The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-26
CUTTERS DETAILED.
Every Vessel Available for Action Hs
Been Assigned.

GNeTy sesset aNuitibie - Hf'i"h 10
Been Assigned.
Washington, March 25.-Captain
Shoemaker. chief of the eel cutter
service, was busily engaged to-day in
making assignments of officers to the
revenue cutters detailed yesterday for
defensive service along the Atlantic
seaboard. Every vessel i'm the service
available for action has been or will be
assigned to duty. Even the new cutter
Gresham on the great X and the
little cutter Calumet, located AT Chi
cago. have been called on, and in a
day OF two both the lake ships will be
en- foute to the rendezvous at Hampton
Roads. The commanders of the reve-
nue. cutters have been notified by wire
to be in readiness to move as soon as
soon as their general orders are re-
ceived.
The revenue cutters which will be
ordered into service n the present
stations. are as follows: The Wood
bury. at Portland. Me: Hamilton. Phil
adelphia; Hudson, New York; Man.
ming. Boston,; Calumet, Chicago;
Gresham, Milwaukee,; Morrow, VIII
mington. N. C. Captain Shoemaker
was of the opinion that Ii would re-
quire about a week for all of the ves-
sells to reach Hampton Roads. or rather
Norfolk. which will be their Official
rendezvous.
At the navy yard the vessels will re-
ceive their equipment-guns. ammuni-
ton, torpedoes and supplies, and will
make such other preparations as are
necessary for fighting service. The new
cutter, Gresham. recently built at Cleve-
land, in "A brief time a be transformed
into a formidable commerce destroyer
or torpedo boat She was built ex-
pressly for such an emergency as she
IL nnNN Ralle1 nnOn Ia meet She is
equipped for a torpedo tube. and can
carry an ugly battery Of rapid fire guns.
All of the vessels are first-rate seago-
ing craft, and all OF them are fitted with
small but effective batteries. Their
speed varies from IA To 20 knots.
All officers of the revenue cutter serv-
ice now ON duty with the life aving
service are being Withdrawn today ami
assigned to duty on the vessels ordered
TO Norfolk. Their orders are made i'm
mediately effective in every case. and
they will report to the commanding
officer of the ship as soon as the vessel
arrives at Norfolk.
AS soon as the cutters are prepared
for service at the Norfolk navy yard
they will be dispatched TO Key West
and placed at the disposal of Commo-
dore Sampson in command of the naval
SQUADRON at that station. The cutters
will be employed as scout or picket
boats and will be prepared for both
offensive and defensive service. IL IL
thought they will prove pretty formi-
dable ships. even in aggressive tactics
The new revenue cutter McColloch
left Baltimore several weeks ago foI
duty on the Pacific, going by way OF
the Mediterranean sea and SueZ canal
She is now somewhere in the vicinity
of and will be used as a
dispatch boat on the Asiatic station
unless present plans are changed. \
cable message will be sent to her com
mander at Singapore directing him &c
proceed to Hong Kong and place his
vessel with officers and crew under th'
command of Commodore Dewey, In
charge of the naval forces on the Ash
| attic station.