The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-23
AMERICA IS PREPARED
Our Battlsships Are Ready for q
Moments Notice.
WORK ON REPAIRS RUSHED
A Strong FIsst Ready for Mobilization
In the North Atlantic The Cam
aries Would Be Seized on q
Resumption OF Hosthties.

New York.. Nov. ga dispatch TO
the Herald from Washington says:
Though confident that hostilities will
not be resumed. Secretary Long has
made II a point since the peace proto-
col was signed to put the men-of-war
of the service In the best possible con-
dition. During the latter part of last
week Instructions were sent to the
commandments OF the navy yards at
which ships were undergoing repairs d.
recting them to expedite the compile
ton of the vessels in order that they
might be in condition for immediate
use shoul developments require their
employment.
The departments attention was first
directed to the battleships and armored
cruisers and as a result OF the extra
work put on them they are well ad-
vanced and some are ready for service.
The Indiana is the only armor-clad
which In now undergoing extensive re-
pairs and In case of necessity overtime
work would promptly place her in con-
dition to Join the squadron to be sent
to Spain.
Secretary Long is now ~endeavoring to
get the smaller vessels away from the
navy yards. He has given instructions
to commandants of navy yards to rush
the smaller cruisers n ~gunboats.
which are wanted for service in Cuban
and Porto Rican waters for patrol pur-
poses. The decision not to use the old
sing~le-turreted monitors for service In
Southern waters has caused the officials
to look around for more serviceable
vessels, and the smaller cruisers and
gunboats will be used for that purpose.
1t is au~thoritatively stated that no ov-
ertime work has been authorized on
1850 l. --A
of the Indiana and this was only for a
few hours each day.
SO far as the North Atlantic squadron
is concerned, therefore. II Will not take
long to mobilize a strong fleet. The
New York Is now at Hampton Roads,
fully cosled and ready for sea; the ar
mored cruiser Brooklyn and the bat
tleship Massachusetts,. which at at
New York. can sail within a very short
time, and the second-class battleship
Texas Is having her propeller repaired.
Besides these vessels the department
would probably attach to a fleet sent
abroad the cruiser New Orleans, which
will be ready for service in the course
of a few weeks. several gunboats and
a fleet Of Golfers. The battleships Iowa
and Oregon, which are at Rio Janeiro.
are also available for operations in
Spanish waters, being about the same
distance from Spain as are the ships
now at New York.
Should hostilities be resumes II Is ex-
pected hat Secretary Long will again
call together the naval war board, con-
sisting of Rear Admiral Sicard, Captain
Crowninshield n Captain Mahan. Be-
fore the adjournment of the board
plans had been prepared for the dis
patch of Rear Admiral Sampson and a
squadron under his command to the
Spanish coast. IL was not contemplate
ed last August that the Canaries would
be seized, but there is reason To believe
that IL the peace negotiations are inter-
rupted the authorities will seriously
consider the advisability OF directing
the capture of these islands.
The withdrawal of the Spanish COM
missioners from Paris would be the
signal for the dispatch of instructions
to Rear Admiral Sampson to conn
north on the gunboat Topeka and re-
sumo duty as commander-in-chief or
the North Atlantis squadron. IL may
be hat as the result or an agreement
between Spain and the United States,
decided through the medium of the
French government. the protocol refer
ring to the evacuation OF Cuba would
be carried out without molestation on
the part of the American men-of-war
Rear Admiral Dewey would send his
vessels to destroy Spanish fortiications
at Iloilo. troops would be transported
to that point and the city would be oc-
cupied. With the fall Of this point, the
last Spanish stronghold in the Philip
pines would ave disappeared, and Ii
would be an asy task to station troops
among the various stands to protect
American interests. Besides the Phil
ippines. the American men-of- war
would hoist the flag over the Caro-
lines
IL will be impossible for Spain to
prevent the United States from carry
ing out it's will either in the Atlantic
or in the far East. In expectation OF
the arrival OF the German emperor and
for the purpose of impressing him, as
well as the people OF Spain. with the
size of the OF the Spanish
navy. Admiral Camara has been di-
rected TO mobilize his ships at Cadiz.
There are now at that point the battle
ship Pelayo, the armored cruiser Car
los W, he protected cruiser Alfonso
Kill, the reconstructed battleships
Numancia and Vittoria. besides torpe-
do boat d~estroyers and torpedo boats.
In the Philippines Spain has several
small gunboats and one auxiliary cruis-
err. the Buenos Ayres.
Since the war the Spanish govern
ment has done nothing toward com
pleting the armored cruisers OF the As
| turias class. which are under construc-
ton, her neglect being due 10 the lack
OF funds. IL II because she has no
money and because OF her total unpre-
p~aredness for war that the authorities
DO not believe tonight hat there will
be a resumption of hostilitles. and II Is
on account Of this belief that no extern
siye preparations or plans are being