The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-26

captain SnOemaker, cflieI OF the revenue
cutter service, was busily engaged to-day
in making assignments of officers to the
revenue cutters detailed yesterday for de-
fensive service along the Atlantic seaboard
Every vessel in the service available for ac-
ton has been, or will be, assigned to duty
Even the new cutter Gresham, on the great
lakes. and the little cutter Calumet, located
at Chicago, have been called on, and in a
day or two both the lake ships will be en-
route to the rendezvous at Hampton Roads
They will make the trip to the Atlantic
seaboard through the ST. Lawrence river.
The commanders of the revenue cutters
have been notified by wire to be in readiness
to move soon as their general orders are
received. The revenue cutters which will be-
ordered into service and their present sta.
tions are as follows: The Woodbury. al
Portland, Me-; the Hamilton, Philadelphia
the Hudson, New York; the Manning Bos-
ton; the Calumet, Chicago; the Gresham,
Milwaukee; the Morrow. Wilmington, N.
c., and the Window, Baltimore.
Captain Shoemaker was of the opinion
that it would require about week for all
Of the vessels to reach Hampton Roads, or
rather Norfolk. which will be their Off
cial rendezvous. At the navy yard there
the vessels will receive their equipment,
guns, ammunition, torpedoes and supplies
and will make such other preparations as
are necessary for lighting service The new
cutter Gresham, recently built at Cleve-
land in a brief time can be transformed
into a formidable commerce destroyer or
torpedo boat. She was built expressly for
such an emergency she is now called
upon to meet She is equipped for tor
pedo tube and can carry ugly battery
of rapid-fire guns All of the vessels are
hrst-rate seagoing craft and all of them
are fitted with small but effective batter
les. Their speed varies from fourteen to
twenty knots. All officers of the revenue
cutter service now on duty with the life
saving service are being withdrawn to-day
and assigned TO duty on the vessels ordered
to Norfolk. Their orders are made imme-
diately effective in every case and they will
report to the commanding officer of the
ships soon as the vessels arrive at Nor
folk
Orders were issued from the Navy De-
partment to-day to the commandant of the
Norfolk navy yard directing him to pre-
pare the revenue cutter vessels for service
He was directed to expedite the work as
rapidly as it could be done efficiently That
the Navy Department officials are anxious
the revenue vessels should be equipped for
duty at an early date was evidenced by
request made upon the revenue-cutter serv-
ice of the Treasury Department for infor-
nation as to the length of time it would
require for the vessels to report at Norfolk
As soon as they are prepared for service
they will be dispatched to Key West and
placed at the disposal of Commodore Samp-
son, in command of the naval squadron at
that station. The cutters will be employed
as scout or picket boats, and will be pre-
pared for both offensive and defensive
service. 1t is thought they will prove to be
pretty formidable ships however, in ag-
gressive tactics. The new revenue cutter
McCulloch left Baltimore several weeks ago
for duty on the Pacific station, going by
way of the Mediterranean set and Suez
canal. She is now somewhere in the vicin-
ity of Singapore, and will be used as a dis
patch boat on the Asiatic station. Unless
present plans are changed a cable message
will be sent to her commander at Singapore,
directing him to proceed to Hong Kong
and place his vessel with officers and crew
under the command of Commodore Dewey,
in charge of the naval forces on the Asiatic
station.
Pending action of the report of the court
of inquiry Lieutenant Commander Mark,
the judge advocate of the court, will be
on special duty in the Office of the judge
advocate general Here he will be available
to supply any information that the Presi-
dent or the secretary of the navy may de-
sire in connection with the proceedings of
the court
The enlistment of men for the naval serv-
ice is progressing satisfactorily at the
Washington navy yard and a good class
of men is being obtained. Heretofore the
enlistments have been confined to ratings
of machinists. seamen and ordinary sea-
men. On the recommendation Of Lieut. j.
N. Robinson, the recruiting officer in charge
of the rendezvous, the Navy Department
has authorized him to include the enlist
ment of coal passers and firemen, so that
now the enlistments comprehend every rat
ing of the enlisted service
Arrangements have been made for putting
the torpedo boats Gwin and Talbot in active
service as soon as possible. These vessels
were built by the Herreshoff Company and
were accepted by the government recently
after satisfactory speed trial They are
now at the torpedo station receiving their
outfit. Lieut.. c. S. Williams was ordered
to-day to duty in connection with the out
fitting of the Gwin and Lieutenant Shoe
maker was ordered to perform a similar
service in the case of the Talbot These
orders are preliminary to placing the officers
named in command of the respective torpedo
boats. which it is expected will be ready for
active service in a few days.
The largest order ever placed by the gov
eminent for cables was given to-day to the
Safety Insulated Wire and Cable Company
of New York, for submarine and under
ground cables connecting all the forts and
islands of New York harbor