New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-24
IMPORTANT NAVAL ORDERS.
THE TERROR AND THE PURITAN TO
JOIN ADMIRAL SICARD'S FLEET.
THE OLD MONITORS CALLED INTO ACTIVE SER
vICE-ARRANGEMKNTs MADE FOR TRANS
FERRING TWENTY-FIVE REVENUE
CUTTERS TO THE NAVY.
CUTTERS TO THE NAVY.
rnY TELEGRAPH To THE TRrBUNE.I

dered to-day by the Navy Department in the
disposition Of the forces now available for ser
vice on the Atlantic Coast are considered indica-
tive Of the Increasing gravity of the crisis now
approaching in Spanish relations Last week.
when Secretary Long detached the battle-ships
Massachusetts and Texas from Admiral Sicard's
fleet and ordered them north to Hampton
Roads. ne explained that the move vas made
for purely strategical reasons" The sincerity
Of this statement. though questioned at the
time is absolutely demonstrated by the orders
issued to-day The Navy Departments new
plans involve the restoration Of Admiral sicard's
fleet to It's original strength by reinforcing II
with the doube-turreted monitors Puritan and
Terror. These sea-going monitors are regarded
equalling in lighting efficiency the Massa-
chusetts and the Texas and have the advantage
besides Of being able to operate in much shall
lower waters The Puritan has just been put in
complete repair at the Norfolk Navy Yard, and
IS lying in Hampton Roads. while the Terror Is
now guarding the harbor Of NewYork
THE OLD MONITORS TO BE UTILIZED.
To supply the gaps IN coast and harbor de-
fence lines made by the transfer OF the Puritan
and the Terror - Key West. the Department
has decided 10 call into active service the eight
slngle-turreted monitors which have been lying
for some time at the League Island Navy Yard.
IN the Delaware River. These survivors Of tho
original monitor type are the Catskill the Le-
high. the Nahant. the Jason, the Mahopac tho
Manhattan tho Montauk and the Canonicus
Two of them, the Catskill and the Lehigh. are to
be sent at once To Boston Harbor. and two more.
the Jason and the Nahant are to replace the
Terror a; New-York. The other four are not
, quite ready for service. but are 10 be put In
commission within thirty days
II is probable that the Naval Reserves Of some
of the States will be called on to man in part
these ships as the recent drain the enlisted
force Of the Navy has already exhausted the
available supply Of men, The single-turreted
monitors are considered capable Of blocking the
entrance into port Of any armed opponent be-
low the rating Of a bstte-ship
A BIG REINFORCEMENT FOR THE NAVY.
An arrangement was made to-day to transfer
twenty-five vessels for offensive purposes 10
the Navy from the Revenue Marine Service
Most Of these are effective modern cruisers al
ready ir active service armed and manned with
wel-dried crews and capable Of rendering
good account Of themselves in naval operations
Some OF them are old and slow. bur they have
good officers and with additional guns will con-
sideraby reinforce the inner or second line OK
naval defence along the coast. At least five of
these cutters in every respect superior In
formidabty and fighting power 70 the latest
gunboats Of the regular Navy. They were built
with the special end in view Of being used FOR
naval purposes, and three Of them are in actual
service. while the other two will be ready for
duty in the next two weeks.
Captain Charles F. Shoemaker. chief Of the
Treasury Division Of the Revenue Gutter SER
vice. completed the arrangements for the trans
fer Of the best vessels Of the service 10 the
Navy with Assistant Secretary Roosevelt this
morning in accordance with decision reached
at yesterdays Cabinet meeting The Revenue
Cutter Division. for the prevention Of snug
Cling and other routine duties will FOR the pres
ent retain control of fifteen Of its smaller ves-
sells and steam launches. but all the important
vessels with 124 line officers and seventy-four
engineers will be transferred 10 the Navy. The
change which may be made in a few days, re-
qulres only Presidential order to make IT ef-
fective under the authority Of the following
provision Of the Revised Statutes
Sec 2757. The revenue cutters shall. whenever
d.r,nr which tims they shsli be under the direc.
ton Of the Secretary Of the Navy. and the expenses
thereof shall be betrayed BY the Navy Department.
SOME USEFUL VESSELS.
The most important Of these vessels on tho
Atlantic coast is the Manning, attached 20 the
Boston district. She is good for seventeen and
a half knots. and could be fitted up for first
class GunDOd' III a l'N NfS-. iltt 'Hs NJ
ment at present is one 6-pounder rapd-hre gun.
but her decks are ntted for five 4-inch rapid
fire guns She Is also fitted with bow torpedo
tube for launching automobile torpedoes. For
fitting her for naval service all that is reces-
sary is to take her to the Boston Navy Yard
ard mount four guns and three or four addi-
tonal G-pounders. and she will be ready for any
duty that may be assigned 20 her. with her
officers and crew already on board.
Another of these new frst-rate vessels Is the
NcCulloch. now on her way to the Pacific coast.
having passed through the Suez Canal the first
OF this month. She will arrive at Hong Kong
within a week and join the Asiatic Squadron. un-
der Commodore Dewey. a valuable adjunct
70 arv operations against the Philippine Islands
in case Of actual hos,ties Her light draught.
which Is only fourteen feet, enables her TO
ter harbors where none OF the regular warships
could 60 Her armament is similar 10 that of
the Manning and she has the same torpedo
arrangement.
The Gresham. now on the Milwaukee station.
Is a duplicate of the Manning and plans for
bringing her to the Atlantic through the We'll
land Canal are already perfected She is ready
70 start for Buffalo at an instants notice. and
could appear on the New wEnglsnd coast in two
weeks.
other new cruisers are the Algonquin and tho
Onondaga. whieh have never been IN service.
but are practically completed at Cleveland
ohio. whence they could start for salt water In
a week or ten days. They are the most power
full vessels Of the revenue service and are each
equipped with two torpedo tubes They are pre-
pared for heavy batteries Of rapid fire rifles and
the machine gun installation is Of the highest
modern type.
The Window. on the Baltimore station. was
built in 1850 and although speedy ,wn-screw
steamer has torpedo tubes. and Is smaller
than those already mentioned. She could carry
at least one i-inch rapid-iirc rife In addition 10
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