Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-04

| mehts OF importance, and that, so far as he
was aware, there had been no additional
news received regarding the movements Of
Spanish warships.
There is no subject just now which an
pears to be OF more interest to the naval
oHcials than the movements of the torpedo
Meet, last reported at Cape de Verde,
and they are watching no less intentIy the
movements Of the Spanish ships which are
| rendezvoGsed at Cadiz.
SIX MORE VESSELS FOR THE NAVY,
| FtnaI Arrangements Completed by
the Department.
Final arrangements have been made by
| the Navy Department for the immediate
requirement of six more vessels for the
| government service, the cost of which will
be met out of the emergency appropriation
| of S50,Oo0,0C0. The list is made up of the
Cromwell line steamship Creole, the steam
yachts Sovereign and Josephine, the steam
colliers Saturn and Lebanon and another
| fine collier, name not given. The Creole is
| to be transformed into a floating hospital
| and, according to Surgeon General Van
Reypen of the Navy, will afford better ac-
| commodations for the care and treatment
| of the wounded of the navy than has ever
before been possible. She is now at New
/
News at once, to be fitted out for hospital
purposes. When ready she will hoist the
| flag of the Red Cross Society and proceed
| to Key West for service with Capt Samp-
| sons fleet. Capt. E. V. eager, commodore
of the Cromwell Line fleet has applied for
her command
| The yacht Josephine was purchased from
P B. Widener of Philadelphia. She was
| built at Elizabeth, n. j.. in 1896. and has
a gross tonnage of SAG, is 1872 feet long, 2S
feet broad and 10 feet deep. She will be
| converted into a warship at the League
Island navy yard.
The Sovereign was bought from NJ c. D.
| Borden at a cost of 100000. She is a
steam yacht of 62S tons displacement and
was built at Brooklyn in 1896. She is 22S
feet long, 2S feet broad and IL feet draught
She and the Josephine will be fitted out
as torpedo boat destroyers and will be as
| signed to picket duty either at Key West
| or Hampton Roads. They will be eouipped
| with the best battery available for vessels
of their class.
The collier Saturn halls from Boston, but
| is now in New York. The Lebanon be-
| icnged to the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
| pany. She and the other collier are also
at New York. They are said to be the best
vessels of their kind in the country. They
Will be prepared for naval service at the
| New York navy yard, as will also the yacht
Sovereign. One Of the golfers will be as
| signed to the flying squadron and the
other two TO the fleet at Key West.
Negotiations are in progress for the pur-
chase OF the steam yacht Cleopatra, owned
by T. G. Blackstock and Albert Gooder-
| ham, and now at Toronto, Canada. Size is
a stanch iron vessel, easily capable of IL
knots in any weather. She is handsomely
ftted out and can easily be altered into a
torpedo boat destroyer, a type Of vessel
| much in demand in our naval service In
| asmuch as the neutrality laws would pre-
vent her sale to the United States after
war had begun, the negotiations will
probably be settled one way or the ether
in short time
Naval officials are somewhat worried over
the fact that the new cruiser Albany, re-
Gently purchased from Brazil, will not be
ready for sea for some weeks yet. She is
now under construction at Newcastle on
Tyne, and there may be some question as
to her departure from the British Fort
after the opening of hostIlities. Even if
the British authorities offered no objec-
tions to her sailing under such circum-
stances, her passage across the Atlantic
would be attended py many risks, no; the
least of which would be Spanish men Of
war on the lookout for just such prey
The new torpedo boat Rodgers, built at
the Columbian iron works, Baltimore, was
put in commission at Norfolk Saturday
She will be added to the torpedo fiotilla at
Key West.