The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-11-23
SHOULD WAR AGAIN COME
UNCLE SAM rs PREPARED.
Plenty Of Our Fighting Ships Are In
Readiness TO DO Business n Hos
tilities Are Resumed.

NEW YORK. Nov. MA dispatch 10
mo Herald from Washington says:
Though confident that hoetilltlss win
not be resumed. Secretary Long has
made It . point since the peace protocol
was signed TO place the mon Of war In
the service In the best possible eOndi-
ton. During the LATTER part Of last week
Instructions were sent 70 the command
ants Of the navy yards at which ships
arc undergoing repairs directing them
TO expedite the completion OF the vessels
IN order that they might be In eondl-
ton for immediate use should develop
opnents in the international situation
require their immediate use
The departments attention was nrst
directed % the battleships and armored
cruisers, and a. q result Of the extra
work put upon them they are well Gd-
vanced and some are ready for service
The Indiana is the only arnor clad
which Is now undergoing extensive re-
pairs, and in case Of necessity overtime
work would promptly place her in con
dition 70 join the squadron to be sent
to Spain.
Secretary Long Is now endeayoring to
get the smaller vessels away from the
navy yards. He has given instructions
to conlrnandants OF navy yards to rush
the smaller cruisers and gunboats. which
are wanted for service IN Cuban and
Porto Rican waters for patrol purposes.
The decision not to use the old single
turreted monitors for service in southern
waters has caused the officials to look
around for more servieeable vessels, and
the smaller cruisers and gunboats will
be used for that purpose 1t Is author
itatively stated that no overtime work
has been authorized on any OF the ships. |
exceptln the case Of the Indiana, and this
was only for a few hours each day.
So far as the North Atlantic squadron |
Is concerned. therefore. It would not take
long to mobilize strong feet. The New
York is now at Hampton Roads. fully
coaled and ready for sea; the armored |
cruiser Brooklyn and the battleship Mas
sachusetts. which are at New York. can
sail within very short time. and the
second class battleshlp Texas is having
her propeller repaired.
Besides these vessels. the department
would probably attach to a feet to be
sent abroad the cruiser New Orleans.
which viii be ready for service in the
course Of few weeks several gunboats
and fleet OF golfers. The battleships
Iowa and Oregon. which are at Rio. are
also available for operations in Spanish
waters. being about the same distance
from Spain as are ~ ships now at
New York.
Should hostilities be resumed. It is
expected that Secretary Long will again
call together the naval war board, con-
sisting OF Rear Admiral Sicard. Captain
and Captain Mahan Be
fore the adjournment Of the board plans
had been prepared for the dispGtch OF
Rear Admiral Sampson and a squadron
under his command to the Spanish coast.
II was not contemplated last August
that the Canaries should be seized. but
there is reason to believe that If the
peace negotiations are interrupted with.
the authorities will seriously consider the
advisability of directing the capture Of
these islands.
The Withdrawal Of the Spanish commits
from Paris would be the signal
for the dispatch OF instructions to Rear
Admiral Sampson to come north on the
gunboat Topeka and resume duty as
commander in chief Of the North Atlantic
squadron. It may be that as the result
of an agreement between Spain and the
United States. decided through the me-
dium Of the French government, the pro
tocol referring to the evacuation Of Cuba
would be carried out without molestation
on the part OF the American men Of war.
Rear Admiral Dewey would send his
vessels to destroy Spanish Notifications
at Ilollo; troops would be transported to
that point and the city would be coupled.
with the fall of this point, the last Span
ish stronghold in the Philippines would
have disappeared and it would be an
easy task to station troops among the
various islands to protect American in
terests. Besides the PPhalipplnes, the
American men of war would also hoist
the flag over the Carolines.
1t viii be impossible for Spain to pre-
vent the United States from carrying out
its will. either in the Atlantic or in the
far east In expectation Of the arrival
of the German emperor oud for the pur-
pose Of impressing him, as well as the
people of Spain with the size OF the rem