The San Francisco call., 1898-02-21

interior departments to the Atlantic Coast posts is not confirmed by officials of the department, but such a move ment of troops is precisely what has been contemplated by the Secretary of War and Major-General Miles in the event of an emergency. Such troops would have to be drawn from infantry regiments, as there are no artillery regiments in the interior. The employ ment of trained infantry as artillery men will not be inaugurated unless 1t should become absolutely necessary. Rather will efforts be redoubled to se- cure favorable consideration by Con gress for the pending bill to increase the regular artillery by two regiments While the fate of this bill in the pres ent Congress is problematical, ordnance officials are confident that the Senate appropriations of nearly s1O,OO0, ,000 for these departments is to be concurred in by the House. While even this ap- propriation is considered inadequate by the department. it will enable the work Of arming the coast to proceed without Interruption and substantially on the same line as last year.
 In event of an emergency requiring a
 
 supplied by the regular army, the President is prepared to make requisi-l ton on the first line of reserve, com posed of the entire National Guard of Connecticut, three regiments of the Massachusetts National Guard and four regiments from the New York and Pennsylvania National Guards. These constitute the regiments pronounced xr l~-r the regular army officers who inspect them during their yearly encampments. An elaborate statement of the relative efficiency of each regiment of the militia of these States and much de- tail regarding the personnel of their officers is on file at the War Depart ment, and would greatly aid the au- thorities in instructing the Governors of the States regarding the men most desirable to be first enlisted into serv- ice of the United States.
 That Secretary Long Is hopeful that the peace relations between the United States and Spain will continue is evil denced by the fact that he has given no orders to Chief Naval Constructor Hichborn to expedite work on vessels undergoing repairs or now under con- struction. Although the department received some days ago reports of the boards of survey on the cruiser Phila- delphia and gunboat Yorktown, which were recently placed out of commission at Mare Island, the only bureau which has taken steps to improve their condi- tion is the Bureau of Ordnance Cap l tain Charles O'Neill, chief of that bu- reau, is anxious to supply these vessels with modern guns, and immediately af- | ter the ships were put out or commls- ' sion at Mare Island he directed that | the six six-inch guns of the Yorktown and twelve six-inch guns or the Phila- l delphia he at once sent to the Washing l ton gun foundry.
 learned tonight that the boards of l survey estimated that construction re-
 hairs on the cruiser would cost s150, 900, | and that those on the gunboat would | cost s100000 Neither of these ships | will be ready for service under a year.
 Notwithstanding this fact, Secretary l Long has not given instructions to has 1 ten the completion of their repairs The only ships which Secretary Long desires to be put in condition for ac- tive service are those on the North At lantic Coast. As has been stated. the Secretary directed during the past week that the monitors Puritan and Terror be kept in commission, and that repairs to the former vessel be hastened as rapidly as possible. The torpedo boats Winslow and Foote. which are at Norfolk, and the torpedo boats Porter and Dupont are to be re- paired as rapidly as possible, but the department has especially stated that there shall be no overtime work per formed 1 was told to-day that work is being pushed on the cruiser Newark, which Is being repaired at the Norfolk navy-yard, but it was explained to me tonight that Chief Naval Constructor Hichborn had not directed such action At the Norfolk navy-yard work is being expedited on the Lancaster, which is to be turned into a gunnery | training ship. The Dolphin will be l placed in commission next month. No, instructions have been sent to the Ne U York navy-yard with reference to the
 hastening of work on the Chicago or
 Atlanta, nor will there be unless there
 be additional developments of a grave character. Work on vessels under
 construction has been proceeding with l usual speed.