Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-15

element kept the company at it's full ca
pacity, but that government orders would
be filed without reference to these private
obligations. the company has a force of
twenty-five hundred men. and by working
ten hours day, with several shifts, it is
believed that the government could be sup
Piled with rifles at a very rapid rate. A
large number of Winchesters could be sup
piled at once.
Contracts for Transportation.
BIS were opened in the quartermaster's
office of the War Department today for
transporting some of the artillery batter; 4
that ar, to men the fortification works re-
Gently completed. The batteries for whose
movements bids were opened include the
following: Battery L, 4th Artillery, from
Fcrt McHenry. Md. to Fort Delaware; Bat
terry l. 18th Artillery, from Washington, d.
g, barracks to Fort Mott near Fort Della
Monroe to Sheridan's Point, on the Poto-
mac: Battery 1, ID Artillery. from Fort
Monroe to Fort Caswell, near the mouth of
the Cape Fear river: Battery F, 1st Artil-
lery, from Fort Monroe to Tybee Island
Ga: Battery l, 1st Artillery. from Fort
Monroe to Fort Morgan, Ala.
Other movements fer which bids will be
opened at the nearest available headquar-
ters are the band, headquarters and Bat
terry c of the 1st Artillery, from St. Au-
gustinc to Sullvan's Island, Charleston
harbor; Light Battery B, 4th Artillery, from
Fort Riley, Kan, to jackson barracks, La; {;
Light Battery F, 4th Artillery, from Fort
Riley to Fort Monroe; Light Battery F, 5th
Artillery. from Fort Riley TO Savannah,
Ga. The light battery at Fort Sam Hous-
tan, Texas, viii go to Galveston. A num-
Der of the railroads operating in the ter
ritory covered by these movements submit
ted bids, the awards of which will be an
noUnced later.
The moven ents in New York and New
England as q result of the recent orders
are: 9Th Actillery-Two batteries from Fort
Slccum TO Fort Hancock, one battery from
Fort Wadsworth to Fort Hancock. and one
battery from Fort Hamilton to Fort Han
cock. ID Artjilery-One battery from Fort
Adams to Long Island Head.
The Pennsylvania railroad was awarded
the contract for carrying the troops from
barracks to Fort Mott and
from Fort McHenry to Fort Delaware and
the Seaboard Air Line, from Fort Monroe
to Forts Morgan, Caswell and Tybee Island.
Artillery for the Militia.
Inspired by the war sentiment prevailing
III many parts OF the country, officers OF
state militia organizations have been in
qCiring of the War Department as to al
lotments of arms. ammunition, ETC.. in the
event of trouble. There is an annual ap-
Iropriation, aggregating about s4O0, 900,
that is allotted among the militia of the
several states. according to their numeri-
cal strength.
be expended for any branch of the service
desired That feature which has received
some attention lately relates to the artil-
lery field pieces, only q few states OF which
have been supplied with this necessary ad-
jLnct to successful military service. The
Militia organizations have, as rule, been
satisfied with the ordinary Napoleon L.
FOUNDER brass cannon, wnicn fires solid
ball, but their use has been almost entirely
discarded in the regular army. OF late
years the states Of New York, Illinois,
Pennsylvania, Vermont, Utah and few
other states have been furnished with the
new field artillery pieces used by the War
Department III its service. The officials are
prompt to aCceGe to the requests of the mi
iitIa organizations if their allotment of the
annual appropriation made by Congress is
not exhausted; but in the absence of any
money on hand to the credit of the states
no equipment of any character can be
given them. The artillery strength of the
state militia organizations in time of peace
is four field pieces and in time of war six
pieces.
Designs for Torpedo Boats.
The agent in this country of the Thorny-
croft Torpedo Boat Company of England,
Mr.. Platt has submitted to Secretary Long
q proposition for the sale 10 the govern
ment of designs and complete working
drawings for the five torpedo boat destroy
srs built by his firm. Predicting that the
would find it absolutely i'm
possible to buy any of these craft in Eu-
rope at this juncture Mr.. Plat has urged
the propriety Of having the government
here start Immediately a number of our
firms in ths construction Of
these boats. The particular pattern is that
OF the torpedo boat destroyer Fame, built
for the British government. This craft,
the type of those SO strongly desired by the
Navy Department just nov, is of more tnan
80 knots speed and 800 tons burden, large
enough to be thoroughly seaworthy, and
carrying sufficient coal at economical speed
to run 1900 knots. This is an advantage
lot possessed by any of our boats, the i'm
poi tdiCe VI Is by the
diffculties confronting the efforts of the
Spaniar ds to get their torpedo boat notilla
across the Atlantic to Cuba. Based Upon
the statements Of shipbul,ders who have
been approached on the subject the depart
ment has satisfied itself that a number Of
these boats can be built iE from six tc
eight months.
We now have under construction in the
United States four boats rated at thirty
kI OTIS, but with the exception of the one
built at the Union iron works, which is 90
per cent advanced toward completion, very
little progress has been made In their con-
struction. One of the beats is building at
Harlan & Holl:ngsworth's, one at the Gas
Engine and Power Company and one at
Wolff & Zwickers, Portland, Oregon.
Work ut Recruiting Stations.
The navigation bureau of the Navy De-
partment is receiving reports of the results
Of the efforts making at the various re-
cruti1g stations to obtain men for the
Eavy. Twenty boys have been received on
board the receiving ship Wabash at Bos-
ton, ard thirty will be enlisted in day or
two. All will be transferred to the train
Ing station at Newport. Owing 20 the linn