The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-26

session in this hemisphere other than Cuba
Ihe exact character of those new de-
tenses has been made known here, and
they are being given weight with the mill
ltary authorities as showing the DISPOSE
tion of Spain
The orders issued by the navy depart
ment during the day covered every branch
of naval armament. The "fying SQUAD
rom was definitely established, with Com
modore W. s. Schley in command. He
VIII MOIST his commodores flag on the
Hagship Brooklyn next Monday The
squadron is to consist of exactly five ships.
Those of the squadron will be the crack
armored cruiser Brooklyn, the battleships
Massachusetts, and Texas and the cruisers
Columbia and Minneasoplis. Other ships
which are now or hereafter at Hampton
roads viii not be of the flying squadron,
out Will belong to the North Atlantic STA
ton under Capt Sampson. The nying
squadron is to be a small, compact feet
OF the best ships in the navy for quick
service at any point along the Atlantic
AT the same time the North Atlantic
squadron, under Capt. Sampson, is 10 be
further augmented. The cruiser Cincin-
natl, which left Port Antonio three DAYS
ago under sealed orders, is 10 report at
Key West and become a part of Capt
SIMPSONS fleet. The gunboat Wilmington
S'4@N - ACNNC IAOlil 1OlL AItOIlO, Will
likewise report to Capt Sampson at Key
West, as will the gunboat Vicksburg, now
| at Hampton roads.
Late to-day the navy department gava
| out the following list of vessels as show
ing the exact character of each fleet:
THE following vessels compose the
| North Atlantic squadron New York, 10.
wa, Indiana Miantonomoh, Fern, Puri~
tan, Terror, Marblehead, Montgomery,
| Castine, Nashville, Helena, Wilmington,
Vesuvius, torpedo boats Foote, Dupont
| Ericsson, Cushing, Porter, Wnslow, tugs
| Leyden and Samoset"
THE following vessels compose the fly
ing squadron. The Brooklyn, Massachu-
! setts, Texas, Minneapolis and Columbia" ="
Some of the other important develop
ments of the day may be summarized as
| follows:
Requisitions were made on the naval
ordnance bureau for a large number of
| quick-fire 4-pounder and 6-pounder guns
10 be mounted on the revenue cutters and
steam yachts about to be purchased. The
bureau determined to use the quick-tire
| guns for those craft which had been orig
inally intended for the Atlantic liners ST.
Paul and St. Louis.
Capt Bradford chief of naval equip
ment, has completed plans for securing Il
naval coaling station in waters south of
| Cuba, and the papers are now ready for
final execution. The station will not be
on Navassa Island as has been suggested,
| but is likely to be at one of the severaI
| fine harbors of Hayti or San Domingo, or
| else on the Danish Island of st. Thomas,
which is open to purchase from Denmark
for considerable sum.
Favorable answers weres received from
the New York naval militia of their read
mess on short notice to supply officers and
men to man the single turret monitors
now called into service.
Orders were issued to-day to have all the
| warships painted black, a color that Is
better adapted to hostilities because the
vessels will not afford sas good target.
The navy department was informed by
cabegram from Lieut. Colwell, naval at
tache to the United States embassy at
London, that agents of this government
| had purchased "Schischau" torpedo boat
that had been constructed for the German
| government. The new acquisition is of the
| general type of German torpedo boats and
| is regarded as a valuable addition to our
| navy. One feature regarding her that af-
| fofds special qualification to the officials
of the navy department is that she is now
| ready for sea- 1t is expected that in a
| few days she will leave for the United
| States. She will besable to make the jour
ney across the Atlantic without difficulty,
as she is a good sea-going vessel and her
coal capacity is ample for the trip TO this
country.
She is a 23-knot vessel and about $50
| feet long. While Of the same general type
| as the Rodgers and Foote of the United
| States navy, she is trife larger. At the
navy department the precise dimensions of
the new boat could not be given.
The price paid for her the navy officials
declined at his time to state, but 1t was
| said to be very reasonable.
| Work on the vessel has just been COM
pleted, she never having been in service.
She is supposed to carry three torpedo
| tubes and two small caliber rapid-firing
| guns. Nine to twelve men will be need
ed to man her.
| Word reached the navy department Off
| cials to-day that the Spanish authorities
| have taken steps to supplement the exist
| ing fortifications at San Juan de Puerto
| Rico the main port of the Island OF Porto
| Rico. The news is regarded as significant.
| Porto Rico is the only other possession
| which belongs to Spain on this hemls-
phere beside Cuba. The officials of the
! department, while acknowledging that in
| formation Of the above character has
reached them, are yet very chary about
| imparting any of the details to the press.
The city of Puerto Rico is fortified after
the old style prevalent in early days, the
| defenses consisting of a wall which COM
pleteiy encircles 1t, of several forts at
| strategic points, while the only points OF
egress and in ingress are through massive
gates. These fortlfications are being
! strengthened and the armament has been
| increased by two large guns Of formida-
BILE pattern and calibre, San Juan has g.
| 414 inhabitants.
Gen. Flagler chief of ordnance OF the
army, to-day had a long conference with
| Secretary Alger with reference to addi-
tional guns and gun cartridges. few
| DAYS ago, Secretary Alger allotted to Gen.
| Flagler 81, 100000 from the emergency ap-
propriation made by Congress to be used
| by the ordnance bureau in the discretion
| of Gen. Flagler, sufficient to meet the re-
| ouirements of the prewnt emergency. and
| his conference with the Secretary was TO
| obtain an additional allowance.
! After a careful canvas of the situation,
| Secretary Alger gave Gen. F'lagler a lib
eral additional allotment from the appro-
priation. but no information could be OBJ
| tanned either from Gen. Flagler or from
| The Secretarys office as to its amount.
| The sum must be a very considerable
one. however, as Gen. F'lagler said that
| IL was to be used to cover provisional
| .a..~a ots entarad into for the construction