Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-01
PREPARING FOR WAR.
OUR FORMIDABLE WAR VESSELS
GATHERING IN HAMPTON ROADS.
The MASSACHUSETTS, LACKS SPEED
Her Bottom IL Covered With
seagrowfh, Which Impedcs Her
Representations of War Ar
riying-Bias for Town Sewers.


making the speed necessary as part o.
the Hampton Roads, or flying squadron.
The big sister ship os the Indiana has
not been inside of a dry-dock in two
years. and as consequence her bottom
| is literally covered with sea-growth,
| which tends to retard easy progress
| through the water In favorable weather
and under favorable conditions, the bal
| ueship is capable of making about 17.5,
| and even Is knots an hour. 1t Is said on
good authority that at present she cam
| not exceed 10 knots, with her engines
heavily taxed. The presence of the Mas
sachusetts in the flying squadron would
greatly interfere with its progress in
case Commodore Schley's fleet Is ordered
| into immediate action. While the flag
ship Brooklyn is capable of making %
knots an hour and the Columbia and Min
neapolis can reel out % knots to their
| credit, this high speed would be of little
| advantage in squadron movements, as the
, cruisers would have TO wait for the Mas
| sachusetts. A petty officer from the
! battleship stated to-day that 1t is very
| essential that the ship should be sent into
a dry-dock for the purpose of having the
sea-growth thoroughly scraped away
from her hull. In view of the present
strained relations between the United
States and Spain, however the officers of
the ship have given up all hope of having
! the Massachusetts, go out Of commission
for week, or long enough to permit an
exterior overhauling. Otherwise the
Massachusetts is in splendid condition,
and is prepared to go up against the most
powerful battleShip in the world In
standstill engagement. 1t is possible that
the ships divers will go down tomorrow
or Saturday in an effort 70 clean away as
much Of the collected sea-growth as pos
sible. While the work cannot be tho
roughly executed in this manner, IL is
possible that sufficient of the clinging
substance can be removed 10 enable the
Massachusetts, TO attain a higher rate of
speed. The work Of the divers will be
watched with interest by the officials
Of the Navy Department and officers of
the navy generally. as a great deal is ex-
pected from the vessel in case of war.
THE COLUMBIA ARRIVES.
The United States protected cruiser CO.
lumbia arrived at Old Point at 1890
o'clock this morning from League Island
navy-yard. Philadelphia, which place she
left Monday afternoon at 315. The long
delay in the arrival of the Columbia
was due TO low water on the bar near
Delaware Breakwater. The cruiser sue
ceeded in getting over the bar about
o'clock Tuesday night The arrival OF
the Columbia at Old Point this morning
makes another valuable addition TO Com
modore Schley's command. The charac-
teristic white had not been changed to the
prevailing war cOor-lead-gray-but late
this afternoon the work OF transforma-
ton commenced. BY tomorrow evening
the last vestige of the white coat viii
have disappeared. and the Columbia will
appear as uncanny and weird as the
Brooklyn and Massachusetts,. The Co
lumbia has her full quota of officers and
marines. but it is understood that she
is short Of eighty seamen, and that adj
vertisements for more men will be in
serted in local papers at once. On board
Of the Columbia is the largest and most
deadly supply of ammunition ever placed
aboard OF a cruiser In the United States
navy The ammunition was placed
aboard the ship at League Island.
The Minneapolis. sister ship to the CO.
lumbia. and the fastest armored vessel
In Uncle Sans navy. is expected to arrive
here from Philadelphia not later than
Saturday night Her commander has
received hurry orders. and ammunition is
rapidity, so that she can leave League
Island tomorrow morning.
The flagship Brooklyn is to-day taking
on 100 tons OF coal. Chesapeake and
Ohio barges are lying alongside and the
fuel is being lifted aboard as rapidly as
possible. II is learned that the Massa-
chusetts will also have TO replenish her
coal-bunkers before starting to sea.
The composite gunboat Vicksburg is
Point. The work Of painting the ship
lead-color has not yet commenced.
The United States revenue-cutter Man
ming. which arrived from Boston yester-
day morning is still anchored near. the
Massachusetts.
GETTING READY FOR ENEMIES.
The powerful masked battery of sixteen
mort@rs at Fortress Monroe win be
ready for action within the next few
days. The arrival last night of two adj
ditonal mortars makes a total OF fifteen
in the fort now. and the last mortar 10
arrive is expected not later than Satur- |
day night. At present there are thirteen !
mortars in position i'm the masked bat |
terry in the pines which is situated some !
distance below the fort on Hampton \
Roads.
About 8 o'clock last night a special /
government train of four ears arrived /
|
they were transferred to the Chesapeake |
and Ohio from the Pennsylvania railroad. /
1t is understood that the train came from I.
Bethlehem. on a freight gondola were
two mOrtars OF the very heaviest type. |
one of the bOX-cars contained ammuni- |
tion and the other two cars were loaded |
with government rails. 1T is understood |
that these rails are 10 be placed in posi-
ton at the s and i0-ihch converted rifles
at Fort Monroe. and will be used in place
OF the old pattern rails on which the
guns now swing around. The train was
sent down TO the fort at O'clock last
night.
VIOLATING THE SUNDAY LAW.
Chief-of- Police S. J. Harwood has
served warrants on the Newport News
and Dry-Dock Company. the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and the |
Old Dominion Steamship Company, and
the Merchants and Miners Transportd-
ton Company for violations OF the Sun
1ay-labor law. The Chesapeake and
Ohio Elevator Company was recently
fined $50 and costs for working its men
on Sunday. and considerable interest at
taches 10 the cases now pending against
the other polations, which will q
tried before Justice Brown on Saturday
morning. The police propose 10 have the
State law obeyed 10 the letter. and all
shipping companies will be held response
Die in the Police Court for violations.
The ship-yard, al the time the warrant
vas sworn out, was working on the
American-Line steamship St Louis,
which came here for repairs. The yard
s now working on the Plant-Line steam
ship La Grande Duchesse every Sunday
n order 10 rush the work Of preparing
ler as a hospital ship 10 be used In case
If war. The other corporations work
egularly on Sunday. needless of the con-
iitions OF the law.