The Portland daily press., 1898-05-03
BRAVE DEWEY'S SKILL.


tie of the Rhode Island naval militia also
visited the department and explained
that he had 200 men ready for mobiliza-
ton. Commander Norton of the Noruh
Carolina naval militia, called and in
iuced the department. to allow the North
Carolina instead of the militia of South
Carolina TO take the monitor Nantucket
from Wilmington to Port Royal.
-Four flags were displayed today for the
nrst time In many months from the staffs
OF the state, war and navy departments
ana on the east front of the huge garrison
nag located, all in honor of the victory of
the American fleet at Manila.
line war department. is1bending all its
energies tx. the mus5ering In of the volun-
teers and recruiting of the regular army
70 Its full war strength Of 81 900 men.
| The officials feel oontid emit that within a
| reasonable time both the volunteers and
the regular army will be ready for prac-
tlcal military duty. Secretary Alger and
zen. Miles had long conference with the
PRESIDENT this afternoon, presumably
III regard to the appointment IN the vol
unteer service In a few days all the
troops ordered to Tampa are expected to
reach that place and the eight large trans
ports which are to conduct the first expe-
dition to Cuba have been ordered to pro-
coed to Tapma. The officials, however,
decline TO make public any information
regarding the expedition or the place in
| Cuba where it is to land. The quarter.
masters department. has begun negotia-
tions with railroad companies for the
transportation OF the volunteers to their
mobilizing points and it is expected ar
rangement will be made for uniform
rates on all the lines. Gen Wesley Mer-
rift, commanding the Department of the
E"st with headquarters at New York,
reported at the war department today for
oO n wit tor 10pr Tha
officers of the oommissary department at
New York city today opened proposals
for supply food to the army of 1856, DOC
men.
| 1t is said the officials are opposed to
| buying concentrated foods on the advice
OF the medical department of the service.
! Although the British colonial once had
been fully advised Of the American sue
cess from Manila, the authorities IN Lon
don did not communicate with the Brit
4 lsh embassy here nor did the foreign
| office at Paris, Berlin or other capitals
notifying their representatives here
| This is taken to indicate that the foreign
offices will not communicate events Of q
strictly military char acter and also that
the American occupation of the Philip
pines has not yet assumed a political as
| pect at foreign centres.
Sir Charles Mitchell who mas advised
the British colonial office on the situa.
| ton at Manila is we'll known to the Brit
sh officials here. He is governor general
of the Strait settlements, his home being
at Singapore which has cable communion
ton with Manila.
The late reports that Manila was being
bonn barded, caused much uneasiness at
the foreign headquarters. 1t was said
that 1t the town was under bonn bard
ment, serious complications might arise,
as non com batants and the foreign colon
| les, it is held, should have been entitled
to at least "a hours notice of an attack
upon the town proper. If, however, Com
modore Dewey is combining his lombard
ment to Cavite and other forts, no such
questions can arise.
| The Spanish reverse at Manila seriously
depletes the Spanish navy at time when
| it is most In need Of ships.
With the burning of the two crusiere
Reina Christina and the Castillo, Spain
has lost two of her best second rate cruis-
| ers. The Christina was a single screw.
barking ship, 80 feet long, with a dis
placement of 1890 tons. She had total
Of q guns, ranging from six-inch breech,
loading Hontoria, down to the small
guns and several torpedo tubes She car.
ried $40 men.
The cruiser Castillo was of 334O tons
displacement. She had IA large guns,
all loading Krupps and two torpedo
tubes, the Don Juan de Austria and an
other good craft of the gunboat type.
She was 210 feat long, 1852 tons displace-
ment, had nine guns and carried l73 men.
Aside from the Gripping of the Spanish
naval strength, the burning and blowing
up of the ships entails an actual money
loss running into the mi llions