Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-05-20

cussion. The rumor was afoat
that Gen. Miles, with his staff, was
to leave Washington tonight for
Tampa, but this again proved to be
premature.
To maintain the army of 200,-
600 men for six months will cost
100000, according to the estimates
prepared by Quartermaster Cen
eral Stanton, and the leading Of
ficials are beginning to fear that
hostilitieS may run along beyond
this period. The reason is the
growing conviction on she part of
some of the officers that they must
not reckon on any substantial as
sistance from the Cuban rebels in
this campaign, and, moreover,
must meyet the Spaniards in Cuba
their strongest sphere, that of the
defensive.
HdNdt dutIoIlIIC dIS ICllCNCO VI u
good deal of embarrassment by the
consent of the French authorities
at Martinique to allow the scouting
vessel Harvard to remain in st.
Pierre until her repairs are COM
pleted. 1t was supposed at first
that she would be allowed only
seven days stay, and at the end of
that time would be forced out to
risk attack at the hands of some
ambushed Spanish cruiser or tor
pedo boat.
Wor kon the three monitors Ma
hopac, Cannonicus and Manhattan
at League Island has advanced so
far that the departments expects
to have the min service within a
week Or two. They have been sup
piled with tubular boilers in place
of the rusted out boilers they have
carried since the war One very
powerful quality of the new boiler
was found to lie in the possibility
of passing the small pieces of which
it is composed piece-meal through
the smoke pipe hole, thus avoiding
tearing up of the decks and short
ening the time required for the
work fully one-half. These mont
tors will be a valuable addition to
the coast defense ships
Mr.. Niblack, late United States
naval attache to Berlin and Rome,
reported at the Navy Department
to-day and had some amusing
stories to tell of his experiences in
every seaport in Europe trying to
buy ready-made navy in thirty
days. The department are very
much pleased with the energy and
ability shown by the young officer
in the discharge of the important
duties confieded to him. He has
been ordered to duty as watch and
division officer on the Topeka, one
of the ships that he helped to pur-
chase in England.
The absence Of official news OF
any character from the fleets at the
Navy Department to-day gave the
widest field for speculation and all
sorts of stories were afloat as to
the whereabouts of the vessels and
the imminence of an engagement
The report that came from Madrid
of the bombardment of Santiago
received some credence inasmuch
as it seemed to show that General
Greedy, the chief signal officer, has
set in motion the machinery Of the
navy to carry out his declared pur-
pose of cutting the cables that the
last connection between Havana
and the outside world, and thus iso-
late Blanco. 1t is not believed that
the bombardment amounted to any,
thing more than this.
Judge Advocate General Lemly
to-day completed the circular defin-
ing the chief characteristics of the
sixteen torpedo boat destroyers and
twelve torpedo boats provided for
by Congress in the present naval
appropriation bill. The destroyers
nroyided for are to he of larger