The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-04
CRUISERS THAT
CANNOT CRUISE
Unable to Carry Sufficient
Coal to Cross the
Atlantic.
ALTERATIONS IN ORDER
The Bancroft and Cincinnati I'm
abe to Steam to Con-
stantinople.
DUTY At THE DARDANELLEs
Naval Authorities M6de TO Feel the
Need of Foreign Fuel Supply
Stations.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 3.-The
Navy Department has issued orders that
the alterations to be made in the pracIice
cruiser, to hit her for her new duties inside
the Dardanelles, shall be vigorously
pushed. Accordingly two gangs of men
will work on her day and night.
The State Department people do not an
ticipate that serious objection to the ap-
proach of the Bancroft will be made by
the Porte; indeed, there is no ground
short of absolute arbitrary indiscretion
which would induce the Sultan to protest
against the diminutive warship. The
Cincinnati of course will not accompany
the Bancroft into the prohibited waters,
unless something should arise which
would set aside al the so-called obliga-
tions of the Paris treaty.
1t is quite an event in the history of the
navy, this determination to have the Ban
croft get into Constantinople's harbor.
The Nipsic once passed the Dardanelles,
and some years later the Quinneba ug.
That ship, in fact, made three trips
within short period to ConstantinopIe,
remaining on one occasion about fifteen
days. This was while General Lew Wal
lace was Minister there, and he procured
the necessary permission for the Ameri-
can ship to enter. The visit was the &C.
casion of long conferences between Adj
miral Nicholson and Minister Wallace
upon Turkish affairs.
There is much to be done to both the
Bancroft aud the Cincinnati before either
ship can sail. The Bancroft has a coal
capacity OF but 80 tons, despite the sup
posed bunker capacity of 100 tons. 1t will
be necessary to materially increase this
capacity or the ship will not be able to
steam across the ocean at even low rate
of speed. 1t is planned now to convert two
cadet storerooms into coal bunkers, and
this, the constructors, clinging to the
original fiction of 100 tons, say will give
the ship bunker capacity of about 20C
tons. 1t is expected that when all the
work is accomplished the ship will not be
able to carry more than $50 tons of coal,
which, engineers say, will not be sufficient
to take her across the Atlantic at eight
knots speed. 1t is likely that she will be
Obliged to stop at the Azores for fuel en-
route to Turkey.
It appears that the Cincinnati, with her
4O0-ton coal CAPACITY, is little better off
than the Bancroft, and it will be neces-
sary for that ship also to stop somewhere
en- route for coal. This is subject which
is being brought to the attention of the
naval authorities with much force Just al
this time. Here are two cruisers sup
posed to be competent for transatlantic
voyaging suddenly called upon for service
in the Mediterranean, and neither is able
to reach the other side without undergo
ing large expense in securing increased
bunker capacity, and even then the pos
siniIity of reaching their destination is
problematical. This condition suggests
once more the need of adequate sources OF
foreign fuel supply, if ships cannot be
built for cruising purposes capable of car
rying sufficient fuel