The San Francisco call., 1898-03-15
INSPECTING
 BIC STEAMERS No Time Lost by the Auxiliary Board in
 Beginning Work.
Liners St. Louis and New York Examined and Found Fit
 for Naval Service
Many Offers Received From the Owners of All Kinds of Steam
 Graft at New York.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


 NEW YORK, March 14.-The Auxil- iary Cruisers Board of the United States Navy, which was appointed to acquire ships of the merchant marine for use in the event of the breaking out of the wa met for organization to-day in the Havemeyer building, where 1t has secured temporary quar- ters. Permanent quarters will be taken later, as the board will have great amount of work to do here.
 The board inspected the St. Louis and the New York of the American line this afternoon. The visit to the St. Louis was a short one The steam ship was constructed under the super vision of naval experts. and all of the officers composing the board were fla miliar with the plan of the vessel.
 The New York was next visited. She was constructed when the company sailed its ships under the British flag The New York was at one time In the reserve of the British Admiralty and was built under the supervision of Eng fish officers. The inspection of all veS- sels on which the Government has op- tions by reason of the subsidy act will be proceeded with as rapidly as pos sible.
 
 structions to make thorough tnspec- tions and immediately report. He has been directed to examine all steamships available for auxiliary cruisers and transports, fast tugs for use as rams and steam yachts that could be quickly transferred into serviceable torpedo boats. He has been instructed also to telegraph his recommendations to the Secretary of the Navy, so that action
 T lay.
 It was said by member of the board this morning that the departments orders were hurry up" orders and that the work of the board would be com pleted as expeditiously as possible. How soon that would be he could not tell Possibly" he added, i've shall be through in three days"
 Another member of the board said: Just as soon as our mission here was announced we began to receive offers owners of all the available American steamships in the harbor, I believe l am safe in saying, have placed their vessels at our disposal. Merchant ves- sells, tugs and yachts are included in this We had particularly large mum Der of yachts offered to us, and we will, no doubt, enter into negotiations for number of these.
 Captain A. Griscom, president of the International Navigation Company, owners of the American line, was in consultation with the board in refer ence to the St. Louis. What the result of that consultation was could not be learned It was said by member of the board that nothing had been decid- ed. The St. Louis Is advertised to sail on Wednesday, but 1t was admitted by an official of the company this morning hot 6n T m r -IofI hoy, ,ot she would. Lieutenant-Co Commander Kelly declined to say that the steamer would be held in this port.
 With Havana distant only eighty miles from Key West and 1250 miles from New York, the United States should be able to keep naval process sion going between this country and Cuba with very little difficulty and small expense compared with Spain, which is about 2000 miles away from the center of operations. This close proximity to Cuba gives this country a decided advantage for it's naval ves- sels and transports, as they may al- ways be sure of getting fuel, without which modern ships of war are more helpless than those of forty years ago.
 The possessions of Spain in the West Indies, other than Cuba, are Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but neither oc the latter have any military impor- tance, and the blockade and capture of Havana means the loss of the lever faithful isle" With a navy numerical ly only half as large as that of the United States, and this being still fur ther crippled by the fact that some of its best ships are undergoing extensive repairs, which may keep them out of active service for many months, the re- mainder of the fleet of Spain is handi- capped for the want of coaling stations. Ships leaving any port of Spain will consume one-half their coal supply, 1 and coaling at sea from colliers is at the best very uncertain, and becomes hazardous when in hostile waters The armored cruisers, torpedo-boat destroy- CTS and transports would become of no | value whatever in very short time. | while our ships would have a picnic time making excursions to Havana.
 The mercantile steam tonnage of the | United States and Spain, from which l auxiliary cruisers and transports could be drawn, was given in The Call re- gently as taken from Lloyd's of 1896. 1 Later figures from the same source | with Navy Department | data increase the number of available. | especially for the United States
 The appended tables give the name. tonnage, year of build and speed of 126 screw steamers in the merchant serv- | ice of the United States, and 39 in that | of Spain, built of iron or steel. and | taking only cognizance of such as have continuous sea SDeed of fwalye kpoto