New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-22
THE AUXILIARY NAVAL FORCE
HOW IT GUARDED THE COAST AGAINST
POSSIBLE INVADERS VESSELS
SOON TO GO OUT OF
COMMISSION.
Try TELEGRAPH TO TIE rRIBryEI

forty-one vessels in commission. reduced 20
twenty-five vessels Yesterday and by the end
Of next week It will have disappeared altogether
until another war shall call il into service. Dur
ing the period Of hosti'iies with Spain this inner
line Of naval defence has had no popular oppor
tunity to demonstrate Its efficiency. although
the work Of naval officers charged with keeping
a lookout for the enemy has gone far TO prove
how indispensable il would have been had the
Atlantic coast been mcnaced by an attack
As result Of the experience gained by the
combination of the auxiliary force and the coast
line signal system il VIII he possible if a for
eign invasion OF this country Is hereafter con
ternplated TO provide speedily for the mobili2a-
ton If an effective system of defence.
When Captain John r. Bartlett was put in
command OF the auxiliary naval force on July
ne proceeded theoretically to ct all its vessels
promptly in commission and into active service,
and TO organic the force on the basis which
was intended by the trainers ~ the Joint resolu-
tlon which created f. TIE force distributed
I'm nirc districts SIX the Atlantic coast. two on
tn, Gulf ard one on the Pacific. and the COM
plc,e organization was perfected in a single
month
Under The original plan the assistants TO the
chier in the various districts were 10 h' officers
from the local naval militias who had entered
tho United states service. ard the vessels In
eech district were - 20 manned by tho men
from IT,. naval militia ~ that district who had
been mustered into the auxiliary naval forces.
This plan was f':lly carried out.
NUMBER OF MEN EMPLOYED
Canta,n Bartlett, has had rs his chief Of staff
Ifoutcnen, Herbert l.. Satterlee. T. s. y. for
merry captain in the Naval Militia II Ncw-York
State. and an aidc-do-camp 10 ne Governor
.rl these two officers hove had the supervision
ard direction OF The forty-onc yessels comprising
The auxiliary hect. their officers and crews az
rregntinr over two hundred officers and three
thousand men
Tho First District extended from TIE most
costcriy point q Ma'ne & Hampton Harbor
\. H.. ard was under the command 81
Lieutenant Robert J. Beach. l. :. y, Tor
merry In command OF the Third Division Second
Naval Battalion Of New-Yorl. t. this district
were attached the monitors Montauk and Wy
andotte.
The Second District IS commanded by Lou
tenant John W Weeks. L. 6. ". formerly cap
tain Of the Massachusetts Naval Brigade win
Headquarters o. Boston. II extends from ramp
ton Uarbor y II. 70 Newport. X J. Inc veg
sois under Lieutenant WeeHs's command Include
tho receiving ship Minnesota. the monitors cats
KIN and Iehigh and the tug Seminole ana yacht
, Inca.
In the Third District acknowledgements
J. W Miller. l. 5. y. formerly captain '' .",
v.r-york Naval Brigade s. in charge. with
h.adouartors In New-York CITY Ills d's'''''
ox,.nds from Newport r. l.. 20 s"abright. y j.
and tho vessels under his command were me t'-
Giving ship New-Hampshire. the monitors jason
! d. ID
erde. Tnquirer. Freelancc. Iirntress. E's'''ss
and shoarwa,.-. and the torpeio-hoa' Manly
LIEUTENANT MUCKLEs coMMANp
=, tho Fourth District Lieutenant John s.
Nurtle. L : y. formerly commanding FiTH'
! battalion. naval force 81 Ponn7vivania. - III
Command With headquarters ~ Philai"lph'a
r-d., hin, ore Tho recclylng-shlp s. Louis. the
monitors Canonicus and Mahorao. and me sac
vhoel steamboat which was used rs M ''
/ hrcoker. in the DciaWar. River. ana D" '''l'p ~
tho Government service the Arctic Inc r'" 80
| Ds,r,ct extends from Scabriehi. y. - 20 We
tonklr Inle'. Va. ,...,
In the Flf,h District when 'N''""'
Me,onAin Inlet 20 Nev River Inlet. Nor'h '''
lima the commanding officer - Lieutenant '''"
! + Emerson T.. = y. who was i"i"'iN
,nardcr Of the LIST Naral Ba'n"'h' '' '"'''
| land The vessels attached 20 TINS d'''I''' ~,
-. receiving ship Dale. the monitor AJAX anu
the Yacht sylph Tn headquarters 81 '"' "'7
! ,r,c, are ~ Baltimore.
| =, ~. sixth District the limits ~ when h''
r,,,,.r rriet on tho north and Jupiter inle,
Florida. on the south. Lieutenant '''fF' TO- ''''
49,, T. < = is I'm command. with headquarters
Il, port Royal : G. lie was iormer.y com
rs,ling omcer Of She naval battalion 81 me
/ The vessels ina
| his command are the monitor Nantucket ""'
7 ,,o ,ros cheyenne. Chi.kasaw and Waban.
/ .rle Seventh D'str,c, runs from Jupiter Inlet
f-,or,do o. rcrdido entrance the extreme west
er,v limit ~ Florida. Pensacola IS the head
,,a-,ors and tho oniccr ia charge IS Lieutenant
= sutherland T.. s. y. Who formerly com
,,nrded The ith Division Of ;he Naval Hii''''
+ n Florida The tug Tacoma 81 the Only f's
So q, preseni IN thi9 district
THE Gt.LF AND PACIFIC COASTS
+, The Eighth District. which extends from
, perlllo entrance - the most westerly point oil
rexas ,he commanding officer is Lieutenant
w Ros,lck. T.. : y. lie was formerly com
o,ander Of the Is, Naval Battalion. OF Louisiana
ILL., h.aaouarfers are at New orleans. and un
dar hin, u-. the monitor Passaic and the tugs
! choc,aw and Powhatan.
rho ,hoie Pacific coast Of the United state:
countries the Ninth District. which is under the
command Of Lieutenant William f.. Gum. l. ;
\ formerly commanding The Second Division
/ NJ the California Naval Battalion. with head
! ouar,ers al san Francisco. Lieutenant funn'
. command consists Of the revenue cutters Cor
win. Grant. Perry and Rush. and the tugs
Active. Iroquois and Nigilant-
| Til. yachts Sylvia and viking the tug
Anoche and Potomac. and the ferry hoat
/ ras, Boston and Governor Russell were als'
part Of the auxiliary feet, but were detache'
I and turned over to the Navy recently ior ser
vice in Southern waters. All the vessels nave
! been differed and manned from the NaVa
Militia Of the various States. with the exception
OF those that have been detached. which ar
/ cnmmandad by oiiicers Of the REGULAR Navy