The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-03-14
FLUSHING WORK AT NEWPORT.
Torpedoes Being Prepared-A Vessel Load
 of Powder Arrives.

of Powder Arrives.
 Newport, R. l., March 13.-There has been the greatest activity to-day at the torpedo station in preparing charges for torpedo outfits and also in perfect ing the defenses at the entrance of Narragansett Bay. In the machine shops at the station the lathes cutting the shell for fuses and primers were run to their full capacity, while extra hands were in the fuse room loading and packing. Hands have also been taken on in the gun cotton and smoke less powder rooms which are being pushed to their full capacity. The gun cotton plant has been making only enough of it's product to keep the smokeless powder plant supplied, but now it is working up the surplus as we'll as keeping up the supply for the running of the powder mill to it's full capacity as under recent orders.
 Powder and Torpedos.
 In the magazine at Rose Island there are several thousand pounds of Dupont cotton purchased at the time of the burning of the factory here. To-mor- row another consignment of Whitehead torpedoes will come from the Bliss company works in Brooklyn. The tor pedo boats Gwynn and Talbot had steam up ready to be turned over to the officers and crew who are expected tomorrow. The new type of torpedoes which will be issued in a few days will require double the charge of those here tofore served to the navy. Early this morning the torpedo boat Stiletto re- turned quite unexpectedly from New York, where she had been all winter for tests of her oil burning furnaces. She came up under this sort of fire and her stacks famed considerably. It is assumed that she will be used for car- irving smokeless powder down to New York as soon as it is produced here. The last shipment was on the Leydon Hast week and comprised 4,000 pounds for six inch pieces.
 Work on Defense Batteries.
 For the defense of the bay the mor- tar battery at Fort Adams and the twelve-inch battery at Dutch Island on the other side of the bay are the prin- cipal points where work is being push < ed. Carriages of the mortar batteries at Fort Adams are in the pits but await some improved parts before they
 are complete. The mortars have not yet arrived, although couple of car- loads of shells are in the city awaiting s transportation to the fort. The Schroed- ! er-Buffinton disappearing carriages are E ready for assembly in supplements at Dutch Island and men are kept busy moving up the big twe1ve-inch rifles < to mount on them.
 Vessel Load of Powder.
 A vessel load of powder arrived at k Fort Adams to-day and another lot is expected soon by rail. This morning E there arrived several tons of cables for % submarines for both the middle and & west passages of the bay. Mines, an- < chors and firing apparatus are already at hand, but no members of the regu- x lar army engineer corps have yet made x their appearance to plant the mines. z During the past week plans have been E worked up for laying a telegraph ca ss ble to Dutch Island from the Connecti- ~ cut shore which will connect with lines Y here by telephone cable. It will then s be a small job to cut into the tele- E graphic circuit, some of the telephone < wires from here to Fort Adams. Off 5 cers at the fort have been locating f range finder stations for several days
 but their places are kept secret, but it is said that some are in summer resi-
 dences, which hold commanding views.