The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-06-24
PREPARING FOR WAR
Secretary McAdoo Inspects
the Naval Resources at
League Island.
TO MEET SPAIN ON TIE SEA
Naval officers Significant Hints
Special Attention to
Monitors.
TO MEET SPAIN ON TIE SEA

rs
PHILADELPHIA. June "a. 1Ss6.-In
connection with yesterdays visit of AS
sistant Secretary of the Navy William
McAdoo to the League Island Navy
Yard and his close inspection of war yes
sells There. certain hints privately dropped
by naval officers at Washington are
ominous. There is a chain Of circum-
stantial evidence which seems to lead
quite directly 10 the prospectsof trouble
between Uncle Sam and Spain. True,
the announcement is made that Mr.. Nc
Adoo's present tour Of inspection to the
various navy yards is being made for the
purpose Of arranging for the summer
cruises of the different State Naval Re
serves. which are to take place In a few
weeks; and this is undoubtedly one Of
his errands. Navy officials, however. at
tach much more importance to the pres
ent squirt of activity in the department
than mere routine business of this char
acter would warrant. and if the predic-
tions of Cuban sympa thizers and prom
inent members of the Junta in this city
have any foundation in fact, the Gov
eminent at Washington is preparing for
q decisive step that will materially add
the cause of the Cuban Insurgents. In
fact, h belief is expressed that the
Navy Department is doing all chat it
can do without arousing suspicion to put
The naval service in preparation for any
emergency that may arise.
A letter from Washington that has
been received within the last few days.
sent by q navy officer of high rank to a
rplafiyQ in thtc s;+xr e. -..a - 80.
the opinion of naval officials in general
concerning the activity IN the depart
ment. The positive conviction is express
ed IN this letter that preparations are
being made to meet any offensive DEM
onstration that may be made by Spain.
and the officer gives his reasons as fol-
lows
In times of peace the officers and
men OF the regular army affect to treat
the militia as inferior bodies; but when
war comes the officers of the regular
army are extremely anxious to secure
among the volunteers. The
army and navy are alike In this respect.
The Naval Reserves are to the navy
what the militia is to the army. Con
Siderable attention has recently been
paid by army officers to the militia en-
campments in TIE different States; but
more than ordinary N has been
paid by the Navy Department to the
various bodies of Naval Reserves.
The ARMY and Navy Departments
are keenly alive to the possibilities of war
IN the near future, and these attentions
on their part to the militia and Naval
Reserves are not born of mere affection
ate regard for those bodies. When re-
quests are made for ships from the
navy, as practice ships for drilling the
Naval Reserves, these requests are ac-
ceded to with great promptness and
aiacrity. Monitors have been fitted up
IN the most complete manner. ready for
actual service, and placed at the disposal
OF the Nava Reserves i'm different States.
ships of war are detailed to train the
reserves on their cruises, with the best
gunners and disciplinarians in the navy
to give them Instructions.
All this is so foreign to the usual prac-
tice In the Navy Department that ii sets
US thinking. Assistant Secretary McAdoo
has been visiting the various navy yards
the vessels in those navy yards are
being pushed to completion and readiness
for service. We are told thai this is
routine work that is always attended to,
but this sudden activity and attention to
routine work are not merely in the ordin-
= J, psrformance Of duties, There is
Eshed to the world. The reason fer the
great attention paid to the Naval Re-
serves to perfect them in drill and dis
cipiine, together with the unusual activity
IN the Navy Department in getting the
SHIPS and monitors into good fighting
0r aW VIII ara Soon ;nfo become appaTent
CHASING vessels and quietly. getting ready
ior a conflict. With this information
N their possession. It seems to be stfnSe
and 1t looks as if action was being taken.
You may soon see the old sign hung out:
-.Recruits wanted for the United States
aTyr nne chance Tor study and pro-
In Connection with the Navy Department
activity referred to. the fact is pointed
Runce have declined to allow several Of
the vessels IN the North Atlantic sauad-
ron e. ind9 ,4, dry dock for needed minor
it is believed that the repairs were post
n IN order to keep the ships at sea
re Tpsy f OF "a actl vs.. s 8
been buster han for some time. The baf.
tleship Massachusetts is the only vessel
n commission at the yard; but there are
which could be put in active service as
soon as they could be manned. and II il
somewhat slgnIficant that they have all
been put in good condition. Among them
are the eight old battle-scarred monitors.
the Nahant Jason. Catskill, Lehigh, Mon
tank, Canonicus, Mahopca and Manhat-
tan; The engines and boilers on every one
OF the iron "cheese-box RATS have been
placed In such condition, according to
about the yard. that they could
be steamed up today If necessary. Each
monitor Is armed with two 10-ineh, mug
although modern S-tpch rifles could be
nn1lnfad I'll in fhair n1annS ~ H. $500.
within a few days. The monitors are prac-
tieally ready for coast and sharbor SER
vice at a few days notice.
In addition, the dynamite cruiser Vesu-
vils and the modern. dou~ble-turreted
Miantonomoh are now In as good
when taken out of commission last. year.
League Island could turn out a fleet Of
fronclads adequate for coast defense
quicker than a cruiser could cross the
Atlantic
The despatch boat Dolphin arrived at
League Island before 9 O'Clock in the
morning and was received with a salute
Of % guns; ACCOMMODATING Assistant Sec
tennnt A. H. Niblack. sThey were received
by Commandant Howell and the staff of
officers at the yard. The eight iron mont
tors lying in the hack channel were each
carefully Inspected by the Assistant Sec
Rotary. He paid particular attention to
the machinery and turrets, and expressed
surprise that the Nahant and Jason. which
ave been lying at League Island for sew
The Secretary also took d look at the
back channel. He said hat more .atten-
tion would be paid to dredging the chan
mel, as work on 1t has been tagging. The