The San Francisco call., 1898-05-02
DEFENSE OF
 COAST CITIES Ample Prote ction on the Atlantic and Pacific
 SeaboardS. Spanish Fleet Could Do But Little Damage Before Being
 Overwhelmed. Siqnal System Would Bring Inan1e- diate Assistance to Any Threat
 ened Point
Special Dispatch to The Call.

NEW YORK, May 1.--The Herald's s Washington correspondent says: While preparing plans for meeting Spain's fleet. now en route to We stern waters, officials have not forgotten to take pre- cautions for the protection of Amer1- can ports. Primarily the defense of the coast will rest upon the navy and the mosquito fleet, and the shore forti- fcations will be secondary defenses which Spain will have to overcome in order to commit damage upon Ameri- can life and property.
 1 Commodore J. A. Howell, com mander-in-ch of the northern patrol squadron, is collecting his fleet in New England waters, and an armor-clad squadron will be stationed at some point between Key West and Hampton Roads, from where it can be dispatched to defend Cuban blockaders or north ern port, or make an offensive move without serious inconvenience or delay. On account of the conditions Of the Notifications of New England cities, Secretary Long has deemed 1t expedient for Commodore Howell to make Bos- ton his headquarters for the present. Commodore Howells command now consists of the cruisers San Francisco and New Orleans and the ram katah- din, and it will be re-enforced by Tues day or Wednesday by the auxiliary cruisers Yankee, Prairie, Dixie and Yosemite, which have been converted and armed at Newport News The Min neapoliS and Columbia, which are on scouting duty in New England waters, may be ordered elsewhere when Com modore HoWelPs entire force is assem- bled. Besides this fleet the navy has the wartime monitor Catskill, under command of Lieutenant M. E. Hall, at Gloucester, Mass, and the monitor Le- high at Boston, The Governor of Maine has sent detachment of men to man the monitor Montauk, which will be taken to Portland for defense of that city.
 So far as New York is concerned, it is proposed by the department to hasten the work of establishing a mos quito fleet at this point, and this expe- dition will apply to stationing vessels at other points along the coast.
 By the aid of the coast defense signal system the authorities say that as soon as it becomes evident that a fleet is heading toward New York, as can be quickly learned, orders would be tele- graphed to Commodore Howell and to Rear Admiral Sampson to hasten at once to it's relief, and before any dam age could be done by the enemy it would find itself confronted by a strong squadron. The wartime monitors Ma hant and Jason are designed for the de- fense of New York.
 On the Pacific Coast Rear Admiral Miller has under his command quite an effective flotilla of vessels, ample to protect Pacific Coast cities from depre- dations by privateers. The monitor Mo- nadnock is at Puget Sound, the monitor Monterey at San Francisco, the gum boat Bennington at Honolulu. The crul- ser Alert, the revenue cutters Grant, Corwin, Rush and Perry, the converted tugs Iroquois. Vigilant and Active and the Fish Commission vessel Albatross are also doing coast duty.