedoes. The tor
pedoes which will b placed in the river viii
be OF two kincs. One kind will explode with
contact. and the other kind will explode az the
will of the electricians in tie casenents-
Everything is hustle at Cramps ship
yard, where the armed cruiser Corsair and
battle-ships Massachusetts, and Indiana
are undergoing construction. In the diff
fe-ent shops work is continued until 10
o'clock each night. Henry Cramp was
seen in reference 10 this, and when asked
If the company had received any orders TO
push the work said: There would be no
nse 70 push our work, as we always do
that. and do not see how we could get
along faster" The chief efforts OF the
large force OF men now az work al the
League Island navy yard are directed to-
ward preparing for great increase IN the
capacity of the yards for repairs and con-
structiou.
ASTORIA, Or, Jan. 2o.-Two eight-inch
riied guns are expected 10 arrive here
tomorrow for use at Fort Candy at the
mouth Of the Columbia river. A large
number Of mounted guns are now there,
but they are mostly of the old style.
These are Misunderstanding, of the pattern
OF i5s4 They are the best of the old style,
being ten-inch smoothbore, with steel
tube lining 1t is expected that similar
armament viii shortly arrive for Fort
Stevens, on the Oregon side.
VALLEJO, Cal, Jan. 2o-The navy yard
is very animated nowadays. The force Of
men At work is much larger than for years.
Work no longer ceases at shutdown, but is
continued by the aid OF electric lights IN
iii 10 O'Clock at night, while the distinc-
ton between Sunday and week days has
been lost sight of for weeks, The most
important work in progress is that
On the Baltimore. She is lying in the
stream, with coal barges on each side, from
which her bunkers are being rapidly filled.
This has been going on for three DAYS now,
and viii soon be finished. When she has
taken on her full capacity of LOO tons
she viii be able TO steam 1000 miles with
out replenishment. In an interview this
morning Admiral Irwin said:
All the Baltimore's repairs are now finished
except those 20 the engines. These are receiv-
log thorough overhauling, which will not be
complstsd for ten days or more. She cannot 20
10 sea In less than two weeks Many of her off,
GERS have been granted short leaves OF absence,
bat can be quickly summoned If necessary.
have received instructions to prepare the
dry dock for the Charleston and put her In a
soon rs she arrives do not know Just when
.se wiz get hsrs- II may be tomorrow morn
ing, but the dock Is ready for her whenever she
does arrive.
As soon AZ she can leave the dry dock the
monitor Comanche viii take her place there and
have her bottom thoroughly cleaned. In every
other respect the Comanche Is in first-class con-
dition. do not believe, however, that she will
be sent 10 sea, but retained for harbor defense
No steps have been taken, as reported, to replace
her two l5inch smooth bores by rifles OF smaller
CALDER.
The Mohican, a wooden vessel carrying eight
smooth bores and two rifles, has been In perfect
order for six weeks, and could go TO sea any
day. She has 80 far received no orders TO leave
the yard.
Work Is also being done on the Ranger and
Adams, but they can be OF little service The
Omaha and Swatsra are laid up and will prob
ably never go to sea again. The double-tur-
reted monitor Monsdnock is lying alongside the
dock, and some work Is being done on her, but
her engines ara not in and none OF her armor ia
ready. She is practically out OF the question as
Sighting machine 10 many months yet.
We have not received any unusual amour,
OF ammunition or war material, but you nav
say that every vessel in this yard or that comes
here will be put in first-class fighting condition
as quickly as possible.
NEW YoRK, Jan. 2o.-The latest news
from France concerning the fitting out OF
the Chilean armored warship, CAPTAIN
Pratt. is to the effect that the workshops
will have the vessel ready for sea in thirty
days time. A number of small fittings
remain TO be placed in position. though the
larger part of the work is what almost
any wide-awake officer would undertake
to carry ont at sea. 1t is even thought
probable that the Chilean commander now
with the vessel may take this view of the
case, and. under pretense of steaming
trial make off with the new ship for South
America. Among naval officers here it is
recognized that the Captain Pratt, when
fully completed. will be one of the best
htted-out warships in the world
The United States dynamite cruiser We
suvius will be ready for active service in
forty days. The delay is occasioned in
providing the vessel with projectiles and
Supplying armor protection along the
sides in the wake of the machinery and
boilers. The Nespvius is in commission
and can proceed 70 sea any day. She has
never heretofore been supplied with full
set of shells for her pneumatic guns. The
Nesuyius Is at present at the BROOKLYN
navy yard. She is commanded by Lieu
tenant Shredder and carries a crew of
about eighty men. Next 20 the torpedo
boat Gushing, the Yesuvius is the
fastest vessel in the United States navy.
Lieuteaaut-Colonel Gillespie. of the en-.
gineer department Of the army, is in this
city. In response 20 a query as to the
safety Of New York in case of war with
Chile, he said:
There Is mistaken idea on the part OF the
pablic that cur ceienses kre altogether ont a,
date and would % OF little use in keeping tie
enemy ST hay. We have everything in the shape
% armament that we had at the close OF the
civil war, aud additions have been made from,
time 20 tine. We are now at work strengthen
ing the foriiaestions in the neighborhood al
this civ. More has been done al along and s
still being done IN preparation tor emergencies
than majority OF the people dream Of
KENo, New. Jan. GA twelve-inch rifle
for the coast defense vessel Monterey
passed here this morning.
CARA WON'T SURRENDER.
He Can't Re Caught Because tho People