The evening times., 1896-10-20
MANEUVERS OF THE FLEET.
Admiral Bqnce Has Put His
Vessels Through Their PAGES.
sURPASsEDFoRMEREFFOR
Magnificent Form shown by the Ships
During the Great Galcs-The Move
ments VIII He Concluded Next
week-No Winter Cruise to the
West Indies.

| The most mportant mancuvers attempted
| by the navy Will bc concluded next week
! by the NorIn Atlantic fleet, under Admiral
| Bunce, which yesterday reached New forK
| after a cruise In tie gale that has swept the
| coast.
Some OF the ships were never in such q
| blow before, and all have gone through IL
! In magnificent form, according to reports
received AT the Department from the Co
lumUia, witch picked up the Cape Charles
light vessel and returned her TO the station
! off the capcs.
| TIE evoiu.ions were on a scale which the
government has never before attempted.
| There was no navy yard IoarinG fol- single
| slip, and the performance OF cacn wouid
! give the squadron a record for cruising
! almost equal To that maintained by the
| fleet Atlantic liners in tue summer trade
/ Tie brief stops made every week or two
at New York and Hampton Roads were 10
take in necessary coal and other supphes'
and as soon as these had been received the
shps atoBce put to sea again anu continued
aIcvolutlons until 1T was necessary To make
port again.
LAfENSE HAS BEEN LARGE.
The expense of maintaining so large a
| number OF vessels IN active commission
| has been large, bat very Little greater than
| II NuIIfA nave bt1'll tiil tlltA 10y az bh'ibt
all summer III some harbor. Coal bills, it
| as Irue, nave been enormous, bat Inc depart
| ment does not regret this outlay.
Nor have otitf stations been IDLE during
tie past season, aud, while they are not so
Important as that on the Atlantic side, tile
work accomplished viii prove highly bene-
fetal 10 the personnel and induce a more
act We spirit III this department of naval
work.
GA the Asiatc and Pacific stations tie
adnnrals commanding have insisted On
weekly cruises in order to maintain high
degree OF efficiency among the men and 10
accustom them to firing the batteries and
handling the vessels under all conditions
of weather and tactical requirements.
Admiral McNair, with his fine ia agship
olympia, has Crea led a pro ound IMPRESSION
upon the japanese by his magnificent
handing OF tLe six vessels under his
charge. So Impressed have the japs been
with the slIips and Their strength that it
is claimed two, and perhaps three. large
cruisers are to hc built IN the Quilted States
for their navy.
NO ACCIDENTS.
While the cruising ground OF the home
fleet has heen shOrt, extending only be-
tween Sandy HOOK and the Virginia capes
the admiral has taken the vessels wei,
cut to sea aud put lhem tDroagh all the
movements. drills. aHil exercises laid down
in the drill book for n squadron Of its
strength. When 1T is considered how dan
Gerous some OF these movements are the
TACT that no accidents occurred is remark
able, especially when neither officers nor
men were experienced in the work.
To SET at resi- repTtS "A Is To the destination
of the fleet this autumn. it is annc.inc,d
that there will be ho winter cruises TO
the West Indies, nor will the ships visit
waters in The vicinity of either Venezuela
or Cuba. The policy of TctIining the fleet
IN northern waters so long as questions
hetewen these countries and the United
states are pending will be observed this
winter, and unless there is unexpected
necessity of disintegrating the squadron
Tor service in foreign stations HAMPTON
Roads will be the rendezvous Nor is
there ANY purpose on the part of the Prasi-
dent tn reduce the present strengt. of the
fleet, as has been reported, but rather
the desire that every ship shall be added
{" IT is fast as completed and ready for
service.
WORK To BE FASTENED.
In support of this assertion the order OF
M9 herbert to-day may lie aCcep ed as proof
uI hi>lIlentIOn 10 retire from office NIrh in,
total Lighting strength Of the nyay
IN commission and ready for INN ediate
service. This order directs that WORK on
ships at navy yards shall be u commission
by December /. These instructions have
been issued To tie various bureaus having
ihe ''urh iu choTEr. but which are in, IiIr1
not TO attach any special Significauce To
tnem aside from natural desire of fhe
President and Secretary to turn over To the
next administration the strongest navy the
country has had since s66
For several III uthS the amount of n,npey
expended nn EiES has been cnorir Gus. Thr
pay roll at Mare Island alone has am ounted
To 500 ,Ouua IA onjn. 10Th the PrcSidcntand
Secretary Herbert hope to have In commits
sion very soon the monitor Puritan. at New
YORK, the arm morcd cruiser BROOKLYN Mt
League lSiand,thc Charleston. Petrol. TaIti-
more and Ranger at Mare Island and also
the Pens3Cula AT he latter yard
Later on the three Sunboats at Neynor+
should be in commission. and several of tho
torpedo boats building ON the eastern coast
on the arrival of Admiral Bunce's s fleetat
New York the ships Will be distributed no
tween the yards there and at Norfolk for
overilaIling anddocking. which some ofthem
require. This will occupy proba bly month.
so thatnot sooner than November 20 wilItbe
iieet be ready to again assemble under tho
admiral for whatever duty the department
may assign TO it. Old Point he wever may
expect TO receive frequent visits from, the
ileet Outing the winter. and New York oc.
casoDally, when shore leaves for tho mon