The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-09
WANTED AS TRANSPORTS.
VESSELS OF THE OCEAN STEAMSHIP
LINE CONSIDERED.


President II. VI. Conner Has an inter-
view with Assistant Secretary
| kIejohn-Under the Circum-
stances He Did Not Want to Name
"A Figure for the Use of the Vessels,
But the Company VIII Make
Whatever Sacrifices Are Necessary
When the Time ConeS--Much Ex-
! element in Washington and New
York.
President H. NJ. Conner Of the Central
of Georgia Railway Company returned
yesterday from Washington and New
York. where he has been on business
trip for the last week.
President Corner spent Saturday in
Washington. where he stopped to can at
| the war department to answer in person
inquiries with regard to the probable use
of the vessels Of the Ocean Steamship Line
as transports in carrying troops into Cuba.
in case they are needed for that purpose.
Washington, President Conner said, Is
war-wild. At the time he was at the state,
war and navy building, near the White
! House, the dispatches from Admiral Dew
ey were being translated, and thousands
| Of people were thronging around. eager for
the news. Many of those in the building
were newspaper men catching the details
by piecemeal. Enthusiasm and excitement
ran high, and there was little thought or
talk of anything else.
| President Conner called on Assistant
Secretary of war Meickeljohn in reply
to an inquiry from that department with
reference to chartering vessels belonging
to the Ocean Steamship Company for use
as transports in carrying troops to Cuba,
Il told the assistant secretary" Mr.
Conner said, chat the vessels Of the
ocean Steamship Company are fitted up
handsomely as passenger boats, as well
as freight steamers, and that to use them
as transports would probably damage
/ them very much. Under these eircum-
stances TO name price for The use OF
| the vessels to cover the possible damage.
as well as the charter price, might be
| construed into a disposition to take ad-
vantage Of the government, and we do not
want to be placed in that attitude.
| Whenever the occasion demands it, 1
told the secretary" Mr.. Conner. continued,
that the Ocean Steamship Company
would be found ready and willing TO make
| sacrifices andt to 90 whatever may, be
found necessary in the matter. Unless
| there was a necessity at the moment /
suggested that it might be best not to call
on US for price at the present time /
had very pleasant interview with Mr..
Melckeijohn, and he agreed with me on
1 i harre 81.
The supposition that the government is
endeavoring to purchase vessels as aux
ihary cruisers at present is Incorrect. The
| war department has not bought any YES
sells and is not buying any. The cruisers
| OF the auxiliary fleet were purchased by
the navy department, and it is not likely
| that any others Will be secured at present.
| When the war department needs vessels
for the transportation of troops it will
charter them, as has been suggested This
elfectually disposes of the report with re-
gard to the purchase of vessels Of the
Ocean Steamship line as auxiliary cruis-
ers. Some of them were looked upon at
| one time as probabilities, but the chances
are that was more with view to secur-
ing them as transports than anything
else.
President Conner said there was a good
deal of excitement over the situation both
in New York and Washington. Every
body was eager for news from Dewey's
squadron and in spite of the fast that IL
rained all day Saturday in WASHINGTON
the people were out in crowds waiting for
the news. All along the railroad from
Washington South people were standing
at the depots waiting for the Washington
evening papers.
The general feeling and belief in New
York is to the effect that If the Spanish
feet now moving toward American waters
meets with defeat anything like that in
hicted in the Philippine Islands, the war
WIN be over. he said. But 1t does not take
a New York man to make any sueh pre-
diction as that, President Conner added