Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-03-29


given weight with the military authori-
ties as showing the disposition Of Spain.
The Flying Squadron.
The orders Issued by the navy de-
partment during the day covered every
branch Of naval armament. The ely
ing Squadron" was definitely estab-
lished, with Commodore w. S. Schley
dore flag on the flagship Brooklyn next
Monday. The squadron is to consist of
exactly five ships, no more and no less,
despite conjecture as to possible ships
that might be added Those of the
squadron will be the crack armored
cruiser Brooklyn, the battleships Massa-
| chusetts and Texas and the cruisers
| Columbia and Minneapolis. Other ships
which are now or hereafter may be at
Hampton Roads, wllnot be of the flying
| squadron, but will belong to the North
Atlantic station under Capt. Sampson
The flying squadron is to be small
| compact feet of the best ships in the
nav tor quick service at any point
along the Atia..
North Atlantic Squadro.,
At the same time the North Atlantic
station under Capt. Sampson is to be
further augmented. The cruiser Gin
cinnati, which left Port Antonio three
days ago under sealed orders, is to re-
port at Key West and become part OF
Capt. SIMPSONS fleet. The gunboa,
| Wilmington, also en- route from Port
Antonio, will likewise report to Capt
Sampson at Key West, as well as the
gunboat Vicksburg, now at Hampton
Roads. Late Friday the navy depart.
ment gave out the following list of yes.
sells as showing the exact character OF
each fleet as 1t stands to-day:
THE following vessels compose the NORTH
Atlantic squadron: New York, Iowa, In.
diana. Miantonomah, Fern. Puritan, Ter.
ror, Marblehead. Montgomery. Delaware
Castine, Nashville. Helena. Wilmington
Nesuvius, torpedo boats Foote, Dupont
Ericsson Cushing. Porter, Winslow, tug,
Lowden and Samoset.
The following vessels compose the ny.
ing squadron: The Brooklyn, Massachu.
sets, Texas. Minneapolis and Columbia. -
Other Developments.
Some of the other more important de.
velopments of the day maybe suramar.
lied as follows:
acquisitions We're made on the naval ord
nance bureau for large number of quick.
IRE four-pounder and six-pounder guns. to
be mounted on the revenue cutters and
the steam yachts about to be purchased
The bureau determined to use the Quick.
fire guns for these craft which had been
originally intended for the Atlantic liners
st. Paul and st. Louis.
Capt. Bradford, chief Of naval equipment,
completed plans for securing naval coal.
ing station in waters south of Cuba, and
the papers are now ready for final action
The battleship Texas was ordered from
Hampton Roads to the New York navy
yard to receive her machinery for hoistine
ammunition and guns.
Favorable answers were received from
the New York naval militia of their readt-
ness on short notice to supply officers and
men to man the single-turreted monitors
now called into service.
Orders were Issued to have all the war
ships painted black. a color that ia bet
ter adapted to hostilities, because the yes
seis VIII not AFFORD as good target.
The Revenue Cutters.
Capt. Shoemaker, chief of the revenue
cutter service, is busily engaged in MAX
Ing assignments of officers to the rev.
cnue cutters detailed Thursday for de-
fensive service along the Atlantic sea-
board. Every vessel in the service avail
able for action has been, or will be, as
signed to duty. Even the new cutter
Gresham on the great lakes and the
little cutter Calumet, located at Chica-
go, have been called on and in a day
or two both the lake ships will be en-
route to the rendezvous at Hampton
Roads. They will make the trip to the
Atlantic seaboard through the st. Law
renee river. The commanders of the
revenue cutters have been notified by
wire to be in readiness to move as soon
as their general orders are received.
III revenue cutters which will be or
dered into service and their present
stations are as follows: The Woodbury.
at Portland, Me-; Hamilton, Philadel- |
phia; Hudson, New York; Manning,
Boston; Calumet, Chicago; Gresham,
Milwaukee; Morrow, Wilmington. N.
O., and Window, Baltimore. Capt. Shoe
maker was of opinion that it would re-
quire about a week for all of the yes
sells to reach Hampton Roads, or rather
which will be their official
rendezvous. At the navy yard there the
vessels will receive their equipment
guns, ammunition, torpedoes and sup
plies-and will make such other prep
arations as are necessary for fighting
service.
Order for Naval Reserves,
Washington, March 2e.-The naval
reserves in all the middle western states
have been notified to be In readiness
to move at any time and on short or
ders. The reserves are chiefly In Ohio,
Michigan and Illinois and at St. Louis.
No definite arrangements have been
made by the department for the call
ing of the naval militia men into
service, but such arrangements will be
made perhaps before tonight. 1t is
not unlikely that the naval militia of
New Jersey also will be called upon to
assist in manning the old monitors.
AS to the rumored likelihood that the
naval militia of Ohio, Illinois and Mich
Igan would be called into service, navy
department officials said that no steps
TO that end had yet been taken, but
the intimation was broadly conveyed
that they would be called upon to serve
upon the monitors.
TURBULENCE IN THE HOUSE.
Speaker Reed Makes a Ruling Which
Calls Forth Loud Protests
from the Minority.