Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-04-08
THE TEXAS PASSES IN
She Arrives and Drops An
I. chorin the Bay. @~
CREOLE AT THE sHIPYARD
y eo.. =
Work of Converting Her Into n Hospital
Ship Begins at Once. Other
Vessels Expected in
Few Days.

Z aald business men and the public seni.r-
say the least, MEANS stagnG ted Dusllles $.
i though ill Newport News it Will ciot be
Z felt TO the degree that ir,slnd and otter
etaboard cities WEI suffer, FOR the RIA
SIN that the shipyard VIII be rushed
+ with wd.R. thus giving employment to
hund. eds OF men. But the shipping
trade Will feel the ..ffec of host III les
The Texas. the sister ship of the i'd
faneu seeond-class hpttIesl1l, Maine,
has Joined the flying squadron. SHE hav-
ing arrived from New York last night
Y The war>hip passed in the Virginia
q Capes at $3.50 O'Clock last night and
otopped anchor i'm the bay. She viii
stem UP TO Old Haint this n,slming anu
salute 1l, Commodore Sc-aley's flag.
une only second class batt!eisiilip in
the United States navy is st,1;g,,ed f,lI.
action and Will prove a forn,idal,l
craft IN spite OF the fact that she. is
. gsnerelly looked upon as being a -hoo-
noo Ihe Texas FfSe the other ships
OF the american squadrons i'm .Atasnrll lie
waters. lis painted THE prevailing lead
color.
The ba!ttleshp Massa elrusetts is stiM
anchored in tht. river and it is not
KNOWN now just when she viii join COM
e-ods're Scshley's fleet at Old Point
II is reported that the A1as.a-
cnusstts may mot so out with the ttyln :.
squadron in the eveyt of war. but WEI
pe heid in this v1einity for THE protec-
tress Monroe and Richmond ...
The Massachusetts is regarded as the
safest ship i'm THE navy anll She Will fur
sdsh a splendid cooperative power With
tho batteries of Fort Monroe
The position OF THE Brooklyn, Column
bda and minneapolis at Old Point has
not BEEN changed.
"A dispatch received Ny the Daily
Press from NeA,folS last night says:
"a detachment of twelve ma iine I'm
giheers from Wiiletts Pint, New York
arrived here to-day to lay ca bliss and
electrical apparatus fSL- the mcaorirgg and
operation OF controlled mines i'm Hump
ton Roads.
"A barge containing submarine mines.
apPa ratus, etc, is lying off Old Poln,
and was visited by the marine enGi-
neers on their artIval here"
,AInef1g Vespuccho, an italian training
snip, passed in he ca4,ass stesal,sS
1ernporn and proceeded up TIKI. bay 10
Washington
THE CREOLE ARRIVES.
The queen of the Cromwell line of
steamships. the Creole, arrived at the
shlpyard yesterday morning f,A! the.
purpose. of being converted into A hos
pital ship.
Captain e. Y. Gag,,l the "corrmoda1,''
on the Cromwell lime. brought the Gre
t ule 70 this port and he had under hin.
The same crew which has named ,,ht.
SNIP on ats route betweeq. New Orleans
and New York ~
AM OF the PLAINS for the rearren cement
OF this handsome product OF the New
port News Ship!rlildGns and Dry D NJ;
Company have been completed and In.
work of transferring the ship into A
iloattng hospital will be commenced al
once. '--
MINING HAMPTON ROADS.
The A,ng!o-Am'zrican Cable Co:.,pany's
ship A1iulia and THE Seaboard Ar .in-.
,F'foat. No. I left their mornings al Old
4ontW ednesday evening for the 6,aDes
Where THE crew of the former ar once
commenced the work of prep airing the
s canles. anchors and buoS-s for the plant
surg OF submarine mines.
Hhe ships arrived at the Canes early
III the evening and had a clear moon
Light might for the work.
An of'lcer OF the engineer cap.TDs is au-
eu as,a Tor tine staie4nentsth that no mines
"iGa be 1aid in Hampton Roads unt:l
WAT Is declared, as by SO doing the
IAsner1cam government would be vio-
batting am INIT ernational agreement.
iha work OF attaching The mines can
u. cmpe:ed by tome. row IL e.aces llrv.
IMPORTANT WAR MEASURE
THE purchase of the four Morgan Ian,.
steamers Ell Norte. Ed Sud, lcI Rio. ANA
III Sofas auxiliary naval cruisers
eiVs'hsch was ordered by the President,
constituted one OF the most Important
;syS1ar measures vet adopted.
!; These are the finest vessels of The
9ik,oas'. wise fleet, and illcoanpaaably the
Esbest adapted for naval purposes of rrlS
I OF THE merchant vessels flying the Ann
ser1can flag (which have so far been SER
tousQy considered. -.s
* lAi.n1ough they Will present large tar
( gets TO an enemy. the Morgan liners
with tliiNe large COAL capacity when ali
terel. and as Hhey will nlai!l:tl,n FIFTEEN
or Etxteen Knots an hour over long dis
tanceS, they are expected to be OF great
X value i'm pick duty against u::.uiunored
y pr1vateelS lid torpedo iot illas..
b They will Itpfably be ordered to the
&; ea5pyard here for equipment. and
a1hoand be made ready for service
Il Gn about three weeks. 1t is intended to
\ snount sdx-ineh rapid fire rifle on the
1: doTecaSttle of each of these cruisers, to
eave them broaasdes of four 5-i ltl-
+ Esbd fire gums, and TO provide them with
q seoon'laIy battery of six-rpounder,s,
I, tElTee FOUNDERS and machine gums, after
: the manner of THE --latest naval practice
Z: I'M ships of their size. Theinl Intsgazines
q with be placed below the water lime, and
covered with coal protection.
Cool bunkers WIN also be built around
tine aslac01inery SPACES. and q belt OF
Eight arnnO- plate WIN be attached along
kale sides from the water lime UP, tor ad-
+ tiht4onal security to the machinery.
; Each vessel will thtaTe am equipment
OF search Tights and torpedo Launching
appaTatus. MI
1t is eaid that the new vessels may be
artllized as far from THE United States
hs amy vessel now i'm the navy, on ac-
y Count or THEIR comparative lnidepen-
de1lce o,f coal bases, and THAT their
speed will enable them to keep out of
THE way Of an enelny's arnlored veEseis,
which alcre they need fear.
~ BATTERY OFF ARTILLERY.
Appplication has been made ITO Gov
@rnoIr Tyler for permission to ous1a,riz e
a battery OF ARTILLERY in this city The
Governor lhesdtated TO authorize its for
NATION whererpon gentleman CT means
residLnes here said if permission We're
granted he would guarantee that 1T
w,onIld not cost the State a penny, ais
they wotdld get 1.-THE gums and other
equipment from the government and
I eulutsar their own Horses.
The governor with probably author
4 fze the formation of the battery tornny-
= :Eorv.
Toae names OF the promoters are mot
given for publication as yet.
/ A division OF naval reserves is be
anlg recr11ited ait Hampton and iwdan be