The San Francisco call., 1898-02-19

four patrolmen to each tugboat as- signed by you to patrol the waters of New York harbor in the vicinity of the Spanish battle-ship Vizcaya. l have arranged with Ensign Paine to estab- fish tours of patrol duty around the vessel named as follows: Two tugs to patrol in the vicinity for eight hours. to be relieved by two tugs from the har- Dor; these to be relieved in turn by two steam launches from the Police Department, thus establishing a pa trol system during the entire twenty four hours, the men assigned 10 such service doing tours of eight hours on and sixteen hours off; such force of marines to be supplied to each boat as in your judgment if necessary"
 Chief McCullagh said: "The detail of police will be under the command of Captain Ebert O. Smith of the harbor police, who will have sixty-seven men assigned to him for duty. The police steamboat patrol and six police launches will be available for patrol duty. and will work together with the force from the navy-yard. l do not be- lieve, however, that there will be any necessity for the use of the police, nor for the force that is to be detailed from the navy-yard for patrol duty The Vizcaya will be perfectly safe in New York harbor. and the steps which are being taken by the Government and the police department are simply precau- tionary. The patrol will be kept up every hour of the day and night while the Spanish ship is in this harbor, and no craft of any description whatever will be permitted to approach her un- less it's mission is fully explained to the how close the picket lines around the warship will be drawn is matter that will be determined by the navy-yard authorities"
 WASHINGTON. Feb. 18.-"It would
 be indefinitely worse for Spanish ship to be destroyed by American treachery than for an American man. ofwar to be destroyed by Spanish treachery. In the latter case we could hold up our heads and look the whole world in the eye; in the former we would hang our heads in shame"
 This statement was made to me by an official of the administration, speak ing of the precautionary preparations made by the Navy Department and by the police of New York for the safety of the Spanish armed cruiser Vizcaya.
 Because of the possibility of some fanatic making an attempt to destroy the Vizcaya and because of the sug- gestion of such action by yellow jour nals," the War Department officials de- termined to take active measures for protecting the vessel. Lieutenant Alex ander Sharp Jr., naval attache to As sistant Secretary Roosevelt, went to New York under instructions from Mir Roosevelt, to confer with Rear Admiral Bunce, commandant of the Brooklyn navy-yard, and with the Chief of Police in regard to providing adequate pro- lection for the Vizcaya and her crew.
 It was recalled to-day that during the Grant celebration a Spanish man. of-war dropped anchor in New York harbor and that MT. Roosevelt. then member of the New York Police Board took measures, at the suggestion of MT McAdoo, then assistant Secretary, to protect the crew of the ship from in- suit and the vessel from destruction Notwithstanding these precautions. the Spanish Minister was informed by the commanding officer of the ship that some of his men who had gone ashore had been stoned by a band of hood lums.
 This matter was not brought to the attention of the State Department sim ply because Spain did not care to mag nifty the incident. It is expected that the Vizcaya's commander will exercise Judgment in permitting his men to land in New York, especially in view of the Maine disaster. Rear Admiral Bunce has been instructed to extend every possible courtesy to the officers and men of the Vizcaya.