The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-06

perative without a days delay, and it
| is now a matter of history that if the
relief party had been twentyfour hours
| later in reaching Greedy and his men,
the latter would have succumbed from
starvation.
None of the naval ships at the time
were available. The Bear was offered
for sale. however, and Secretary
Chandler closed the deal for its pur-
chase, stating at the time that, if con-
gress failed to ratify the purchase and
make the appropriation necessary for
the purchase price. he would hold him
| self personally responsible to the con-
! tractors. The Bear was successful in
its relief mission, and congress prompt
ly ratified Mr. Chambers course by
| appropriating for the ship She is now
in the government service as a revenue
cutter, on duty in Alaskan waters. 1t
is said that the same course of pro-
| cedure would be followed in case Of
emergency at the present time.
Two Phases.
The developments at the state war
and navy departments in connection
with the Spanish situation have divid-
ed themselves into two distinct branch
es, one relating to the Maine court of
inquiry, and the other the natural and
| necessary steps to place the naval and
military arms of the service on ali
! efficient basis.
Concerning the court and it's work
1t is felt at the navy department that
it will take probably week or ten
days more, for aside from the conclu-
sion of the hearings there is the formu-
lation of the important findings, the
framing of the courts opinion, and
then the formalitieS of it's transmits
sion to Admiral Sicard and thence to
Washington.
While these last stages will be very
brief when the actual findings and
opinions have been matured, yet they
| cannot be entirely eliminated and there
| appears to be no disposition to be pre-
cipitous in a matter involving such
grave issues
The other general branch of the sub
Ject the activity in the various naval
and military bureaus, continues with
out reference to the work of the court
of inquiry. This activity up to the
present time has not taken the form of
any concerted or elaborate plan of
emergency preparations, but has been
manifest mainly through comparatively
minor acts, which taken together have
shown that the heads of departments
were not inactive in preparing their
ments which it was possible might be
made upon them.
~ large number of the abinet stated
today that there should be no misun-
derStanding or misconstruction of these
steps For instance, all of the manifold
movements, particularly in the West,
of war material. are declared in the
most positive manner simply to be in
execution of plans long ago developed
by the Notifications board for the de-
Tense of the coast.
Puget Sound Defense.
Thus, at Seattle the war department
recently purchased a tract of $40 acres
on Magnolia bluff, a point regarded by
the board as indispensable to the prop
er defense of Puget sound. This IS
now being put into condition for the
reception of the heavy guns and other
weapons. The work, it is said, should
have been done long ago.
However, while it is stated that these
steps are in accordance with past
plans, there is no concealment of the
fact that the administration is i'm
pressed with a sense of duty in putting
the two war branches into the highest
state of efficiency to meet an emergen-
cy. There is no disposition to antici-
pate an emergency or to say that any
situation will develop which will call
into use the preparation now on foot.
On the contrary, the highest authori-
ties of the naval and military branches
say they do not expect an emergency,
but are performing the duty allotted
to them of being ready for any result
that may come, no matter how uneX-
pected it may be. These high officials
do not wish to minimize their prepare
tons, or to assert that they are merely
routine, neither do they wish these
wise and natural precautions to be
construed far beyond their legitimate
extent, and made the basis for alarm
ing reports of war measures.
In referring to this subject, a men,
Der of the cabinet said he felt that pa
triotic instincts should inspire a just
measuring of the activity now evident
at no more and no less than it really
meant.
The navy department is somewhat
embarrassed by the lack of seamen
necessary to fill the complement of
ships about to go into commission. and,
in view of the shortage, the officials
in charge of the recruiting stations at
League island. Norfolk and New York
have been instructed to enlist as many
seamen as may be available, and not
confine themselves to persons who have
heretofore been in the navy.