Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-17

| A. ''"ati ,s are at Barbados the Newnor,
49, .vioii' and the Puritan, Newark.
Aaphitrite' and other ships OF the North
N'"nuc squadron are al points along the
coast farther northward. '"N
| -. poihi or number OF ships. the fleet
unuer hear-Admiral Case. ON Januarv =
.e'1 lohowing the virginius affair. was
| ovnsioeraoiy larger. Although cormid,
| apie IN IT'S day this aggregation was
m"ue up OF the oid-style wooden sbips
nlor,''ors n''',, which had gone through the
~. war ana every other available craft
80. oouid oear guns Compared with the
"Vuerh Datsleships and cruisers of the
new navy, it WAS insignificant i'm tonnage
ana general effectiveness.
~ Is noteworthy. however. that this
formidable gathering of ships was AT the
same point as the present gathering and
uurlhg a critical period with Spain. and
lhat 1t did not eventuate i'm war.
MONEY FOR WAR DEPARTMENT.
Secretary Alger has made requisition
on the President for two large allotments
ltom the appropriation of {J0.O00OOO for
the national defence One is for s.. OOOOOO
Tor the use of the Engineer Department
oI the army, I'm the completion of certain
loftlncation works along the Atlantic
ana Gun coasts now i'm progress, and the
other is for $2.22500O for the use OF the
ordnance Department of the army, i'm
the requirement of arms and ammuni-
ton. Pretty much all of this money is
needed to cover contracts already made
by the military establishment
An encouraging telegram came to the
department from Admiral Bunce, COM
mandant OF the New York navy-yard.
1t was as follows: Naval constructor
No
night. Test Of the structure satisfactory.
Caisson joint leaks, but this can easily
be remedied" The department places the
date of the final completion of the dock
at April goth in view of this report.
AMBULANCE SHIPS.
Surgeon-General Van Reypen. of the
navy, returned to-day from Newport
News, where he went to examine into
the practicability Of converting the Plant
Line steamer Grand Duchess into an |
ambulance or hospital ship, for the use |
OF the navy. in the event of hostilities |
with Spain. This steamer, which General |
Van Reypen says is large. roOmy, and |
airy, formerly piled between New York |
and Savannah, but was laid up because |
of disarrangement of her boilers. SO far |
as accommodations are concerned, the |
vessel, after some necessary work would |
make an admirable ambulance ship, but |
the lack of boilers, which it would take
several months to replace, limits her
adaptability for use at the present time
The Surgeon-General has in view seve-
raj other ships, which, with but a limited
expenditure of money, could be changed
into ambulance ships, but he will be
compelled to await the report of the
special board which is examining into |
the question of auxiliary cruisers be-
fore taking any action.
MORE SHOT AND SHELL.
The War Department is making ready
for another big contract looking TO the
of a lot of shot and shell. |
An advertisement has just been issued,
2alling for "cast-iron projectiles for sea-
,oast cannon" The bids are made re-
urnable next Monday at o'clock at the
ordnance Office, War Department The
,hot and shell are of the heaviest de-
;cription: 1S7 10-inch solid shot, $40 u
nch mortar shells, weighing 800 pounds
,ach, and 500 Pinch mortar shells, I
Weighing 900 pounds each, being wanted.
These projectiles are entirely different
rom the $lO0O,COO worth ordered yes
erday. Those were steel shot and
hell, known as armOr-piercers, and ,
Intended for use on battleships, moni-
ors. and armored vessels. Those order
d to-day are for lightlyarmored or un-
rmOred ships or else for deck-piercers,
eing fired from mortars with a plunging
re into the deck Of vessels lying out at
ca. Being of cast metal. these pro
actiles, IL is said, will be much cheaper {
han the armor-piercers already ordered.
The equipment bureau "a. -he Navy De- :
artment has prepared itself for the
at very short notice of any I
essels of the auxiliary navy that may be :
cquired, with the most approved signal
ng devices now employed. :
Considering the competition offered by q
ne navy and marine corps in the en- =
stment of recruits. the War Department :
.els that il is doing very well in securing ! =
len for the artillery regiments, The .
report to-day was
lat 220 men had been secured. This is v
the rate Of 800 per month, and about u
fast as the men can be properly taken
ire Of
WANTS TO TAKE HABANA. u
Adjutant-General Corbin yesterday re- +
lived a military visitor, who said he was .
esh from the battle-fields of Cuba, u
Id desired to arrange with him for the o
mediate Investment of the port of Ha- u
ma. He was dressed in military | fC
liform Of green cloth, and said he was q
ady TO take the field at once. He gave J
$ name as Lieutenant Colonel Jorge | HI
Rivera Monez, Fourth Army Corps fC
lban army, and said he had come from Il
neral Mayria Rodriguez. second in I'll
mmand. To use his own words. he | +
vas just from the field, and had blood W
his boots" and he gave every indica- la
M of being earnest and eager for the
iy. What he desired was an army OF cf
90 men from the United, with which CO
begin the invasion Of Cuba, and his do
IN was to fire MORO Castle, and sack th
e city Of Habana. 81
General Corbin treated him courteously, ~,
d said he would see him later about
2 army of invasion