Omaha daily bee., 1898-03-14
LOOKING FOR NEW CRUISERS
Special Board Goes to New York Today to
Examine Vessels.
MANY DESIRABLE CRAFT ARE AFt0AT
Everything from Large Liners tu
Steam Tugs VIII he inspected
as to Adnptability to
Naval Purposes.

WASHINGTON. March 13.-Today. unlike
last Sunday. when published statements of
the desire for the recall OF Consul General
Lee and the protest Of the Spanish govern
ment against sending relief supplies to Cuba
caused much excitement among official cir
oes, was comparatively quiet. There had
been no information bearing on the doings
OF the court OF inquiry on the Maine ex-
plosion received during the day or any other
dispatches calculated to cause conferences
between the heads Of the various depart-
ments. There were a number OF the ex-
perts OF the War department ordnance office
at their desks for short time during the
morning. while at the Navy department the
beard on auxiliary cruisers held a final
meeting preparatory to the departure of the
special board to New York.
Secretary Long was at the Navy depart
ment for short time He stated In the
afternoon that there was no news OF any
nature for the press and added In response
to a specific inquiry that nothing had been
received from the court OF inquiry
The board on auxiliary cruisers met in
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt's room during
tho morning. There were present, in addi-
ton to the assistant secretary, Chief Con-
structor Hichborn of the Bureau Of Con-
struction and Repair. Captain Frederick
and Survey. Captain O'Neil, chief of the
ordnance bureau; Lieutenant Sergeant. re-
corder OF the board of inspection, and Lieu
tenant Peters OF the Naval Intelligence bu-
reau. Lieutenant Commander ]. d. Kelley
and Naval Constructor Towresey the latter
now on duty at Crlmps' shpyards, were ex-
pected, but their orders to attend had evil
gently arrived too late to permit them to
do so.
Each OF the bureau chiefs present was
q w hx hNo,
cident to work that may be required to fit
out any ships that might be obtained. Sew
efai or the members of the board as orig
lnally appointed to look into the matter are
uhaDle to leave the city at the present time
so 1t was determined that a special board
! OF which Captain Rodgers should be presi
Gent, should be designated to proceed to
! New York to undertake the work in hand.
AN once VIII be opened at &c Courtlandt
street, New York City, tomorrow morning.
AT which owners and agents for ships will
| De invited 10 make their proposals for turn
| ng over to the navy such vessels as are of
| 'aiue lor conversion into war purposes.
| MANY DESIRABLE VESSELS.
The naval officials say there will be no
| oiihculty experienced in obtaining all vescels
that are desired, as there are hundreds
| available Thanks to the careful work OF the
haval intelligence office, the department
| Keeps In close touch with the construction
OF all craft that could. be utilized in tho
eveQt of hostilites, and Just now It has q
| record OF forty such ships OF all sizes and
classes which will be inspected and exam
ined If their ownccs desire to part with
! them. A number OF these are vessels which
have been constructed under the subsidy act
OF congress and are engaged In CARRYING the
! mails.
The vessels to be examined will include
| all ciaese@. frcm liners like the St. Paul. to
ocean going tugs which oao be OF material
a ,hny Of NJ
| draft, speed, conditions OF boilecs and ma
| chinery and other attributes will ffyure in
| the inspection which will bc Undertaken by
the board before any chartering and pur-
| ehasing Is recommended. Both the ordinances
bureau and that engaged in the work OF con-
| struction and repaic are ready to take their
part In fitting out and equipping such YES.
| sells as may be required
| AT the Washington gun factory there are
now In various stages OF conGtructicm no
I less than $50 guns OF formidable character
I on whlch work Is being done night and day
| with view to their early completion No
new guns are being started, but the entire
| enors OF the factory are devoted to finishing
| those now under way. A naval officer said
! there VIII be enough of them when finished
| to constitute a fair armament for probably
thirty or more auxiliary cruisers should such
| large fleet be found necessary to supple
| ment the regular war ships.
| The gunbcat Machias, which has Just ar
| rived at Norfolk from the Asiatic station.
/ by way OF the Suez canal has been found
to be in fair shape as a result of the exami-
| raticn by the naval inspection board A thor
| ough overtauling will be unnecessary in the
present instance ard it will be cent to Bos-
ton, where all necessary repairs can be made
| to 1t in about twelve days.
The ordering OF the Helena and the Ban
f! croft, now cn the European statioQ, to the
| United States. will leave Admiral Howell
commanding that station. with but cue ve..
sel viz: the San Francisco. No explains alton
| for the action Is vouchsafed by the officials
OF the Navy department, and Secretary Long,
when asked today, declined to cay anything
! about the step further than that the two
| ships had been ordered hcme.
| ACTIVITY AT NEWPORT.
NEWPORT, r. l., March 13.-There has
been the greatest activity today at the tor
pedo station preparing charges for torpedo
outfits and In inspecting the defenses at the
/ entrance to Narragansett bay. In the ma
chine shops at the station the fathes cut
ting the shell for fuses and primers were
run to their full capacity, while extra hands
! were in the fuse room loading and packing.
| Hands have also been taken on in guncotton
and smokeless powder plants, which are
pushed to their full capacity
The new type OF torpedces which will be
| issued In few days will require double the
charges OF those heretofore served to the
navy. The torpedo boats Gwyn and Talbot
had steam up today, ready to be turned
over to the officers and crew. who are ex-
pected tomorrow.
Early tonight the torpedo boat Stiletto re.
| turned Unexpectedly from New York where
1t has been all winter for tests of It's oil
burning furnaces. 1t is assumed that it will
be tsed foC carrying omokeless powder t.
Newport.
The marine guard on the training station
which now numbers seventy-fve men Il
held in readiness for drafts and most Of the
general service men at the station have beer
already detached. For the defense OF the
bay the mortar battery at Fort Adams ant
the twelve-inch battery at Dutch Island are
the two principal points at which work Il
being pushed vessel load OF powder ar
rived at Fort Adams today and another lo
Is expected soon by rail.
SANTA CRUZ, Cal. March 13.-The pow
der works were run at full blast toda,
making government powder 1t Is unusua
for the entire force to be al work on Sunday
THERE IS NO NEWPORT TORPEDO
Whitehead In the PrOjectile Gcnerally
II Used ta the Navy.
NEW YORK. March 1s.--Lieutenant Com
mander Mclean was interviewed at the tor
pedo ststion today in regard to the repor
that the Maine had been blown up by