Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-03-16
ANOTHER BUSY DAY
War!ike Preparations Of
Uncle Sam Continue.
BOARD LEAVES HAVANA
Report ENpec cd This Week. Naval Affairs
Committee Disposed so Build Six
Eattieships. Spain Srckinga
European Alliance.
jRv TeleCrauh \

from the appropriation of $50 600 O(N)
wien VIII greatly facilitate the work OF
| the bureaus. These bureaus had mon
hsrn able TO conclude any contracts for
tle procurement Of war supplies be
cause no a.totlnent had been made but
mis- afternoon the ordnance bureau was
gwen two and half million dollars,
AND BUS Went forward with :, IRISH
1t is true that this sum is alr.n,,.
nortsaGed under provisional arrange
| mems m idc during the past Week but
with the assurance of more funds 40
come. the work Of The bureau is now
moving rapidly.
Secretary Lon was exceedingly busy
today. not only having to give Il good
deal of time to the cabinet, to which
he WAS obliged to return twice. but also
| being ob.ged TO see a great many per
sons with whom tins. depa ri meni has or
expects to have. contract relations.
| Among the latter vas Mr.. He resh Oft
| ,ne torpedo boat builder from Brs tod,
L. l. He turned two of these boats
over to the department a few days ago,
| ini the etcretarS'S purpose in consult
ing hun was to learn how much he
could hasten the work on one of the
| boats remainin" un his hands, which in
ordinary times would require about two
months to complete. The secretary also
spent a good deal of time al Intervals
| during the day in CtnSulta ton over the
| lnnG distance telephc" with naval of
| Ulcers in New York. ana it is believed
much of tAis consultation concerned the
| procurement of suitable vessels from
among the auxiliary navy for war pur
poses.
| Mr.. Ma!ster. OF the Columbian Iron
| Works, at Baltimore. has notified The
| department that ne VIII be able TO turn
| over tn it the torpedo boat Rogers next
SATURDAY.. The Rogers is a boat which
| smashed her engines in tine midst of a
| tr!al trip about SIX months ago. IT
| W ~ necessary almost to replace the en-
| g.nsS. but under the hurry orders from
tn" navy department this has been done
in good sine. 1t is expected that the
boat win be taken at once from Balti-
more To Norfolk. The department has
no disposition to waste time at this
junIture III making trial trips, but
| knowing the boat to be of satisfactory
| type like her sister boat. the Ninslow
| ana IF good workma n-hip according to
The naval inspectors reports, she will
! be accepted out of hand as We're the
| GwNn and Talbot last week.
| The new cruiser ATnaZ0nas. accord
ing u present plans, WIN be manned
entirely f~om the SAN Francisco. That
vessel sailed at O'Clock this morning
| from Lisbon. and viii arrive in the
| Tyn about Friday Ii is expected that
| she VIII div ide her officers and crew
| With the -Amazonas. placing Lieutenan;
| Commander Arthur p. NaZro, executive
officer of the sam F'ranc:co. in charge
Of the latter vessel Without doubt tht
Amaz"nas wil be gotten across the
ocean soon as possible. ana il is eX-
pectsd that the san Francesca WI. con-
| voy her.
The torpedo boat Foote arrived at
Jacksonville this afternoon. The Ma
ctias sailed from Norfolk for Boston.
where she Will undergo some repairs
| made. nect-.eary by her long AS!atic
cruise The Brooklyn went to Newport
| News for coal. The Marbieheid, whtca,
is taking on stores at Tampa. sailed 10
reivir the squadron at TortuSas.
| Judge Advocate. Genera! f<amiy re
| ceivcl a telegram this afternoon from
| Havana announcing he arrival there Il
tht. derrick Chief in tow OF the tug
| Underwater. 1t is expected t!iat tn!-
| derrick WIN greatly facilitate the work
| of wreckng the Maine.
| The war department is greatly dissnp-
| pointed and annoyed at the dIlaturinesS
| shown by the contractors who have uil-
| dertaken to construct the new fort!4i-
| cations along the coast. 1t !es said thal
not one among the whole number has
finished his contract on time. Ihe dc,
| partnlent has been greatly embarrassed
| thereby in placing its guns. and mas
| been abligei to extend the time al
| lowed these contractors. The depart
| ment has determined not to submit Il
| further obstruction in prosecuting pllt
work undertaken. but will do the WORK
! itself and refrain from entering int
| contracts.
| Mt much conc rn IS expressed by
| officers OF the administration over It's
reported intention of sIu: opean govern
mtnts. at the istigaticn OF Austria
| to intervene between the United States
and Spain in the set Element OF the
| questions pending between them. -
| far it can be stated that this has taken
| no official sha Pc or. at ISaSt no lih'-
cations of such design has REACHED
| the State Department. What the attl-
| ,I!t. of our government wGu.d be If rep
resent tons in that line We're addI'tsstt
to ii by the European powers. IS Il queS-
ton that the otticia do not care 10 an
| swe.- in anticipation.
A good deal of encouragement was
created at the Navy Department today
| by a report from the capitol that {
| majority OF the naval affairs commit
| tee is disposesi to substitute six battle
| ships fiyr the three provided fer in the
| pending naval appropriation bill. This
number is supposed to represent about
| The. nCcrnal working capacity of tht
three shipbuilding concerns in this
country that are able at present to I'M
de-take the construction " battlt.sthips
The fortified: IONS board began its SeSs
sicns to-day in the war department. The
proceedings are guarded zeaiousl!
| ag7lins't puhltca taOn.
BIDS. were opened in the quarteTmast-
erS office of the war dep lrrnem today
| for trans porting some of the artillery
tom works recently com plcted. Toe
| batteries. for whose movements propo-
sails We're received, include the Fl Low
ing:
Battery T.. Fourth Artillery. from Fort
lMcHenry. Nd to Fort Dela ware: Bat
| terry I, Fourth Artillery from Washing
ton. D. c., barracks to Fort NJ It (neai
Fort Delaware): Battery Z, Fourth Ar.
tillery. from Fort Monroe Va. Il
Sheridan's Point on tine Potomac: Bat
terry I. Second AZ tiMery. from Fort Mon
roe. Va. to Fort Caswe'll. near the soutf
of the Cape Fear river: Battery f
| First Artillery, from TT Monroe. Va.
to Tybee Island. CD: Battery |. Frs
Artillery. from Fort Monroe. Va, t
| Fort Morgan. A,a.
The Pennsylvania Railroad received
the contract for transporting the bate
RES from Washington to Fort Mott ant
Fort McHenT'y to Fort Delaware. Othe
batteries to be moved as a result OF re
cent orders to man Notifications are
Battery c. of the First Artillery. from
ST. Augustine to Suqrivan's island
D T.