The Portland daily press., 1898-03-10
EMERGENCY PREPARATIONS.
The Question of Purchasing New Vessels
Is Still Open.

The Question of Purchasing New Vessels
Is Still Open.
Washington, March S.-The feature of
the days events was the promptitude
with which the Senate issued the House
bill carrying the appropriation OF $50 ,000.-
600 for the national defense and the haste
with which it was put through the formal
proceedings, engrossed and signed by the
President. While the matter has been
considered, it can be said that the fund
has not been allotted among the various
branches of the government service, each
of these had prepared Tentatively an
estimate for the funds it could dispose of
to advantage, but upon looking over the
ground, the President found it would be
we'll to avoid making the allotment until
the necessity became.apparent. The sum
that can ba proftably spent for warships
cannot even be gussed at with any ap-
Proclamation to accuracy just now. and
the ships are to be first choice in the steps
of defense The Secretary of tie Navy is
making every effort to secure from our
naval attaches and diplomatic offices
abroad all information possible respecting
the number of ships building, their price
and other data. This promises to assis
Captain Brownson, who sailed for South
America today, materially in making
speed with his inquiries UP to this time
not only has the United States govern
ment bought no warsEip, but it has not
even refused an option on one. There are
many applications coming from persons
and firms who desire to sell ships to the
government, but in most of these cases
the craft is not suitable for our needs or
the date of completion is so distant that
it cannot be regarded as worthy OF pur-
chase to meet an emergency.
There is less difficulty experienced in
securing tenders of war material, such as
shot, shell and powder, and the navy de-
partment has almost assured itself OF an
abundant supply of certain kinds of
smokeless powder abroad at short notice.
The officials OF the department are in
daily correspondence with agents of am
munition houses and besides are now
fully acquainted with the plans of domes
tic powder makers for enlarging their
plants to meet an emergency. The repre-
sentatives of the armor- r-making firms are
in consultation with the department.
steadily, generally relative to the supply
of gun forgings and such material for use
in the gunshops here and at Watervlle5,
but the question of armor is receiving
littlo attention as the armor makers re-
port they cannot undertake to turn out
such armor as would be required for
modern hattleship in less than seven
months. It has been said that it will not
be possible to make the armor for these
superb batteships, three IN number, now
building at Newport News, Cramps and
at the Union Iron Works in San Francis
co in time to ronder these ships available
for an emergency that may arise this
year. The statement was made at the
navy department today that the report of
the Maine court of inquiry probably
would come to the department some time
next week. 1t did not appear that it WAS
founded on any direct reports but rather
based on the progress so far made, as re-
yealed bv the change of methods on the
part of the court. Many congratulations
are coming to the White House and the
State Department from all parts of the
country upon the patriotic display in
dealing with the latest phases of the
Cuban question. Among them are many
in character but many are personal AID
directed to the President.
Admiral Sicard has been authorized to
enlist men for the navy. He reported
that he had received applications from