The record-union., 1898-08-23

First Naval Battalion of Maryland The
vessels attached to this district are the
receiving ship Dale and the monitor
Ajax and the yacht Sylph. The head
quarters Of the district are at Balti-
more.
The sixth district, the limits of which
are New River Inlet on the north and
Jupiter Inlet, Fla, on the south, Lieu
tenant George L. Morton, U. S. N, is
in command, with headquarters at Port
Royal, S. c. He was formerly COM
manding officer of the Naval Battalion
of the North Carolina State Guard Ma
val Battalion. The vessels under his
command are the monitor Nantucket
and the tugs Cheyenne, Chickasa and
Waban.
The seventh district runs from Ju-
piter Inlet Fla, to Perdido entrance,
the extreme westerly limit Of Florida.
Pensacola is the headquarters, and the
officer in charge is Lieutenant j. c.
Sutherland, u. S. NJ, who formerly
commanded the Fourth Division Of the
Naval Militia of Florida. The tug Ia
coma is the only vessel at present in
this district.
In the eighth district, which extends
from Perdido entrance to the most
westerly point of Texas, the command
ing officer is Lieutenant j. w. Postick.
.. S. N. He was formerly commander
of the First Naval Battalion of Louisi.
ana. His headquarters are at New Or
leans, and under him are tie monitor
PaSSaic and the tugs ChOctaw and
PowSat
The whole Pacific coast of the United
States comprises the ninth district,
which is under the command of Lieu
tenant William E. Gum, u. S. n, for
merly commanding the Second Division
of the California Naval Battalion, with
headquarters at San Francisco. Lieu
tenant Gums command consists of the
revenue cutters Corwin, Grant, Perry
and Rush and the tugs Active, Iroquois
and Vigilant. The yachts Sylvia and
Viking, the tugs Apache and Potomac
and the ferry boats East Boston and
! Governor Russell were also part Of the
auxiliary fleet, but were detached and
| turned over to the navy recently for
service in southern waters. All these
| have been officered and manned from
/ the naval militia of the various States,
with the exception of those that have
been detached, which are commanded
by officers of the regular navy.
| The rapidity with which the force has
| been reduced since the suspension of
hostlities is considered proof of it's
thorough discipline and excellent man
agement, and shows how valuable the
naval militia system has become in the
few years of it's existence.
| The twelve monitors which have
served in the auxiliary force have been
ordered out of commission as speedily
as possible at League Island, where
| they will be Immediately prepared for
permanent duty as guardships in Gu
| ban and Porto Rican harbors. Addi-
| tional awnings will be stretched over
| their upper decks for protection in
stormy weather, and the crews, con-
| sisting of a full war complement of
ninety regular seamen and marines,
will sleep under these awnings instead
of in the close, hot quarters below. Sew
| eral of the vessels are already getting
ready for the new duty, and will be on
the way south in the course of a week.
Orders were issued to-day sending
four powerful going tugs from
Norfolk to Boston, to tow the Montauk,
the Catskill, the Lehigh and the Wyan-
| dotte to League Island.
| The Passaic, now in the mouth of the
Mississippi, will go to Pensacola on
Monday, where her naval militiamen
will be discharged and a regular crew
| put on board to take her to Cuba, and
! the Nantucket will go out of commits
! sion at Port Royal in a few days, to go
to Porto Rico as soon as she can.