The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-05-02
COAST DEFENSES.
Precautions Taken To Protect Amer
lean Ports.

While preparing plans for meeting
SPANS fleet now en- route to Western
waters, the officials have not forgotten
10 take precautions for the protection
Of American ports.
Primarily the defense of the coast will
rest upon the Navy and the mosquito
fleet, and the shore Notifications will be
the secondary defenses which Spain will
have to overcome in order to commit dam
age upon American life and property.
Commodore J. A. Howell. commander
in-chef of the northern patrol squadron.
is collecting his fleet in New England
waters. and the armor-clad squadron will
be stationed at some point between Key
West and Hampton Roads. from where It
can be dispatched to defend the Cuban
blockade or a northern port, or make an
offensive move without serious inconyeni-
ence or delay.
On account Of the condition OF the for
tifcations Of New England cities Score
tary Long has deemed it expedient for
Commodore Howell to make Boston his
headquarters for the present
Commodore Howelrs command now con-
sists of the cruisers San Francisco and
New Orleans and ram. Katahdin and it
will be REINFORCED tomorrow or We'd
nesday by the auxiliary cruisers Yankee
Prairie. Dixie and Yosemite, which have
been converted and armed at Newport
News. The Minneapolis and Columbia,
which are on scouting duty in New Eng
land waters. may be ordered elsewhere
when Commodore Hewelrs entire force
is assembled
Besides this fleet the Navy has the
wartime monitor Catskill under the com
mand of Lieutenant NJ. r., Hall, at Glou-
cester, Mass, and the monitor Lehigh at
Boston. The COVER q II of Maine has sent
a detachment of men to man the monitor
Montauk, which will be taken to Port
land for the defense of that city.
So far as New York is concerned, IT is
proposed by the department to hasten the
work of establishing a mosquito fleet at
this point. and this expedition will apply
to stationing vessels at other ports along
the coast.
BY the aid of the coast defense signal
system. the authorities say that as soon
as il becomes evident that fleet is head
ing toward New York, as can be quickly
learned, orders will be telegraphed TO
Commodore Howell and to Rear Admiral
Sampson TO hasten at once to its relief
and before any damage can be done by
the enemy it will find itself confronted
by a strong squadron. The wartime
monitors Nahant and Jason are designed
for the defense of New York The Louis
lana Naval Militia has reported its arri-
val at Brunswick, Ga. from which point
it will take the monitor Passaic to the
mouth of the Mississippi to defend the
river and the city of New Orleans
Several tugs have been purchased for
the defense of New Orleans. and similar
purchases have been made at Pensacola
Mobile. and Tampa. Besides these ships
there are the f1fty-odd monitors cruisers.
and converted vessels performing block
ade duty in Cuba.
On the Pacific coast Rear Admiral Mil
Ter has under his command quite an eff
fective flotilla Of vessels ample to protect
the Pacific coast cities from the depreda-
lions of privateers. The monitor Monad-
mock is at Puget Sound the monitor Mon
terey at San Francisco, the gunboat
Bennington at Honolulu. and there are
the cruiser Alert, revenue cutters Grant
Corwin, Rush. and Perry and the con-
verted tugs Iroduois Vigilant. and Ac-
tive. and the Fish Commission vessel
Albatross.