The San Francisco call., 1896-09-12
ARMY AND NAVY AFFAIRS.
Contracts About to to Be
Awarded for Ordnance for
Coast Defense.
Retiring o icerS and Their Probable
SuccesSors-Paterna Zeal of
Delegate Catson.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 1.-THE
ordnance bureau of the army will shortly
award contracts amounting to $175,O00 in
the purchase of ordnance material for
coast defense under the liberal provision
made by the last Congress. The proposed
expenditure is IN addition to a large sum
lately distributed in the shape of con-
tracts among leading steel firms for heavy
guns, mortars and carriages. The new
programme includes the purchase of a
lighter class of ordnance for use as a kind
of secondary battery for the heavy artil-
lery composing the main reliance of the
coast defenses.
Among the guns that are to be bought
will be twenty breech-loading rifled NOR
tars of Finch caIiber costing, it is esti-
ma ted. $40, 600, and large number of 8. g.
inch breech-loading rlfed mortars, ex-
pected to cost $15o4o. Ten sets of steel
forgings for 5-inch guns are also to be
bought and there will be another for
assembling and finishing these pieces of
metal, the whole to cost the Government
probably $50 600. Ten sets OF steel howit-
zers, to cost $50, $40, and thirty steel guns
OF 3.2-inch caliber will also be purchased
at cost of $50, 900.
Pay Inspector Worth Goldsborough,
now general storekeeper at the Naval
Academy, retires from active service
under the sge limit in October, and creates
vacancy at Annapolis which will be
filed by the appoin tment of Paymaster j.
Z. Loomiss Paymaster H. T.. SkeldinC of
Pennsylvania also retires about the same
time that Mr.. Goldsborough goes out, and
anotherigood place will be open to some
-, - \ Tzl.
yard. Tne retirement of these officers
gives the President two appointments OF
assistant paymasters from civil life, and
Secretary Herbert is said to have already
made selections. Appointments in this
branch of the navy are considered more
valuable than III any of the staff corps
owing to the brilliant prospects of promo.
tlon. Many OF the young assistants ap-
pointed in recent years will reach the
highest rank of their corps before they
are 40 years OF age, while heretofore many
officers have retired at 50 as paymasters.
The son of Postmaster-G General. Wilson
| Is one of the fortunate young men who
will secure rapid advancement, and will
| be pay director long before he passes his
! hftieth year. A son of Admiral Ramsay
| is another, as is also a son of the late Paw
master Arms lost in the Samoan wreck.
President Cleveland has made more an
| pointments in the pay corps than any OF
his predecessors.
Delegate Catron of New Mexico believes
in looking after the interests of his own
family, and apparently knows no reason
why he should not. He has taken his
/ political life in his hands in so doing,
however, and may suffer from his zeal,
He has absorbed both vacancies which
have fallen to him at Annapolis and West
Point by selecting his own sons to fl
them, and yesterday one of his bows wa.
admitted at Annapolis.
| Next March, when examinations are
held at the military academy, he hopes tC
get his other son in the army. Mr.. Catron
took every precaution to guard against
failure and made one boy the alternate O.
the other at both Government schools
There have been other cases in which
Congressman have designated their sons
as cadets to West Point and Annapolis
but constituents do not look with favor or
such practices, and as a rule have turned
down the member when he came up FOL
denomination. General Wheeler is one Of
the exceptions who as a member could
| appoint his own son and still have the
selection approved at home. General
Wheeler's son graduated and is now a
lieutenant of artillery, with his station in
| WASHINGTON.