Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-03-14

Va: another from Fort Riley TO New
! Orleans ami third from Fort Riley L
Savannah. "a Each battery consists OF
i've officers. - men. - horses. four gun,
with ralSsous. battery FORCES and CAM
equipage. Tn" equipment will be ready
t" leaYe Fort Riley by noon Of the 1Gtf
inst.
The war department. Saturday. pro
mul2ated its orders creating the depart
uouis Of The GGif and of the lakes ana
,hoi.5hiu2 tho departments of the Mis-
soHri ana 81 Texas. The department al
tn" East will embrace the states on the
Atlantic coast To and including NORTH
Carolina. the department Of the lakes
Will include Wisconsin Michigan Indiana
Ohio Kentucky and Tennessee. with
headquarters At Chicago: the department
ii the gulf Will comprise the states of
South Carolina, Georgia. Florida. Ala
bama. Mississippi. Louisiana and Texas.
with headquarters at Atlanta. Maj. Gen.
John K. Brooke will command the depart
ment Of the lakes AMI Brig. Gen. William
Graham the department Of the gulf.
A letter from a Fan River boy on the
United States cruiser Marbiehead states
that at the time Of writing TWO FAN
River men survivors OF the Maine, were
IN the hospital at Key West. one, Mar
tin Shea. who enlisted under the name
of Martin. escaped with both hands Grip
Piled ANA his head badly burned. He says
he is the only man from HIS part of the
ship berth deck No. =. out al lfo TO get
ont alive. He does not know how he got
on Of the wreckage. Patrick Foley an
other Fall River man, is one of seven sur
vivors on the Marhlehead He was
friEhtfully injured. The writer says the
stories OF the survivors are horrible. and
the sailors Of the fleet are wild for re-
VenCe
Fort Hancock at Sandy Hook presented
more warlike appearance, Saturday.
than ever before. The two batteries OF 10
men each from Fort Slocum. DaVid's
Island. and two battalons from Fort
Wadsworth, Staten Island. arrived there.
Saturday. in accordance with orders is
sued by Mai Gen Wesley Merritt com
mander of the department of the East.
With the 300 men who arrived in the
morning. there are now more men at the
fort than since the Civil War. AS there
were no accommodations for the new
corners. the men Immediately began to
erect tents i'll which TO live. The latest
arrivals are all trained men and expert
gunners. There are now about $50 extra
men at Fort Hancock
Ordnance firms have been authorized
to manufacture and deliver without de-
lay such quantities of ammunition and
ordnance stores to the full capacity of
the plants The contractors have been
advised that the government will take all
the material they can produce until fur
Their orders. Among the contracts signed
was one $4,000 in amount for rapid-tire
guns and other ma terial. to be furnished
by the briggs Seabury Gun and Ammuni
ton Co. of New York City. a contract
has also been signed for II 900, 900 cart
ridges to be divided between the New
Hampshire Cartridge Go. of Lowell.
Mass, the Union Metallic Cartridge Co.
and the Winchester Repeating Arms Co.
The firms report their ability to produce
the material at the rate of 100000 per day.
The submarine boat Holland. which is
lying At the Raritan dry docks at Perth
Amboy. n. j.. was given another prelim-
mary trial, Saturday evening. She moved
out short distance from the pier, and
with John L. Holland, the inventor. the
engineer and another man, disappeared
beneath the water She remained down
a depth of about II feet for nearly half
an hour and then reappeared at the sur
face. The object of the test was to de-
termine the amount Of metal ballast
necessary for her operation under water,
rs well as to test her diving tanks and
compressed air apparatus. The inventor
said that the boat worked satisfactorily
and that he was ready 70 give her an
open trial in deep water. 1t has been de-
citled to exhibit her in the lower bay. next
week
The war department officials are an
noNed at communications sent to bidders
for furnishing supplies of various kinds
by persons representing themselves to be
managers of commercial newspapers and
offering material assistance before the
department. If an advertisement is in
'Ni'',' a! 'iiSii l'stpti9' NHc VI THESE com
munications addressed to n New York
bidder suggests to him that the writer
could help him in future contract bust
mesa because he is a Washington news
paper man and acquainted with the chiefs
OF the bureaus and with senators and
representatives. and Conld ask with good
grace certain taVora that might be de-
sired, all of which he would do if an adj
NertiTcmrut We're given for the news
paper. The officials think that contrac-
tors shoulf be warned against the offers
of all such persons. as their vlaims are
absolutely ridiculous and without the
least foundation in fact, to which no at
tention whatever should be paid.