Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-03-09

Clal shape. OOme lear IS expressed
that the consul general will not find
MS post very congenial now that he
is an unwelcome guest in Havana,
but the administration is relying
upon his devotion to the welfare OF
the Americans in Cuba and Ameri-
can interests generally to submit
his own personal in'e7osts to re-
straint and remain at his post.
Late in the afternoon Senator du
Bose, the Spanish charge, received
a cipher cable from the minister of
state at Madrid, Senor Guilin say
ing:
"You can disavow the rumor that
any official application has been
made for the recall of Gen. Lee"
This confirmed Mr.. du Bosc's
view that inisapprehension had
occurred, and some intimation
concerning Gen: Lee had been con-
strued into a request or demand for
his recall, which Mr.. du Bose says
with positiveness was never in.
tended.
As there has been no explanation
so far of the purpose which prompt
ed the introduction of Mr.. Cannon's
resolution, it may be said that the
money is wanted primarily as an
emergency fund. 1t is said by
officials who will have the DISPOSE
ton of this treasure that it by no
means follows because congress
places such a sum of money in the
control of the President that he will
feel bound to spend all of it. Those
who look for wholesale purchase OF
warships from the bargain counters
of European builders, are likely to
be disappointed. The navy depart
ment at present is inclined to make
but one purchase of this kind, at
first at least, in the shape of sub
stantial ironclad. 1t does desire to
get possession of several OF the
larger class of torpedo boat destroy
ers, such as the Sokul of the Rus
sian navy, vessels of 900 tons, able
to keep the sea in bad weather, a
week point in our own boats, and
capable of enormous speed such as
thirty-two kots. But such craft are
not for sale at all times; they are
built to order generally and could
not be procured in this manner in
less than six months from the date
of contract, even in Europe, unless
special prices were paid. There is
no disposition on the part of the
navy department to lumber the
navy with a lot of unserviceable
craft in a spasm Of fear, but rather
to get few of the best vessels to
be had.
The offers of ships to the navy
department are now assuming def
mite and formal shape. During the
day Secretary Long received call
from A. F. Lane, representing the
Observation-Disclosures company, and
the agent for several war vessels
now nearing completion in foreign
ship yards. These include two
cruisers of the type of the Cincin-
natl, which are designed to be twen-
ty knot vessels, and two ironclads
of fourteen knots, which would be
called third class battleships under
our rating. These are now open
to purchase, and it is unders TODD
that Mr.. Lanes visit was in this
connection. The two cruisers are
$50 feet long, 43 feet beam and I6
feet draft. They carry six 6-inch
and four 5-inch guns, and an aux
iliary battery.
The ironclads havesa 1334-irch
belt Of Harveyized steele. Their
armament is two Io-inch guns, four
5-inch, two 6-inch, six 6-pounders
and four 1-pounders. Mr.. Lane re-
CARDS these ships as first class in
every particular, as they were de-
signed on modern principles and
are being built by one of the lead
ing ship building firms Of Europe.
They are all we'll along toward COM
pletion and all four, it is said, could
be in commission within a few
montts. They were originally de-
signed for one of the South African
republics, but there is said to be no
obligation which would prevent
their acquisition by the United
States. Mr.. Lane recently sold the
navy department sixty Of the Max
i'm Nordenfeldt rapid FIRE guns and
his standing with officials is such as
to give his representations as to