The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-13
SOLID FRONT AGAINST SPAIN.
PAST WEEK SHOWS THE DONs
HOW UNCLE SAM CAN HUSTLE.

for the Possible Emergency.
Sending of the Oregon Down the
Pacific Slope an Exhibition of the
Far-Sightendness of the Govern
ment-Laying in Enormous Guam
titles of PrOjectiles.
Washington, March '12-While to-day
was not marked by particularly import
ant events, the history of the week just
closed will form a splendid record of what
can be accomplished by the nation in a
! short space of time under the spur of
necessity to provide for the national de-
fense Beginning with the appropriation
of $500OO,000 to be expended by the Presi-
dent without limitation, there followed
| rapidly the placing of orders for enormous
quantities of war supplies, the institution
Of negotiations for the purchase of ships
abroad, the enlistment of men for the
navy, the creation of two additional regi-
ments of artillery, the commissioning of
monitors, cruisers and rams, the manning
OF new posts along the sea coasts and
finally the arrangement of the great mill
tary departments to meet modern condl-
/ 'iSiA9 Al AAihsdAS
The sending of the Oregon now at Mare
Island, away from San Francisco, is an
exhibition of far-sightedness with which
the Secretary of the Navy is observing
the situation of to-day. The vessels Or
ders are to cruise down the Pacific coast,
touching in from time to time at various
ports where cable connections exist to re-
ceive any orders that the department may
have to give. In this way 1t is expected
she will work as far south as Valparaiso,
| Chile, where she will await orders. Val
paraiso is very much nearer to Cuba and
| 10 Admiral Sicards fleet than Mare ISL
| and, while if Ii should be desired to send
| the ship to the Asiatic station this could
| be done almost as conveniently from Val
paraiso as from San Francisco. AT VAL
paraiso the Oregon will be where she can
| be most usefully manipulated in case of
| an emergency.
| The President held a long conference at
| the White House about noon to-day with
! Secretaries Alger, Long and Gage. 1t Is
presumed that their subject of discussion
| was the finances of the situation, a sub
! ject which could not be fully discussed al
/ the cabinet meeting yesterday owing to
| the short session
After the conference the statement was
again made, with the emphasis that has
| characterized every utterance on the SUBJ
! ject by the Presidents constitutional ad-
wiser, that up to date the administration
4 has absolutely no knowledge of the cause
| of the disaster to the Maine, and that IL
! has no report of any kind from the court
of inquiry or any one connected with it.
! The board of naval bureau chiefs find il
| impossible to pass judgment in Washing
| ton upon the fitness for naval services of
| IL. Il, -
| iary branch of the navy at the various
seaports. So they have been aided in their
work by the creation of a special board
| which will undertake to visit each Of the
| ports where ships may be Offered and
make careful personal inspection of the
various craft. The board will consist of
Capt. Rodgers, Lieut.. Commander Kelly,
| Passed Assistant Engineer Dixon, Assist
ant Naval Constructor Tawresy and Lieut..
| Sargent.
The Nashville arrived at Key West to-
| day, while the Marblehead arrived at
Tampa.
The war talk has had the usual result
of bringing before the war and navy de-
| partment a perfect flood of suggestions
and inventions.
The war department on Monday will
open bids for one of the largest orders
Of shot and shell for heavy caliber guns
ever SlNIf, iiCiudlilS dTHlOI-Dlefclng pro-
jectiles and deck-peircing and torpedo
shells. The number and character of
these are as follows: Nine hundred and
thirty-five twelve-inch deck-peircing
shells, weighing 1000 pounds each: 1. .241
twelve-inch deck-piercing shells, weighing
800 pounds each; 481 twelve-inch armor
piercing shells; 4S2 ten-inch armor pjerc-
ing shot, capped 149 eight-inch arnor
piercing shells; $50 eight-inch arTnor pierc-
ing shot, capped. These proiectiles are
for the heavy fortifcation guns now
mounted along the sea coast The pur-
chase is not TO be made under the SO OO0
0O0 appropriation bill, but is In anticipation
of the fertilization bill, which grants $40
OOO for reserve supply of projectiles and
powder As the making of the heavy tro-
jectiles will take considerable time tue
contract win be let ahead of the passage
of the BILL assurances having been given
from men in Congress that no question
would be raised as TO the regularity of This
proceeding. The entire amount is design
ed to give all the heavy guns now INSTALL
ed and those to be put in place during
the coming year fun quota of proiectiles
and powder. The twelve-inch shot sre
among the largest made The cost of a
single round of this class Of projectiles As
SSH. Aside from the large orders to he
placed Monday, the emergency biH-=yvill
permit additional orders to meet the re-
quirements of such fertilization guns as
may be mounted for emergency. The ures-
ent order is for the actual needs of the
guns now mounted, without reference 10
any existing emergency, although ii has
been made all the more imperative by the
Spanish crisis
The Spanish minister, Senor Polo, re-
ceived dispatch to-day from CAPTAIN
General Blanco, stating that the condi-
ton of the Cuban reconcentrados was
greatly improved. Gen. Blanco stated also
that he had prepared fun data on this sub
ject 10 be forwarded to Washington.
Senor Polo has not yet opened business
negotiations with the state department. ex
cept in the formalities of presenting his
credentials. He Is first attending to The
social duties incumbent on new minis
ter. and, after calling on the President to-
day, he spent the rest of the day calling
on ambassadors and ministers.
CONVERSE MAKES DENIAIs.