The herald., 1898-03-12
TO MAN THE FORTS ALONG THE
ATLANTIC
aEW ARTILLERY REGIMENT:
Provided With Stations Before the
Men Are Enlisted-The Column
bia Out Of Dry Dock
,..sociated Press Special wire


tion of the new artillery regiments
numbers six and seven, authorized by
q recent act of Congress. The Sixth
regiment will have its headquarters at
Fort Slocum, N. Y, and the Seventh at
Fort Henry, Md. The location of these
two regiments at the points indicated
will necessitate the transfer of the ar
tillerymen now occupying those garri-
sons to other places. Batteries B and c
of the Fifth Artillery are at Fort Slo-
cum and Batteries D and E are at Fort
Henry. In organizing the new regi-
ments six men will be taken from each
of the batteries now in service, so that
each of the new batteries will have at
least fifteen experienced artillerymen.
The orders for the manning of the ar
tillery demands the utmost promptness
in their execution and it is expected
that the movements Of the troops to
the various places assigned them will
begin within the next forty-eight hours.
The new Notifications on Long Island
Head and at the entrance to the harbor.
will be guarded by battery of the Sec
ond Artillery, now at Fort Adams, S. L.
For the operation of the guns on San
dy Hook two batteries now at Fort Slo-
cum, one now at Fort Hamilton and one
at Fort Wadsworth, will be utilized. 1t
is expected that the Sandy Hook garri-
son will be established at once.
The garrison headquarters band and
one battery of the First Artillery, sta
toned at st. Francis barracks, St. Au-
gustine, Fla, will be transferred to
duty at Sullivan's Island.
Fort Monroe, Va, is probably the
strongest and best equipped station on
the Atlantic coast and the garrison there
will be called upon to man other forti
fications, but not to an extent that would
weaken it's own efficiency. One bat
terry of the First Artillery at Fort Mon
roe will be transferred to Fort Nor
gan, Ala, which, in conjunction with
Fort Gaines, commands the entrance to
Mobile bay.
For the better protection of the ma
tional capital, one battery of the Fourth
Artillery at Fort Monroe has been or
dered to Sheridan Point, Va. This fort
is nearly opposite Fort Washington, and
in connection with it, commands the ap
proach to Washington by water.
The batteries of the Fourth Artillery
stationed at Fort McHenry, Baltimore,
will be distributed between Fort Della
ware and Fort Mott, providing for the
protection of Philadelphia, Trenton,
Camden and other cities in that vicinity.
Fort st. Phillip. on the Mississippi
river just below New Orleans, will be
eyor ri OIL b1r1 a hot Of ha ENirct Ar
tillery now at jackson Barracks, New
Orleans.
The other battery, at Jackson Bar
racks, has been assigned to duty at Fort
Point, Galveston.
Arrangements have been made by the
chief signal officer of the army, by au-
thority of the Secretary of War, to es-
tablish immediate telegraphic and tele-
phonic communications between all the
new stations on the coast to which
troops have been assigned.
HOPES FOR AN ORDER
NEW YORK, March 11.-Speaking of
the possibility of the United States OBJ
tanning naval vessels abroad Mr.. Platt
of Platt & Co. of this city, the American
of John l. Thornycraft
& Co. of Chiswick, England. one of the
largest constructors of torpedo boats and
torpedo boat destroyers in Great Brit
ain, said:
'I have just returned from Washing
ton. and 1 was assured that this govern
ment desires now, more than any other
class of vessel, a fleet of torpedo boat
destroyers and, had it been considered
practical by the Navy Department to
have the boats built in England the
Thornycraft Company would have by
this time begun work on several YES
sells of the Thornycraft type for use here.
Acting upon suggestions received in
Washington, however, I have consulted
mem bers of three or four shipbuilding
in this country relative to the
quick construction of the Thornycraft
type. l have been assured by them, with
the detailed working plans of the vessels
in their possession and under an ordi-
nary commercial contract-that is, a con-
tract free from all unnecessary red tape
they would collectively complete by
night and day, fleet of ten such
vessels within seven months.
THE representative of one firm as
sured me that it would send out the first
vessel within six months. am advised
offer to dispose of complete plans of the
Thornycraft vessel to this government
at practically moments notice. The
vessels are 210 feet long and 275 tons dis
placement, mounting four Founders
and one thirteen FOUNDER and equal to
30 knots.
"They are considered the most sue
,essful type of torpedo boat destroyers
ever constructed. England has already
lbout sixty of them and others building,
Ind Thornycraft & Co. are constructing
/ number of them for Germany and
Japan. The plans of this type of vessel
IAN be shipped from the Chiswick yard
within three days and 1 have every
eason to believe that this government
will order them"
THE OREGON'S MAGAZINES
SAN FRANCISCO, March 1.-THE
Oregon is to receive at once
ity will provide a full complement for
he forty-two magazines of the ship. !
Today the powder shot and shell will
'e brought from Mare Island to the
)regon's anchorage in Mission Bay. |
)fficers of the navy comment on the fact |
hat the ammunition must be brought |
o the ship because the vessel cannot go |
0 the naval station at Mare Island to
cceive supplies, owing to the shallow
rater in the channel there. Estimates
re on file in the Navy Department
howing that the sum of $250,OOO would
nlarge the dock at Mare Island so as to