The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-22
DEFENSE OF DRY TORUGAS
COUNCIL AT THE WAR OFFICE
TO DISCUSS THE PROJECT
As the Work Will Require Two
Years and Cost a Million Dollars,
the Secretary Is Disposed to Go
Slow, Unless the Improvement Is
an Actual Necessity-MOre Bids
for Coast Defense PrOjectiles.


WASHINGTON, March 21.-An i'm
portant conference was held in the Of
flee of the secretary Of, war TODAY in
regard to the fertilization of Tortugas
harbor. There We're present Secretary
Aiger, Assistant Secretary Roosevelt,
OF the navy department: Gen. Miles,
General Wilson, chief Off engineers and
Col. Henry M. Robert, corps of engi-
neers. The last named officer was sta
toned on the Florida district many
years ago In charge of river and har-
Dor works and Notifications, and his
advice therefore is valuable as to the
details involved in the establishment Of
coallng station at Tortugas and the
construction of Notifications and har-
Dor defenSeS
A troublesome question has arisen in
connection with the proposed system
OF Notifications at Tortugas. The en-
gineer corps, which has been investi-
gazing the matter, reports that it will
cost about $1,000,000 and take nearly
two years to put the island in a proper
state OF defense from attack, and Sec
rotary Alger and his associates hest
tate to embark on an undertaking Of
that extent unless the navy depart
ment considers the work absolutely
necessary.
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt rep
resentlng Secretary Long, was not pre-
pared to assume the responsibility
without further consultation with the
naval officers especially interested in
the establishment Of the coaling sta
ton, and definite action was postponed
in order to give him an opportunity to
| investigate the matter further and re-
port as to the advisability of the pro-
posed engineering works at this out
post of the United States
The ordnance office of the war de-
partment presented a very busy scene
today when bids were opened for fur
nishing the department about 1000 cast
iron projectiles for sea coast cannon
with which to supply the Notifications.
The advertisement called for 1877 ten
! inch shot, 900 twelve-inch mortar shells
weighing 800 pounds each, and SOC
twelve-inch mortar shells weighing
1000 pounds each.
Many bidders.
An unusually large number of firms
bid for the contract and the prices at
which they proposed to furnish the
projectiles showed wide range The
companies bidding included:
The johnson Engineering and Foun-
dry company, Rearic Engineering COM
pany, of Columbus, O.; the Phoenix
Foundry Manufacturing company of
Lansdale, Pa; the Vulcan Iron COM
pany, Of Chicago; the West Point
Foundry company, the Wyman Ma
! chine company, of Lebanon, Pa; the
Pulaski Foundry and Machine COM
| pany, of Pulaski, Va; William P Hunt
or Boston, Mass; the Petersburg, Va
| Iron works; the Rome, N. Y, machine
works; the Builders Iron Foundry
Providence, r. l.; the ,Pottsville, Pa,
Iron and Steel company, and the Balk
q Murdoch Iron company, of Charles
| ton, S. c.
So far as figures are concerned. the
| Petersburg Iron works was the lowest
bidder, although there may be certain
| conditions to prevent them from get
ting the contract.
The orders of Gen. William M. Ora
| ham, assuming command of the new
military department Of the Gulf. have
| been received at the army Headquarters
| here. 1t is said here that no imne-
| date movements of troops as a result
of the change Of the lines of the mill
| tary divisions recently put into effect
Is contemplated, but that the move
ments for the present will be confined
! to the transfer of artillery troops to
| man the Notifications recently COM
| pleted.
Capt. William p. Duvall, Of the Fifth
artillery, has reported at the war de-
partment under orders for temporary
duty in the offices of the secretary OF
war and the major-general command
ing the army. Capt Duvall is instruc-
tor In practical military exercises at
the artillery school, Fort Monroe, and
| is regarded as an expert in all matters
| pertaining to the artillery branch OF
the service. He has been promoted to
his present grade as a result of the re-
cent increase Of artillery regiments.
Although not officially admitted at
the department, itais generally under
stood that he was summed to Wash
lngton to confer with the military au-
| thorities on questions involving the
employment of the artillery in active
work along the Atlantic and Gulf
| coasts: o.