The San Francisco call., 1898-03-11
Mapping Out Plans fol. the Manning and Equipping
 of Merchantmen.
Work on warships in the Several Navy Yards Progressing Fa-
 vOrably.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

the navy. This is true not because of a lack of offers of warShips, but simply | for the reason that the Navy Depart ment is proceeding with all the circum- | spection consistent with the needs of the case in looking after the qualities and prices of the craft There is a strong disposition to refrain from being drawn into bad bargains and to insist upon getting good vessels at prices not extortionate.
 Secretary Long was in receipt of a | large number of cablegrams to-day, al- most all relating to offers of ships. Lieutenant Nibleck, the United States naval attache at Berlin, St. Peters burg and Vienna is particularly active in the quest of vessels. There was a | good deal of talk during the day about assignment of officers to the command of the auxiliary cruisers, the St. Paul and St. Louis being especially men | toned but Secretary Long set these stories at rest by the statement that he 1 had not made any such assignments, and had only proceeded to the point of informing himself of the facilities for l getting the ships officered and manned l quickly.
 While looking after new ships the officials of the Navy Department are not neglecting the old vessels, and ar engagements have been made to make quick repairs on several ships that in ordinary course would not be treated in that fashion, but would receive | thorough and time consuming over hauling. Thus in the case of the Phila- delphia, which has had five years hard work and has never yet been gone over. as is the custom, orders have gone to Mare Island to put her into shape for sea within forty days. The Yorktown is not to be touched at the present, not only because she is in fair condition, but also because she is not so formld- able a craft as to make it desirable to divert to her repair attention required | elsewhere.
 | At Norfolk the Newark is set down for thirty days repairs, and as a good deal of work has already been done on her she will be almost a new ship when she comes out of the yard. The big | monitor Puritan has practically com pleted her repairs.
 The monitor Camanche at Mare | Island has been examined and found In ! tolerable condition.
 At League Island the monitor Milan tonomoh and the ram Katahdin went into commission to-day, although they have not yet had their orders. They probably will remain in the Delaware River or drop down into the bay. The 1 torpedo boat Dupont sailed to-day rom | Mobile to dttaCn neTSeI dSdil tO lilC fotilla at Key West.
 conference was held at o'clock in the office of Assistant Secretary Roose- welt to map out plans for arm1ng ana equipping merchant vessels as auxll- ary cruisers MT. Roosevelt presided and others present were Captain | CrowninshieId of the Bureau of Navi- gation. Captain O'Neil of the Bureau of | Ordnance, Chief Hichborne of the Blu reau of Construction, and Commander | Bradford of the Bureau Of 4ardS ana | Docks. This meeting had been pre- ceded by call from President Gris- com of the International Navigation | Company, which owns the St. Louis, St. Paul. Paris and New York. The board meeting brought out general | discussion of the work the various bu- reaus would be called upon to perform in making these and other vessels ready as auxiliary cruisers. About 50 per cent of this work would fall to the | lot of the Bureau Of Construction' which would have charge of installing | magazines, gun mounts, light protec- tive armor for the guns and magazines | and the circles on which the guns swing. This work, it is said, could De accomplished readily within two weeks time. as all materials. except the guns, are in hand. The Bureau Of Ordnance could not supply all the guns required | within that short time, although some l seventy or more are now available Ine supply would be adequate, however, for the most effective auxiliary cruisers | and the complete armament or the merchant ships could proceed as rap idly as possible thereafter.
 1 On the question of manning the aux Hilary fleet, the Navy Department feels that the most effective step would De to enlist into the United States naval service the present merchant crews or the several ships. These crews are thoroughly familiar with the vessels and could handle them with far greater effect than green crews of blue Jackets. The ships would be off1cered from the | line of the regular navy. In the case of enlisting merchant crew the pay and allowances would be about equiv alent to the rates paid ordinary sailors 1 and the time of enlistment would doubtless be limited to short periods.
 The proposed batteries for the aux Hilary cruisers consist, in the case of the steamships St. Louis and St. Paul
 of eight 6-inch guns, four 6-pounders and four machine guns; the Paris and New York, twelve 6-inch guns, six G. pounders and six machine guns. It IS designed to give vessels of the Caracas l and Seneca type main battery of eight finch guns and from six to eight rapid fire machine guns. Those of the Vigilancia class are designed to have 8
 main battery of six 5-inch and four l finch guns, four 1-pounders and three
 machine guns. The batteries of the
 auxiliary cruisers on the Pacific Coast if those should be called into use, are l substantially similar, 6-inch guns be-
 ing the largest designed for use in thai
 service.
 l The Navy Department finds itself 1T
 comparatively good condition, as to the
 supply of automobile torpedoes. whicf
 constitute one of the most deadly en-
 zines of naval destruction. The White
 head torpedo is now in general use, al
 though few of the Powell class art
 still on hand. Fifty of the Whitehead
 torpedoes were procured a short time
 ago. and with these there is~s total ol
 about $50 on hand. This gives no
 only a full outfit for vessels now 1T
 commission, but also the necessary re
 serve supply.