The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-03

docking of the gunboat Castine, now
at Port au Prince. The department has
sent him the necessary authorization,
and the ship will go into the dry docks
there.
A commander for the monitor Mianto-
nomah, which was ordered into COM
mission yesterday; was selected today
in the person of CAPT. Mortimer John
son, who is at present on waiting or
ders. Secretary Long says that the
Miantonomah, with the ram Katahdin,
will remain in the Delaware for the
present at least.
With the commission of these two
vessels there remain only the cruisers
Columbia and Minneapolis on the At
lantic coast for immediate service, in
case the department should decide to
commission more ships. The Atlanta,
at New York, could be made ready in
the course Of three or. four months,
and the Chicago in six months, in case
emergency orders for their repair were
issued. There are a number of good
ships on the Pacific coast, however,
whose repair is under way, such as
the Charleston, the Philadelphia, the
Yorktown and others, and the pay rolls
of the construction bureau at the Mare
island navy yard have now amounted
to the large total of 100000 per month
for wages alone.
Although the navy. department had
no reports from Havana or Key West
a dispatch announcing the departure
of the cruiser Brooklyn from Santa
Lucia for La Guayara had some indi-
rect significance in further removing
one Of the larger vessels of the navy
from what has thus far been the COM
mon center of naval activity at Key
West. The Brooklyn will make a short
stop at La Guayara and will then pro-
ceed further southwark.
The navigation bureau is still busy
with the preparation of the death GER
tificates for the families Of the victims
of the Maine disaster. Capt. Hawley,
who has the matter Immediately in
charge, says that, owing to the neces-
sary formalities. these certificates can
not be issued before March Is, and this
answer is returned to numerous letters
daily received at the department.
Men Needed
1t is said In the navigation bureau
that there Is a pressing need Of able
machinists for the navy, caused by
the heretofore unnoted fact that every
one of the machinists on the Maine
lost his life in the disaster. Moreover.
all the fremen but one were killed
The bureau has invited enlistments
from men who have had naval service
before in the engine rooms and. as it
Is said, that a number of these men
are now enjoying the three months
period Of time hetW enlistments
during which they ma me again into
the naval service wit loss of serv-
ice record, it is hope. that some of
them will come forward to fill the
places vacated by the Maine disaster
There is no unusual stir or activity
about the bureaus of the quartermaster
general or the commissary general of
the army, where more than anywhere
else the preparations for warIike
emergency will be apparent The Off
GERS Of these bureaus say no eXtraor-
binary accumulation of supplies is TAX
ing place and tina 40 contracts for
extra supplies are in contemplation. In
the ordnance burea' ae placing of a
large order for prSIectiles is the re-
suit Of talks between Secretary Alger
Senator Hawley, of The senate commit
tee on military affairs, and representa-
tives of the house military COMMITTEES
1t was made clear to the secretary
that it was a certainty appropriations
would be forthcoming, and it was
Aeemed the part Of wisdom to make
the contract now. as the supplies would
hot be in hand for many months.
There has been considerable CORE
spondence between Secretary Alger and
the projectile manufacturers, the sec
retary expressing the opinion in these
letters that he was not getting the
terms that the government was enti-
tied to at this time. Senator Hawley
suggested that they be asked to come
to Washington, and, as result of
their visit, satisfactory terms were
made and the contract closed.