Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-02-18
W|LDRUMORSAFL.0A7
Many Reports in Circulation
Last Night.
BUTTHEY ARE UNFOUNDED
Speculation TO How Newport News
Would Fare II This Country Becomes
Involved iii War With Spain,
Not Well Protected.

A1N Sis cONS ldlhSu war yesterday, l
was the topic inthS shop, store, paraor,
on the street corners; in fact every,
Where people congregated the posi- bill
~ OF combat with Spain was discuss
Many wild rumors became current last
nigot and wrought the excitement up ts
a nigh pitch. ana up to q late hour peo-
PIE poured into the Daily Press office TO
as ertdtn whether or not the reports
were true.
sui Genelal Fitzhugh Lee had been as
SaSSinated at Havana; another that tel.
egraph5c communication between kry
West and Havana had lean shut off by
the cutting of the cal'e, and still. ar.
other report that the United StlI~s
cruiser New York, the flagship of NE
North Atlantic Squadron, had been or
dei%I 10 proceed to Havana under fuu
steam, and that Prestien. " Kinley mad
Wired the governors of TIE va -io,ls
states to know now mauv troops rach
STAGE cGull furnish Oh ;weniy-'o,lr
hours notice. These rumors flew thick
and fast and it was believed .hal Uncle
sam was preparing to declare War on
SPAN at oncs Men became eX.';e1an,.
spirit OF war pArvai-j the atmosphere
t:dt thy wsrc ,Cfoun lId rumcrS
"A t'lilei!r' re2ei.'@i by the Daily Pr$ss
from WASHINGTON SAID that Congress
naa ADJOURNED, spe cial cabinet meeting
had not be2n ca:lci as WAS report4i nd
all was quist at The sea. OF the govern,
mert
1T is now the general opinion in this
city that :h= iettl:sEia Na.ne was rc1
blown up lc2!irl'a.ty. The best IL
feHm'si men III naval affairs inclined
% Fey. that tin destruction tf me
snip WAS the work nj traachcry
Now that there IS a nlle Possibility
that Uncle Sam may become inva.ved III
war with spain it is we'll to speculate
on the effect hostil.rieS wc,lhr have en-
Newport News. If war were declared
It is not thought that Spain would un-
uertake TO protect CuVla. She could do
the United States greater damage b;-
striking a blow at Unc,e Sans COM
merce. This msans that she would
scatter her Eatt!eshps along the At
lantic coast. enter the iniiefensible har-
D0Es ana let loose Shot ana she'll, thus
doing incaleulab.e damage
AT Newport News the largest ship
building plant on this side Of the Atlant-
&c is located. Here three first-class bait
tieshlpS are uEiier course of construc-
fion, and when completed they Will pe
the most destructive lighting machines
known to the ravas world. This would
uheref-r5s be one of the objective points
OF the Spanish fleet, and II one of the
warsh:pst succeeded in running the
blockade the shipyari' ami hattleships
would be demolished
To do this would be equal to winning
a large naval battle
NOW, can a first-class warship pass
F'9ruress Monroe? That is the question
With the present protection a ship
might passsin.
All Fortress Monroe th5re are said to
be but Three nEi.ter disappearing guns
in useful condition. In case of an emer-
gercy th=re is but ammunition enough
stored thSre to keep these guns in opera
tlon one hour In this condition the fort
could not cfler strong protection. Rip
Raps can be put in condition inside of
tWenty-four hours. That would help
to protect this port. The TORPEDO sta
ton at Fortress Monroe is kept in work
ing con-dtion ana can Ge uS5d in an
emergency case. The station is under
ground, and the mechanism is composed
cSlefy of electrical appara fuses Wires
are attached and street. he's from the sta
tlon to the ocean bed. and it would not
require long to attach the torpedoes
ihen There are monitors which might
be used
But this defense is not thought to be
so formidable as to prevent the entry of
mG!ern war craft. OF course speedy
preparations would be made and one Of
uncls SANS fighting machines would
DOUBTLESS he stationed at OEi' Point TO
protect Newport News. However this
IS serious matter. For some time the
navy department has had under corsid
Grafton the advis.l hility of locating :,
magazine mar Newport News. b,l. as
yet nothing has been done.
10y some reop,e ii is claimed that K
would he impossible for a foreign wa,-
snip To enter this harbor without
Eliot; but it is doubtful If there IS
commando of vessel in any, Of the
mel2ern ravies who could not steer bis
ship and pass in' the Virginia capes with
safety.
If war were declared 1T would NJ;
require very long TO ronrg:.e,a tn. bat
tleships now building hers. By putting
a double force of Men a work the Ken
lucky and kearsirge could nave steam
up and in fighting Trim in six months.
The Illinois would he ready to go to sea
a month or so later. Should ther5' be
war the Shipyard wou.l be i'm great
1enand and many of the ships of the
GnMIsl- States navy would come here
f-e.. =,
The last report, just sent out from
the shipyard by Naval Constructor T
.. Woodward who is in charge of the
government work here, shows the per
centage of completion Of these ships to
be as follows:
kentucky 55
kearsarge, So.
Illinois, IL
The battleships Alabama and Wiscon-
sin. now building at Cramps and San
francisco, respectively, are not so far
advanced as the Illinois. building here
The keel for the Alabama was laid
some time before that for the Illinois
and the former is only SO per cent COM
pleted.
The work on the Wisconsin is ad-
yanced to 81 per cent.
The flag at the custom house yester-
day was IA { half mast, the following dis
patch having been received from Wash
ington:
WASHINGTON. d. C., Feb. II. 1888.
collector of Customs, Newport News,
Va.
Display flag at half-mast until fur
tier orders: respect those killed by ex-
plosion on battleship Maine.
IL. ]. GAGE
Secretary