The herald., 1898-03-06
TWO GREAT QUESTIONS
OCCUPY ATTENTION OF NAVAL
OFFICIALS
REPORT OF COURT OF INQUIRY
Cannot Be Expected For Some Days
Preparations For War Can and
Will Be Pushed
Associated Press Special Wire

opments at the State, War and Navy De-
partments. in connection with the Span
ish situation. have divided themselves
into two distinct branches. one relating
to the Maine court of inquiry and the
other to natural and necessary steps to
place the naval and military arms Of the
service on an efficient basis. Concerning
the court and it's work, the highest naval
officials reiterate that nothing is at hand
to indicate the tendencies of the members
of the court from the evidence they have
thus far received. Amiral Sicard's tele-
gram last night gives the only clue as
to the plans Of the court. and this, in
effect, is that 1t will be some time before
the testimony of the divers and other
witnesses can be taken and an idea
formed as to the date of submitting the
report. 1t is felt at the Navy Depart
ment that this will leave the question,
so far as the court is concerned, in
state of doubt for a week or ten days,
for, aside from the conclusion Of the
hearings, there is the formulation Of the
important findings, the framing Of the
courts opinion and then the formalities
Of its transmission to Admiral Sicard, and
thence to Washington. While these last
stages will be very brief, when the actual
findings and opinions have been ma
tured, yet they cannot be entirely elimi-
mated. and there appears to be no dispo-
sition- to be precipitate in a matter Of
such grave issues.
The other branch of the subject, the
activity in the various naval and mill
tary bureaus, up to the present time has
not taken the form Of any concerted or
elaborate plan Of emergency prepara-
tions but has been manifest mainly
through the comparatively minor acts
which, taken altogether, have shown
that the heads Of departments were not
inactive In preparing their branches of
the service for any requirements which
1t was possible might be made on them
A member of the Cabinet stated today
that there should be no misunderstand-
ing or misconstruction Of these steps.
For instance, all the manifold develop
ments, particularly in the West, are de-
clared to be simply in execution Of plans
long ago developed by the Fortifications
Board for the defense of the coasts.
Thus at Seattle the War Department
recently purchased a tract Of $40 acres
on Magnolia Bluff, a point regarded by
the board as indispensable to the
proper defense Of the harbor. This Is
now being put into condition for the re-
ception Of heavy guns and other weap-
ons. The work, it Is said, should have
been done long ago. However, while it
is stated that these steps are in ac-
cordance with past plans, there Is no
concealment of the fact that the admin
istration is impressed with a sense OF
duty in putting the two branches Of
war in the highest efficiency to meet any
emergency. There Is no disposition to
anticipate an emergency or to say that
any situation will develop which will call
into use the preparations now on foot
On the contrary, the highest authorities
of the naval and military branches say
they do not expect an emergency but are
performing the duty allotted to them of
being ready for any emergency that may
come, no matter how unexpected it may
be. These high officials do not wish to
minimize their preparations or to assert
they are merely routine; neither do they
wish these preparations to be construed
far beyond their legitimate extent as
the basis of alarming reports of war
measures.
In referring to this subject, a member
of the Cabinet said he felt that the pa
triotic instincts Of the people should in
spire a just measuring of the activity
now evident at no more and no less than
it really means.
The Navy Department is somewhat
embarrassed by the lack of seamen to
fill the complement of ships in service or
about to go into commission and in view
of the shortage the officials in charge of
the recruiting stations at League Island,
Norfolk and New York have been in
structed to enlist such seamen as may
be available and not confine themselves
to persons who have heretofore been in
the navy.
According to an official of the Con-
struction Bureau of the navy it will be
some time before the Charleston, York
town and Philadelphia. now at the Mare
Island yard, are again ready for sea
service unless extraordinary measures
are taken to hurry the work on them.
The Yorktown and Philadelphia, 1t is
suggested, might be prepared again for
sea service in a very short time If they
are not put in commission. but II the
latter step Is resorted to they will re-
quire at least six to nine months to put
them in shape.
The War Department is having some
difficulty in obtaining the title to suffi-
cient ground at Point Wilson, Washing
ton, on which it is proposed to erect for
tifications, because the owners of much
of the land have scattered over the coun-
try and trouble has been experienced in
securing their addresses. The matter
is now in the hands of the Department
Of Justice, which is doing everything
possible to settle the question. The ma
ture and extent of the works to be erected
will depend on the money available.
1--WE are pressing the work on fortif1-
cations" said an official of the War De-
partment, "just as we have been since
the permanent system of coast defense
was inaugurated by Congress about two
years ago. We aim to spend all the
money Congress appropriates yearly;
that legislative body will be induced to
continue to authorize expenditures for
this necessary adjunct of national de-
Tense. Naturally, the public is now TAX
ing great interest in all that is going
on and probably observes with closer
scrutiny everything being done. This
coupled with the fact that no one except
members of Congress are allowed to
enter the Notifications, and these only
l