Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-03-24
CRISIS NEAR At HAND
Court of 'nquiry's Report
Speeding North.
THE DOCUMENT GUARD
White House the Center OF Long and Earn.
est Conf. rencea. War Preparations
Continue Without Abatement.
ON GERS to Leave Havana
(By TsleErRph.l

1
| WASHINGTON March 23.-T,h., feel
ms WAS universal uiHrUu gl,out ofilpial
tcircies today 9na, the o,llnrhs,aIdon of
t Gms Spanish c1:sas was mean at ihssaaxl.
WTlh the Tenno>s-< title IYIaLne scOaIrt of
i1Iu uIry only "a lftsNe while Off with 4a,ta
white House the center of long amd
EARNEST conference Between THE Pnes,-
demo aulot THE parry let,ders of Couecrss.
WHih the exceptional a,cuivNty toward
emergency preparations i'm the Wrar and
| navy departments there was s.,h,,n.Js
tance or evidence that definite results
regarding the 'Maihe disaster and tIt1e
Cuban question i'm general Were sa,bo,rt
to be reached. Annong alle PRESIDENT
Callers We're Senators Cock reil, Tl1-pie
and Foraker. General Dam sicl1!es, for
| mer minister Ito AIaluid. and Represen-
EaG.Se w. Alden Smith, of MICHIGAN,
| VINO has recently returned from a "trip
to ouba The call OF Messrs. Cock
rell ami INlrpie was regarded r,e, par
ticularly Significant, as they ARE repre-
| sentative Democrats i'm the Senate, and
their visit followed that of Sena tor
GIorinan yesterday. 1t was generally
| understood shat i'm tine present emer-
sency the President desires patriotic
Unity without reference ito party Sec
reaIlses Long and Alger also conferred
with the President during tine day
Secretary long said later THAT THE
Mamie report would p1toIbaaibly reach
WaShin gton tomorrow night. If how
Ii1Nl,:day evening. MT. Long said lhe
wouiu prOpa lily mot receive it until
t'liday morning, when nit would be laid
before the President irlum edlajtely The
secretary did q,vt think the President
would give the document any consider
alton AIT "a nate hour tomorrow. Tt was
more Probable, he Thought, if Leuten-
ant 'AlaTix arrived at a late hour, that
he would take the report to hotel
for the might
There has been mo change I'm the
plan of se,ndEng the report to Congress
ga MY Next week, probably AIondny.
accom- nied by q message from .,tdle
President. 1t us definitely settled. aDow-
ever, that the message and the papers
accom- anyrfng it viii relate eNcllr:iveil
to the Maine disaster. 1t Will mot take
up the Fearful condition of affa hrs i'm
Cuba, as shown Wy THE reports of Uni
ted States consTls, these being reserved
for subsequent action and a, later mes
sage NO Congress Secretary Jsoalg de-
ternMIled today ITO order tie dJuble talg-
rehed monitors Puritan and Terror to
Key West, where they will reinforce the
squadron i'm those waters. He also de-.
ternined ITO bring .larto service the eifzllks
single turreted monitors ait League
Island navy yard. Philad elphEa, two of
Which will be sent to Boston, two to
New York, and four' held tn reserve at
Philadelphia. The Puritan and Terror
take the place OF THE battleships Mas
sachusettis and Texas. recently with
drawn from the squadron at Key West.
1t was stated alt the Navy Depart
ment that this move was I'm accordance
With a program previously aGree ed upon.
although this program has not been
announced ,heret ofore- The Puls. tam, by
| many experts, is regarded as the most
formidable fighting machine i'm ttihe ma
Wy.
In addi'tion to its other preIpara tiOnS
for possible trouble, the Navy Depart
no iyty1
ten of the sea- going revenue cutters
for use along the Atlantic coast Cap
'ualIn Shoemaker. chief on the revenue
cutter service, conferred with ASSi9ta n,
Secretary Roosevelt DURING the day Gun
THE plans for turarirlg over these cutters
to the navy They will first be sent
ITO Norfolk where adds tionah guns, w;ll
be mounted, and Then Will proceed to
Key West and become Ia part of the
tclu dron There. Their MAIN service.
fit,tsveu'. N,sNl De as naval piclSrts,
cllai,El OF these fleet cutters being MAIN
i2fred outside of the cruisers and bait
tleeslips.
The revenue cutter service NOW has
ready for instant and active service
100 lime officers, "A EN- giIleeTS, 900 en-
t!l:ited men and 10 vessels, of which Ia
are cn the Atlantic coast. Two others
are in course of construction ait CleVe-
!aEfd, and with rush work can be com
pleted and ready for sea. in from so to 4o
llcfSS luz 'Sl!diWlIIFS, lfie STiSSuidiii, uiiS
sAlgcnquin. the Onondhs ga and the Win
dom, are a! new, fast and efficient YES
sells THE Manning lis considered an
IS knot boat. AN OF Them tit is said.
could be quickly converted into torpedo
bcai.s or Dynamite cruisers. Wtheth er
THIS last move will be made lis not def
hril'tely decided. Secretary Long said
today lit had become evident THAT tor
pedo boats ccIld not be bought abroad.
ard could not be buNlt soon enough i'm
this country. so that we might have
to equip other craft with torpedoas.
The Navy Department opened bids
i!cday for extensive Improvements ait
Dry Tol'tu gas and Key West, a formal
transfer having been effected. as re
CARDS Tol-tugas, which passed from the
Treasury to the War Department.
These consist OFF two solid steel piers
to be constructed MT Dry Tortugas,
with two extensive coal sheds, ard an
| elaborate mechanical equipment for
| lcafhsDg naval vessels With COAL. AT
Key West THE improvements consist OF
"a steei pier and two coal sheds. with
Sina!laT machinery for qoadiung warshilps
with coal. The bids ranged from ST..
| la1,OG0 for THE entire work down ITO
| about $500, 000 Among the Bidders fer
| the Dry To14tugas piers and COAL sheds
was the S. S. Leonard ConISaEly. of
Jackson Wide. $2747OO. On the Key West
work the S S. Leonard C%ornpany's bid
| was $1SS. 900. Two bids We're made for
the entire work at TH'tugas and Key
West. as follows: r. G.. Packard. ST..
| 151 00G and EsaHa,ttan & Jennings, New
York. s797, 900. Other bids were Made for
she machinery. tracks, coal cars. etc.
| The award WIN be made wit;hfGl the
raNt day or two.
| Representative Marsh, chairman of
1.-THE House COMMIT tee on MILITARY. CALL
ed upon Secretary ALger to-day and
urged that in the event of hostiGitdes
the first recourse of THE government
for sis.l.ers be the State nliiEt!a, who
s'ho1lM be invited TO volunteer for the
1 colm:n,y's defense.
Secretary A!ger was very mulch inter
las,tesf i'm t'le arguments made by Mr..
liAla!'ct taad while mot committing Hmm
lseFf en- that subject, seemed to re-
gard tine snlggeestiens made by him as
lpractrayloIe Afterwards Mr.. M.ln,sh
ca;!red ON President MCKINLEY and re-
peatetF the STATEMENTS l,e had made
to the secretary.
4 During THE nrorqldrlg Secretary Alge,
Was also In conference with Gennq,ai
liAIihes commanding the army. respect.