Arizona republican., 1898-08-11
TO MODERNIZE THE ALERT.
An Old Iron Cruiser to Be Made an Up to Date Fighting Ship.

Washington, Aug. 1O.-The govern ment has decided to make modern inn provements upon all the older national vessels in the service, and keep them on active duty, instead of relegating them to the scrap heap. This policy, which was forced upon the naval ad- ministration several months ago, and shown in the hasty repairs which were made upon the old single turret moni- tors, speedily making them as good as new, and providing a means of har- Dor defense unequalled by any other class of vessels in the world, is now to be followed to it's legitimate conclu- sion, and other ships which were per mitted to become practically obsolete during '@the piping times of peace' will be made as effective as modern ma chinery and battleship construction can accomplish that object.
 The department today announced it's determination to moderniZe the old iron cruiser Alert. which was built i twenty-five years ago at Chester by John Roach, and, after continuous ser vice, had been considered almost worn out The construction experts have ] reported that the vessels hull is in excellent condition, requiring but few repairs to make it as good as ever. ! The obsolete main battery of two g. i inch smooth bores and one 60-pounder
 will be replaced as soon as possible ] by six finch rapid-fre rifles. and a secondary battery of four 6-pounder rapid-fires. one field howitzer and one i Colt machine gun will be installed on i the ship The engines will be thor oughly overhauled and renewed where
 worn, and new water tube boilers of
 the latest type will replace the old
 ones. This work will be done at the Mare island navy yard, California The
 Alert is admirably adapted for duty : in the Pacific ocean, where she has
 been stationed for many years. She i is bark-rigged, her large spread of
 canvas enabling her to make without 1 difficulty the long voyages required in that ocean, and it is doubtful if a bet ter ship could be designed today to take care of American interests in the ! Philippines and other eastern islands
 FOREIGN NOTES AND COMMENT. King Humbert and Queen Marruar- te. although they own mora palaces and castles than any other sovereigns | in Christendom, all the residences of the former petty rulers of the penin-
 sula having passed into their posses sion, are in a quandary as to where to spend their holidays. Their usual
 summer residence is at Eonza, which they regard as their home, the Oui- rinal at Rome never appearing to them
 as such. Unfortunately MonZa is with
 in Gn hours drive of Milan and not
 only Milan but likewise all the sur
 rounding districts are under martial 1 law. i'll connection with the sanguinary 1 disturbances which took nlace there
 Tn the early part of the summer Now
 t is contrary to etiquette and to policy 1 for the sovereign to take up his resi-
 dence in portion Of his dominions
 where, owing to the misconduct of his
 subjects. the constitution has been
 suspended and martial law established i Of course the government might,
 with the object of suiting the conven- fence of the king and queen, terminate
 this condition of affairs in Lombardy.
 But there are ta the present moment
 in progress at Milan several trials by
 court martial of newspaper editors.
 prelates, and politicians who were
 concerned in the bloody riots of two months ago. and until those trials have been brought to conclusion it Is i'm
 possible to terminate the condition of martial law, since the trials in ques- l ton can only be conducted military | fashion, by virtue of the existence of
 martial law.
 Fer the present the king is up in
 the Val d'Aosta hunting chamois,
 while Queen Marguerite is in another portion of the Italian Alps, Gressoney,
 where she has villa What they will
 do when they complete their sojourn in the mountains is as yet altogether