Connecticut western news., 1898-04-21

nOn uOllarS was gwen TOT the QuaTlST- masters department, chiefly to meet extraordinary expenses in the trans portation of troops and munitions of war; $15.0O0 for work with balloons and S60,oOO for perfecting the army tele- graphic service.
 MobiIizIng the Regulars.
 Almost the entire force of the regular army is now being moved with great rapidity to the south and to gulf ports and placed in position for prompt and effective action. The mobilization is at the following points:
 To Chickamauga Battlefield. - Tho First, Second, Third, Sixth, Ninth and Tenth regiments of cavalry and the light batteries of five regiments of aT- tillery.
 To New Orleans.-The First, Seventh. Eighth, Twelfth, Sixteenth, Eighteenth, Twenty third and Twenty-fourth regi- ments of infantry.
 To Mobile.-The Second, Third, Tenth, Eleventh, Nineteenth, Twentieth and Twenty regiments of infantry. To Tampa, Fla.-The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth. Thirteenth, Seventeenth and Twenty-first regiments of infantry.
 Secretary Alger has selected the com manders of the divisions of the army 
 named, all of whom are we'll known for their service in the military branch of the government. For the division at New Orleans, Brigadier General w. B. Shafter, now at San Francisco. in com mand of the department of California, was selected: for that at Tampa, Fla, Brigader General J. F. Wade, now in command of the department of the Da- kota at St. Paul; for Mobile, Brigadier General J. J. Coppinger. who is on duty in command of the department of Mis- souri at Omaha, while for the post at Chickamauga, Major General J. R. Brooke. in command of the department of the lakes. with headquarters at Chi cago, was chosen.
 Greedy Wants Balloons.
 General Greedy, the chief signal officer, is a stanch advocate of the use of bal looms at the various ports of the coun- try and in regular field service. Much indignation has been expressed hy naval officers over the cold blooded att tempt of persons owning vessels or act ing as their agents to extort from the government sums of money largely in excess of the value of their craft. The same complaint is also made as to many kinds of military and naval supplies, although it is gratifying to note that in a few exceptional cases the tube making and boiler making firms and some ammunition and gun making peo- pie every disposition has been shown to give the government the best terms in price and time of delivery.
 The navy department has arranged to place some light armor on the four ves- sells acquired from the Morgan line-the Prairie, Yosemite, Yankee and Dixie. The Carnegie company has undertaken to roll immediately light steel plate IF inches thick. Two layers of this plate will be placed around the boilers and engine rooms of the ships, making about 250 tons of armor in each case. This will be sufficient at least to repel the fire of machine guns and perhaps to keep out the murderous six pounder shells.
 The navy department has received satisfactory information that the coal loaded at Newport News upon the Brit ish tramp steamer Hampstead is not, as was supposed. intended for the Span ish naval craft at the Cape Verde is- lands. but is for line of merchant steamers. so that apprehension from that score has been removed. The de- partment is still reaching out for ves- sells suitable for colliers. and several cable messages were sent yesterday to its agency in Europe looking to the pur- chase of some of these vessels.