The Portland daily press., 1898-03-15
TWO WAR Ships BOUGHT.
Contracts Closed For the Brazilian
Cruisers.
WILL START FOR
UNITED STATES RIGHT AWAY.

Other Vessel Will Follow at Earliest Pos
| sible Moment-Lack of Competent Ma
val Engineers-NIarines Detailed for
Newly Fitted Out Cruisers.
| Washington, March IA weeks nego-
ations closed today with the purchase by
the Navy Department in London of the
two cruisers built and building at Els
wick for the Brazilian government. Span
| ish agents had been striving to secure
these ships. The United States flag will
be hoisted over the new ships within
week probably, and as soon as the crew
can be put aboard thelAmazonas, she will
start for the United States.
The other vessel viii follow at the ear
liest possible moment The terms of sale
are secret.
| The availability Of the two Brazilian
ships was brought TO the attention OF
the Navy Department by Mr.. Lane, agent
for the Maxim Nordenfeldt company,
which was authorized to dispose of these
ships and two others In course of con-
struotion in France. Mr.. Lane said
today that the two ships purchased would
be desirable acquisitions to the American
navy. as they were the latest and best
products of the famous Armstrong yards
One ship is complete in every respect, has
| her coal supply and ammunition on Doaru
and steam can be raised at any time.
There will be no trouble in bringing this
shin across as an adequate force from the
| local wards can be secured for the service.
1t is said the coal and ammunition on
board passed with the sale to the United
States.
The ammunition is not all Of the kind
in use by the United States. The other
shin has been launched, but it will take
some time to make her ready for sea. Mr..
Lane believes, however, that there will
be no difficulty in bringing her over i'm
mediately if desired to make the move
without delay, as the hull is SO we'll
along that she could be toWed and her
own sail power utilized for the trip.
A dangerous deficiency in the engi
neer branch of the navy has been brought
to light in the fact that it is scarcely
possible to secure staff OF engineer offi-
GERS to bring back to the United States
any of the ships purchased abroad. A
short time ago, orders were given to rush
work of putting the cruiser Chicago in
shane for active service. The engineer in
chief planned to have her ready in three
} months, instead of six as was estimated.
, TO do this he decided to work forces day
and night and place an engineer officer
aboard to stay there day and night
Passed Assistant Engineer Dixon was
chosen for the work, but he had not been
employed more than a week before 1t was
: needed to detach him to act as member
of the board appointed to examine auxil-
} iary cruisers This state OF affairs has
heen brought to the attention of the
House naval committee, but so far it is
feared without meeting the degree of sue
cess which was hoped for In the shape OF
an amendment increasing to the number
4 of engineer officers in the service.
Col. Haywood, the commandment OF the
marine corps, today, made five details of
marines for cruisers now being repaired
or ready for commission. There are two
drafts of forty five each for the Philadel
phia and the Charleston at Mare Island,
and of So for the Newark and Norfolk
and two of 80 each for the Columbia and
Minneapolis at League island.
4 N. +. Palmer, representing the Quin-
tard Iron Works of New York, which
built the engines of the Maine was at the
navy department today consulting with
the officials respecting the conversion of
vessels of the merchant marine into war
craft. While not shipbuilding firm, the
QuintaTd works have done q great deal OF
work on engines and interior hitting or
ships, which Is just the class of work that
would be required in the case of auxiliary
| cruisers.
/ Because Of protest from some Of the
western people, the Secretary of War has
modified his order of last week, changing
the names of the bounds of the military
department to retain the name of the
Department of Missouri.
The two Brazilian vessels will be useful
additions to the United States navy in
either war or peace in the opinion of SEQ
retary Long. They are steel sheathed and
ccppered with twin screws and will be
the first of the cruisers in our navy to
embody that nest useful feature of naval
construction, sheathing, for which Chief
Constructor Hichborn had worked earn
estly for many years past. He finally sue
ceeded in having some OF the smaller
gunboats constructed on this principle.
The Amazonas Is rated at $500 tons
: displacement, with an indicated horse
power under natural draught of 75U0,
which is calculated to develop twenty
knots While the ship is about the size
of the Charleston, she is much faster. Her
: armament is also much more formidable,
: not so much in calibre for the main bat
terry is made up of six six inch guns, but
they rs we'll as the Al inch guns are of
what is known as 6u calibre length, CIV
ing them an unusual range and power.
In addition they have ten six FOUNDER
quick firing guns, four one Founders,
four MaXlW lIlaCutlS guns 5uu UWO uoat
or field guns The torpedo tubes are
5 three in number. Coal capacity $50 tons,
giving the vessels an effecting steaming
radius of 5000 knots, a most valuable fea-
ture as it would enable the ship to cross
and recross the Atlantic without coaling.
Such vessel used as commerce destroy
er would be vastly more effective than
what appears to be more powerful craft
because of its ability to get along on long
cruises without touching at neutral ports
to coal, and thus exposing themselves to
capture The cruisers carry no armor in
thea ordinary sense, but the machinery is
arohed steel deck just below the water
line, varying in thickness from 10 to 80
inches. The battery has an unusual
train being arranged to fire three ahead
) and three astern of the principle guns.
INQUIRY COURT NOT OVER
WORKED.
Havana, March 1.-THE day was sultry
, and cloudy. During the morning there
1