The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-04
Confirmed by the Sen
ate Despite Strong
Opposition.
Major Bowling Detailed as
Military AttaChe at
Vienna.
Great Changes Contemplated as a
Result of Commissioning New
Gunboats.

WASHINGTON, u. u, May o. ne
nomination OF Colonel William X. Shafter
as brigadier- general was confirmed by the
Senate to-day, Notwithstanding all oppo-
sition, as predicted in THE CALLS Wash.
ing ton dispatches.
General Shafter was a visitor at THE
CALLS Washington office tonight. He is
very much gratitied over the action of
Senate. He is also proud of the last honor
conferred upon him by the President.
He has been assigned to command the
Department of the East. with head
quarters at Governors Island, during the
absence of General Merritt, who will be
in Europe for two months. This COM
mand is second in i'm portance, that at
Chicago being third.
At the end of the two months General
Shafter will return to San Francisco, and
after packing his household effects will
remove to Vancouver, the headquarters OF
the Department of the Colum bia. He
goes to Governors Island on Thursday.
General Shafter said to THE CALL corre-
spondent TO- hight that Lieutenant-Colone
Kline, now OF the Ninth, would succeed
Colonel Jewett as colonel of the Twenty
first Infantry, and that Lieutenant-Colonel
Miles would be ass gned 10 the First In
fantry.
The War Department has decided to
detail Major Bowling of the Third Ar
tillery, now at the Presidio, as military
attache at Vienna, Austria. BY direction
of the Secretary of War, Private John P.
Collins, Company G, First Infantry, now
the Presidio of San Francisco, will be
discharged the service of the United States
on receiptof this order by the command
ing officer of his station.
Lieutenant-ColonelW William H. Bell, U.
S. A, assistant commissary general sub
sistence, has been granted n patent for a
projectile, adapted particularly to smooth
bore guns, in which means are provided
for i'm parting a rotary motion whereby it
is kept steady upon its axis in flight and
prevents the common errors technically
known as 'tum bling" The projectile was
recently tested at the Preside OF San
Francisco, where 1t was fred from six
FOUNDER smooth bore gun. attained
velocity OF 70G feet per second, and salts
lied all the requirements claimed. Inter
ested with Lieutenant Colonel Bell in the
invention is Captain W. D. Reed, U. g. A,
retired, of San Francisco.
AS result of the com missioting of new
gunboats there promises to be consd-
cradle change of material of ships on for
eign naval stations. Orders have been
issued by the Navy Department placing
the Wilmington in commission. Details
are also being prepared for the gunboat
Concord, the repairs to which have just
been completed at Mare Isl-nd, and for
the Helena and Annapolis, which have
been prelimiharily accepted and are now
at the yards of their builders undergoing
final touches preliminary to being turned
over to the Government.
Instead of being the trainlng-ship for
the Naval Academy it has been deter
mined by the officials to use the Annapo-
lis for regular service and have the
Vicksburg perform this duty. This vessel
is under construction al the Bath Iron
Works. The Vicksburg will have her pre-
liminary trial within few days The
Nashville, which is practically completed
at the works of the Newport News Ship
building Company, has had several con-
tractors trials and has been reported as
ready for her official test.
The gunboats Wheeling and Marietta
are being com pleted at the Union Iron
Works and instructions are being sent to
the officers at Mare Island to lay out a
trial course for the vessels in San Fran
cisco Bay. Considerable difficulty is being
experienced in getting crews for these
ships, but once they are manned they will
be sent to the four quarters of the globe.
The monitor Amplitude, before being
laid up in ordinary at Annapolis, will go
to Norfolk, where she will be placed in
apple pie order. Those of her crew who
will not be retained on board this ship for
duty will be distributed among the gun
boats to go in commission.
The Columbia will also be thoroughly
repaired before being placed in ordinary,
and a portion of her crew will be used for
filling the compliments of men intended
for the third-rate vessels.
The Concord. which will be commanded
by Commander Asa Walker, will prob.
ably be sent to China. Upon her appear
ance there is reason to believe that the
Yorktown will be ordered home. Within
the next year the Monocacy will probably
be disposed of and one Of the new gun
boats will be sent 10 China to take her
place.
The Wilmington may be ordered to the
South Atlantic station to take the place of
the Yantic, which is now on her way to
Norfolk, where she will be placed out of
com mission.
1t is the purpose Of Secretary Long to
distribute the gunboats as much as posi-
BILE, and lay a mum Der of the larger vessels
up in ordinary, so as to run the navy on
as economical basis as possible.
The detail of officers to take course of
instruction at the naval war COLLEGE dur.
ing the coming summer is being prepared
at the Navy Department. On account OF
the necessity OF officers performing work
in connection with vessels under construc-
| ton and their routine duty, some diff
Guilty is being experienced in getting
twenty-five who are available Com
mander G. T. Goodrich, the president OF
the institution, has outlined course Of
study, which will be followed.