The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-07-12
He Will Be Retained as
COmmandant.
1t Will Be Made the Repairing Station
for the Pacific and AsiatiC
Squadrons.
Special to THE MORNING CALL.

WASHINGTON. july 11.-Captan Howl
son will be retained as commandant at
Mare Island. Secretary Herbert so stated
to THE CALL correspondent to- night.
This will be good news for California peo-
pie, as Captain Howson seems to be very
popular in the State.
THE CALL correspondent called to see
Secretary Herbert at his residence tonight
and said: "Mr. Secretary, our people in
California are a good deal interes ted in the
assignment of the commandant at Mare
Island and are quite anxious for the re-
tcntion of Captain Howson in that capa-
city on account of his efficiency and gen.
eral popularity with the people. Are you
at liberty to say whether or not Captain
HOwison will remain in charge?"
Mr.. Herbert said You may say to your
California people that l have decided to
keep Captain Howison in command at Mare
Island. This really Is a position that or
dlnarily would 60 to an officer Of higher
rank than a captain. The other important
yards are commanded by admirals and
commodores. but have heard many good
reports concerning Captain HowisOn, and
as the people out there seem to like him l
don't know that we could do any better
than to retain him in command. l have
for some time contemplated making Mare
Island more important station. You will
remember that the Navy Department sent
a board out there to investigate as to
needed improvements, and that board re-
ported that Mare Island should be made
the repairing yard for all Pacific water
,,,;th fb,t
opinion, and their recommendation will be
adopted. At present the vessels Of the
Asiatic station are compelled to round
Cape Horn and come to the Atlantic side
to undergo repairs. There is no economy
in this, when at very little additional ex-
pense the Mare Island yard can take care
OF the repairs of all ships ON the Pacific and
ASiatic squadrons."
When asked whether Congress ould
have to appropriate money for the purpose
of making Mare Island a general repairing
station for these vessels and how soon the
work OF repairing there might be expected
to begin. Mr.. Herbert said "Everything
seems to be in pretty good order at Mare
Island and what few improvements in the
way Of apparatus. ETC., that mi gh: be
needed the department can furnish
with the funds already available. Per-
haps it might after awhile be ad-
visable to ask Congress for little
more money. The board that went
out there to investigate was composed of
able men and have great reliance in their
report. They spoke very we'll concern ing
Captain Howison."
1t will thus be gratifying for Califor-
mans to learn that there is at least one
member of the Cabinet who does not be-
lieve that California is too far away. Not
only does there seem disposition to do
the fair thing with Mare Island. but in the
assignment of naval ships the Pacific
Coast is faring well. In the Office OF Com
modore Ramsay, chief of the Bureau of
Navigation Of the Navy Department, hangs
big board which shows at glance just
where every naval ship is at the present
time. This board shows that there are at
present six vessels in Pacific waters. be-
sides such craft as the Albatross, the In
dependence and Thstis. and there will
soon be three more big ones-the Philade-
phia. Charleston and Yorktown.
At the last reports of the Navy Depart
ment the ships were located as follows:
The Boston and Adams at Honolulu, the
Monterey at Seattle. the Alliance at CAL
lao, the Mohican and Aibaross in Berng
Sea. Tn. big ship Philadelphia was, at
last reports, at Rio Janeiro on her way to
the Pacific. The Charleston. which is also
destined to serve again in Pacific waters.
is at Norfolk al present.
The department decided to-day to send
the York town also around to the Pacific,
hoc Il o,A h,,th "A ,froI 81.
that station. The Yorktown is now at
New York.
Commodore Ramsey said to-day: "After
this the Pacific is going to be a more i'm
portant station. and Mare Island is going
to be moro important yard. The Pacific
Coast people build some good warships.
They compare with those built at the East
They are not surpassed by any. So, all in
all, Mare Island and the vicinity will in
the future be quite rendezvous for naval
ships, ship-bulIding and ship-repairing."
The tmosphere about the Weather Bu-
reau has cleared off very perceptibly since
the recent investigation, and affairs are
running along very smoothly, with very
little probability Of any further changes
being made in the near future. The bu-
reau, Secretary Morton said to-day, Re
wished to make popular-in short, he will
insist upon useful forecasting, so that the
farmer, miner, shipper and commercial
men can derive from it the greatest possi-
bic good. In addition to cutting off num-
ber of what he calls 'useless scientists"
Secretary Morton proposes to save money
in the matter of telegraph tolls. He has
also decided to discontinue river and flo od-
room work. ard at an early date TO place
the river forecast in charge of observers
located on the principal rivers. As re-
sult, Carl Barus. F. II. Bigelow and
Thomas Russell. professors of meteorology,
will be dropped from the rolls this month.
along with a number of clerks and other
employees.
In his forthcoming report, Secretary
Morton will make two important recon-.
mpndations. One relates to the indis-
criminate distribution of garden seed and
the other to Implications OF experiments
by stations now being done by the depart
ment.