The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-23

| 80, company. The former concern
otiereo os az "a. 70 supply the powder at the rate
80 a. o1'1a9 cents per pound. Twenty one
lays alter receiving the contract they
WIN pegln delivering the powder at the
rate OF 5000 pounds weekly.
Inc dupont Company bid at 80 .175 cents
PEI pound Tor that 10 be delivered at the
powder arsenal at Dover, N. j.. and "a. liz
cehts per pound for that to be delivered
at the Benecia arsenal, California.
IN day or TWO the ordnance bureau
VIM award the contract for supplying the
department 100000 smokeless nowder rigo
pan cartridges of 40 caliber. Two con.
| Germs submitted bids for furnishing these
| cartridges, the Winchester Arms Com
| pany and the Union Metallic Companv
ooth OF Connecticut. Their bids were sub
| stanually alike, and the contract. prob
ably, will be divided between the two com
| panies.
Inc war department has received in
formation of the arrival at New York of
the steamer Nordkyn, with 500 pounds OF
| foreign smokeless powder aboard. Thjr
powder is for testing purposes at the
Sandy Hook proving grounds Pending
decision on the governments final poIicy.
no oVertures or inIimations have been CON
| Veyed to the Spanish government and
thefe is no official knowledge 8 to how
| SPAN would regard a recognition of Gu
! ban independence or Intervention
Ihe Spanish minister, Senor Polo, re-
quested to-day that statement be made
| that reports attrbuting to him express
| slons on the subject of independence were
| unWarranted and untrue. Senor Polo. SAYS
| he has not discussed this or any other of
the pending questions.
| President Orcutt of the Newport News
Shipbuilding Company talked with Sec
retary Long on the plans for the launching
OF the new battleships Kentucky and
! hearsarge at Newport News next Thurs
! day Owing to the condition of affairs
here, Mr.. Long is not likely to attend the
! launching, as Thursday is the day on
| which the report of the court of inquiry
may be received. For the same reason
many of the naval chiefs, who had hoped
! to see these fine ships glide into the water,
| will be unable to attend the launching. A
distinguished party is to leave here to-
morrow night, however, including mem
bers of the Senate and House naval com
mittees, and such naval officials as are not
| pressed by the present emergency condl-
tons. Mr.. OFcutt stated that the Kcar-
sarge would leave the ways at 10 o'clock
| Thursday morning and the Kentucky one
hour later.
Mrs. Herbert Winslow. wife of Lieut..
Commander Winslow, and Miss Christine
| Bradley, daughter of Gov. Bradley, the
two ladies who will christen the Kearsarge
and Kentucky, respectively, will reach
| Newport News tomorrow
Gov. Bradley and party of 300 Kentuck-
ians will arrive al the same time to do
fitting honor to the ship which bears the
name of their state.
After the launching an hour will be CIV
en- to inspecting the ship yard, including
the work on the big battleship Illinois, and
later COLLATION. VIII be served.
Mr.. Orcutt speaks In the highest terms
of the new batteshps, and says that on
a pinch they could be made ready for SER
vice within eight months and possibly
less.
The negotiations for the purchase of
ships abroad Is going steadily forward, but
there was a regretable disappointment in
this connection to-day. The authorities had
been exceedingly anxious to get the big
torpedo cruiser Tupy built for Brazil. She
is one of the most formidable torpedo
crafts afoat, her size placing her in the
cruiser class while her torpedo armament
gives her the effectiveness of a torpedo boat
and cruiser combined. II was learned posi-
lively to-day, however that the Brazilian
government would not part with the Tupy,
and this closes the efforts for one of the
best ships under negotiation.
In a small measure, this was offset by
the success of the navy department in
securing a trim little Yarrow-built launch,
which though very small will serve as
a harbor torpedo boat. She is one of the
same class of craft as the Moxoto, built
for the Brazilian navy.
The navy department was notified to-
day OF the arrival Of the cruiser Cincin-
natl and the gunboats Castine and VIII
mington at Port Antonio, Jamaica. This
is about the same distance from the south
shore of Cuba as Key West is from the
north shore. The gunboat Marietta an
nounced her arrival at Panama. The
Marblehead has gone from Port Tampa
TO Dry Tortugas.
Capt Barker naval aide to the Secre-
tafy of the Treasury returned to his desk
at the navy department to-day, after a
few days absence He went to Key West
on secret mission, the exact nature of
which has not been disclosed. Inashuch
as he conferred at length with Rear Ad-
IniraI Sicard commanding the North At
lantic squadron, and With Capt. Samp-
son. president of the naval court of in
ouiry investigating the cause of the Maine
disaster, there appears to be good reason
for the inference that his business related
to that affair and its possible conse-
quences.
One of the most active branches of the
navy department just now is engaged in
the enlistment of recruits for various posi-
tions in the service. Yesterday notice was
given by advertisement that recruiting sta
tlons would be opened at number of
cities, mostly on the coast. To-day in re-
sponse to representations that have come
to hand the enlistment bureau gave no
tice that a board of officers would be de-
tailed 10 visit various cities in the vicinity
OF the great lakes, where, it is said, there
are number Of persons who would be
willing TO enter the service. Many of them
are Scandinavians, who have been at sea
In their native country.
FORT CASWELL's BATTERY.