Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-29
The Dispatch Beat Bancroft to Pro-
tect Mr.. Terrell.
ARMENIAN OUTBREAK BRINGS ACTION
Americans in ConstantinopIe Are to
Be Protected.
V + R Y SLOW RELIEF

The crisis In Turkish affairs is being
closely followed by the officials of this gov
ernment Nothing has teen heard from
Minister Terrell of Constantinople since
Thursday last, when he told Of the attack
of Armenian revoutionsts on the Ottoman
Hank, and the subsequent slaughter Of Ar
n,enians in the streets Of the Turkish cap
i;al.
Officials of the State and Navy depart
ments feel that American interests In the
Levant are amply protected by The war
ships now in the Mediterranean. The San
Francisco is at Alexandria and the Mar
blehead is at Genoa. The Minneapolis,
which also belongs to the European squad
ron, is at Queenstown. and car be sent
Turkish waters Oh short notice.
The fresh outbreak at ConstantnoplC has,
however, again suggested the des'rability
of having a small United States Narship
at or near Constant,nople. in close COM
.lunication with the United States legation.
Grea: Britain and other first-class powers
are now represented at Constanti!4ople by
dispatch boats.
Sending the Bancroft.
For several months the State Depart
ment has endeayored to have the United
States similarly represented, and it now APP
pears that the suggestion is to be carried
cut. The vessel selected for This service is
which is aLout the same size as a small
dispatch boat She can be sent up the
Dardanelles to ConstantiEoplc, how ever,
only with the assent of the Turkish au-
thorltieS, as the forIs at the entrance 10
the Dardanelies form an effective Larricf
10 hostile craft. These forts are strong
enough TO sink a dozen first-class warships,
while The Bancroft is little more than d
pleasure yacht.
ZfE-Zas Sailing.
When the first move was made tovar.l
sending the Bancroft abroad some months
ago, an official inquiry made of the
cruiser by the naval board OF engineering
as to her capacity for a long sea "Trip. as
she was designed merely for practice cruis-
ing along the Atlantic coast by The naval
cadets at Annapolis. The bureau answered
that the coal capacity of The ship was so
limited that she could not make d direct
ulp across the ocean. Al most, her Ccal
would not permit a continuous trip Of more
than 2,5tp miles. 1t is said, however thar
she might go by relays, 'irst 10 Halifax
where she could recoal, then TO he Azore
Islands FOR another coaling, and then ma he
the balance of the trip. This would make
a long trip. probably two months by which
uihe the present emergency Will certainly
have passed.
The treaty of Paris made in 1874. is The
one in which the s!gnatory powers agreed
That While warships should not enter the
Dardanelles, dispatch boats nigh; be main
3 a a
question arose as to what was dispatch
boat sui sequent agreement WAS made
mat six guns should he the maxim lm
armament of such boats. The United
states was not signer of either treaty
and the officials have never admitted that
the United States was bound by the re-
striction as to the size of vessels TO enter
the Darde nelcs.
The Bnncroft's Omcers.
The Bancroft will be ready for a cruise
in about two weeks, and Will then receive
her calling orders. In the meantime she
is being fitted out. The following assign
mcnt of officers OF the Bancroft was mad,
today: Lieutenant Commander c Relkaap
now at the Naval Academy; Lieut.. T. e
ID. W. Nceder, executive officer who is re-
licved from the bureau of equipment.
Lieut.. ii. B. Wilson. relieved from the
Michigan; Ensign T. w. kitteile. relieved
from the Vermont: Assistant Paymaster
II. Hatton, relieved from the katahdin.
Past Assistant Surgcon +. NJ. Ships. now
with the vessel. There is yet TO be de-
tailed a navigating officer and two more
watch officers. The new commander of the
Bancroft had been originally selected to
command the small gunboat Pinta, at
S.tka, Alaska. bat was selected for his
present duty instead, because of the d.fii-
Guilty of securing another officer within the
same length of time.
The following officers now attached TO the
Bancroft have been assigned to duty at the
Naval Academy: Lieut. Com. IL. 4. Tily.
LieGt. York Noel, Lieut.. G.. II. Clark and
Asst. Engineer III. .. Stickney.
The official dimensions OF the Bancroft
are as follows: Length lS1 feet q inches.
breadth, 81 ieet; draucht, IL feet inches;
displacement. S3S tons; ind.ca horse
power, 1900; speed, II knots: total coal ca
pacity, III! tons. sail area, 5,tDl square feet
Her main battery consists cf four four-inch
breech-loading rifles and her secondary bat
terry of six rapid-iire guns, one Gatliny gun
and two torpedo tubes.