The Portland daily press., 1898-05-23
TO DEWEY.
Armor Clad Monterey WIN Aid
Him.

Washington, May 21.-Ths ro,vs oro,t
of the day at the Navy Department was
the despatch of an order to the Monterav
to proceed to Manila to reinforce Admiral
Dewey's squadron. The Monterev is a
tower of strength in herself and ber
addition to Admiral Dewey's force TO.
gether with the despatch of thousands of
troops to Manila, is ample evidence that
the administration has assumed no half
hearted attitude towards the pbilinnine
question and is determined to take no
chances of dispossession until sucb time
as the United States itself has arranped
for the disposition of the islands. The
Monterey is probably the most formidable
monitor in the world yet she combines
with the enormous offensive and defensive
qualities of the monitor type a sea-
worthiness that is almost phenomenal.
The Monterey is described technically as
barbetted turret, low free board monitor
of 1900 tons displacement. She is 256 feet
long by SO feet beam aand ID feet 6 inches
draft She carries two turrets, surrounded
by barbettes, two 10 inch and two 10 inch
guns, while on her Asuperstructure be-
tween the turretS are mounted six Is
FOUNDERS, four Founders and two Cat
lings. The turrets are 1,2 and inches
thick and the surrounding barbettes are
IA inches and II 12 inches OF steel. and
against this armor all the batteries in
Manila might thunder away without
effecting an entrance.
The Monterey's personnel is 10 officers
and 172 men and once she is safe in the
entrance of Manila harbor nothing in
tho Spanish navy would be likely to
bulge her from her post Her despatch,
therefore, may have an important bearing
upon the plans Of the Spanish govern
ment SO openly published of sending rein
forcements to Manila. The only doubt
as to the feasibility of sending the Monte.
reg is her small coal capacity. She has
bunker room for only 200 tons of coal and
though more might be stored on her
decks, it is doubtful whether she could
at the utmost carry more than enough
coal to take her to Honolulu. third of
the way to the Philippines. 1t is PROBABLE
that the Monterey will go in convoy and
after exhausting the coal that she will
take on in Honolulu she must either be
towed about 1900 miles or perform the
itficult operation of coaling at sea.
The Navy Department gave out no news
today touching the movements OF the
American or Spanish squadrons. 1t is
plain, however, that the officials are ex-
pecting great events to occur at any
moment What they most fear is the.
effect that might be produced upon our
people by greatly exaggerated and mis-
leading reports from Spanish sources OF
some great naval engagement in which
the Spaniards would claim the victory,
1t is realized that the first news of an
engagement in the neighborhood of Cuba
or to the eastward may reach the United
States through the Spanish cables via
Madrid and these are almost certain, no
matter what the result may be, to make
such q claim for victory for the Spanish
side as Is even now put forth by the
Spaniards in Havana in the case of the
battle of Manila Bay. Obviously the only
manner in which the truth could be dis
covered would be through our own official
reports.
The Navy Department is proud of the
record made by the Oregon from an en-
gineering point of view. The reports to
the department from the ship show that
she does not need five cents worth of re.
pairs to her machinery after her $1,000
mil les continuous run. The record is said
never to have been equalled since the
building of the first iron warship.
The Buffalo, which comes with the
Oregon from Brazil, is to be overhauled
at Newport News, furnished with armor,
given good battery of inch guns and
altogether made very effective modern
cruiser. This will take about two
months.