The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-08-20
BIG FLEET ON WARSHIPS
Will Soon Be Brought Together in
Hampton Roads.
FIFTY-sBVEN ALREADY THERE,


rhe Orders stil to BE Issued WIN
Bring the Number Up to seventy.
No Vessels selected ns Yet For the
West Indies Coast Patrol.
Washington, Aug. 2O.-One Of the
largest fleet of warships ever as
sembled in an American port will be
brought together in the next few days
at Fort Monroe. Already 81 warships
are under orders to rendezvous there.
and the orders still to be issued will
raise the total to the neighborhood Of
20. Naval officials say 1t is difficult to
realize the extent of such a marine ag-
gregaton in one harbor. The orders
began issuing last Monday, when five
ships were ordered to Fort Monroe.
On the 10th another ship was added
on the 18th eight more were sent, and
on the 18th II ships were added. Yes
terday's orders include Is more ships.
Before the orders began issuing there
were eight warships at Fort Monroe,
so that the total up to today Is 81.
Those included in yesterdays orders
are the Newport Rodgers, Lebanon,
Wampatuck. Morris, Grim, Lancaster,
Machias, Osceola, Peoria Massasoit,
Sioux, Cheyenne, Waban, Chickasaw,
Helena, Detroit and Yankton. The
ships previously ordered are mainly
small craft, although there are a num-
Der of large cruisers and gunboats. in
Guiding the San Francisco, Helena. De-
troit, Topeka, Marietta and Castine.
The movement of these ships north
ward is due to the close of hostilities,
and more particularly to the desire to
get the ships away from points Of pos
sible fever infection. They will now be
put in thorough repair, and their crews
will be gradually changed from naval
militiamen to sailors of the regular
navy.
The navy department has not yet
determined what ships will go to Ha-
vana San Juan and other points of
Cuba and Porto Rico. There Is felt to
be no hurry about this until the au-
thorlty of the United States is fully
established throughout the islands. In
the meantime the matter of policing the
shore points is being considered, and in
due time a number of the light draught
auxiliary craft and some of the single
turreted monitors will be used for this
coast patrol. 1t is found, however, that
only four of the old monitors Of the
civil war are fit for this service in
southern waters.
AS many naval vessels will be CEN
tered about the West Indies from this
time forward, the navy department will
send the new floating dock recently
bought in New York down the coast to
| Pensacola Fla. where it will be kept
| for docking the warships. At that
| point also there are good naval work
shops 10 be used in conjunction with
the floating docks. The dock is now
being coppered, and will be towed to
Pensacola as soon as the September
| gales are over.
There were few developments of ina
pOrtance in the post war situation yes
terday. The authorities are still walt.
| ing for General Merritt's report on the
| list of casualties, and the state wal
| and navy departments are Interested In
| knowing the exact terms on which
! Manila was surrendered-whethe the
city alone, or If the Philippines were
! included. 1t was stated by officials
that nothing additional on this point
had been received up to the close OF
! office hours yesterday.
The efforts to restore the Manila
! cable continue, but they have not prov
| ed successful thus far. The claim made
ir Madrid that the protocol, and not
| the capitulation, controls the status OF
affairs In the Philippines will not bt
discussed by state department officials
! The Madrid discussion is looked upOr
as rather academic, as it is taken fol
! granted that claims will be made OF
both sides, and that the Paris tribuna
will be the final arbiter of the case.