Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-05-05
SHIPS NAY SAL TODAY
Flying Squadron Likely to Put
to Sea at Any Moment. .
The DIXIE AND YOSEMITE
Auxiliary Cruisers Will Leave
the Shipyard.
WILL MOUNT GUNS TODAY
Workmen Now Putting the Finishing
Touches on the Warships. Wealthy
seamen Among the Michigan
Naval Reserves. Fleet to
Guard the Bay.
WILL MOUNT GUNS TODAY

OLD POINT COMFORT. VA. MAY
ION BOARD THE FL, ACSHIo
BRookLYN. OFF FORT MONROE. )
1t IS the general expecta ton herr. ina !.
u.is !ly1ng SQUADRON Will so to sea
Wlunln rWenty-four hours; OF as soon
as the cruiser New Orleans arrives.
Commodore Sch!ey has been notified
that the cruiser Columbia has been de-
tached from the squadron, and that the
ENeW orleans will take her place So
far as fighting ability is concerned.
Inc New Orleans is superior to the CO.
iumoia, being more heavily armed
una WNhout So much free boarl and
upper works to act as a target The
squadron AS now constituted will con-
sist OF the Nassa chu:etts. first class
batrleship; Texas. second class battle
snip: brooklyn. arnored cruiser: New
Orleans, Of type of Raleigh and Gin
clilnati and the Scorpion. a fast ar
tnored yacht, with four 5-inch and four
6-ponnder guns; The Minneapolis
has not been officially detached and
may yet join the squadron. The squad
ron Is now accompanied by first elias
tug, for dispatch and water purposes,
and the collier Sterling.
On the ships today fire and collision
drills We're gone through With in re
marsabIe shape. On the Brooklyn the
TWO score OF hose connections Were
made and the ia rlpa ulns spread in less
than a minute and a quarter while wa
ter was ready to be let into the ma g :
azlnAs. During the collision drill! the
water tight compa rumentlS We're closed,
and the mat to cover a break in the
hull prepared for use i'm less than two
minutes. Lieutenant Commanded Dan
ael Dalehanty. who is to command the
SuaW.anee, arrived here this afternoon.
NAVAL officers ORDERED HERE
Chief Engineer G. w. Roache. re-
tired has been ordered to duty as in
spector OF machinery and vessels at
the shipyard. Both of thesy. officials
are stopping With Mrs Frederick Jones,
on Twenty sixth street.
Assistant Engineer H. NJ. Plunket:.
retired, has been ordered 10 duty as
asasslstant inspector of machinery 1T
the shipyard here.
CHESAPEAKE FLEET
It is learned from a reliable scrrc.
that il the present plans vi the Many
Department are consummated, ami
they will be. the ''CheSapeake Bay Mos
quito Fleet" will be one OF the proba-
bilities of the nettr future. .
Informa tion is received to the eff
feet that Commander Emerson, of the
Maryland naval reserves, who has been
in Washington in conference With the
heads OF the Navy Department, Will
WITHIN the next ten days be called upon
to furnish men from his fine regiment
to man the fleet which lis designed to
guard Chesapeake bay and Potomac
river interests.
The fleet will consist OF two gunboa1s.
two torpedo boats and four sesl:5oin y
tugs. we'll ar-mored and armed. TO be
used for patrolling the entrance to the
bay and for scout duty.
1t cannot be learned at this time What
vessels will comprise this forndab bic lit
tile feet. but. with uhe exception OF the
gunboats. all of the craft Will be Sc
fected from among the number now at
northern navy yards.
The Chesapeake Bay Mosquito fleet
will be subject To this. orders of Conn
mo4dore Schley, although 1T will be COM
manded by one of the navy command
ers.
GUMS FOR -AuXILIARIE1s.
Just where all the ordnance has come
from to equip the large number of aux
iliary Strips with the North Atlantic
sQuadrons has been a source st wonder
to naval officers. Captain O@Ieil. the
chief ,of the ordnance bureau. has final
" expiafned the mystery. He admits
now that the Navy Department three
days after the bartleShip Maine was
destroyed bought every gun 1T coula
secure in British markets. The result
was that the navy soon mad on name
rapid fire guns of three-nch ca!Ibre n
considerable mum bers and siX-pounders
to equip twenty ships If necessary: Al
together the navy has bought abroad
200 guns, about TW enty five being three
inch rifles and the remainder SIX
FOUNDERS.
Efforts to buy five and six-inch rifles
hailed. and had there been any of these
calibres available the ordnance bureau
would have purchased largely. The:e
guns were needed for the large anNll-
larry cruisers of the ST. Paul and Dixie
sat
navy would be extremely short of them
and unable to meet the demand. but
the gun factory has turned tire guns Out
so fast that there is no Longer any
doubt Of the capacity Of the shops t.
meet every call.
Kearsarge and Kentucky and many
guns for the three other hattteships are
nearly. completed and can be used, ii
necessary for other ships that may be
Bought for service with the fleets.
There are now sufficient guns or
supply half a dozen more ships, and
the output Of ordnance will continue
TO meet the demand.
1t will ont be necessary to nouns
Inuzzle-l oading converted rifles on any
OF the new ships, and modern guns viii
e,e supplied for every ship that require:
them.
The last deliveries Of foreign-bough
guns will be made in a few days witt
the arrival of two steamers now bear
ing t1lvm across the ocean.
TORPEDO BOAT MCKEE.
The torpedo boat Mckee has arrived
at the Norfolk navy yard incharge o
a representative of the Columbian Irol
Works her builders. The official tria
the run constituted her governmen
speed TRIAL. Whether or not the per