Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-14
AUXILIARY FLEET.
Meeting of the Special Board
Held Yesterday.
A NEW YORK OFFICE
To Be Opened at Once for
Enrolling Ships.
Reasons for Ordering the Helena and
Bancroft from the European Station
Not Made Public.

Washington, March 13.-Today, unlike
last Sunday, when the published state
ments of the desire for the recall of Gen.
Lee, and the protest of the Spanish gov
ernment against sending war vessels
with relief supplies to Cuba, caused
much excitement among official circles,
was comparatively quiet.
There has been no information ber-
ing on the doings of the court Of inquiry
on the Maine explosion received during
the day, or any other dispatches caleu-
lated to cause conferences between the
heads of the various departments. There
were number of the experts of the war
department and ordnance officers at
their desks for a short time during the
morning, to attend to some pressing mat
ters, while at the navy department, the
board on auxiliary cruisers held a final
meeting preparatory to the departure Of
the special board to New York. Secre-
tary Long was at the navy department
for short while He stated late in the
afternoon that there was no news of any
nature for the press, and added in re-
sponse to specific inquiry that nothing
had been received from the court of in
quiry.
The board on auxiliary cruisers met in
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt's room
during the morning. There were present,
in addition to the assistant secretary,
Chief Constructor Hichborn of the bu-
reau of construction and repair; Capt.
Frederick Rogers of the naval board of
inspection and survey; Capt. O'Neill,
chief of the ordnance bureau Lieut..
Sargenat, recorder of the bureau of in
spection, and Lieut.. Peters, of the naval
intelligence bureau
Lieut.. Commander j. D. Kelly and
Naval Constructor Townsey. the latter
now on duty at Cramps ship yards,
were expected, but their orders to at
tend had evidently arrived too late to
permit them to do so. Each Of the bu-
reau chiefs present was able to give the
board some information incident to
work that may be required to fit out
any ships that might be obtained. Sew
eral members of the board as originally
appointed to look into the matter, are
unable to leave tine city at the present
time so it was determined that a special
board, of which Capt, Rodgers will be
president, should be designated to pro-
ceed to New York tonight, to undertake
the work in hand. An office will be
opened at rs Cortland street, New York
city, tomorrow, at which owners and
agents for ships will be invited to make
their proposals for turning over to the
navy such vessels as are of value for
conversion into war purposes. The naval
officials say there will be no difficulty
experienced in obtaining all vessels that
are desired, as there are hundreds avail
able. Thanks to the careful work of the
naval intelligence office, the depart
ment keeps in close touch with the con-
struction of all craft that could be util-
lied in the event of hostilities and just
now 1t has a record of 40 such ships of
all sizes and classes. which will be in
spected and examined, and if their own
ers desire to part with them, number
of these vessels will be taken by the
navy department. A number of the
vessels which have been constructed un-
der the subsidy act of congress are now
engaged in carrying the mails. The
vessels to be examined will include all
classes. from liners to ocean-going tugs,
which can be of very material service
for number of purposes.
Tonnage, draft, speed, conditions of
boilers and machinery and other attri-
butes will figure in the thorough inspec-
tion which will be undertaken by the
board before any chartering or purchas-
ing is recommended. Both the ordnance
bureau and that engaged in the work
of construction and repair are ready to
take their part in fitting out and equip
ping such vessels as may be acquired
At the Washington gun factory there
are now in various stages of construc-
ton no less than $50 guns of formidable
character, on which work Is being done
night and day, with view to their
early completion.
No new guns are being started, but
the entire efforts of the factory are de-
voted to finishing those now under way
A naval officer said there would 1be
enough of them when finished to consti-
tute fair armament for probably 80 or
more auxiliary cruisers, should such a
large fleet be found necessary to supple-
ment the regular warships.
The gunboat Machias, which has just
arrived at Norfolk from the Asiatic sta
tion by way of the Suez canal, has been
found to be in a fair shape. A thorough
overhauling will be unnecessary, and
she will be sent to Boston, where all
necessary repairs can be made to her in