Evening star., 1898-04-07
FOREIGN SHIP MARKET.
1t Has Been Covered by Our Pur-
chasing Agents Abroad.

The Navy Department has about covered
the field offered by the European ship yards
Tor the purchase of ships for the Urited
States navy. The officials are still keeping
watchful eye for the acquisition Of any
vessels that may be possibly obtained, but
they Go not believe that If war occurs soon
that this is at all likely. 1t has been the
aim Of the department primarily to secure
ships that were finished or in such a stage
OF construction that they could be trans
Ierred to the United States promptly be-
fore hoshlities commenced. In many cases
Where ships were in the process of con-
struction the department has obtained on
tiCns On them which Will preclude their ar
QUESTION by Spain, should an atteur,t be
tilaoe py that naiion to get thcrn. There
are a number OF vessels now building. but
on which several months work is neces-
sary, before they can be completed; but as
before stated, such vessels are not the kind
this goNernnei-t has desired to obtain.
1ncluosd IN this class are the three tor
pedo boats, the a:mored cruisers Giuseppe.
Garibalui and the Narese, which a Roma
oispatch reports as having been contracted
Iof. Inc torpedo boats have not been con-
tracted for. IL is said. by the United States
as stated In the same dispatch. because
they will not be finished for from three TO
nve months, and fo- this reason the United
States cces not care for them Ii is prob
ably true, ii is stated at the depa partment
that the Caribaldi has been sold TO Snain
arc the Narese to the Argentine Republic
Dut as neither will be finished fer several
months, th's government prefers not to
take tie chances Of having them living In
the foreign ship yard should hos;ilitfes he
gin before they are comrleie Argentine
Is increasing her navy. which accounts for
ine sale OF the Narese TO that nation The
Narese and the Garibaidi are sister ships to
the Cristcbal Colon. one Of the fo,-r,,t,ialla
Spanish cruisers now at Cadiz Tho United
states could have purchased all the vessels
mentioned in the Rome dispatch had n so
desired " ~
The purchase of the coal by the American
neet IN Chinese waters is in accordance
with the policy OF the departrne-,t to keen
q full supply on hand and to be ready for
any emergency that may arise
The following ships comprise the Asiatic
squadron: The first-class cruiser olyrnpia
the second-class cruisers Boston and Pa,
ieigh. the third-class cruiser Monocacy and
the gunboat Petrel
The British ship Nanshan which tho
United States has bought is a collier which
Is designed 10 carry coal for the feet She
mas now 5000 tons of coal aboard and ia
With the Asiatic squadron The NAVY ne
partment has made an additional detail To
the naval attaches Office at London En-
sign A. Il. Hon, who is now on duty with
the Enterprise. has been detached from
that ship and will go to London as assist
ant to Lieutenant J. c. Colwell the naval
attache. Lieutenant Colwell's duty of late
mas been the inspection OF ships. with A
view to their purchase BY the Irnited
States government but there are how
ever. many other ways in which a naval
attache can be OF use to the United states
IN case war Is declared" said an officiai OF
the department.