Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-03-17
TODEFEND THE COAST
Army Officials Make Disposition of
Our Land Forces.
New Military Departments Are
Formed-Senator Proctor Returns
and Is observation-disclosures sun.
day i'm Washington.

Washington, March 14.-The war de-
| partment Saturday promulgated it's
| order creating the departments of the
| gulf and of the lakes and abolishing
the departments of the Missouri and
| of Texas. The department of the east
| will embrace the states on the Atlantic
| coast to and including North Carolina;
the department of the lakes will include
| Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana,
Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, with
| headquarters at Chicago, and the de-
| partment of the gulf will comprise the
states of South Carolina, Georgia, Flori-
da, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and
| Texas, with headquarters at Atlanta.
Maj. Gen. John X. Brooke will com
mand the department of the lakes and
Brig. Gen. William Graham the depart
ment of the gulf.
Defense of Pacific Coast.
Washington, March 14.-In making
| preparations for the possibilities of the
| future, the navy department has by no
| means overlooked the strategic defense
of the Pacific coast. To guard properly
this important seaboard it has been
| found necessary to send az advanced
guard some distance down the South
! ern Pacific ocean. The battleship Ore
! gon, the sister of the Indiana, and one of
the most powerful vessels in the navy,
has been selected for this work Sec
rotary Long Saturday telegraphed or
ders to her commander through the
commandant of the Mare Island navy
yard, to leave San Francisco and cruise
down the southern coast.
MassinG War Forces.
Gen. Miles has matured plans for the
massing of all available troops, both
infantry and cavalry, at stations along
the Atlantic seaboard. His order to
this effect has already been sent to
Secretary Alger.
Advices have been sent to command
ing officers at interior ports to hold
themselves in readiness to move at
moments notice. 1t is expected thai
within few days the line of defens
will be complete along the entire coast.
Private concerns engaged in doing
government work in the line of fur
nishing guns or ammunition have been
ordered to finish contracts with all pos
sible dispatch.
Preparing to Move Troops.
Washington, March 14.-The govern
ment is perfecting it's plans to make the
movements of troops to the coast de-
lenses, orders for which " ere issued by
the war department on Friday and pub
lished at that time. A conference was
held here Sunday by representatives of
the following railroads, to arrange for
the transportation of light artillerymen
and their accoutrements: The At
lantic Coast line, the Southern railroad,
the Seaboard Air Line, and the Cheese
peake 81 Ohio. 1t was stated that COM
panies of artillerymen, consisting of
about 60 men each would be transferred
from Fortress Monroe, to the following
points: Fort Caswell, on the Cape Fear
river, Ga; to Tybee, near Savannah: to
Fort Morgan, near Mobile, and to Shcri-
dams Point on the Potomac. 1t was
stated also that a company would be
moved from Fort McHenry, Baltimore,
to some point on the Delaware river
near Philadelphia.
Quiet at the Capital.
Washington, March 14.-Sunday was
comparatively quiet. There was no in
formation bearing on the doings of the
court of inquiry into the Maine ex-
plosion received during the day or any
other dispatches calculated to cause
conferences between the heads of the
various departments. There were
number of the experts of the war de-
partment ordnance Office at their desks
for a short time during the morning
to attend to some pressing matters,
while at the navy department the board
on auxiliary cruisers held final meet
ing preparatory to the departure of the
special board to New York. Secretary
Long was at the navy department for
short while. He stated late in the after
noon that there was no news of any
nature for the press, and added in re-
spouse to specific inquiry that moth
ing had been received from the court
of inquiry.
Senator Proctor Returns.
Washington, March 14.-Senator
Proctor, of Vermont, and his compan-
ion, Col Myron NJ. Parker, who have
been spending some time in Cuba, re-
turned to Washington Sunday night at
1885. Senator Proctor was met at the
station by friends and was driven at once
to his residence. Senator Proctor said
that he did not desire to discuss his
trip at present and that further than to
commend the good work Miss Clara
Barton was doing in Cuba, he had said
nothing in the way of an interview.
The Post claims to have had an inter-
view with Senator Proctor, in which the
latter said:
Concerning the cause Of the Maine dis
aster. / feel free to say that such Informal
ton as have obtained indicates that the
explosion was from the outside. 1t does
not show that the Spanish government or
any of its officials in Havana were partic-
ipants in the crime. In the first place, do
not think there were any mines in the
harbor. have not the slightest knowledge
Of what the decision of the naval court of
inquiry will be. or when 1t will reach WASH
ington. Such information as have is en-
tirely of an unofficial character"
Aged Stage-COach Driver Dead.
St. Louis, March 14.-Capt E. b,