Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-14
WAR SHIPS BOUGHT
Continued from First Page.)

cinity. When the vessels leave that section
the War Department will furnish a detach-
ment of troops The exact details of the
plan have not been agreed upon.
Acquisition of the New Cruisers.
The two Brazilian Vessels acquired by
the United States will be extremely useful
additions to the United States navy in
either war or peace. They are steel,
sheathed and coppeIed, with twin screws.
and so will be the first of the cruisers in
our navy to embody that most useful fea-
ture of naval COZ s1Iuction, sheathing, for
which Chief Constructor Hichborn has so
earnestly worked for so many years past.
He finally succeeded in having some of
the smaller gunboats constructed on this
principle.
The Amazonas is rated at 5000 tens dis
placement, with an Indicated horse power
under natural draught of 1900. which g
calculated to develop twenty knots speed.
Thus while the ship is about the size or
the Charleston, she is much faster. Her
armament is also much more formidable.
rot much in Caliber. for the main bat
terry is made up of six 6-inch guns. but these
guns, as well as the 4.7-inch guns. are of
what is known as 50-caliber length, giving
them an UnI sual range and power. IN ad-
ditiOn to this she has ten Six-roundcr
quick-firing guns, four one-pounders, four
Maxim machine guns and two boat OF field
guns. The torpedo tubes are three in num-
Der.
The coal capacity is $50 tons, giving her
an effective steaming radius of 5000 knots,
a most valuable feature. inasmuch as II
would enable the ship to cross and recroSs
the Atlantic without coaling. Such yes
sells used as commerce destroyers would
! be vastly more effective than what appear
| to be more powerful crafts because OF their
| ability to get along on long cruises with
| out touching in at neutral ports 10 coal,
| and thus exposing themselves to capture
The cruisers carry no armor in the ordl-
| nary sense, but their machinery Is pro
| tected from the fire of guns by an arcned
| steel deck just below the water line. vary
| ing in thickness from IL to 3.5 inches. The
| battery has an unusual train. being ar
/ ranged to fire three ahead and three astern
/ of the principal guns
Movement to the COnst.
| The War Department Is perfecting Its
| plans for the movement of infantry and
! cavalry troops from interior posts to the
| newly established Notifications along the
, Atlantic and gulf coasts, where they Will
| be employed in assisting the artillery gar
, Iisons recently established at the various
| coast defenses Satisfactory arrangements
: have been made with the representatives OF
| various railroads for the transportation OF
| the troops and their accouterments Bat
| teries of artillery, sixty men strong eacn'
| will be transferred from Fortress Monroe
| TO each OF the IOHOWlNS
| Fort CasweIl on the Cape Fear river, Ca;
J Tybee near Savannah Ga: Fort Morgan,
| near Mobile, and Sheridan's Point, on the
| Potomac just below Washington city "A
| battery will be sent from Fort McHenry,
| Baltimore to a point on the Delaware river
| below Philadelphia.
| 1t has been arranged at the War Depart
| ment that all volunteer soldiers who may
I be added to the army shall be armed with
| the latest improved Winchester rifle OF 81
.caliber. This arm was selected for the rea-
| son that 1t would be more serviceable in
| the hands of inexperienced troops than the
1 more complicated Krag-JorgenSen rifle oil
| the regular service.
| Money Wanted by Secretary Alger.
| Two estimates of appropriations to meet
the cost of the recently authorized addition
of two regiments of artillery to the army
| were sent to Congress today by Secretary
Alger. One was for a supplemental esti-
mate of 1891 1874 for the appropriation fol
the pay of the army for the next fiscal year
and the other was for a deficiency of 1854, :
| 40 in the current year appropriation to
defray the added expenditures for the re-
mainder of this year.
Vessels to BE Brought Here.
Secretary Long said this afternoon thai
two cruisers had been purchased from tht
Brazilian government, but refused to state
the cost or give any other details. The yes
building by the Armstrong; of England
\ Arrangements will at once be made fol
| their transfer to the United States.
| 1t has been inaccurately stated that ont
of the vessels is the Admiral Bleu. Hel
| actual name Is Abreuall