Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-03-16

neretofo' Led automobile torpe-
does as instruments for naval
use and i scarcely disposed to change
policies at this date.
A good deal of encouragement was
created at the Navy Department to-
day by report from the capitol that
| a majority of the naval affairs commit
tee is disposed to substitute six battle
ships for the three provided for in the
pehding naval appropriation bill. This
NUMBER is supposed to represent about
me normal working capacity of the
three shlpbullding concerns of this
country that are able at present to un-
uerIake the construction of battleships.
ne Notifications board began it's
sessions to-day in the War Depart-
ihent- The proceedings are guarded
zealously against publication.
THE GUNBCAT ANNAPOLIS
has started home from the West In
ules, leaving Curacao yesterday direct
ly for Key West. She has a number
OF apprentices aboard, being training
snip and 1t is not yet determined
whether she will be attached to the
squadron TIE torpedo boat Winslow
arrived at Key West yesterday. The
steel tug Samoset arrived at Beaufort
yesterday morning and proceeded i'm
mediately on her way to Key West in
the afternoon. The torpedo boat Foote
also sailed from Charleston for Jack
sonville yesterday. The tog Leyden
arrived at League Island to-day. She
will pick up coal lighter and tow it
10 Key West for use in eoaling the
squadron. The Fern arrived at Key
West last evening
\ representative of the Winchester
Arms Company was in conference to-
day with Gen. Miles and Gen. FlagIer.
at the office of the bureau of ordnance
of the army, with view to examining
various patterns of rifles made by this
concern and of ascertaning how speed
lily they could be furnished in large
quantities in case of emergency Sam
pies OF two of the latest patterns of
thirty calibre rifles, one a Winchester
ana the other a Lee straight pull gun,
We're examined. No contracts were
made, but the conference led to a. full
understanding. The representative of
the Winchester company stated that
the present commercial demand. par
ticularly that connected with the Klon-
dixie excitement, kept the company at
orders would be filled without refer
ence to these private obligations The
company has a force of 1900 men, and
by working ten hours day with sew
eral shifts it is believed that the gov
eminent could be supplied with rifles
at rapid rate. A large number of
Winchesters could be supplied at once
BIDS WERE OPENED
in the quartermaster office of the War
Department for transporting some of
the artillery batteries that are to man
the fortifcetion works recently COM
pleted. The batteries for whose move
ments proposals were received include
the following:
Battery L. Fourth artillery, from
Fort AIcHenry, Maryland. to Fort Del
aware; Battery |, Fourth artillery,
from Washington, D. c., barracks, to
Fort Mott (near Fort Delaware); Bat
terry E, Fourth artillery, from Fort
Monroe to Sheridan's Point on the
Potomac; Battery l, Second artillery,
from Fort Monroe to Fort Caswell,
near the mouth of the Cape Fear river:
Battery F, First artillery. from Fort
Monroe to Tybee Island, Ga; Battery
|, First artillery, from Fort Monroe to
Fort Morgan, Ala. The Pennsylvania
railroad received the contract for the
transporting the batteries from Wash
ington to Fort Mott, and Fort Nc
Henry, and Fort Delaware.
"The general expectation of the
members of the cabinet said one of
them after the meeting to-day, is
that some report will be received dur
ing the present week from the court OF
inquiry examining into the cause OF
the Maine explosion.
yet" he added, sit would not be
surprising to us if the report should
be delayed for a longer time. We
have nothing on which to base this
hope that l know of, only the feeling
seems general that what | have said
will be the case. There is nothing at
hand as yet to indicate what will be
the nature of the findings of the
court.
To-day our time was occupied in
general discussion of the measures
under way for the national defense,
notably in regard to the acquisition OF
new vessels of war. We are keeping
eyes on the two ships under construc-
ton for Chile and the Argentine Re
public. but it is not probable we can
get them If we can not obtain the
ships. it is a source of satisfaction to
know that Spain will not be able to get
them either
0.NIN ON TIAI II I'M q