The silver lance., 1898-05-06
WAR NOTES.

The War Department has ordered
10000 canvas uniforms.
Five hundred Pueblo Indians want
to enlist to fight Spaniards.
The Spanish torpedo fleet left the
Cape Verde islands on the Goth. Where
they went Is not known.
The torpedo boat Somers could not
get away from England before British
neutrality was declared and is tied up
there
The President issued a proclamation
on the 26th allowing Spanish vessels
until May 21st to leave our ports un-
molested.
Ten thousand guns Of an old style,
but in good order, have been shipped
South from the Rock Island arsenal
for the use Of the Cuban insurgents.
The Red Cross Society's ship State Of
Texas, with nurses and medicines,
reached Key West Thursday from New
York. She will proceed to Sagua La
Grande.
Miss Helen Gould has written to
President Mckinley offering free glft
of 100000 for national purposes. She
offers to double the amount If it is
needed.
The governor of the Philippines, on
the 9th, issued a proclamation max
ing very insulting statements about
American sailors ON the United States
warships.
Secretary Alger has practically de-
cided to accept several hundred colored
volunteers from the southern states,
who are anxious to participate in the
Cuban campaign.
All the European nations of promi-
nence but Germany, Austria and For
tugal have announced an attitude OF
neutrality and Portugal, it is stated,
will soon declare herself.
. The news of the safe arrival at Liv-
erpool of the big American sailing ship
Shenandoah was gladly received at the
department. Consul Boyle at Liverpool
forwarded the information.
The Port Royal dry dock. according
to welcome official information, will be
accessible to our warships, even the
biggest fleet, should they meet with ac-
cident during the campaign.
The City of Paris was sighted four
miles off Fire Island at 2:47 Saturday
morning. Under the rules closing the
harbor at night she could not come up
to quarantine before morning.
The lighthouse tender Mangrove cap
tured the big Spanish steamer Panama
on the 26th. The Panama was on the
way from New York to Havana with
passengers and big cargo.
The government has broken the
backbone Of the Missouri mule trust
by refusing to accept the bids recently
sent in for furnishing these animals
for the army. Now the owners are
scrambling to sell at a lower figure.
Captain Charles Silva, who since the
beginning of the Cuban war has been
employed by the junta in plotting fill
busterine expeditions to the island, has
been ordered by the Navy Department
to report for pilot duty to Admiral
Sampson.
Contracts have been let by Major
Charles A. Booth, in charge of the
supply depot at the United States ar
senal, in st. Louis, to three firms to
make $4,000 pairs of trousers for army
use. Major Booth expects that the con-
tracts will be filled in three weeks.
The secretary of the treasury has
received from the secretary of war es-
Inmates of deficiencies in appropria-
tions for the use of the War Depart
ment for the remaining two months Of
the present fiscal year, aggregating
$34,O19,997.
The Navy Department has complete
ly ceased its purchase of ships for con-
version into war vessels, owing to the
exhaustion of the $5O,OO0,00O war
fund. 1t is confidently expected that
Congress will come to the relief as the
department is still in need of auxiliary
vessels.
Lloyds' advices from Manila say the
American bark Saranac, owned by
William Simpson of New York, which
was captured at Iloilo, Philippine is
lands, by the Spanish gunboat Ell
Cano, was seized after she had unload
ed her cargo of coal at that port, which
was her destination.
Arrangements have been completed
by this government to supply the Gu
ban insurgents with arms and ammu-
milton. The government is preparing
now to land in Cuba from 5000 to 3d.
900 stands of improved Springfield
rifles, a number of artillery batteries,
rapid-fire Maxim guns and an abun-
dance of ammunition for the effective
use Of them.
There are many valuable vessels and
cargoes scattered over the ocean at
the present time which are destined
for New England, or which are owned
in New England, any one of which
may fall into Spanish hands. The cap
tains of many of them cannot possi-
bly, know that a state of war exists
between this country and Spain. There
are twelve barks, seventeen schooners,
several steamers and other craft
Every endeavor is being put forward
by the War Department to organize
the volunteer army and increase the
regular army to its full strength. Mus
tering rolls of the companies of the
volunteer army have been prepared in
the War Department and sent to the of
ficers who have been detailed to form
ally induct the state troops into. the
service of the national government
With few notifications they are the