Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-03-17

Washington, March Id weeks
negotiations closed yesterday by the
triumphant purchase by the lazy de-
partment in London Of two fine cruIs-
eIs, built and building for the Brazil
ian government. Possibly our officials
took more pleasure in closing up the
business in this manner because OF the
knowledge that Spanish agents had
been striving to secure these ships, TO
whom, it is said, they would be OF
much greater value in case OF trouble
than to the United States. The ques-
ton of how to get the ships home has
not yet been settled, according to the
secretary of the navy. The United
States flag will be hoisted over the new
ships within a week. Just as soon as
a crew can be put aboard the Amazonas
she will start for the United States.
The other vessel will follow at the
earliest possible moment. The terms
of the sale are secret. The vessels Will
be extremely useful additions to the
navy in either war or peace, IN the
opinion of Secretary Long. They
are steel sheathed and coppered, with
Twin screws, and will be the first
cruisers in our navy to embody sheath
ing in naval construction. The ANA
zonas is rated at $500 tons displace-
ment, with an indicated horse power
under natural draught of 1000 which
is calculated to develope a speed OF
twenty knots. While the ship is
about the size of the Charleston, she
is much faster and her armament much
more formidable. Such a vessel used
as a commerce destroyer would be
vastly more effective than more power
full craft, because of her ability to get
along on long cruises without touch
in neutral ports to coal, and
exposing her to capture. The cruisers
are the latest and best products of the
famous Armstrong; yards.
The dangerous deficiency in the en-
gineer branch of the navy has been
brought to light strikingly in the fact
that it is scarcely possible to secure en-
gineers to bring back any ships pur-
chased abroad This state of affairs
has been brought to the attention of
the house naval committee, but so far
1t is feared without meeting the degree
of success which was hoped for in the
shape of an amendment increasing the
number of engineers and officers in
service.
Col. Haywood, commandant of the
marine corps, yesterday made five de-
tails of marines for the cruisers now
being repaired or ready for commits
sion. There are two drafts of SIS each
for the Philadelphia and Charleston at
Mare Island, one of 81 for the Newark
at Norfolk and two of 80 each or the
Columbia and Minneapolis at League
Island.
Senator Proctor yesterday spent half
an hour with Secretary AIger and af-
terward had a conference with Assist
ant Secretary of State Day. Then he
went to the white house and was clos
eted with the president for two hours
and a quarter. When he emerged
from the room he courteously declined
TO speak regarding the nature of the
information that he communicated to
the president.
The ordnance department Of the
army has sent an invitation to all
firms which in the past proposed to
build disappearing gun carriages in
answer to the departments advertise
ment to come forward at this time and
submit on their own behalf proposals
for building such carriages. They are
invited to state how many carriages
they can undertake at one time and
are enjoined especially to state the ex-
act time to be consumed in making
them.
The bureau or ordnance opened bids
yesterday for a large supply of armor-
piercing projectiles and for 100000
rifle ball cartridges. The bidding
brought together number of repre-
Sentatives of large steel and ,ammuni-
tton companies, some of whom took oc-
caslon' to give assurances that in the
present emergency the government
work would be given preference over
commercial orders. Although the de-
partment intends to accept only one
bid, or to divide the order between the
bidders, it afforded satisfaction to the
authorities to know that such large
supplies could be obtained from so
many sources on short notice. The
bids will be briefed and awards made
within the next few days, as the war
department wishes the work to begin
at once
There has been a satisfactory i'm
provement in the health of both Ad-
miral Sicard and Captain Sigsbee.