The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1898-05-01
COAST PATROL FLEET.

COAST PATROL FLEET.
Will Be on Duty OF This Coast
and May Cruise Outside
! the Hook.
I Now that Spanish warships may be-
expected to put in an appearance from
almost anywhere, people hereabonts are
beginning to wonder when the coast
patrol boats are to go on duty.
Captain Frederick Rodgers, President
of the Board on Auxiliary Cruisers. gives
some information OH this poilit. Captain
Rodgers said that many Of the Yachts
and tugs that ale to be used in this SER
vice are ready now.
Some Of them are at the Brooklyn
/ Navy Yard, and some at The yard at
League Island. Captain Rodgers said that
all the vessels intended for patrol service
will be ready this week.
At the Brooklyn Navy Yard there are
six vessels which will probably be de-
tailed to patrol the coast and do other
dc ence duty near New York.
| These vessels are the cruisers San
Francisco and New Orleans, the monitor
Nahant, the auxiliary cruiser Yankee,
and the converted yachts Thespia and
Restles, recently purchased by the Coy
eminent.
The san Francisco and New Orleans,
Captain Rodgers thinks, will probably
be assigned to cruising duty outside
Sandy Hook.
7 These vessels will be ready for sea in
about week. The Yankee will be
designated as the flagship of the patrol
| fleet of this district
! She will be ready as soon as the crew
assigned from the New York naval re-
serve report aboard of her which will
be on Monday.
The Nahant, which will be stationed
in the lower bay, will be ready on ! Oh
day or Tuesday.
The Thespia and Restless, which, ac-
"prding to the present plan. will look
out for the coast line OF New York and
northern New Jersey, will be ready in a
few days.
I As fast as these vessels are ready for
sea they will be sent out to patrol the
station to which they have been as
signed.
The WASP, another converted yacht,
has gone out and a couple Of tugs Lave
left League Island.
Ii Capt. Rodgers knew the stations of
these boats he did not reveal them.
The Auxiliary Board has reported that
the Government had accepted the offer
of L. Augustus Scliermerhorns steel
single screw yacht Free Lanee.
There were no ifs or butts to Mr.. Scher-
merhorn's offer. n
He simply informed the Secretary of
the Navy that he had given the yacht to
the Goyernmelt and held her subject to
the orders of the Navy Department.
should the gilt be accepted.
He further stated that he would de-
liver her, free OF COST to the Govern
ment, at any point that might be desig-
mated.
In accepting the offer Secretary Long
said that he would be grateful il the
yacht could be sent to the Brooklyn
Navy Yard
Accordingly, Mr.. Schermerhorn telc-,
graphed 10 Capt. Horace Walk skipper OF
the Free Lance, at Grpenport, L. L., to
take the boat to the navy yard as soon
as her upholstering, fixtures and every
thing portable had been removed.
The Free Lance has been lying in the
Glrenport Basin all winter. Capt. Vail
received his orders early yesterday after
noon, and by sunset everything portable
on the yacht had been removed and
stored.
As the yaclt is unable, at present, to
proceed under hcr own steam, she has
been tnwed to the navy yard. "a
The Free Lance was built in 1898 by
Lewis Nixon at Eiizabethport, after
designs OF a. Cary Smith. She has a
displacement of 1872 tons and an average
speed Of something oye~ eighteen knots.
She has made twenty knots under
forced dlaught. She is 1871 feet over all,
100 feet on the water line, 20 feet beam
and feet draught She is fitted with
light expansion engines and water tnbe
boilers.
Naval Constructor Tawresey and Chief
Engineer Dixon have inspected the yacht
Huntrcss, owned by f. c. Fowler Of
Fast Haddam, Conn.
Passed Assistant Engineer Danforth
and Ships Carpenter Barton inspected
the Clyde liner Conanche and the
Mallory liners Alamo, Leona, and Comal.
Fred B. DaIzell has offered to the board
all the boats of the Excelsior Steamboat
Company for transports or supply boat.
There are three of these b, ais, the
propellers Lolita and Aurora and the
sidewheeler Victor The Lolita and
Victor can carry about 400 passengers
and the Aurora about 500. The offer
will be accepted by the government.