Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-03-17
A RE MONSTRANCE..
United States Informed Indirect
ly of SPANS Feeling,
COURT OF INQUIRY SILENT.
Catalog of the Fleet Assembled
in the South.
Largest AssembIage of Ships Made BY
This Nation Since the Vrgnius Affair
More Funds Allotted.

More Funds Allotted.
| Washington, March 1.-THE main de-
velopment in the Spanish situation to-
day was in connection with the definite
representations submitted by the Span
ish government to the state department
concerning the assembling of a large
fleet of American warships at Key West,
the war preparations and the influence
which these must have upon the APP
preaching elections in Cuba. These rep
RESERVATIONS were exactly in line with
the semi-oficial utterance given in these
dispatches, last night, and accredited to
high official conversant With the views
Of the Spanish cabinet.
While these representations cannot
properly be regarded as a protest
against the attitude and acts Of the
United States government they unques-
tlonably may be set down as a remon-
STRANGE calculated to have an effect in
European court circles. Not being a
technical protest, however, the state
ment has not called forth any official
rejoinder on the part of the state de-
partment.
1t is pointed out. in Spain's represent
atoms, as already published, that the
( presence of the fleet at Key West can
not be deemed as a friendly demonstra-
4 ton, and that the war measures now
being carried on by the United States
tend to weaken the autonomists' cause
in Cuba.
This published semi-officiaI statement
Of the Spanish cabinets view as to the
responsibility of the United States in
the Cuban situation has created pro-
found impression.
That the administration will be in
fuenced by the suggestion that the
presence of the feet of the North At
lantic squadron at Key West is a dis
tIn'bing factor, is not believed for mo-
ment Visible evidence of that determ-
ination was ceaseless activity OF the ma
val officials as well as the steady prose-
cution of the plans of the war depart
i nlent today.
/ The Fern sailed for Havana from Key
West this afternoon. She goes to re-
lieve the Montgomery, as a home for
the officers engaged in supervising the
wrecking operations in Havana harbor.
1t Is said unequiVocally that the
i Montgomery is not withdra wn owing to
that her presence is not desired. 1t was
the announced intention of Secretary
! Long when the cruiser was sent to Ha-
vana, to keep her there only so long
| as the Fern should be engaged in the
work of distributing relief among the
sufferers In eastern Cuba.
| This task having been performed, and
owing to the return of the court Of in
quiry from Havana, there being fewer
| persons to accommodate the Fern, which
! is better equipped than the Montgomery
| to assist in the Wrecking operations, is
returned to her position.
| Up to the close of Office hours, the
navy department, though ii knew Off
cially that the court of inquiry had
come over to Key West from Havana,
was not informed as to findings, or
plans of the court.
1t is said that the object of the navy
| department in purchasing such craft as
| the late Mr.. Ogden Goelet's yacht May
flower, is to provide, as quickly as pos
sible, number of picket boats of good
speed and sea-going ability to act as
scouts, and also to aid our ironclads and
more expensive vessels in operations
against torpedo boats. A large number
! of private yachts have been offered to
the department, and other acquisitions
| of the same type as the May1loWer may
/ be expected. The feet al Key West will
! be augmented within the next day or
| two BY the arrival of the gunboat An
napolis, the torpedo boat Foote and the
naval tugs Leyden and Samoset The
| gunboat Helena is now on her way from
| the European station, under orders to
report at Key West The Helena report
ed her arrival today at Funchal, on her
way to join the fleet These and the
other vessels previously ordered to that
point, constitute the largest assemblage
| of j.
/ stration following the Virginius affair,
and, considering effectiveness and arm
ament, it is the strongest assemblage
| of ships, for other than review purposes,
| since the war.
The fleet now at Key West and Tortu-
gas is as follows: Cruiser New York,
! battleships Massachusetts, battleship
| Indiana. battleship Iowa, battleship
Texas, cruiser Detroit, gunboat Nash
| vile, cruiser Marblehead, dispatch boat
Fern, torpedo boats Dupont, Cushing,
Porter, Winslow and Ericsson. To these
will soon be added the five vessels now
/ en- route there In addition to these,
| the Montgomery is at Havana, and is
| practically part of the fleet, the gun
| boats Wilmington and Castine and
| cruiser Cincinnati, are at Barbados,
| Newport at Colon, with the Puritan,
| Newark Amphitrite and other ships of
the North Atlantic squadron at points
along the coast further northward
| In point of ships, the fleet under Rear
Admiral Case, Jan. g. 1874, following the
| Virginius affair, was considerably lar
| ger, as follows Franklin, 80 guns; Wa
| bash, As guns; Colorado 46 guns; Ian
caster. % guns: Brooklyn, 20 guns; Con-
gress, 16 guns; Worcester, Is guns;
Alaska, IL guns; Ticonderoga, IL guns;
Canandaigua, 10 guns; Shenandoah IL
guns; Juniata, 8 guns Ossippee, s guns;
! Wachusette, guns; Powhattan, II
guns; Wyoming, 6 guns; Kansas, guns;
Shawmut, guns; Saugus, 2 guns; Ma
hopac, guns; Manhattan guns, An
naz, 2 guns; Canonicus, 2 guns; Dictator,
guns; Despatch, 4 guns; Pinta, guns;
Fortune, guns, Mayfiower. guns;
Iris, guns, and Yuma. guns.
Although formidable in its day, this
aggregation was made up of the old
style wooden ships and monitors which
had gone through the civil war, and
! every available craft that could bear
guns. Compared with the modern bat
tleships and cruisers of the new navy it
was relatively insufficient 1t is note
worthy that this gathering of ships was
at the same point as the present gather
ing, and during a critical period with
Spain, and that it did not result in
war.
Secretary Alger has made acquisitions
on the president for two large allot-