The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-18
new NAVAL SQUADRON.
It Has Been Ordered to Assemble
at Hampton Roads.
THE NORTH ATLANTIC SQUADRON

VIII Furnish Several of the Vessels
For the New Rendezyous-Spainss q
Evident Intention to Disclalm All
Responsibility For the Maine Horror
Washington, March 1S.-The event of
yesterday in official circles was the is
sue of an order for the formation of u
new squadron of naval vessels to be
stationed at Hampton Roads. The
squadron in the beginning will consist
of five ships, all the best of their types
Two of them, the battleships Massa-
rhusetts and Texas, are withdrawn
from the present north Atlantic fleet
at Key West and Tortugas. 1t would
be grave mistake to suppose that, in
ordering this movement, the navy de-
partment is animated by any purpose
of yielding to the representations or in
timations that may have come from
the Spanish minister as to the mischief
caused by the gathering Of so large a
naval force as Admiral Sicard's fleet
in the vicinity of Cuba. On the con-
trary, the formation of the new squad
ron was brought about by purely
strategic considerations, although it
appears from the nature Of the force
SO far under orders to rendezvous at
Hampton Roads that this strategy is
of the defensive nature.
The new squadron cannot be called
a flying squadron" because the as
ISOLATION Of heavy battleships with
fleet cruisers like the Brooklyn. CO.
lumbia and Minneapolis reduces the
available speed of the whole to the
speed of the slowest vessel. and the
squadron could not do much "fiying,"
In the naval sense. The indications
rather are that when reinforced by
smaller cruisers the squadron will con-
stitute an ideal naval defense.
Although the other ships to be added
to the squadron have not yet been def
nitely selected, 1t is surmised that
they will include some of the other
battleships at Key West and the ar
mored cruiser New York, In which case
Admiral Sicard, it is believed. will COM
mand the new force. In place of the
cruiser New York the people of Key
West will look upon the grim outlines
of the big monitor Puritan supposedly
the most powerful ship In smooth
water in the world. She will have to
assist her on guard the double turrst-
ted monitor Miantonomah and the
monitor Amphitrite. The Puritan is
now at Norfolk, almost ready for sea,
the Miantonomah Is at League Island.
quite ready. and so is the .Amphitrite
at Port Royal s. c. So the order will
in the end result in the gathering of
the pick of the north Atlantic squad
ron at Hampton Roads.
1t Is announced that the commander
of the new squadron has not yet been
selected, and pending that selection or
the arrival in port Of Admiral Sicard
1t is expected that Captain Higginson,
the commander of the battleship
Massachusetts, and the senior officer,
will hold the command of the squad
ron Remaining at Key West after the
departure Of the Massachusetts and
the Texas, Admiral Sicard will still
have fleet of his own in numbers,
when the spectacle will be presented
of a feet and squadron on one sta
ton, something not seen since the civil
war.
The semi official statement given out
at Madrid advancing the government
view that a demand for indemnity
based on Spanish responsibility for the
Maine explosion would be Indignantly
repealed by Spain attracted much In
terest In official circles There has been
little doubt for some time that Spain
wac preparing for the contingency of
an adverse report by the American
court of inquiry and to that end was
preparing to anticipate and offset it
by making clear the government pol
icy OF standing by the report of the
Spanish commission. The report of the
latter body will find that the Maine dis
aster was due to accident resulting in
Internal explosion. This was foreshad-
owed in the advance utterances of Cap
tain Peral, head Of the Spanish COM
mission. who stated publicly several
days ago that the theory of external
explosion was untenable.
4, Along with the seni-oflcia state
ment from Madrid that a demand for
indemnity will be Indignantly repelled,
ia the further statement from reliable
sources that Spain has made it clear to
the authorities here that intervention
may lead to war. The prospects of
such Intervention appear to be seri-
ouSly entertainer ny opdIII hDU StJODS
efforts have been made to avert it by
showing that the condition Of the re-
concentrates did not warrant the step,
and also that 1t would threaten to end
all prospects Of further pacific nego-
tiations.
Nearly every town in the country
large enough in its own estimation to
Justify such claim has appealed to
Secretary Long to christep one of the
newly acquired Brazilian cruisers in it's
honor. Senator Plat called upon Sec
retary Long a little before noon to urge
that the boat be called Albany. adding
in support of the application that AL
bany was the natal place of Captain
Sigshee.
Ipvestigators' Preliminary Report
Key West. Fla, March 1S.--It Is
learned that special report of the
work of the court Of inquiry has been
sent to Washington. This Is not the
report and the findings Of the court.
which have not yet been agreed upon,
but is in the nature of a communca-
tiop for the use of the president. which
he may or may not make public. as he
sees H. III any event IL Will prepare
tho president for what the board will
report. and enable him to take meas
ures accordingly, as the court will find
that the Maine was blown up from the
outside. The full report. 1t is said will
not ba formulated and In the hands
of the secretary Of the navy for some
days yet.
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