The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-13
TO BUY TWO SHIPS TO-DAY.
CASH OFFER FOR TEE TWO BRA
LILLIAN ARMoROIADs,

Aaaed 20 the Navy IN y Day or Two-Chm
Refuses to self the o'RiEeips. ana japan
AIse DccIi-ss - Dispose or Any or Iasr
ships Now BuildipE Mere ana In Europe.
WARRINGTON, March l2.-Following quickly
the pace SGT yesterday by the War Department,
the naval administration to-day issued orders
and made arrangements Of q character some
what bewildering to those people who, n week
ago, wore satiafiod that the United States had
done a. much as was Immediately necessary In
preparing for q hostile emergency In conosn-
trating war vessels and putting others into
commission. and asking Congress for authority
to Impress merchant craft for auxiliary work.
enlist 1900 mon, aud buy . largo supply Of
GOAL. Since last Sunday tho machinery
Of tho military branches Of the Government
has been humming without cessation, and
to-day the progress made has been something
Secretary Long and his indefatig-
able assistant. Theodore Roosevelt whose
healthy jingoism.' as his predecessor In Office
described It. 10 tempered BY a Judgment which
both the President and his immediate chief fully
appreciate and value, bave been working with
on enorsy and application to duty that account
for all that has been done. There have been no
backward stops taken by Secretary Long, and IL
Is worth while noting that ho Is In as thorough
accord with the Presidents plans 40 arc his bu.
rcau chiefs and other executive oficors with
those which the Secretary has directed to be
carried out.
So many vitality important things were done
by the naval branch OF tho Government to-day
that 1t 10 hard to select any one action and say
1t Ia more important than some Of the others.
The people Of the country. however, will I'M
doubtedly find the greatest satisfaction in tho
knowledge that express directions were cabled
sLl
States in London and Paris to purchase imme-
diStely. for spot cash, the W. Brazilian srmor-
clads for which Spain and the United States
have been dicksring during the present week.
Before tomorrow night, or by Monday at the
latest, the American Navy will DO augmented
by these formidable craft, providing everything
turns out as successfully AZ the Government
has reason to believe It will" 1t 10 also almost
certain that within the next day or two
several torpedo-boat destroyers will havo
been added to the naval list. These
vessels-armorclads and torpedo craft-are
to be bought outright, without recourse to
the hositating method involved In placing OPP
tions. The two brazilian ships nave been re-
ported at the Navy Department by Lieut.. Col
well, United States naval attaehe in London, az
thoroughly seaworthy and valuable. Informa-
tion about them cannot be better given than in
quoting o note sent by the Secretary of the Bra
lillian Legation in London to THE Suns corre-
spondcnt there and published in The Sun on
March 8.
"One Of these ships" wrote the Secretary of
legation. is the Amazonis. now ut Gravesend
loading with stores and ammunition. A Bra
lillian crew 10 aboard in readinessto sail for Rio
de ~Janeiro. A slater ship. named tho Admiral
Ahren, is building on the Tyne, two coast de-
fence ships are being built at Toulon. and o tor
pedo boat is building in Summary
h AZ tho negotiations for the sale OF these ships
are under control Of the Brazilian Naval Com.
mission. sitting in Paris. the arrangements for
adding the Amazonis and the Ahren to the
American Navy will probably be made by Am
bassador Porter and the naval attaohe OF tho
United States Embassy to France, Lieut.. W. II.
Sims. There was much uneasiness felt by the
Washington Administration because of the like.
lihood that Spain would get the brazilian vessels.
and efforts wcro made TO induce the commission
In session In Paris to promise fret choice to the
United States. This Government expressed a
Willingness to pay for the privilege of a refusal
on the vessels for q stated period. Tho commits.
sion meanwhile was coquetting with tho agents
of this country and Spain. Yesterday or the
day before II announced that q bargain must DO
concluded within q few days. Whether n deh-
mite date was sot for closing the negotiations
one way or tho other has not been ascertained,
hut It was ntimated yesterday. as told In q
Washington despatch In this mornings Sun,
that II tho AmAzonis and her sister ship were
not purchased by Sunday they would be lost
TO the United States. A cable message received
to-day made tho Navy Department act with
alacrity and brought abont the decision to buy tho
ships outright. This despatch came from one of
the representatives OF the United States abroad.
1t said that Brazil would not grant any options.
and would Only ronqfdaP nm nfYar NJ tp0nay IN he
paid at once, the payment to be followed imme-
diately by the ~transfer to this Government of
both vessels. Secretary Long held q conference
with the President on the subject, and his re-
turn to tho Navy Department was followed by
the sending OF the messages authorizing the
agent who will conclude the sale to draw on tho
fund Of $50. 00O, 900 for the agreed
amount.
In tho circumstance connected with this
quick work Of the Administration It is some
what difficult TO explain the understanding Of
the Government that tho British Admiralty
would not consent to the sale of any ships built
or building at English ship ards. At first the
of the Admiralty was believed to DO an
e~fieetual stopper to efforts Of both Spain and
the United States TO obtain warshipS In England.
even those constructed there under contract
with Brazil and other foreign Governments,
Later information. however, showed that there
had been q Misrepresentation In regard to tho APP
~plication Of the Admiraty's notification
to shipowners. 1t now appears that the
WAS placed only on the making of con-
tracts for future work between tho shipbuilders
and foreign powers. The explanation Is found
In the report to the House of Commons OF the
naval budget. to carry out which
would require tho employment Of oil tho ship
building plants OF tho United Kingdom, and in
tho desire to cheokmato Russia In her stupep.
dous plans for increasing her navy. In which
she would be obliged to depend on British ship.
builders.
The price that the United States must pay to
the Amazonis and the AhreR has not been
but II 10 probable that 1t will be left to
the determination OF the Braailian Naval Com
and American agents. According TO the
note quoted above from the Secretary Of tho
Brazilian Legation in London, Brazil would
favor neither the United States nor Spain. but,
considering the matter as one OF business solely,
would soil TO the highest biddor." II 10. therefore.
that a fairsiHed bonus over tho contract
n,ioo 81 tlno ahipa 1n.at ha inCltdaA In tina ,nnnnt