The age-herald., 1898-03-25
 SPANISH TORPEDO
 FLOTILLA SAILS This Causes a Conference at the White
 House. THE RESULT IS UNKNOWN
 < Maine Report oi <. .SJ Mill Go to Foreign H$ $ Committee.
 gS WILL 0'g qs $ sEc0"OART PLACE lnteryentIo. Scuba on Humanitarian Grounds Is the Program ofthe President-Elght Steam Yachts Purchased for
 Auxiliary Navy.

l Washington, March N.-The last day be. fore tine arrival of the report of the Maine court of inquiry was one of unexampled | activity dn all official quarters Advices came early that the Spanish torpedo aotila had sailed from the Canaries for Porto Rico and fnom this moment the most en. ergetic war measures followed one another
 in constant succession. The movement of
 thds fleet has been watched with the keen est interest 1t was felt to involve serious possibilities which might compei the United States government to protest against the movement as of a hostihs character. Immediately on the receipt of the official despatch from our naval attaches abroad briefly anonuncing the sailing of the fleet the fact was made known to the president and an earnest conference was held be-
 tween him and Secretary Long and Aselst-
 aunt Secretary Roosevelt The seriousness of the movement was fully considered and the president was advised that naval strate- gists regarded it as essential that this tor@ pedo fleet should not be allowed to reach western waters What, if any conclusion, was reached is not known.
 Later in the day the Spanish minister, Senor Polo Bernabe, called at the state department and speuf some time with Judge Day. It was naturally inferred that
 the approach of the Spanish fotila was
 
 however, there was any suggestion against the move was not dlfsclosed by ether Judge Day or the Spanigh mnister, both of whom
 niaintadned the stricifeEt retdcence regard- ing their conference and refused to speak
 concerning 1t.
 Sicard Granted Leave Following the fotilla announcement im- portant news followed rapidly. The first was this announcement by Secretary Long indicating the piardng of our squadron and fleet on a war footing:
 Admiral Sicard has been granted leave, very much to the regret of the navy de- partment and altogether on account of his health.
 Capt. Sampson has been made com- mander of the fleet at Key West. Capt. Evans has been ordered to take charge of the Iowa."
 It developed that Capt. Evans orders to take command of the Iowa had a most im- portant sequel in the assignment of Capt. Sampson, present commander of the Iowa, to succeed Admiral Sicard in command of the North Atlantic squadron. This is probably the most important assignment the department has made in many months. It is due mainly to the findings of medi- cal court that Admiral Scard is tempo rarily incapacitated for active duty owing to long continued Illness.
 WenEquipped Officer
 Capt Sampson is regarded as one of the pest eQulpp6u OHlceTS III lfle navy, HdNlnS seen active service during the civil war and since then occupied many important positions. He is a high authority on naval ordinance and before taking command of the Iowa was chief of the bureau of or dinance. He is between 50 and 60 years of age, student of naval affairs of genial temperament and is considered an officer of excellent executive ability. The retire- ment of Admiral sicard has the effect of raising Capt Sampson to the rank or com- mo1ore
 Hardly less important than the assign ment of Capt Sampson was the deterinin- ation to place Commodore w. s. Schley in command of the fleet now assembling at Hampton Roads. This will consist of the battleships Massachusetts and Texas, the cruisers Brooklyn, Minneapolis and Co., lumbia and such other ships as may be as- signed It Is commonly known as the flying squadron, the idea being to make Hampton Roads the base of operations and yet to give Commodore Schley easy and effective cruising distance of the entire sweep of the Atlantic seaboard north of that point. The two commands under Commodore Sampson and Commodore Schley will be in equal dignity and will be entirely independent of each other for the present at least.
 Commodore Schley commands the full confidence of the administration. During the present crisis he has been frequently called into consultation with the navy chiefs, who recognized his complete famil- iarity with every detail of naval proceed ure. When the flying squadron was first suggested his name naturally presented it. self as probably the Attest man for that particular duty He came prominently into public notice by the successful prosecution of the Greedy relief expedition and later as commander of the Baltimore at Valpar- also at the time of the Chilian revolution.
 Admiral Sicard has been fin command of the fleet at Key West throughout the criti- cal period of the Maine disaster. Capt. Sampson has been In command of the Iowa, but more recently has been conspicuous before the public as president of the Maine court of inquiry. Capt Robley D. Evans is better known Fighting Bob.'
 Joint Commission of War and Navy
 The next important move was determine alton to create a joint commission from the war and navy departments so as to bring them into harmonious action on all meas ures. Capt. Barker, the naval aide of Sec retary Long, was designated to represent the navy department in this common plan of action. The representative of the war department has not yet been named. It will not be necessary for these two officers to leave Washington, as they can best arrange joint plan of action in conference with
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