The herald., 1898-03-04
THE NEEDS or TnH NAVY
po1Nrip 6ur no ooa1lrrrrn1
c1zAzAMAx
WORK on NEW BATTLEsAlPs
Pushed without regard 10 the Eight
Hour Day-supply Of Coal
Provided For
Associated rrsss spsclA. wire


Associated prsss special wire
WASHINGTON, March s.--secretary
Long spent good portion Of the morn
ine In communication with Chairman
Boutelie, from the House Naval Com
mittee., He denied himself to all callers
ana from time to time sept for the vari.
GUS bureau chiefs of the department, q
pretty clear indication that Mr.. Bou-
telle was being supplied with such infer
nation as the department could supply
as to the immediate needs Of the naval
service.
Up to noon no word had come to the
department from the Court Of Inquiry at
Key West. J 1t 10 said the court 10 not
obliged to inform the department. as to
when 1t has concluded this branch Of
the inquiry, nor Is 1t necessary to seek
permission Of the department to return
to Havana The orders under which the
court is operating carry sufficient au-
thority for change of base at any mo-
snent, though the department. may be
informed as matter Of courtesy. IT
the progress of the inquiry at Havana
depends upon the work Of the wreckers,
a. seems to be the case, for nothing of
substantial Importance can be achieved
until the heavy debris IL removed from
the wreck. considerable delay must itis
evitably occur To tow the large der
ricks from Boston and New York to Ha-
vana Is never a speedy. and seldom =
safe, undertaking.
As matter Of fact the derrick Chief,
at Norfolk, Ii now storm bound just
inside the Chesapeake capes, although
1t was fully expected that by this time
she would be far below Hatteras. This
makes It improbable that the derrick
can reach Havana harbor and get at
work much before the middle Of next
week. As for the big derrick Monarch,
which IL expected to raise the turrets
and extremely heavy weights from the
hull, the date for her sailing has not been
set and the department has inquired on
that point.
Some private letters are coming to
Washington from officers in Havana,
but while they have something to say
touching the Maine explosion, 1t cannot
be seen. that the statements are based
upon any recent and generally known
developments.
substantial evidence Of sympathy
for the survivors Of the Maine and the
families Of the victims came to hand
at the Navy Department today In the
shape OF check for $500 from President
Dole Of Hawaii. The money was turned
into the Maine Relief Fund.
1t IL denied at the Navy Department
that any request has been made upon
the Newport News Ship building Com
pany to hasten the launching of the bat
tleships Kearsarge and Kentucky, ret
Tor the 24th of this month. All that the
department has done in the matter is to
authorize a delay Of ten days in the ex-
ecution Of the contract for dredging the
Norfolk Navy Yard, In order that the
contractor might employ his plant to
clear away the silt that has accumu-
lated In front OF the launching ways
uponwhich the two big battleships now
lie-" Tire contractor will get at this work
on March IA. and must finish by the
24th. It Ii said at the department that no
purpose would be served by Fastening
the launching Of the battleships. as a
large part of the fitting out Of q shin is
more speedily performed while she IL on
the ways than when she II afioat.
These two battleships. the largest ever
built for the United States Navy, are
to be completed and turned over to the
government within ten months, under
the terms Of the contract, II finished.
They are now under construction by
the Newport News Ship building Com
pany and are to be launched on the
24th instant.
statement issued by the Bureau Of Con-
80 uy&r A. ~
per cent finished.
The company, prominent naval Of
hcer said today, would have to work
hard and disregard the S-hour-a-day
rule in order to complete them In con-
tract time. The coal mining companies
throughout the country, especially those
near the seaboard, have been prompt ii,
their offers to the Navy Department to
furnish coal In the event Of trouble with
Spain. and the department has taken
steps to ascertain the probable supply
and its location, etc., available, in the
case Of an emergency. This comes under
the duties Of the Bureau of Equipment
and. aside from the steps above noted,
the oficials will not admit that any
thing unusual has been dones ,e,
Captain Bradford. the Chief Of the
bureau, said today, however, that no ex-
traordinary contracts for GOAL had been
entered Into al d result of the excite
ment over the Maine disaster, nor any
greater amount purchased than was
usual for the navy on peace footing.
WAR PREPARATIONS
NEW YORK March 3.--There IL a
continuance Of the activity at the New
York arsenal. The shipping Of shells
and other projectiles to the fortifications
about the harbor continues. At the
army headquarters there are no new de-
velopments and no orders out OF the cus-
tomary routine are expected. It is ex-
pected battery of twenty 12-inch NOR
tars will soon be received ct Sandy
Hook for testing before they are for.
warded to the points for which they are
destined. There are q number Of un-
mounted guns at the proving grounds
awaiting the construction OF carriages.
The supply OF ammunition has been in
crsBssd in all the masasines,
At Sandy Hook there 10 slirht con-
plant among the men who say that too
much work II expected OF too small :
force. A large consignment OF an,muni-
tion including powder and proj4ctIles q
ready for shipment at the ordnance d.
pArtment in the Brooklyn navy yard. Il
wilt be distributed among the vessels 81
the Atlantic squadron.
AZ yet no information has been -
ceived az to what disposition IL 20 be