The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-08-23
WAR SHIPS ASSEMBLE AT FORT MONROE
One Of the Largest Fleets Ever Witnessed in
an American Port.

All TihCiiNaH ! VIZ
Washington. y. G.. August 19.-One Of
the largest fleets Of warShipS ever as
sembled in an American port will be
brought together in the next few days
at Fortress Monroe, Va. Already fifty
seven warships are under orders to rem
dezvonS there, and the orders still to be
issued will raise the total to the neigh
borhood of seventy. Naval officers say
it is difficult to realize the extent Of
such a marine aggregation In one har-
Dor. These included in to-day's orders
are the Newport. Rodgers. Lebanon.
Wampatnck. MorriSS. Gwin. Lancaster.
Machias. OSceola. Peoria. NassasoiI.
Sioux. Cheyenne, Waban, ChickasaW,
Helena. Detroit. Aldy. These ships pre-
yiously ordered are mainly small craft,
although there are number of large
cruisers and @unboatS. intending the San
Francisco. Helena. Detroit. Topeka.
Marietta ana CaStino. The movement Of
these ships nortward is due TO the close
OF hoStiliticS. and more particularly to
the desire to get the ships AWAY from
points Of possible fever infection. They
will now be put in thorough repair. and
their crews gradually will be changed
from nava militiamen to sailors Of the
regular navy.
The Navy Department has not yet de-
termined what ships shall 90 TO Ha-
| vana. San Juan and other points i'll
Cuba II Porto Rico. There is felt
to be no hurry about this until the
authority Of the United States is fully
established throughout the islands. In
the meantime the matter Of policing the
-1 -
due time Il number of the light drought
auxiliary craft and some Of the single
| turreted monitors will be used for this
only four Of the old monitors of the
Civil War are fit for this service in
Southern waters.
AS many naval vessels will be centcred
about the West Indies from this time
forward, the Navy Department will send
the new floating dock. recently bought III
New York. down the coast to Pensacola.
Fla. where it will be kept FOR docking
the warShipS. At that point also there
are good naval workshops to be used
in conjunction with the floating dock.
The dock is now being coppered. and will
be flowed to Pensacola as soon as the
September gales are over.
There We're few developments of i'm
Pr s'II' III tn 1F''N NtI -
day. The authorities are still waiting
for General Merritt'S report Of the list
of casualties and the State. War ana
Navy Departments are interested in
knowing the exact terms on which
Manila was surrendered whether the
city alone. OF if all the Philippines were
included. 1t was stated by officials that
nothing additional on this point had been
received up to the close of office hours
to-day. The efforts to restore the Ma
Mia cable continue. but they have not
proved successful thus far. The claims
made in Madrid that the protocol. ann
not the capitulation. controls tho status
of affairs in the Philippines. will not be
discussed by the State Department off
Gals. The Madrid discussion is looked
upon rs rather academic, as it is taken
for granted that claims will be made
on both sides. and that the Paris tribu-
nal will be the final arhiter of the
case.
Neither the State Department nor the
French Embassy has received word that
Spain has chosen her military commissions
for Cube and Porto Rico. and some
doubt is expressed as to the accuracy OF
the names given in London press ad-
vices. The names given in these re
ports are those Of Spanish generals and
admirals now stationct III Cuba and
Porto Rico. so that il the names art
correct. 40 time will be lost in bringing
the commissioners together. The IN
dcrStanding hero is that the sessions vii.
begin 1T Havana and San Juan about
the first week in September.