Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-05
WAR PREPARATIONS
Department officials Becoming More
Reticent.
SILENT As TO fHE FLYING SQUADRON
Newspaper Men Want to Go With
the Ships.
MISSION OF THE TEXAS

This being cabinet day there were fewer
visitors at the State. War and Navy De-
partments than usual. They were ample,
however, to keep the secretaries busy until
White House. The work OF nearly all the
bureaus of the War and Navy Departments
Incident to the preparations for war is now
thoroughly under way. the only things to
be done being to carry out the directions
and policies already agreed upon. Couse-
quently there is lack of news feature in
these departments. In addition the officials
have become more reticent than ever in re-
gard to what is being done. This was typi-
cally illustrated today when an inquiry was
made of Secretary Long as to whether any
orders had been given to Commodore
Schley's flying squadron. The Secretary
declined to say whether any orders have
been sent, and intimated that If they had
1t would not be proper for the department
to make them public. Naval officials say
that already too much information has been
given to the public regarding many things
that have been done, and they have come
to the conclusion not to tell anything.
Before leaving for the cabinet meeting
Secretary Long saw Sena tors Platt of New
York. Allison of Iowa and Sewell of New
Jersey and representative in this city of
the company engaged in the manufacture
Of what is known as the aerophone This
is an invention designed to increase the
facility for transmitting sound between ves-
sells on the water. 1t is claimed to be of
particular service on men-of-war, where
by its use, the least swash in the waves
made by an approaching vessel can be
readily detected. and that in the case Of
fogs the invention would be of great value
in keeping the ships of a fleet aware Of the
whereabouts of each other.
Representative William Alden Smith of
Michigan was also at the Navy Depart
ment III connection with some matters re-
garding the naval militia of his state. He
had brief talk with Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt
1t was said there was no news concern
ing the movements of the Spanish torpedo
fleet at the Cape Verde Islands, nor of the
ships at Cadiz
At the State Department Secretary Sher-
man left the cabinet meeting a few min
utes before II o'clock. During the morn
ing the Portuguese minister and Senators
Fairbanks and Spooner were at the depart
ment and had a talk of some duration with
Assistant Secretary Day. Col. J. ]. Nc
Cook Of New York, who has taken an ac-
tive interest in the Cuban situation, was
also at Judge Days Office, but did not
secure an audience. Col McCook then hur-
ried off to Vice President Hobart's house.
Secretary Alger also had a number of
visitors during the morning with whom he
discussed freely the possibilities of the near
future. The Secretary is unusually reticent
at this time in talking for publication re-
garding the operations of the War Depart
ment In its preparations for war.
The Navy Department has received in
Vulnerable requests from newspapers
throughout the country for permission to
nave representatives aboard the shiys of
the flying squadron under Commodore
Schley and the North Atlantic squadron,
under Captain Sampson. Secretary Long
was disposed at first to accede to many of
the requests, but has finally concluded that
1t will be inadvisable. This conclusion was
reached as a result of a communication
from Commodore Schley, in answer to 4
letter from the Navy Department, which
represented that there were not adequate
accommodations aboard the warships for
any men, In addition to the officers and
crew of the ship. Consequently the Secre-
tary has found it necessary to restrict the
privilege of accompanying these squadrons
to representatives Of the Associated Press.
Torpedo Boats in Communication.
The torpedo boats Talbot and Gwin. re-
Gently constructed for the government by
the Herreshoffs Of Bristol, r. l., were
placed in commission at Newport yesterday
afternoon. They are 22-knot boats and will
prove a valuable addition to a torpedo
fiotilla now forming part of Captain Samp-
sons feet at Key West.
The Texas to Go to Sea.
Orders have been issued for the battle
ship Texas, which was recently repaired at
the New York navy yard, to leave that
port as soon as she has completed coaling.
The destination of this vessel is kept secret.
and it is understood that her commanding
officer is instructed not to open his orders
until he gets out to sea. There IS a we'll
founded impression. however, that the big
battle ship Is under orders to proceed to
sea over the usual transatlantic course.
with view Of meeting the cruisers San
Francisco and New Orleans, now on their
way from England to New York, and es-
corting them safely into the home port.
There is fear that these two cruisers
might fall prey to Spanish warships in
the event Of declaration of war before
lHeir ARRIVAL IN port. Inc mission Of the
Texas is said to be for the special purpose
Of guarding against such a possibility. The
New Orleans is one Of the ships recentlv
purchased in England from the Brazilian
government. The San Francisco was re-
Gently the flagship Of the abandoned Euro
pean squadron, and Is acting as a CONVOY
to the New Orleans. The two vessels left
England on the 9th ultimo and are due at
New York about the 10th or 18th instant.
Engineer Bowers New Post.
Among the naval orders issued at the d.
partment today was the name of Passed
Assistant Engineer Bowers Of the Inflated
battle ship Maine. He was ordered to the
navy yard at New York.
Engineer Bowers was an important factor.
during the recent investigation by the
naval board of inquiry, in disproving the
theory of spontaneous combustion in the
coal bunkers Of the Maine Happily for
himself. however, he was not ON board OF
the ship whsn the disaster occurred, being
on shore at the time awaiting the dispatch
boat which was to carry him on board.
His testimony as q witness had mssch
weight with 10 ros.rf