The Portland daily press., 1898-05-20

point. General Miles had an "a interview
this afternoon with Captain Crownin-
shield, chief of the navigation bureau
and it is surmised that this very subject
was under discussion. The rumor was
afloat that General Miles with his staff
was to leave Washington tonight for
Tampa, but this again proved to be pre-.
mature.
To maintain the army of 100000 men
for six months will cost $50, 900, 600 ac-
oording to estimates prepared by Pay
master General Stanton and the leading
officials are beginning to fear that
hostilities may run along beyond this
period. The reason is the growing con-
viction on the part of some of the officers
that they must not reckon on any sub
stantial assistance from the Cuban rebels
in this campaign, and moreover must
meet the Spaniards in Cuba in their
strongest sphere, that of the defensive.
Naval authorities are relieved of good
deal of embarrassment by the consent of
the French authorities at Martinique to
allow the scouting vessel Harvard to re-
main in at Pierre until her repairs are
completed. 1t was at first supposed that
she wouldFbe allowed only seven days stay
and at the end of that time would be
forced out to risk attack at the hands of
some ambushsd Spanish cruiser or torpe-
do boat
Work on the three monitors Mahopac
Canonicus and Manhattan at League
Island has advanced so far that the de-
within week or two. They have been
supplied with tuhulous boilers in place of
the rusted out boilers they have carried
since the war, One very useful quality
of the new boiler was found to be the
possibility of passing 9ha small pieces of
which it is composed through che smoke.
pipe hole, thrs avoiding the tearing up of
the decks, and shortening the time re-
quired for the work fully one-half. The csc
monitors will be an available addition to
che coast defense ships.
Lieut. Niblack. late United States
naval attache at Berlin and Rome, re-
ported at the navy department and had
some amusing stories to tell of his expert
ences in every seaport of Europe, trying
to buy ready made navy in thirty days.
The department officials are very much
pleased with the energy and ability shown
by this young officer IN the discharge OF
the important duties confded to him. He
has been ordered to duty as watch and
division officer on the Topeka, one of
the ships that he helped to purchase il
Tic absence of official news Of any
character from the fleets at the navy de-
partrnent today gave the widest field for
speculation, and all sorts OF stories were
afioat as to the whereabouts of the vessels
and the ilnminence of an engagement.
The report that came from Madrid OF the
bonn bardment of Santiago received some
credence, as it seemed to show that zen.
Greeley, the chief signal officer had set
in motion the machinery of the navy to
carry out his declared purpose of cutting
the cables that afford the last connection
between Havana and the outside world
and thus isolate Blanco. 1t is not believed
that the bonn bardnent amounted to any
thing more than this.
Judge Advocate General Lemly, today
completed the circular defining the chief
characteristics of the sixteen torpedo boat
destroysrs and twelve torpedo boats pro-
vIded for by Congress in the present naval
appropriation bill. The destroyers pro-
vided for are to be of larger type than
any vessel of that kind we now have in
the service, about 400 tons, but the torpe-
do boats viii be about the size OF the
average torpedo boat now in use, namely
about $50 tons. Bidders are left the
widest liberty in the matter Of original
design, but no bid will be considered
which fails to guarantee speed of at
least 25 knots for destroyers and 26 knots
for torpedo boats.
No more than IS and 10 months re-
speotively will be allowed to complete
these boats and shortness of time of con-
struction will be an important element in
determining the awards.
Hampstead, l.. L, has been definitely
selected as a rendezvousing point for
troops from the New England and Middle
States section, and 1t Is expected that 10
regiments eventually will be quartered
there. The long expected appointments
of officers to the stats Of the fourteen new
major generals have been made SO that
the way is now cleared for the entry up n
&C tive duty of the officers who have been
obliged for several weeks to remain in
Washington.